As a hunter, choosing what type of camo pattern to go with can seem daunting. There are so many different types of camouflage patterns to choose from, and picking one can seem like a big commitment. No matter what species you pursue there are so many variables that can make or break a hunt, and having the right camo pattern can give you the extra edge to help you fill your next tag.
So how do you choose what type of camo pattern is best for you and your hunting gear? Thinking about what species you’ll most commonly be hunting, and in what environment, and taking some time to do some research can help you figure out just what type of camo pattern suits your needs. This article will help you choose the right pattern, but first, a little backstory on the history of camouflage and how modern camo came to be.
Taking cues from the use of natural camouflage by animals in the wild, military and armed forces leaders around the world during World War I started implementing camouflage on ships and equipment—and then on uniforms of military personnel [1]. Meanwhile, hunters took to wearing red and black buffalo plaid as a rudimentary form of camouflage capable of at least breaking up their silhouettes more than solid colors did [2].
As military camouflage advanced into World War II, and then into the second half of the 20th century, hunters began using army surplus gear. Beginning in the 1970s with patterns like Trebark camouflage, camo was marketed specifically toward hunters, especially whitetail deer bowhunters [3].
The Evolution of Camouflage Patterns
Early Beginnings and World Wars
Forms of military camouflage date back centuries, but its use wasn’t widespread until World War I when the French and then British militaries began experimenting with camouflage patterns. The U.S. military began hiring artists, many of them women, to paint camo on ships, vehicles and equipment, soon beginning development on camo uniforms which often looked more like ghillie suits than what we think of as the modern camo army combat uniform [4]. Traditional camouflage uniforms didn’t become widespread until World War II, and even then were reserved for particular units. Some U.S. military units adopted leaf and twig camo patterns in the 1950s, followed by tiger stripe patterns in the 1960s [5]. Fast forward to the digital universal camouflage pattern of the early 2000s and the Operational Camouflage Patterns (OCPs) of today. All the while, hunters were picking up previous generations of military camo at army surplus stores and putting it to use in the field.
Technological Advances and Modern Camo
Technology has come a long way in the evolution of camouflage going back from the World Wars until present day. Fabric technology and print and sublimation technology have allowed camo to go from splotches of earth-tone color to very specific imagery. Science and technology have also allowed us to figure out which types of camouflage can be most effective in certain types of environments and weather conditions, and which types of hunting camo work best for specific species. For instance, the best camo for turkey hunting may differ significantly from the best camo for deer hunting. In the next section, we’ll discuss these technological and scientific advancements.
Understanding Camo Pattern Families
Brushstroke Patterns
Brushstroke camouflage literally began with British special forces soldiers using paint brushes to paint swaths of earth tone colors onto their khaki uniforms to break up their silhouettes [6]. This allowed each soldier to customize his uniform to suit and adapt to a specific type of terrain or condition.
Much of the military and hunting camo of the late 20th century, inspired by those early brushstroke camo patterns, is considered traditional camo or woodland camo. This is the type of camouflage that utilizes earth-tone splotches of greens and browns to break up the wearer’s silhouette. The U.S armed forces’ M81 Woodland pattern is an example of this, as is Mossy Oak Bottomland, which was one of the first types of hunting camo made specifically for hunters [5].
Natural and Mimetic Patterns
In the next evolution of camouflage, military and hunting uses diverged, with the hunting world venturing toward hyper-realistic stick-and-leaf patterns meant to represent specific types of environments, from forests, to swamps, to snowy environments, to desert camouflage. Many of these stick-and-leaf patterns are used by hunters today, oftentimes the pattern being licensed to various manufacturers of everything from clothing, to home décor, to cigarette lighters—making the quality of the hunting clothing items disparate from other items sharing the same pattern. There are many of these mimicry patterns available, with brands such as Realtree and Mossy Oak offering many different options to suit very specific environments, many of them incorporating white for snowy conditions and blaze orange for safety.
Digital and Pixelated Patterns
Next in the evolution, for both military and hunting use, came digital camouflage, or digi-camo. These pixelated designs were more based in science than before—with the intent of allowing the wearer to blend into their surroundings rather than just looking like the vegetation of their surroundings.
Then came technology such as Gore™ Optifade™ Concealment patterns. These patterns became some of the first types of hunting camo that actually took the science of animal vision into account. In developing these patterns, Gore enlisted scientists and camouflage experts to create pieces that would allow hunters to become invisible to their prey in the types of terrain for which they’re designed. These patterns utilize micro-patterns within the main pattern to help the hunter remain invisible to the species they’re hunting, even if the hunter moves.
Choosing the Right Camo for Your Hunt
Environment-Specific Patterns
When selecting a camo pattern, you’ll want to think about what species you’ll be hunting, what environment you’ll be hunting in, what time of year and weather conditions you’ll likely be hunting, and what method you’ll be using. With Gore™ Optifade™ Concealment patterns, a lot of the legwork of choosing the right camo pattern is already done for you.
For whitetail deer hunters, especially those hunting from a treestand, Optifade™ Elevated II is an ideal camouflage pattern. It’s designed with macro and micro patterns that help hunters become invisible against bright sky and tree canopy foliage. It’s also designed to be effective both before and after the leaves change colors in the fall. Designed with significant input from ungulate vision experts, it’s able to keep a hunter invisible with deer coming in at distances of 80 yards or less, making it a crucial part of your deer hunting gear arsenal. For more insights on optimizing your approach in various environments, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide on deer hunting tips.
Big game hunters have two great options within the Gore™ Optifade™ Concealment lineup: Subalpine and Open Country. Subalpine is optimized for stalking and ambushing ungulates in tree-covered and vegetated terrain. It’s ideal for stalks into bow range of 50 yards or less. Open Country, on the other hand, is a camo pattern ideal for hunting in rocky terrain above the treeline. In terrain like this, where engagement distances are typically longer than 50 yards, Open Country is ideal, featuring large neutral areas of the pattern to allow hunters to become invisible at these longer ranges.
Waterfowl hunters also have two excellent Optifade™ options: Timber and Marsh. Timber is made for the darker environments of flooded timber, where water reflects both the brightness of the sky and the darkness of the tree canopy, resulting in high contrast. Marsh is a versatile camo pattern designed to be useful in a variety of terrain duck hunters often find themselves in like standing crops, cut stubble fields, and swamp and marshland. It’s designed to conceal hunters from above as birds make their approach to land.
Seasonal Considerations
There are camo patterns out there that feature lots of white to mimic snowy conditions, or feature realistic mimicry of specific leaf colors designed for very specific times of year. It is unrealistic to expect hunters to own different camo patterns to suit each and every change of the leaves or change in lighting, but as we’ll explore later, many prey animals do not see the differentiations in these colors anyway. Modern camo patterns, like the Optifade™ lineup, are designed to be able to adapt to the changes that take place throughout a season or even on any given day. In modern hunting camo, the concealment pattern is far more important than matching the specific color of leaves on any given day in the woods.
A far more important seasonal consideration than pattern is having the appropriate layers to maintain comfort and focus during changing weather conditions. A great hunting base layer is absolutely essential for regulating temperature and managing moisture. Active and static insulation, as well as a WINDSTOPPER® layer are needed for regulating core temperature whether you’re sitting or on the move. And a waterproof GORE-TEX hunting gear layer is a must-have for staying dry, comfortable, and focused. Explore our full line of cold weather hunting gear to ensure you’re prepared for those chilly hunts.
The Science Behind Camo Effectiveness
Visual Disruption and Blending In
While ungulates like deer and elk don’t see colors well (which is why blaze orange hunting gear doesn’t bother them), they are very attune to shapes and silhouettes. This is why plaids and brushstrokes have been effective hunting patterns for their ability to break up hunters’ silhouettes and help them blend into the natural elements around them. The advent of stick-and-leaf and mimicry camo patterns looking like something familiar to prey animals, while breaking up the hunter’s silhouette, furthered the effectiveness of a hunter’s clothing.
GORE™ OPTIFADE™ Concealment patterns took this one step further. In developing these patterns, scientists and designers studied both animal vision, and the camouflage patterns predatory animals in the wild use while hunting. Stalking predators, like tigers, have a macro pattern of stripes that break up their body symmetry as they chase prey. Ambush predators, like spotted leopards, utilize micro patterns that enable them to blend into the background while poised to attack. GORE™ OPTIFADE™ Concealment incorporates the micro and macro patterns of the animal kingdom to help make hunters unrecognizable as predators, even when detected.
To put it simply, traditional camo patterns are designed to help hunters blend into their surroundings, while GORE™ OPTIFADE™ Concealment patterns help hunters disappear from the view of their prey altogether.
Future of Camo: Smart Materials and Beyond
Camouflage technology continues to evolve, inspired again by the animal kingdom, though many of the current advances in camo are more for military purposes than hunting ones. Many sea creatures and fish like cuttlefish and peacock flounder are able to change colors to match their backgrounds. Wildlife like these have inspired the military use of adaptive camouflage technology, also known as active camouflage, which allows vehicles to use cameras and lighting panels to match exact surroundings. Some of this tech even dates back to World War II, when some airplanes used colored lights to match the color of the sky. Similarly, multi-spectral camouflage uses technology to hide vehicles and equipment from more than just visual detection, camouflaging them from radar and infra-red detection as well.
Gear Up with SITKA Gear
In reality, there are a whole lot of different hunting camo patterns out there for you to choose from. It’s important to choose the right pattern for where, when, what, and how you hunt, but choosing a camo pattern doesn’t need to be difficult.
In developing OPTIFADE™ Concealment patterns, scientists and designers at SITKA and GORE set out to create the most effective patterns possible utilizing both top notch research on animal vision and a century-worth of learnings from the world of military camo. Whether you hunt whitetail deer, elk, mule deer, other big game, waterfowl, or turkey, there’s an OPTIFADE™ pattern that’s been designed to help you fill your tags.
References
Wikipedia Contributors. 2018. “Military Camouflage.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. December 21, 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_camouflage.
Boone and Crockett Club. 2021. “Does Plaid Work as Well as Camo?” Boone and Crockett Club. July 13, 2021. https://www.boone-crockett.org/plaid-good-camo.
Swisher, Brodie. 2023. “The History of Hunting Camouflage.” Bowhunter. November 6, 2023. https://www.bowhunter.com/editorial/history-hunting-camouflage/484691.
Propper. 2021. “A Brief History of US Military Camouflage Uniforms.” Www.propper.com. October 1, 2021. https://www.propper.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-us-military-camouflage-uniforms.
Burm, Caitlin. 2016. “From Dirt to Digital: The Evolution of U.S. Military Camouflage.” VeteranAid. March 25, 2016. https://www.veteranaid.org/blog/2016/03/25/from-dirt-to-digital-the-evolution-of-u-s-military-camouflage/.
Camopedia Contributors. 2021. “Brushstroke - Camopedia.” Www.camopedia.org. March 10, 2021. https://www.camopedia.org/index.php/Brushstroke.