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When camo got introduced to the hunting community, hunters got to experience wildlife at a brand-new level. The best camo for deer hunting allowed dedicated hunters to get closer, hear more, and experience the hunt in a way that rarely happened before the introduction of camo.
The best deer hunting camo is essential for any serious deer hunter to get the most out of their hunting experiences.
Why Having the Best Camo Patterns Matter
Before I switched to a camo pattern that was consistent in both my pants and jacket, I was wearing grey and black wool overalls and a mimicry camo jacket. I thought “the deer cannot tell the difference so why go buy new camo?”
Well, the truth is it makes a huge difference when you have a consistent camo pattern or a camo pattern that works with your surroundings.
After I switched to a consistent camo pattern for deer hunting, I no longer had deer picking me out of a tree 20-40 yards away. Even if they smelled my boot track walking into my spot.
The year after I switched, I had over 4 does all within 5 yards of my tree stand and not even one picked me out of the tree. They knew something was wrong though because I had to move to get into position for a shot and they all looked right at me.
I eventually was able to make a shot on one of the does at about 15 yards. This was only possible because I had switched to the best camo for deer hunting. Without the proper camo, that deer would have seen me and never given me a good shot opportunity.
That is the importance of having the best camo for deer hunting!
Now let’s get into what actually is the best camo for deer hunting and how you can use it to experience whitetail deer hunting on a whole new level.
Types of Hunting Camo Patterns
Camo patterns can come in a variety of different forms, colors, and designs. Camo patterns are designed to help a hunter (You), get closer to your prey (Whitetail deer).
Camo patterns have evolved over the decades since it was introduced to the masses for military use.
By the 1980s there was a push to put more hunters in better camo to help them achieve more success in the woods.
Today, the camo landscape is dominated by two names: Mossy Oak® and Realtree®. Both were started in the mid-80s with the goal of providing sportsmen with dedicated camo — not re-treads of military patterns. And both played a part in what we affectionately call the “Camo Boom.”
Link: https://guide.sportsmansguide.com/brief-history-of-camouflage/
So what now? What kind of options does a hunter have to help them achieve the most success that they possibly can? Let’s get right into it.
Mimicry Camo Patterns
Mimicry patterns of camo are designed to exactly mimic the terrain in which you will be hunting. For Whitetail deer hunting, mimicry camo can be a challenge due to changing weather conditions, snow, or unexpected terrain that does not look quite how you expected.
However, mimicry camo patterns should be able to fool a deer without a single issue if executed properly.
Mimicry camo is also able to fool the human eye when placed in the perfect setting. That is why you see plenty of camo commercials that show a person hidden in a bush or tree and you never even see them until they step out or make a movement.
Not that these are bad commercials, it is just that they were designed to perfection to fool a human as well as an animal. Hunters know that almost nothing goes to plan when you are whitetail hunting.
One great example of mimicry camo is the woodland camo pattern. The woodland camo pattern is one of the most used camo patterns for deer hunters around the Midwest. When you are hunting in the woods during fall, you want to have camo patterns that have sticks, leaves, and pine branches on them.
Mimicry camo patterns are designed to take the look of nature and put it onto a jacket or pants to fool the game that you are hunting.
I do most of my hunting out of a tree stand. This would lead me to think that I should get mimicry camo to use on my whitetail hunts. However, that is not the case.
Breakup Camo Patterns
Break-up camo patterns are a bit different from camo patterns that focus more on breaking up the image of a human being and their form in the woods. Breakup camo does this by using a variety of colors and shapes to fool the eyes of a whitetail deer. It should be noted that human beings will most likely be able to distinguish breakup camo patterns more than mimicry camo patterns.
Whitetail deer do not see the same colors as we do, therefore, see the world a bit differently than a hunter would. We will discuss this more toward the end of this article.
The camo pattern of my choice and arguably the best camo pattern that I have come across acts more as a crossbreed between mimicry camo patterns and breakup camo patterns.
It is hard for me to put into words the type of camo that I like to use, so here is a picture of me with the camo that works best for me while hunting whitetail deer.
3D Camo Patterns
3D camo patterns were the original camo patterns for hunters. They would do all sorts of crazy and creative things to make themselves more camouflaged to stalk the prey. They would do such things as tape sticks and leaves to themselves. This showed to be an incredibly effective tactic until people realized the pain of using a 3D suit.
It gets hung up in a tree stand, walking through fenced, and it can get hooked on a whole number of other things in the woods. 3D camo patterns such as a guile suit can be extremely useful if the access path is easy, and clear of obstacles that can ruin or damage your 3D camo pattern clothing.
Best Camo Patterns on the Market for Deer Hunters
The best hunting camo for deer will depend on the time of year that you hunt most and the different environments in which you will be hunting.
For instance, if you are a strict gun hunter, you will need a blaze orange type of camouflage to be legal, and safe during gun season.
If you can, it is a good idea to have many different camo clothing options for the specific environment throughout the hunting season.
Let’s get into some of the best camos for deer hunting that you can get on the market today.
Brand #1 – TrueTimber
TrueTimber offers many different types of camo patterns that can aid your success in the whitetail woods. I put them at the top of this list because they offer my favorite camo pattern, Strata.
Kanati Camo Pattern
The Kanati camo pattern has a unique story behind its origins. The name Kanati is given to this camo pattern in honor of a hunter that also took great photographs of the woods. This pattern is a mimicry pattern that took his photos and the advanced technology to capture the purest images of the woods and turn them into a camo pattern.
It has lots of leaves, branches, and twigs designed into the pattern and will help you disappear in the woods without a doubt.
Strata Camo Pattern
The Strata Pattern is by far my favorite camo pattern on this list because of its ability to blend in well with all sorts of different terrains. It has shades of green, brown, off-white, and even a little bit of black.
They also pair this with both macro and micro patterns which eliminates the human outline while you blend in with your hunting environment every time. I choose this because I want the best bang for my buck and the Strata camo pattern gives me exactly that!
MC2 Camo Pattern (Fall & Winter)
The MC2 is a 3D camo design that is great for spotting and stalking whitetails in grass fields and CRP fields. It allows you to take the initiative against your target if that is your style of choice.
HTC (Fall & Winter)
The HTC fall camo pattern is a mimicry pattern that has a brown color to most of it. The shadowing on this pattern is good. If I was looking for a mimicry pattern, I would go with the Kanati pattern before this though. The nice part about this pattern is that it comes in snow camo as well.
The snow camo pattern is a lot whiter with tree branches and some green pine twigs as well. If I was to go and buy a new winter camo set, this is the one that I would choose.
Brand #2 – Realtree
Realtree has been a leader in camo patterns for many decades. They are often seen as the best camo designers in the marketplace. I do use a few products such as gloves, hand mufflers, and some hats that have the Realtree camo patterns.
Realtree Xtra
The Realtree Xtra camo pattern is one that is well-known around the hunting community. It is famous for its ability to blend into almost any tree stand setup. This pattern is considered a mimicry pattern with lots of branches, brown leaves, pine twigs, and shadowing to create that real woods look and put it onto your hunting clothes.
Realtree Edge
Realtree Edge is a camo pattern that cannot be overlooked. It can blend in throughout different times of the year. As a deer hunter, you will be able to sit when the leaves are green and when the leaves are brown in this camo pattern. It is like the Realtree Xtra because it is a mimicry pattern that utilizes many similar attributes.
Realtree Timber
The Realtree Timber brings a different type of camouflage pattern to the marketplace. It is designed to make you look like the bark of a tree. This camo pattern is great for ground hunters that like to sit at the base of a tree while hunting big game. It can also be a great pattern for tree stand hunters when their setup does not have many smaller twigs and branches.
Brand #3 – Mossy Oak
Mossy Oak has been in this business since 1986 and man are they good at what they do. It is no doubt that many hunters love mossy oak and what they have to offer to the hunting community. You really cannot go wrong with picking up some Mossy Oak hunting camo.
Mossy Oak Country DNA
Mossy Oak Country DNA helps hunters disappear in the woods. They have created a bland mimicry camo pattern that allows you to blend in no matter where you are in the woods. It features dull colors of green, brown, and grey along with mixing in tree branches and a few brown leaves here and there.
Mossy Oak Break-Up Country
The Mossy Oak Break-Up Country hunting camo pattern is a bit more vibrant that the Country DNA camo pattern. It uses more realistic leaves, branches, bark, and twigs to help break up your human silhouette. It is also the official camo pattern of the Quality Deer Management Association. (QDMA)
Mossy Oak Bottomland
Mossy Oak Bottomland is the pattern that originated from the original Mossy Oak camo pattern and was their best camo pattern years ago. However, I would not personally go for this pattern as my hunting camo. I see this as a camo pattern with a unique and rich history in helping elevate hunters to the next level of hunting big game.
I would love a hat or casual hoodie with this pattern, but not my favorite on this list of best camo patterns for deer hunting.
Brand #4 – Sitka Gear
Sitka Gear is the high-end camo product of the hunting community. It is not because they make the best camo patterns in my opinion. They are known for their ability to keep the harsh elements of the outdoors from affecting your hunting experience.
You cannot overlook them as a valid choice for great hunting camo patterns and great hunting clothing. The question is how much do you want to spend on hunting clothing?
Sitka Subalpine
The subalpine camo pattern features a lighter tone with most of it being tan. However, there are other colors such as green, brown, and black. In my opinion, this would be great for corn fields, bean fields, and cattail types of hunting terrain.
Sitka Open Country
The Open Country camo pattern combines macro and micro design patterns with its major solid color schemes including, tan, grey, back, and dark green. This pattern (along with most of Sitka Gear) is a great example of a breakup camo pattern.
Sitka Timber
The Timber pattern would be my favorite choice for a deer hunter looking to purchase Sitka Gear. It blends all your natural wood colors of brown, tan, and green together to make a beautiful-looking pattern. It is an added benefit that they use shadowing to create a more realistic look.
With all those different types of camouflage patterns. It may be hard for you to decide which one will truly make a difference in your hunting experience. The answer is all of them! Each of them can help conceal you in the woods. However, it comes down to which camo pattern YOU like the best and which would work for YOU.
Best Camo for Beginner Deer Hunters
When a beginner is just getting into deer hunting, it can be hard to go and spend over 200 dollars just on different camo patterns alone. My recommendation for beginners that do not want to spend a lot of money on camo is to do one of two things.
The first thing you can do is find cheaper used clothes or hand-me-down camo from a brother, sister, or any other family member or hunter friend. This is how I acquired most of my first camo clothing as a young boy. It allowed me to test the waters of hunting before going out and buying new hunting clothes.
The second thing you can do is buy cheaper hunting clothing on Facebook marketplace, eBay, or any other online forum where people are selling used clothing. Just make sure to clean it and get it all scent free with the best scent killers for deer hunting.
Deer Vision and What to Wear in the Woods
I want to start this section by saying, I am not a wildlife biologist nor have done any extensive research on whitetail deer. My experience is real-world hunting experience. I will put a link at the end of this section to read a great article specifically about whitetail deer’s vision.
With that in mind, I will recap the article and then explain my opinion based on my own hunting experience.
In the article by Dave Mance III, He explains that a deer’s vision is meant to help them survive. They have extremely good night vision because of their eye design and pupil allowing a ton of light in during the night.
However, whitetail deer are basically red-orange color blind. They basically cannot see these longer wavelength colors. This means that wearing orange in the woods does not ruin your hunt. It is actually a great way to stay safe in the woods during rifle season and even during bow season because of all the long-range crossbows on the market today.
Whitetail deer can see shorter wavelength colors such as blue. This means that hunting in blue jeans is not your best bet to have an up-close experience with a whitetail deer.
Click Here to read the full article. (I would highly recommend reading it.)
My Own Experience with What Deer Can See
I noticed that I would get picked off by deer as a young hunter quite often. I am sure that I moved into my tree stand a lot more because I was young. However, when I would wear two different camo patterns on my jacket and pants, I felt as if they could pick me off much easier.
I would suggest getting the same type of camo patterns on both your jacket and your pants if possible.
Bowhunting Camo Patterns V. Rifle Hunting Camo Patterns
Bow hunting and rifle hunting are two very different challenges to go up against. One may be harder than the other based on where you hunt. Nevertheless, each type of hunting requires different patterns of camo to match the natural environment that you will be hunting.
Best Camo for Bow Hunting Whitetail Deer
When talking about bow hunting whitetail deer and the right camouflage pattern there are a few aspects of your hunt that you need to take into consideration before purchasing camo clothes.
The first aspect is your hunting environment. Most of the time, bow hunters will be in wooded areas. This affects what type of camo pattern will be best suited for you. I would go with a woodland pattern that mimics the trees and leaves in the woods or with a green, brown, and black break-up camo pattern that will keep you disguised in a wide variety of foliage.
The next aspect is the close range that deer must be at to make an ethical shot. This means that the best way to stay undetected does not only come from blending in with your hunting environment but also being quiet. A quiet set of full camouflage is imperative to a successful hunt as a bow hunter.
The last aspect is the range of motion needed to pull your bow back. If you are a crossbow hunter, there is much less to worry about. But for traditional and compound bow hunters, you need to choose hunting gear that allows you the mobility to pull your bow back. It is worth it to spend some extra money to get higher quality hunting clothes with good insulation and be able to comfortably pull a bow back.
Those three aspects are extra thought processes that you should go through before purchasing different types of patterns of camo.
Best Camo for Rifle Hunting Whitetail Deer
As a rifle hunter, there are a few different aspects of the right camo pattern that need to be addressed before purchasing new hunting clothes.
The first aspect is your environment and hunting spot setup. If you are hunting in a box blind, you can virtually wear blue jeans and a flannel jacket just like the people did before camo patterns existed.
But, if you are hunting on the edge of the field or laying down in the middle of an open field (Yes, I have done that before and been decently successful doing so), you want to look at how the backdrop looks. If the deer can see the human silhouette or human outline, then they will more than likely pick you out and be gone before you have a good shot.
This is a good time to mix and match your camo patterns because you may be able to put on solid colors for the bottom half of your body but need a tree bark type of camo pattern for your upper half.
The second aspect is that your longer range abilities of shooting can allow you to move a little bit more and movement and loudness. Therefore, your focus should be more on finding the right camo pattern that will keep you the warmest to stay in the woods longer.
How to Use your Camo to Disappear While Hunting Whitetail Deer
The key to being able to use your camo effectively is to sit still. I know this sounds simple, but it can be extremely hard on the cold hunts during the late season and rut.
One way to make sure that you are keeping your eyes peeled for deer without creating too much movement is to move your eyes before you move your head.
Also, try not to look deer in the eye. They may be able to pick up on your eyes. It is like when you get that weird feeling that someone is staring at you. Theories suggest that deer feel the same way.
You can also pair your camo with some face paint of black, green, and brown to help completely camouflage your face for an extra safety net. Face paint is best used in the early season when it is not cold enough to wear a full face mask.
Conclusion
The best camo for deer hunting is not set in stone “this is the #1 option for everyone.” You must be able to adapt to your hunting situation. There will be hunts when you are in thick covers, open fields, and even the snow.
By taking the time to plan just a little bit ahead, you can increase your odds of having a deer within shooting range by a ton!
Our ancestors may have been hunting in jeans and a flannel, but not many of them will be able to experience the woods like you will when you are equipped with the proper knowledge and equipment. (Like the best deer hunting camo)
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