Shaggie question

[Tatonka777]

Any opinions on which ultralight Shaggie Longcoat camo to go with?  I am looking at the models that are 100% cotton and 50% cotton / 50% jute burlap.  

I hear the burlap has an odor and it seems the bulap suit might be heavier.  The burlap might be better at breaking up your outline.

I was going to go with the 100% cotton, but now I am not so sure.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Jon

[Mike Orton]

I've worn the Ghillies for years now.  The burlap looks nice but does have an odor and is heavy & hot.  Odoor is not a problen since it's just an odor and not necessarily a human odor. Hot is a factor of where you'll be wearing the burlap ghillie to hunt.  Also burlap will suck up water big time and become super heavy.

Cotton will suck up water too.  It's of course cooler than Burlap.

Dont't be afraid to make your own suit.  Important issues include choice of materials, weight, and intended use (hot/cold climate use).  Cut old camo into strips and sew onto a shell of your choosing. Old clothes of proper color & material also can be used.  Polyester and rayon don't absorb water. You can also sew in a fanny cushion and knee pads.  Areas to concentrate on are the gap between legs (man is the only bi-pod in North America), area around head and arms.  Remember to keep short the material near the arm that holds your bow (left arm for a right handed shooter).  Most folks have a tendency to cut the strips too long and over do it.  The rag gets to heavy in the end.  Cut the strips no longer than 5 inches and sew them in place in the middle of the strip so both ends hang shaggie.  Have fun w/ it....don't forget about silk flowers/leaves from the crafts store.  

Be prepared for two events to happen once you use the ghillie rag: the criticisms from your hunting buddies and the fact that animals will walk up on you, close.  You still have to play the wind game though.    

[IB]

Jon..Charlie Lamb, JC and I, ALL have the Gillie you speak about. I can't speak for them, however my experience has been phenomenal usin mine.

Yes the Burlap does have an odor, That odor seems to have NO effect on game what so ever. The longer it's left outside even buried in dirt that odor dissipates.

I fought the Jute, then I drug the long coat behind my ATV down the road. The more beat up they get the better they work.

I have used mine in Ohio, Wyoming, Idaho and Texas. The temperatures determine what I wear under my long coat.

I roll mine up and it's part of my pack when hunting ALL THE TIME. A Portable Blind    

I won't leave home without it.

OH yes Terry Green took an OUTSTANDING Wy. Antelope wearing one last fall     Nothing but the long coat in the OPEN.

[JC]

I have a model just like Vance's and though I haven't killed big game in mine yet, I hope to put it to use at his place in Sept. I did kill a couple of squirrels this year in it late season playing around with it and I will say it's a valuable tool to have in your arsenal. You can literally hide in plain site with it like you can with no other camoflage.

I don't mind the smell, as long as the breeze is blowing in my face (which it should be anyway right?) I don't notice it at all. It is too hot to hunt/stalk in unless the temps cooperate but that is the only downside I can think of.

I do recommend spending time shooting the bow you plan to hunt with while wearing the suit. I did have to do some cutting but only really on the bow arm area. It works great if you can employ your wife of kids to help cut while you do test draws. Go stumping with it, 3D if possible, get used to shooting in it. While not necessarily difficult, I found it took some getting used to before I wasn't distracted.

Well worth the money, imho.

[Toxophilite]

Last year I got an ultra-light Ghillie long jacket that I like much more than a jacket/pant combo. No "Man" profile when you walk or stand. It's made of synthetic string material, weighs about 3 lbs, and I can compress it into a medium-sized back pack.  It's no where near as hot as others I've tried in past. Ya gotta "tune" a ghillie, otherwise the material messes up your shot. They all have a smell. Watch the breeze and they work!

[sgrogg]

Toxo,

Can you be more specific (make and model).  That sounds like just the ticket for me.  Thanks!

[One eye]

I have been going to try one for years.  Time to buy one.  Are you guys buying directly from Bush Rag or Cabelas?

Dan

[LAR43]

Whatever one you get, follow JC & Toxo's advice on "tuning" i.e. trimming the bow arm & even a little on the chest on the same side as the bow arm.
It has no effect on the effectivity of the suit & really makes a huge difference in your ability to shoot well when using them.

Larry

[keith brimmer]

toxo im with sgrogg which one are you talking about

[Toxophilite]

Bush Rag Ultra Light and it's the "Long Jacket" ghillie.
Another big plus--it's real easy to get it on and off in the field.
Another little "tuning" tip:  I trimmed enough of the bottom so the lowest edge is about 3" above my feet. Helps avoid stepping into the strings.

Toxo

[dan ferguson]

You can make one cheap. I cut up old camo shirts and jeans, cut them into strips then go find some macremae rope, I found my wifes, cut the rope into short lengths sew them on and unravel the rope, this way I can pick the colors to match my surrondings. It can be a coat, sweatshirt, large t shirt or whatever, Don,t take long they work.

[jeff / sc]

I have the cotton shaggie from Rancho Safari, it's a little warmer than just a leafy suit, but I think it also breakes up the human outline a little better.  The edges of the strips tend to fray with repeated use / washing and I think that just makes it even better. After repeated use some of the strips tend to tear off, but it's easy to just add additional strips of whatever you want to use.  Like Vance, I just roll it up and tie it to my pack...put it on when I get where I'm going.  I like it...

[Raineman]

Could you guys post some pics for ideas and effect?

[jonesy]

Jon, thats called a ghillie.Shag is somthing the english do. LOL

[Eric Krewson]

I have been intrigued by ghillie suits for years but never tried one. I picked up a complete ultra lite Rancho Safari outfit(long coat, leg covers, boonie cover and face mask) off the auction site the other day for $70. When it arrived at the house it still had the tags in it, never worn although it was listed as used. I think it will work well for the places I hunt.

[John Havard]

I use my Rancho Safari outfit fairly frequently for deer.  Last fall I had a red fox within 6 feet of me and I was standing totally in the open away from any trees or other vegetation.  When I tried to draw my bow that fox literally turned inside-out leaving.  They TOTALLY break up your outline and are a mobile blind.  You have to trim them so they don't interfere with your bowstring.  But after that you're set.

[Tatonka777]

Thanks for the info!  From what I have seen, most are using the Shaggie with the burlap - is that the one to go with?

Thanks!

JW

[J]

I have used the shaggie headgear with a camo boonie hat and the whitetails didn't get spooked.      They would do their thing like I wasn't there.  This was during my first year hunting in upstate NY.  

I did not have the full shaggie set, just the face mask.  I was on a budget so I wore black pants and a green jacket, both in fleece.  I once read on Tradgang that covering the head/shoulder outline and hands are more important than covering the whole body in camo.  I am convinced that this is true with my non-camo fleece and basic headgear and gloves, at least for deer.

I like the shaggie face mask, but the full suits seems awfully bulky and I would be concerned about it absorbing water.  Burlap seems even worse, and the ghillie suits I have seen are extremely heavy.

For turkey season this year I bought myself a complete 3D mesh ASAT camo set.  Its awesome.  I mainly got the ASAT since birds are supposed to see in color and supposedly also see parts of the UV spectrum.  ASAT does not use any UV dyes and the mesh suit fits over whatever I want to wear underneath, camo or not.  Longpants when its cool, or shorts when its hot.  Just one set of camo makes it easy on the budget.

I really think the mesh suits are the way to go.  I now live in Oregon and bow season is like hunting in Hades.  Anyway, while I was turkey hunting this month I came across a doe that stared and stared at me.  She must have watched me walk down the hillside she was standing on.  By the time I noticed her, she was shaking her head back and forth like a dog.  It was really funny, like she was trying to figure out what the heck I was.  I then noticed the doe was with 3 other does and I walked closer to them and stopped at about 25 yards away.  They just continued to browse and did not seem to care that I was there.  I did not move slowly either.  I was actually a bit nervous since I was trying to find my truck and a storm was coming.

Even though it wasn't deer season and they weren't being hunted, I was impressed.  The fact that the deer didn't run away as I stomped down the hillside made me feel a little more confident in the camo since I'm not usually the camo type.

I would suggest the mesh style of camo suit, not just the ASAT, but any brand.  I think the ghillie makes sense for a sniper, but it might be overkill for deer.  Just my opinion.

Sorry for the long post, but I thought I would share my experience.