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Several years ago I used to get so frustrated when hunting from my hang-on stands, the deer would notice me standing there even when I was perfectly still. I thought how do they see me with all this great camouflage I’m wearing? I got to thinking that if the deer are color blind, I need to think black and white. I was doing a photography class at the time and I was doing some black and white photos which gave me an idea. I hung my different camo patterns on the clothes line, I lay down on the ground and took black and white pics of each one against the sky. Wow, what an eye opener, they all made a perfect silhouette against the sky.

This all happened in the early 90s when different new camouflage patterns were starting appear on the market. I started searching for a better camouflage for tree stand hunting and found one called Predator Deception. This pattern has a lot of large white patches that break up the silhouette. I took some pics of it hanging on the clothes line, I was impressed with how well it broke up the silhouette.
That was a game changer for me, I rarely got picked off except when one would catch me moving. This pattern has also been very good for ground hunting.

Now days there’s a lot of good camo patterns available, I have good luck with Kuiu’s vias camo pattern.
But I still notice a lot of hunters going to the woods with camo that has all dark shades and no white patches. The camo with larger patches of white seems to work best for me.
This argument is basically like asking "which rifle caliber is best for deer?" People get all caught up in the minutia and lose sight of the big picture. People with more money than brains always have to have the latest, coolest "state-of-the-art" whatever. 1) Deer are essentially color blind so anything with a good pattern to break up your outline will work. Even blaze camo works just fine and I have used it successfully in a treestand in heavy woods during rifle season. 2) Deer are not in the habit of looking up in trees, unless they have been taught to do so. Don't move, or even breath heavy, when the deer is alert and wait for its eyes to be obscured before raising your bow.
 
Several years ago I used to get so frustrated when hunting from my hang-on stands, the deer would notice me standing there even when I was perfectly still. I thought how do they see me with all this great camouflage I’m wearing? I got to thinking that if the deer are color blind, I need to think black and white. I was doing a photography class at the time and I was doing some black and white photos which gave me an idea. I hung my different camo patterns on the clothes line, I lay down on the ground and took black and white pics of each one against the sky. Wow, what an eye opener, they all made a perfect silhouette against the sky.

This all happened in the early 90s when different new camouflage patterns were starting appear on the market. I started searching for a better camouflage for tree stand hunting and found one called Predator Deception. This pattern has a lot of large white patches that break up the silhouette. I took some pics of it hanging on the clothes line, I was impressed with how well it broke up the silhouette.
That was a game changer for me, I rarely got picked off except when one would catch me moving. This pattern has also been very good for ground hunting.

Now days there’s a lot of good camo patterns available, I have good luck with Kuiu’s vias camo pattern.
But I still notice a lot of hunters going to the woods with camo that has all dark shades and no white patches. The camo with larger patches of white seems to work best for me.
Found this video:
 
I've been in the trees since 1970. It is amazing what a person can get by with in terms of a whitetail's vision if you are motionless when they are or might be looking your direction.

I love camo, especially KUIU, but frankly its like a fishing lure...I like the look of it. Oh, the stuff is well made and comfortable.

Like many others have said, the cover around you is more important than the pattern. I seek to be tucked in amongst the limbs of evergreens such as Eastern Red Cedar. Or multiple stemmed trees. I feel exposed if I'm less than 15' high and the shot angle is too tough if higher than 20'.

Soft cloth and gear that the deer can't hear when you are drawing is also critical.

I can't tell you how many times I've "hid" behind my bow quiver when a deer looked up towards me -- in my vertical bow/quiver using days.

I don't trust any camo to mask movement, scent, or unnatural noises.
 
35+ years of treestand hunting posting here. The two best treestand camos ever made IMO are Skyline camo and ASAT camo. Sadly Skyline is no longer in production. Again IMO all other non 3-D/Ghillie suit camo isn't all that effective at hiding your form when a deer looks up at you UNLESS the tree has sufficient foliage behind you to break up your human form. If it doesn't and you are badly silhouetted against the sky then your human form becomes painfully obvious to the deer.

IMO the vast overwhelming majority of hunters especially public ground hunters spook WAY more mature bucks getting to and from their treestands then EVER by getting seen while on stand.

IMO the best camo to fool deer and turkeys is the camo that never gets seen by the deer or can remain rock still when a deer or turkey is looking your direction. I do believe camo that is well suited to your surroundings helps hide you motionless form from deer not on alert looking in your general direction and not directly at you, but if they catch you moving you're in trouble if it's a mature 5 year or older buck on minimal pressured prvt land you're in BIG trouble, if he's on on heavily pressured public land and you're not already getting ready to fire or release an arrow better luck next time. If a mature buck sees even your motionless human form silhouetted in a treestand you're likely in trouble.

Just my .2c worth
 
Camo is a personal preference IMO. I do like the real tree escape pattern and that will be my next camo outfit. I’ve read a wildlife study on camo patterns years ago and what I got out of it the most was what you wash your camo with. Most laundry detergents and even some made specifically for hunting contain dyes which in an animals eyes make you kinda have a fluorescent glow. So now all I wash my hunting clothes with is Tide free & gentle. No dyes, scent free, no added softeners. The main thing with concealing yourself is to break up your silhouette, I like to have a few branches in front of me for that purpose but still make sure I have clearance down my shooting lanes/spots.
 
I got busted by a doe this morning that had walked almost under my stand into a food plot. I was sitting down being careful not to move at all because she was just 15 yards from me with nothing but air between us. She had a fawn with her that had fed down the plot a ways. I think she looked up and noticed the blob in a tree and saw a glint of sunlight on my glasses as one had just hit my face. She did not hesitate but did a duck and spin and blew at me and jumped down towards her fawn and was about to stop I think when her fawn took off so she followed it. I was easily 20 ft up when she spotted me. It was the first time I have been picked off from that tree and I have hunted it dozens of times over the years.
 
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