Thoughts on Sitka Gear Digital Camo - Sitka gear at K-zoo?

[oneshot-onekill]

Looking for input on the digital camo pattern. Really like the sitka gear for light weight and fit. Thanks for your opinions.

[screamin]

I just throw an asat 3d suit over the top and forget about it. I've had elk check me out at 3 ft and I mean stand right there and look me in the eye, so close I could have slapped them on the nose.  And birds land on my shoulders when wearing that suit. None better, and yes I do own some of the digital sitka.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I really like mine, I had elk as close as screamin did this year in Utah and a had the same results they looked right through me.

The real test for me was turkeys and whitetails back here in Kansas this year. The pattern worked great while hunting out of are tree stands.

One morning I had a group of turkeys come in feeding and I proceeded to shoot right over one    they spooked went a short ways then came right back and started feeding again on the acorns. Well, I did it again except this time the turkey turned right as I released and I slid the broadhead right down the side of her wing.

They spooked again but only went a short ways looking back my way then wondered off. They came back later that night on the way to roost and stopped and fed again right in front of me for 15 min you can't tell me the pattern dosen't work. The hen looked fine so I just let them feed then go to bed. Works for me  :D  

Tracy

[John Havard]

Last September in Alaska while wearing a complete outfit (pants, shirt, and balaclava) I walked directly between two cow moose (perhaps 20 yards away) and right up to a big bull moose.  I was holding two scapulas on top of my head and grunting, trying to imitate a displaying young bull moose.  The big bull was so fooled he came toward us and allowed my buddy to drill him with his longbow.  Last mistake that bull ever made.

I cannot say with 100% certainty that our ability to walk between two cows and directly up to that bull was solely because of the Optifade camo.  But what I described did happen, and I was completely covered with Optifade.  It's good camo and that's why we carry it at A&H.  If you want to buy some let us know.

 http://acsbows.com/id90.html

[Kevin Dill]

I can't really say for sure if it is superior to other camo patterns, but it is certainly very good. My hunting partner now prefers it for all his Alaska success photos!

It IS a great pattern I think.

Kevin

[kadbow]

Camo is camo, I've touched an elk on the nose wearing predator and I have had them walk by at less than 10 feet wearing blaze orange with no cover in front of me.  I think camo helps and I prefer lighter patterns.

[oneshot-onekill]

Thanks for the input guys....

[Wary Buck]

I'm not a big fan of any digital look up close, but step back from it a few yards and I think it is indeed one of the very best camo patterns out there.  (I'm also a big fan of the Mountain Mimicry).  In fact, as I type this I'm about 8 feet from my open closet and it doesn't look digital already at this distance.  I would classify the Optifade pattern as a lighter pattern and I've felt it covered me well in almost every single situation, and it actually seemed to do alright in snowy conditions too.

[amar911]

I have Sitka Gear clothing in both Mountain Mimicry and Optifade. From about 10 feet back they start looking very similar. I don't see a great advantage of one over the other. I had deer looking at me at Solana all the time when I was sitting in a stand over the feeders. Those were the most hunter-educated deer I have ever been around. The pattern I was wearing was Mountain Mimicry. As long as I did not move they would stare right at me and never saw me. I expect the Optifade would do the same. Michael Langahans wore a combination of Mountain Mimicry and Optifade and had the best success of anyone at Solana. Take a look at the pictures on the Solana hunt thread and you will see what Michael's combined camo looked like.

All that said, ASAT and Predator (especially the Fall Gray Predator pattern) are my two favorite patterns and would be the ones I would have on most of my camo clothing if it were offered. There are a couple of exceptions. One is during turkey season because the turkeys see color and the prevalent color where I hunt at that time of the year is green. Then I would prefer Predator Spring Green camo. The second is during very late season treestand hunting or hunting in the snow. Then I would prefer Skyline Horizon camo (although the Predator Fall Gray is a very close second). But the Mountain Mimicry and Optifade are good patterns for almost all conditions, even if they are not the best in any particular surroundings.

Allan

[Ryan Sanpei]

Terry,
I wrote this blurb about optifade a few months ago.  Hope it helps

"This past weekend, my hunting partner was glassing from a ridge located high above me.  He was watching me stalk a few animals.  I’m guessing that we were about five hundred yards from each other when I made the final stalk.  

Upon returning to the truck, I asked him if he was watching me the whole time.  This is when it got interesting.  He told me that as soon as I dropped my pack to do the final stalk, he could only pick me up  sporadically.  I thought that it was because of the shape of my pack, but I had forgotten that my Sitka pack was not in optifade.  He said that it was really hard to track me with his binos on that final stalk.  Without my pack, all he could see was my optifade clothing.  I thought that was pretty cool.  It was a total unbiased observation.  Even though it was viewed through human eyes,  I found it very interesting.

This is the third time in a month that I’ve recieved complements on how well the optifade blends in to the terrain that I’m currently hunting."

[oneshot-onekill]

Does anyone know if there will be any Sitka gear at K-zoo?

[greg fields]

The jury is still out for me.  First time I used it this year (first day of archery season.  I had a spike buck pick me out of a tree @ 60 yards away.  Looked right at me and stared for minutes on end.  That put a little doubt in my mind and I had to make myself wear it again.  Never happened again and no deer acted any more abnormal than usual, but it still made me uneasy about wearing it.  I am sure I will, but this was my story.

[FerretWYO]

Like allen and some others I have both colors in sitka. I relly like the mountian mimicry for where I elk hunt. However the optifade prooved to be very versitale this last year. I got my dad some and there was multiple times that he was very hard to find. In the video last year when my friend shot his moose from four yards that most of you saw he was wearing mountian mimicry. If that is not a good reason to try sitka I dont know what is.

[Steve O]

The Sitka Booth will be at Kalamazoo.  I will have a lot of my stuff there, and there will be a bunch of "pro staffers" sprinkled throughout the various other booths there and many will bring their gear.  So, with that and what they send me for the dummy   :D  I should have a pretty good selection for everyone to look at and try out.

If there is something special you want to see, let me know and I will try to have it at the booth.

[Guru]

I really like the Optifade pattern...may not be the most "natural" looking camo to our eyes...but it is very,very effective!

I've killed a bunch of stuff since I started using it last fall. Both on the ground, and out of trees.

Then again, the Mountain Mimicry is just as good imo.

Like someone said earlier....back away from it a ways, and you can't hardly tell the difference...

Good stuff!!

[oneshot-onekill]

Thanks guys....will stop by Steve and check it out...you going to have a new TT by then?

[Steve O]

OH YEAH!

Brian will be bringing the new twins and I am also getting a camo one. There will lots of new TallTines in Kzoo!

[oneshot-onekill]

Really looking forward to meeting Brian...seems like a great guy over the phone and makes an awesome bow....just waiting for my name to come back up for my 2nd. This will give me a chance to see some different wood combos also. Got any pic's of the new bows?

[Tim Fishell]

The Tall Tines bows are definatly on my list of bows to check out at the show this year!!  I can't wait!

[Steve O]

I was down in Ohio today for work and the Sitka boys got me into the ATA show...

They have got some AWESOME new gear this year.  They have really listened to our input this year...QUIET raingear...QUIET and WARM Stand clothing to go along with the active gear.

I was impressed!  I should have some of the 2010 pieces at Kalamazoo.