Ghillie Suits- Do They Work ??

[WMMollica]

I'm seriously considering purchasing a ghillie suit as I prefer to ground hunt. Based on your experiences using them, do you recommend them? Will I be able to use a side/hip quiver on a belt on the outside of it? Is Rancho Safari long coat the best to get? If not, what do you recommend and why? I hunt in CT. Any tips you can offer when hunting in a ghillie suit?
Your responses will be most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

WMM

[Shawn Leonard]

Thye work awesome, do a search Dr. Ashby posted some pics. of his home made ones. I us ea leafy suit and have great success with that as well from the ground. Usually they require a little trimming for string clearance on the forearm and chest areas. Shawn

[Talondale]

I just bought the short jacket ghillie.  Haven't put it into action yet, season opens Oct 6.  It's cheaper and seems a better option than the long coat if you want to be mobile.  I've got pics on this thread:
 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=049688

[Flesner]

Yes I recommend them.
Yes you can carry aquiver on the outside w/ a belt or shoulder strap.
I use the Rancho Safari long coat and love it. I have no experience with the others.
They are not well suited to still hunting if you have much underbrush or thorns. I carry mine to the stand site and put it on there.
They do not cover your scent.
Deer will still see you if you move, but they do not know what you are. You will often get another chance at a shot.
They hold your body heat in some, so they are a little uncomfortable in warm weather.
Remove anything that dangles from your bow arm. It will not diminish the effectivness.
I have actually cut away the entire inside of the left arm sleeve, Net material and all to eliminate any possibility of the string hanging up in it.
Good Luck

[Bird Dog]

I tried one for a season and found it to be somewhat of a nuisance. Good camo and a headnet seems to be just as productive and I'm not sure the camo needs to be that good. I've taken a number of deer from the ground while wearing a green plaid wool jacket. Just don't let them see you move.

[Wary Buck]

I don't have a ghilly suit but I did get a quality leafy-type jacket with hood and have had some very close encounters w/o being ID'ed already this year.  Enough that I see some real potential there...

[ref2hunt]

I bought one late last year and have used it twice this year. So far I love it. Had a big ole doe come in look right at me and never knew I was there.  Didn't offer me a acceptable shot so I let her go till this weekend.  You do have to do some modifications to allow for string clearance, but its no big deal.

[Brutus Hedgeapple]

Several years back, my wife got me a leafy wear type camo suit. It has a netting material with the leafy stuff sewn to it. I took some jute twine from WallyWorld and threaded it through the netting and ended up making a ghillie out of it. I've had deer look right through me. It's pretty cool to be standing there with deer right in front of you and not have a clue you're there.

 brutus

[Flesner]

Birddog,
I've killed deer wearing blue jeans and a red t-shirt.
Then I've killed deer wearing the gille that I would not have killed without it.
I don't always use it. It's not for every situation.
I often just wear the head cover and face mask when still hunting. It helps break up your head and shoulder profile.

Overall I'm glad I spent the money for it. Heck it was worth it just to scare the h**l out of my buddies sometimes!!      

[Bird Dog]

I do think the ghille can improve your chances in some situations. The places I hunt here in Florida are pretty dense/thick and plants like saw palmetto makes it hard to move with ghille.

[John Nail]

I have a ghillie and a leafy suit. I can't tell much difference between them from the animal's reaction. Having given this much thought, I think a guy could camo stain a mop head and wear it glued to a hat and get the same results. Deer seem to tune in on human head/face form. That's probably why Fred Bear is usually shown with foliage stuck in his hatband.
They do work.

[JC]

YES!

[IB]

YES.....ABSOLUTLEY  

[jeff / sc]

I switch between the ghillie long coat and ASAT leafy...both work.  I just can't seem to decide which one works the best or if there is really any difference.  Always hunt from ground and just put it on when I get to where I am going.  Neither one works when trying to move through moderatly thick brush.

[mjh]

Check out Bushrag.com.  I have the Chamilion (spelling?) kit.  I was able to put it together myself and fine tune it to where I hunt.  Trim for string clearance.  I really like the extra concelment I get using it ground hunting.  Use my gillie 85% of the time, DB Blind 10%, tree stand 5%.

[Terry Green]

I had a buck antelope follow me this evening, and everytime I looked back he was closer. While I was walking a mule deer doe right by me, the lope was getting closer. Last time I saw him, when I slipped through a wall of willows....he was 30 yards away from me. He was a nice buck, too back I didn't have a lope tag. I also had a moose climb out of the river to have a better look at the walking willow.

I was wearing a guillie. Pretty cool.

[Curtiss Cardinal]

The biggest advantages to the ASAT 3D pro Vanish leafy suit is that it is light weight and packable and you can wear anything underneath to accomodate the weather. Ghillie suits are heavier, are bigger that a sleeping bag rolled up and hot if it is warmer weather.

[Pat B.]

I've worn Cablea's TCI top and bottoms....

I think this stuff makes you much less noticeable.. I liked it and will use it this year too.

[razorsharptokill]

Here's a pic of a leafy suit I made for under $20.00. It's not a ghillie suit but for hunting I think it will do the job. It only weighs oz's too.
 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=050709

[NDTerminator]

Originally posted by WMMollica:
I'm seriously considering purchasing a ghillie suit as I prefer to ground hunt. Based on your experiences using them, do you recommend them?
WMM

Here's a story as to how well Ghillie Suits work.  I'm a Sniper School graduate, and part of that training was concealment & stalking.

When we were introduced to the Ghillie Suit, we watched an instructor ghillie up as another lectured.  We were then instructed to turn our backs, after which we were told the instructor had concealed himself in the cover we had been facing and that he was no more than 20 yards from us.  We were then ordered to turn around and call out if we could see him.

Long story short, not one of 18 students was able to pick that instructor out in relatively light brush at about 10 yards directly in front of us.

Do ghillie suits work?  You better believe it...