For the most part, camo patterns are marketed more towards the hunter. Some are more effective than others imo. I buy more on garment performance rather than pattern. That being said, I love my Sitka stuff. Not saying it’s the best because so many I haven’t tried. But does what I want. I don’t think I’ve been picked off more or less with the EV 2 than any other I’ve worn over the years. Movement gets me every time.

 

October 16th, must have been the FL pants keeping me hidden. Tbh though I think it’s more about movement than anything else.

 

Congratulations nice dear

 

You know I have three full sets of Sitka including rain gear I felt the same way I took my parka put it in the tree and it's stood out like a sore thumb this is when I first bought it my first set. I called Sitka spoke to them and he explained to me the scientific background of the pattern I still have my doubts because a lot of deer see me as long as I don't move they pay no regard I wish they still made mossy-oak all purpose gray it had a lot of gray in it and as you say in the Northeast it's mostly hardwoods that we are hunting and the last time I checked oak trees are gray-ish with some mossy color and some white-ish I wish I never got rid of that camo.

I know two guys who HUNT Kansas you will not believe what they use Gray sweatpants and top no kidding and these guys from what I know in the past shoot giant dear I've always said the camo industry is it after the eye of the hunter almost like a modeling show. I've made my own leafy camo 25 years ago I purchased what they called leafy ware back in the day it was made out of mash very thin I went to a craft store back in the day and purchased silk leaves mostly brown some green and very little fall color and I sewed them on myself and I hunted from the ground and the tree the dear never even looked at me it was mostly brown I still use it to this day now you can buy bags of these leaves and sew them on yourself I look like a giant bush but it works . but wearing the Sitka camo it's kind of big and I feel like a Sasquatch if I put on the leafy camo over it.

So after all that be ready because I have a feeling you're going to get every scientific theory out there.

 

After predator and ASAT the rest are just made for the hunter to buy the newest and greatest. Movement gets you busted. And high pressured deer look up more often than low pressured. Camo patterns may be the least important of all things you do to kill deer.

 

this!

I never bought sitka for the camo. Quality and fit and comfort....

 

Guys on TV wear Sitka they stick out real bad. Its terrible camo. Wear straight brownish color would be much better. Now I'm sure it'll keep you warm but my friend's got all sitka cold weather strategic levels or whatever fancydancy name it has and ive got redhead coveralls from Bass Pro Shops. it took my buddy 3 hours to warm up and I never got cold.

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I have 3 Sitka suits. and I surely didn't buy them for the camo. it took me a few years to break down and buy some Sitka. it took me trying some on that a friend had and I was sold. but I too was thinking I stand out like a sore thumb especially in the early season. I called Sitka like other here did and was told about the science behind it and went with that. I was and still am a big Natural Gear camo guy and have had deer look what seems to be right past me. I always felt very confident with Natural Gear camo. I do feel that deer have picked me out of the tree more with the Sika but as long as I didn't move all was well. but I do still feel that I'm spotted more with the Sitka than when I was using the Natural Gear. now that I have 3 Sitka suits I think they've come out with something more for early season but I'm not spending anymore money on hunting clothes for a while. I still find myself using some of my old SCII from Natural gear in the early season. down here in Louisiana it stays green until December sometimes depending on weather!

 

I just started buying Sitka and FL gear for an upcoming elk hunt. In my opinion so far, it’s awesome for hiking and layering. As far as whitetails go I’m not sure if the pattern is visible or not but I’ve killed deer in a bright orange vest so I can’t see it being any worse than that.

 

Spring turkey and early season deer, I wear a green based leafy suit that blends in really well....cost a fraction of anything made by Sitka. Last year I also wore Kryptek Highlander while ground hunting in October and encountered deer that didn't see me at all. Mid-season I dig out the ASAT leafy suit or regular ASAT camo and it works very well once the leaves come down with the contrast of light and dark. I killed my biggest buck to date wearing Cabela's Outfitter camo in a silent fleece material. In late season I've killed several deer wearing snow camo bibs and an ASAT jacket. The key is not the pricetag, but the effectiveness of blending in to changing conditions. That is even more important hunting from the ground. Being such a neanderthal, I own zero Sitka but do have an FL ASAT beanie.....am I in the club???

 

I’m not so sure Sitkas pattern is more visible to deer or not...
But, a few years ago I was wearing that EV2 pattern in Illinois and a spike buck wondered in and surprisingly immediately picked me off.
I hadn’t moved a muscle.

 

You just thought hunting in Illinois was easy. 😁

 

Over the years I am willing to bet quite a bit of money that more deer have been killed by people wearing no camo at all than have been killed by those wearing it. People have been successfully hunting whitetails for a very very long time wearing solid colors. Modern camo is marketed to separate hunters from their money, why do you think there is an amazing new pattern that is released every couple of years that is the latest have to have it to successfully hunt?

 

I don't know where you've hunted but I don't think I've ever seen a bowhunter not wearing camo in the 40 years I've been at it. But I agree, camo is more for the hunter than the deer. I suppose you are right if you consider gun hunters. And when I gun hunted, I had deer walk right by me in my blaze orange garb on the ground at less than 10 yards and they didn't see me.

 

The times I have been busted wearing sitka were on me, getting winded or movement. I have had deer look right at me and not blink an eye. I have had bucks walk right under me and look at the bow I had just let down and keep on walking, never saw me. I agree with others, don't really think it is the camo as much as movement and wind. That being said I love the fanatic line, I have never been cold in it.

 

Camo doesn’t matter at all to me anymore. I’ve been busted many times with it. Quit using it this year just to experiment and didn’t have one deer bust me. Not saying it’s never gonna happen but I believe it has to do with movement and most importantly scent. I also don’t believe in sent away products anymore. A lot of marketing crap. You know what they say about opinions though.


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Camo doesn’t matter at all to me anymore. I’ve been busted many times with it. Quit using it this year just to experiment and didn’t have one deer bust me. Not saying it’s never gonna happen but I believe it has to do with movement and most importantly scent. I also don’t believe in sent away products anymore. A lot of marketing crap. You know what they say about opinions though.


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Not sure if you read my reply to the OP I know two guys in Kansas that we are gray sweatpants from Walmart over there camo and they shoot giant deer. Crazy right

 

I wear Sita EV2 without issues, it keeps me in the stand longer in colder weather. Best gear I have owned, deer don’t mind the pattern. Tree cover and staying still is key in any camo like said above, wouldn’t put too much stock into pattern.

 

Deer have no pattern and are hard as hell to see in late fall when everything turns brown and grey.

 

Deer have no pattern and are hard as hell to see in late fall when everything turns brown and grey.

This in bold is where I strongly disagree. Their mottled brown/grey/blackpoints/off-white fur is INCREDIBLE natural camo resulting from probably millions of years of evolution.

Your right on the hard to see part.

 

Thanks guys for the input no I’m not a novice hunter and I have killed a lot of big pressured deer here in NC but my thing is like spike said I have had deer pick me off and not moved a muscle just my experience though. And no I’m not sticking out like a sore thumb I rarely ever hang a stand under 30’ and never on a bare tree. I’m a well experienced hunter and have been successful a lot including this past year but he had other things on his mind I could have been naked and killed him haha. But thanks for all the opinions and input I can see each side I know the elevated system is for late season and blending in with the sky or whatever but our trees are still on some trees mid December here.

 

Sitka gear is more geared to the consumer. I try to stay away from anything with green in it for fall Midwestern bow hunting. I think the best camp that actually blend you into your surroundings is ASAT and predators fall brown and fall grey.

 

I’ve never had an issue wearing Sitka and shooting whitetails...

 

Son I’m not saying you can’t kill em with it me and trad hunter have worn it for years and killed slammers that poor Midwest whitetail was a 2 year old with milk on his whiskers

 

Don't be a dark blob in a light setting and don't be a light blob in a dark setting (for whitetail anyway). The rest is marketing as far as patterns go. My favorite is pure white in the snow hunting from the ground.

 

I can wear full blaze orange on stand and deer will walk right by me. Buy what fits and what you are looking for and stop worrying about the camo pattern. Look at what this dude was wearing when he killed a decent buck. Don't think he was worried one bit about whether or not that camo pattern made his butt look big.

 

He went inside and changed before they had the camera ready.

 

Id wear real tree or mossy oak from Walmart before I’d wear Sitka. You can’t tell me being blended in with your back stop doesn’t make a huge difference. I like real tree in early season and mossy oak later when woods become more dead and darker. This pic is the way I like being blended. Some of these patters that use grids and all the science that look like a big blurry bllob against the back. To be it’s enough to alert deer that there an out of shape object that is new and they don’t take their eyes off you. I’ve had deer walk up within 5 yards beside me front and never new anything. I’m in central eastern North Carolina and the western rocky camo just does not blend at all. Which I’m not spending $2000 on an outfit because of a name anyway.

 

Perfect example of camo marketing to the hunter. If this photo was taken from a deer's perspective it could be a completely different. You can look like a blob in any pattern. The biggest mistake is anthropomorphizing things like this. Its likely completely opposite of what you logically think will work the best. I have learned to trust the science rather than trying to rationalize based on human characteristics.

 

Deer don't see the way we do. Stay away from anything with blue in it. Stay away from anything with tight patterns. The more open the pattern the less you look like a blob at distance. Don't skylight yourself no camo will save you then. Finally deer's eyes a tuned to pick up movement. So if your getting busted now more then you used to id probably start there, and try to figure out why I was fidgeting more in the stand. In my opinion camo pattern is at the bottom of my deer hunting concerns.

 

You guys getting picked off, do you wear face masks?
I think the deer see our white faces, just like turkeys....facemask helps.

 

big thing....break up the big silhouette. That is why I love predator fall gray. big light areas, blotches of dark blocks, black lines like branches... The 3D stuff they have not so much...the original patterns are best... This past fall, I was standing less than 10 feet from my buddy and his son as they walked toward me....they didn't even know I was there...and would have walked past me had I not tried to scare them. Was just standing next to a tree...

Movement is key.... minimum and only when prey in front of you are looking away.

 

I believe I have written as much or more than anyone on this site in regards to the study and marketing that went into the EV2 pattern as well as given well laid out articulate analysis on the counter argument on the lack of effectiveness with that pattern in particular. A quick search will lead you down a long road here on that subject.

 

what if sitka came in ASAT and predator gray????

 

We can only dream....