Best Camo for Deer Hunting in NJ???

[NJdiverTony 27]

This year is going to be my first season hunting deer and I'm trying to get all my gear in order for hunting season and purchase items that I need. One of the things I need to buy is some camouflage hunting clothing. What camo pattern is the best to use here in NJ? I'm going to be hunting both bow and shotgun... but the camo is probably much more critical for bow season. I'll be hunting from both tree stand and the ground. Most of my hunting will be in the Hunterdon county area where there's a mixture of all kinds of trees and foliage.

 

Any advice from you experienced hunters would be greatly appreciated.

[Jon 264]

Camo isn't needed for gun season, just stick with something warm that isn't tan or have any white blotches. I'll let someone else chime in on camo for bow season.

[Krdshrk 3,878]

I thought you needed to wear a lot of Orange.....

[NJdiverTony 27]

Camo isn't needed for gun season, just stick with something warm that isn't tan or have any white blotches. I'll let someone else chime in on camo for bow season.

 

Yo j0n!

 

Yeah, I figured it wasn't needed for gun season... but whatever I buy for bow season, I can still probably end up using for gun season too, as long as I wear the 200sq inches of orange.

[Jon 264]

Yo j0n!

 

Yeah, I figured it wasn't needed for gun season... but whatever I buy for bow season, I can still probably end up using for gun season too, as long as I wear the 200sq inches of orange.

 

Correct. And if you wind up on public hunting ground I'd say at minimum a full blaze orange vest and hat. Can't be too careful on public land. Be sure whatever you pick is warm!

[BlackOps Badger 52]

I thought you needed to wear a lot of Orange.....

 

For gun you need 200 sq in of orange. For bow I don't believe you are required to wear any, but it's always a good idea. I don't bow hunt but I know my dad at least wears an orange hat on the walk to his stand.

[hardlife_nef 1]

Deer are essentially red-green color blind like some humans. With vision being limited to blue and green colors. So deer likely can distinguish blue from red, but not green from red, or orange from red. So you should be good to go wearing green, red, or orange clothing but blue would likely stick out. Not to mention that for the sake of reuse blue should be avoided during turkey season as should red.

 

edit due to fat fingers

[halbautomatisch 60]

For bow season you will need light weight camo clothing and maybe some mid weight for later in the season. For the gun seasons sometimes you can't have enough layers. Orange is only needed when gun hunting (or carrying deer decoys during bow), a solid orange hat OR 200 sq inches is required. As others have said, if hunting public land, you'll want to have A LOT of orange on.

[Parker 213]

This year is going to be my first season hunting deer and I'm trying to get all my gear in order for hunting season and purchase items that I need. One of the things I need to buy is some camouflage hunting clothing. What camo pattern is the best to use here in NJ? I'm going to be hunting both bow and shotgun... but the camo is probably much more critical for bow season. I'll be hunting from both tree stand and the ground. Most of my hunting will be in the Hunterdon county area where there's a mixture of all kinds of trees and foliage.

 

Any advice from you experienced hunters would be greatly appreciated.

More important at times is not the color, but comfort and quietness of the garment. Proper fit is equally important, especially for bow hunting when you have to draw your bow. But keeping still and downplaying your scent by reading and anticipating the wind is more important than what color your garment is. Early season and spring I just use something with green and brown in it. It's the same outfit I wear for spring turkey. In late season and winter I am still a fan of the mottled grays like the old TreBark pattern. Any of the fleece garments are nice and can be worn comfortably in both warm and cold climes. There are so many color patterns and varieties out there today it's dizzying. My brother must have twenty different garments. He is a fashion hound when it comes to the woods. (He also washes his garments separately and stores them outdoors in plastic bags with fresh cut pine boughs. ) When I was a penniless lad, I had no money for lots of clothes and just enough for arrows and ammo. I shot a couple deer with nothing but a cheap camo jacket from Campmor, a pair of blue jeans and a pair of L.L. Bean's on my feet. Shot a lot of deer wearing black and red plaid wool coats, green and black plaid jackets, with green and gray wool trousers too. Camo is great for looking the part, but it's not really necessary. Breaking up your outline by diminishing your silhouette with the surrounding terrain and not bobbing around like a jack-in-the-box is more important. Knowing when to move and when NOT to move is something you'll learn the hard way in the woods. That is the biggest trick you'll need to master.

 

Just read the Digest as to when and where you need your required blaze orange. [something new this year: If you hunt from a ground blind in N.J. you need to affix to your blind or somewhere in close proximity of it the required sq. in. of blaze orange.] You do need blaze orange to firearm deer hunt and to hunt small game, but you don't need it to crow hunt or duck hunt. If you hunt the tri-state area (NY/NJ/PA,) you'll note that each state has varying and different rules on blaze orange AND camo. For example, in one state's turkey season you can wear camo, but you are required to wear into and out of the woods additional blaze orange on you while moving to and from your hunting spot. In N.J. if you hunt with a deer decoy you must transport it in the field wearing your 200 sq. in. during any hunting season. When firearm hunting for deer in "Special Areas" (I.E. any hunts conducted on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge Systems) you must wear DOUBLE the required hunter orange; 400 sq. in.!

 

The Digest is 100 pages long. There's a lot of detail in there. It should be your friend and committed to memory if you hunt in N.J. 2011 Digest

 

Good luck and be safe!

[NJdiverTony 27]

Thanks guys. Yeah, there is such a HUUUUUGE variety of camo hunting clothing on the market right now and man it's confusing... So many different patterns, Scent-Lock, Non Scent-Lock, expensive stuff, cheap stuff, etc, etc, etc... I know that Walmart has some cheaper camo clothing... maybe that'll fit the bill, as I don't want to spend a ton of money either.

[hardlife_nef 1]

Don't forget that US Military surplus can be had at good prices. I wear some Marpat at times, even used desert patern, surprising at how well it blends especially in the fall.

[NJdiverTony 27]

More important at times is not the color, but comfort and quietness of the garment. Proper fit is equally important, especially for bow hunting when you have to draw your bow. But keeping still and downplaying your scent by reading and anticipating the wind is more important than what color your garment is. Early season and spring I just use something with green and brown in it. It's the same outfit I wear for spring turkey. In late season and winter I am still a fan of the mottled grays like the old TreBark pattern. Any of the fleece garments are nice and can be worn comfortably in both warm and cold climes. There are so many color patterns and varieties out there today it's dizzying. My brother must have twenty different garments. He is a fashion hound when it comes to the woods. (He also washes his garments separately and stores them outdoors in plastic bags with fresh cut pine boughs. ) When I was a penniless lad, I had no money for lots of clothes and just enough for arrows and ammo. I shot a couple deer with nothing but a cheap camo jacket from Campmor, a pair of blue jeans and a pair of L.L. Bean's on my feet. Shot a lot of deer wearing black and red plaid wool coats, green and black plaid jackets, with green and gray wool trousers too. Camo is great for looking the part, but it's not really necessary. Breaking up your outline by diminishing your silhouette with the surrounding terrain and not bobbing around like a jack-in-the-box is more important. Knowing when to move and when NOT to move is something you'll learn the hard way in the woods. That is the biggest trick you'll need to master.

 

Just read the Digest as to when and where you need your required blaze orange. [something new this year: If you hunt from a ground blind in N.J. you need to affix to your blind or somewhere in close proximity of it the required sq. in. of blaze orange.] You do need blaze orange to firearm deer hunt and to hunt small game, but you don't need it to crow hunt or duck hunt. If you hunt the tri-state area (NY/NJ/PA,) you'll note that each state has varying and different rules on blaze orange AND camo. For example, in one state's turkey season you can wear camo, but you are required to wear into and out of the woods additional blaze orange on you while moving to and from your hunting spot. In N.J. if you hunt with a deer decoy you must transport it in the field wearing your 200 sq. in. during any hunting season. When firearm hunting for deer in "Special Areas" (I.E. any hunts conducted on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge Systems) you must wear DOUBLE the required hunter orange; 400 sq. in.!

 

The Digest is 100 pages long. There's a lot of detail in there. It should be your friend and committed to memory if you hunt in N.J. 2011 Digest

 

Good luck and be safe!

 

Thanks for the great advice and information! I just downloaded the Digest last night but haven't had a chance to read through it yet. I'm taking the Bow hunters ed course on 9/19 at SCFGPA, so I'm looking forward to that so I can start bowhunting!

[Parker 213]

Thanks for the great advice and information! I just downloaded the Digest last night but haven't had a chance to read through it yet. I'm taking the Bow hunters ed course on 9/19 at SCFGPA, so I'm looking forward to that so I can start bowhunting!

Bow hunting is probably the best introduction for you to appreciate the outdoors. It's quiet, peaceful, and deer are not as spooked and are comfortable in their element.

[NJdiverTony 27]

Bow hunting is probably the best introduction for you to appreciate the outdoors. It's quiet, peaceful, and deer are not as spooked and are comfortable in their element.

 

I agree, I look forward to it. Bow hunting is a totally different animal from firearm hunting. I've been a firearm hunter for about 27 years, mainly hunting small game (rabbits, birds). The last few years I took a long break from hunting due to getting married, kids, etc... so I'm really excited to get back into it and now to also start hunting deer which I've wanted to do for many years. Also once my son gets a little older (he's 4 yrs old now) I am really looking forward to getting him into it too, just like my dad did with me when I was a kid.

[Guest]

Mossy oak. Works for me in Sussex co

 

U will need warmer stuff even early in the season for the later afternoon and mornings. U will be surprised at the temp changes.

 

Face mask and gloves are s must. A scent killer as well

 

During ml I wear orange till I get to my spot then go camo

 

Winter for me u can NEVER have enough layers

[Shawnmoore81 623]

I use realtree advantage hd

[Tobias 0]

Well i think the erasure gun is also quiet, peaceful and don't spook to deer and other animal. Maybe there exists a erasure laser gun to exact point at the deer.

[Wojo 98]

Just a FWIW observation. Don't underestimate the power of quality blaze orange gloves. For some reason, I tend to see people faster who wear the gloves, guess it is the hand motion or whatever. Plus when you take them off for whatever reason, you don't loose them. Even for bow, a light pair makes a big difference in visibility and yet small enough that the solid pattern wouldn't cause alarm. As others have indicated, for deer, color isn't as important as a pattern to break up your silhouette. Warmth is all about all about layers and keeping your skin dry. When I was stationed in Alaska, I had to do a 5 day cold weather survival class, learned a lot the hard way. Gore tex and Under Armour weren't around, it was wool and crappy military issue clothing.

 

I sweat like hell when I walk to my spot and then freeze as my wet skins tries to dry off if i don't use my head. Under-Armour and good sweat wicking socks are good places to spend big money. I've learned to wear a very light layer and a fleece vest as I hike in...I am typically cold for the first 15 minutes of the hike in, but then warm up. Once I am a good 100+ yards from my spot, I change into dry socks and put the wet ones into a scent-lok bag, put on my outer scent blocking layers, spray down well with scent guard and then slowly work my way in on the last leg of my trek. I stalk during midday but at a pace that I don't generate much sweat. If I do, that layer comes off and goes into the scent-lok bag. Wind protection and a quality outer shell are good ways to think.

 

On a comic note, I'll be bow hunting in my yard this year...so I will be wearing whatever I have on when an opportunity presents itself as I grab my bow and walk into my yard. Culling the herd.

[Shawnmoore81 623]

Realtree ap hd is mine I had it wrong.

 

 

[Danno 127]

If yo dress to look like a 1999 Buick or a 2003 Ford Turaus deer will actually run right into you.

[NJdiverTony 27]

If yo dress to look like a 1999 Buick or a 2003 Ford Turaus deer will actually run right into you.

 

LOL! Good one!