ASAT doesn't work

[Marc B.]

Originally posted by Roger Norris:
 

Originally posted by 9 Shocks:
 

I think it blends in pretty well where I hunt.  Buddy took this shot of me after  he walked over to find me after a morning hunt and couldn't.  He was like, you blend in so good!

Asbell wool and Asat bibs.

That is a fantastic picture....and I swear on my honor I am not trying to sell wool here.....but I think the wool plaid blends better than the ASAT [/b]

I agree

[Nantahala Nut]

I don't think there is a perfect pattern for all situations. The asat looks a little light up against the tree but in open woods looks great. The wool plaid is probably more versatile.  I use a home made leafy suit I cut from camo blind material. It fooled a whole flock of turkeys at 15 yards standing in the open.

[9 Shocks]

Originally posted by Marc B.:
 

Originally posted by Roger Norris:
   

Originally posted by 9 Shocks:
   

I think it blends in pretty well where I hunt.  Buddy took this shot of me after  he walked over to find me after a morning hunt and couldn't.  He was like, you blend in so good!

Asbell wool and Asat bibs.

That is a fantastic picture....and I swear on my honor I am not trying to sell wool here.....but I think the wool plaid blends better than the ASAT [/b]

I agree [/b]

I definitely feel that the plaid is better.  Dont get me wrong,  I do believe that asat can break up your outline with its ability to create lost and found edges.  Look at how my leg fades into the trunk of the tree shadows.

I think its tough to beat a good plaid shirt though.  High contrasting clothes has always been my go to.  The woods have so many shadows and highlights and variations that I try and find dark darks and lighter lights in all my clothing to fit the bill depending on the time of year.

[dragonheart]

Dull, muted clothing is the key, not the pattern.  The material the garment is made out of can make a huge difference in the light reflection.

     

[Pat B]

Wool absorbs light, cotton and synthetics reflect light.

[Keith Zimmerman]

So your buddy climbed a tree and took the pic?  First of all, if he did, it's not what the deer sees unless he's in the tree.  Everything looks different from a deers viewpoint.

Personally, I like light colored camo.  When a deer looks up, the sky/clouds are light colored.  Its like they look through me.

[KSdan]

Agree too about apparent light absorption. "Seems" wool and even cottons do a much better job than some of the higher tech materials.  

This thread seemed more about ASAT or not- rather than wool and other materials.  My original ASAT for years was the older cotton versions- though colder weather always saw me in wool in older Brown Predator (very near ASAT if you have not seen it before).  In these days- I still use Predator, but much of my seasons will be ASAT in the Merino versions from First Lite.

[stalkin4elk]

Deer jump right into the grill of my truck and it ain't camo at all.          
Seriously now I have excellent luck with ASAT leafy until the wind shifts or if I move too fast.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Try wearing Plaid wool, it may be better!

[Zwickey-Fever]

http://www.atsko.com/u-v-killer-18-oz-trigger-spray/

I used to get busted years ago but not any longer. 99% of clothes have brighteners in the fabric that deer can see like a light on in a dark room. I am a firm believer that deer can not see all the detail in some camo pattern, but see the UV brighteners instead. Atsko UV-Killer works. Amazing stuff and I even seen that Dead Down Wind has a version called "UV-Gaurd".

[PeteA]

I exclusively hunt from the ground these days and I'm a huge fan of ASAT. I use a wool ASAT pullover. The contrast and colors have softened over the years. Deer seem to look right through it. In my 7 years of trad hunting I've gotten closer to deer in this pattern then anyother I have used. Last season I had a nice 6pt within 3 yards.

[tarponnut]

If a deer gets so close that the hunters fills the "frame", as in the photo, you're likely busted:)

As a lifelong visual artist and art teacher for 25 years I see the natural world differently than most hunters, just as hunters see the world differently than non-hunters.All good points above, though.

I think a face mask makes a big difference for deer and definitely turkeys.

Of course, being stealthy means more than camouflage. It means keeping movements slow, reading a deer's body language(which comes from experience), moving at the right time,shooting a quiet bow, etc.
 
I took this yearling last fall in NC, she was with a mature doe and another yearling at 8 yards (for five minutes before I shot)! I was 12 feet up a tree(I told it was way too low:) Check out my camo!

[Bladepeek]

We can argue camo patterns and materials all day long and probably never reach consensus.

One thing that most of us probably agree on is that background makes more of a difference than camo or anything in front of you. I always hunt the opening day of firearms season with my younger son at his father-in-law's farm. There is a fence line which is also the property line. It is ripe with deer travel, but we always avoided it as the neighbor is also a hunter and it felt a bit like poaching his land. We have permission now to shoot on his side of the line, so my son put up a tree stand right on the fence line. There is a large, broad hardwood that has no place on its trunk for a ladder stand. Instead he used a skinny little tree which has practically no upper structure. No matter what camo you are wearing, including a gillie suit, you would be silhouetted against the sky regardless of the time of day. In order to not hurt my son's feelings, I agreed to sit there opening day. In one sense it was a good stand in that it allowed me to see deer moving everywhere around the area. Next day I got back on the edge of the woodlot. All the trees are bare at that time of the year, but the swaying limbs and the moving shadows they create are very effective in masking outlines no matter what you are wearing if you have adequate bulk behind you to break up your outline.