Plaid or solid color

[Ari_Bonn]

I've been very interested in the asbell longhunter shirts but what stops be from getting it is the fact they don't come in plaid.

How important is camo when stalking? I know Howard got away with it but want to hear everyone's opinion.

[ronp]

I have two of Thersa's solid grey blanket weight pullovers and would definitely recommend them.  Deer seem to look right through me. The buck I got this past fall walked my way, staring right at me until he got to about 18 yards.  I was moving slightly to get in position to shoot and he never seemed spooked.  I am sold on the grey wool.  It just blends in.

[Pat B]

Plaid giver better break-up but any wool works better because it absorbs light instead of reflecting light like most man made fibers do.

[Rob W.]

I like both. I tend to wear more solid colors though.

[trubltrubl]

depends on how close you want to shoot your prey..deer will ALWAYS scrutinize any SOLID object..unless it has been it the area it is familiar with for along time..yes grey they will think you are a stump or rock or soil but they WILL look you over...I never understand why this topic keeps coming up as it makes more sense to break up any solid object as it make it look like it belongs..Yes there are a lot of good and successful hunters who wear solid earth tones...but a break up pattern will get you closer ALL other things being equal...Good luck with your choice and hunting..my vote a definite break up pattern.

[trubltrubl]

deer generally do not memorize every bush or shrub or small tree in the woods ..but any object that looks big and solid they remember in their backyards

[Roger Norris]

I have done a bunch of photo testing of Asbell wool for exactly the reason you are asking.

Plaids are fantastic. I have literally ALL of them, and use them depending on where I am going to hunt...Cedar Swamp in a pine tree, Hedgeapple Hideaway in the corn, etc.

But if Teresa came to me tomorrow and said "There is only going to be one pattern, or one color, choose now"....I would pick solid gray. It blends everywhere, all the time.

Winter deer are gray. Rabbits are gray. Wolves are gray. Coyotes are gray.

Hunt gray with EXTREME confidence.

[trubltrubl]

if I had to buy a solid shirt like the original poster may do I would go with medium grey or olive or medium to light brown. if you can get a plaid shirt with the colors of the area you plan to hunt then I would opt for that first...when you hunt matching colors to your surrounding will always help you ..but if your set up is in a bad location it doesnt matter what you wear ... good luck hope you get a nice shirt The Asbells make excellent clothing I have evening stand brown pull over and timber ghost zip up..I also wear ASAT and leafy suits when I think they are best for the situation

[trubltrubl]

I just reread your original post..you are asking about stalking....I should read more carefully I guess...for stalking you will be moving and stopping as you sneak in..then get a pattern that breaks you up as you cannot control where you are stopping as you sneak and the pattern break up will be more of a beneifit..than solid...solid works good when you can  choose your stopping spot...not easy to do when stalking in on a critter...You can wear asbell pull over like a shirt

[Rob W.]

Movement and shadow are more important to me.

 

[nek4me]

I recently got one of Asbell's half zip pullovers in grey. To add to Roger's comments, many inanimate objects in the woods are also shades of grey and if hunting from the ground in the north in snow a solid grey with shadows effects from wool over body contours and the hoodie is a better blend than a plaid. Their website states "Timber Grey  disappears under an extemely wide set of  conditions."

[nek4me]

...

i had a medium grey wool shirt.  I shot a few deer while wearing it.   Then i thought that if only the arms were brown, it would work for turkey hunting, so i dyed the arms brown.  I ended up with an xl body and sleeves that a five year old girl would find to be tight.  So, I cut off the sleeves, thinking that I could save some of it.  Nope,  it was tight on the top and large as normal on the bottom.   Then there was my tight weave Norwegian merino wool sweater.   A tight multi colored pattern, turkey nor deer could see it.   My wife by mistake threw in the washer.  My son was 5 at the time.  It was warmest winter coat that he ever had until he grew out of it.

[Jack Skinner]

My son followed me for two days through the elk woods before telling me the dark grey almost black wool pants I had on allowed him to easily spot me in the woods. I switched to olive green military wool after that he had to look a lot harder to spot me out front. I would not hesitate to wear lite gray, or timber ghost.

[T4HALO]

I have 2 or 3 different plaid Asbell pullovers.  I think they work very well for breaking up the outline.  

T4

[Yooper-traveler]

For solids I like gray, which besides green is the only option on the long hunter shirts I believe.  I use the anorak myself.  My favorite would be gray plaid/timber ghost.  

Pavan I hear you on dressing the kids in wool I screwed up.  I had an old wool sweater I used for years until my wife washed and dried it for me.  It kept my daughter warm in her blind after that.

[FITTER]

Just checked out Mr and Mrs Asvells website...... I think I will be very warm next winter