Is there any particular reason why hunters dont seem to wear much camo gear for African hunting?
I know its not necessary at all really for any game but wearing it will and does maximise ones chances of obtaining a trophy animal (or at least maximises concealment which of course maximises chances) ...thus why not?

Bongo for instance dwelling in thick jungly bush..wouldnt camo be very helpful there? Or in the reed beds or even on the scrubby Kudu hills or plains?In fact any bloody where?

Over to the experts.......

I am pretty certain it is legal to wear camo in RSA.

But other countries have strict regulations against it. Their feeling is Camo is military only attire.

There were(are?)countries where wearing camo would get you shot. Camo was considered the clothing of combatants.

I've never had any problems with hunter type pattern but anything resembling military camo is asking for trouble. I wouldn't really recommend it at all even though my experience has been positive in several countries.

Mark

After seeing most native staff,trackers,etc and what THEY wear (bright coveralls,any cast off of any color or pattern) I question whether there is ANY advantage to camo at all. For some reason hunters seemed to be successful before Camo. I think the key to not being spotted by game is MOVEMENT and second is NOISE.

Camo is illegal in some countries and not others. Usually when you need camoflauge, the PH will build a hide rather than dressing like a tree.

John

quote:

Originally posted by Big Bore Boar Hunter:
Camo is illegal in some countries and not others. Usually when you need camoflauge, the PH will build a hide rather than dressing like a tree.

John

Ah yes but not everyone is a sit on your arse hunter,some do actually hunt on foot.

How about camo (US woodland BDU's) pants, with non-camo shirt, jacket etc for Zimbabwe?
If no, can you still take things like camo day packs, gloves and thing like that?

A comprehensive breakdown on camo in Africa appeared in the African Hunter magazine last year.

As to Zimbabwe specifically. By LAW only the camo worn by the security forces is illegal for civillians but there is draft legislation widening the ban.

I would wear nothing that looks like brit army camo. Real tree type patterns - fine

Camo cammel bak's etc - fine

Just do not look like a soldier!

just what don heath said, but it's really unnecessary.

My hunting clothes are camo. I hunt in my hunting clothes. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Canada, the U. S., it's a non-issue.

Just my humble opinion.

I hate seeing North American camo in Africa ... makes the hunter look ignorant of traditional African hunting.

Would you wear khakis and safari shirts to hunt whitetail?

Its just uncool.

We usually wear camo when hunting Mt. Nyala.
In the mountains it's most appropriate. Not a traditional "African" safari when you're on a horse at 8,000 ft anyway...... so it's "cool".

Rich Elliott

quote:

Originally posted by stagman:
Would you wear khakis and safari shirts to hunt whitetail?

I have.

animals are animals everywhere. you can wear all the camo in the world, be as still as a rock and as quiet as a mouse on cotton, but if he smells you the party's over. beating his nose is everything and the only way to do that is to have the wind in your favor.

Good points by all. I want to wear my Camo BDU's in Zim, only because I find them the most comfortable, and because I have lot's of them. I will wear them with solid green or tan shirts, jacket etc....should this be a problem in Zim??

Charles, Come to think of it, I've taken several whitetails wearing my safari shirts ... and a bear ... and an elk ... exotics ...

Wolfgar ... cool name BTW ... I don't think YOU will have any problem wearing camo anywhere in Africa, but in many camps it's nice to leave your trackers/skinners with some old clothers. It's uncool in some places for THEM to wear camo so it's not usable if you give it to them.

With my job, I wear camo nearly 7 days a week in the states. It's nice to go to Africa to dress up for a change.

quote:

Originally posted by stagman:
Just my humble opinion.

I hate seeing North American camo in Africa ... makes the hunter look ignorant of traditional African hunting.

Would you wear khakis and safari shirts to hunt whitetail?

Its just uncool.

Given that I think camo looks "uncool", I do in fact wear my safari clothes when I hunt whitetail!!

Being "Cool" never enters my mind when I prepare for a hunt. I paid for the hunt. I like hunting in clothes I'm comfortable in. If tradition was truely important to any of us, we wouldn't be using scopes, digital cameras, range finders, etc.

This is beginning to sound like the guy who has "sheep" boots, but is going "goat" hunting and wants to know what is the best goat boot to buy.

I know it's not cool but I confess that at times I've used my deer rifle on other animals than deer. How un-cool can you get.

I'm gonna take my camo Bugtamer suit for reasons I consider more crucial than fashion.

I just figure with as many posts that are made on this subject all the time, it is just one of those cases of why risk it. I sure as hell don't want to be out in the bush somewhere when an unexpected and camo-type challenged "official" arrives on the scene. Plus, your more traditional safari type clothes you can actually wear out in public in addition to hunting. JMO.

It shows really bad taste to wear a deer-hunting outfit in Africa. Besides, the original and still best camo is and always has been khaki.

Kensco, and everyone

Yes, you are right. You paid for it and you can wear whatever you want. All I can say is, in my four hunts in Africa, all the pHs wore non-camo. It is what hunters have worn forever there, and yes, it is kind of a tradition. I am sure there are PHs and Africans who wear camo, but, well, I like to do things the way they have been done for...50 years? and I wear non-camo.

As for cost etc- I always recommend that guys bring NO hunting clothes, but rather stop on the way to the concession in the nearest town, where you will always find a sport shop, and buy two shits (about $20 each) and two shorts, also $20, and then you are sure to have something that has been tested by the market forces and accepted as something that works.

To show you how bad it is, I have gone from wearing long pants to shorts, and now wear those sort of short rugby shorts that the guys wear there. Why? Becuase they work best, are coller temperature wise than long pants, etc.

I'll have to admit that I went overboard on camo years ago. Winter, plains, pine, etc. Had to have a separate closet for my hunting camo clothes.
Now I wear quite a few plaid coats and shirts in tan and green shades. Pants are tan, olive, or grey. Clothes are good for hunting, or going into town. Just my $.02.

quote:

Originally posted by 404Jeffrey:
Kensco, and everyone

...... but rather stop on the way to the concession in the nearest town, where you will always find a sport shop, and buy two shits ......

Wow!! I knew things were gettting expensive, but $20 each for 2 "shits??" Can you get a punch card??......Sorry I couldn't resist! I spend a lot of my days reviewing outgoing correspondence and this just jumped out at me.

I'm a traditionalist in a way. I make my own traditions. The camo I wear has hunted animals on four continents and it brings me good luck. They are as important to me as my rifle. I have no interest in using someone else's rifle to hunt game. I would rather stay home.

I've travelled much of the world, worked in many parts of it and have no illusions about the past or the future.

If you need to fit in, wear what the other guys wear, do it. It doesn't make you one of them, just a wanna-be. I don't affect a look for anyone. I don't ask anyone to change to suit me. If you think sticking a turd in your left ear is cool, be my guest, but don't be shocked if I don't follow your lead.

My hunting clothes are also my camping, hiking, off-road adventure, and geocaching, clothes. None of it is camo. It is all muted greens, browns, and kakis. There was only one occasion where someone in a deer camp asked me why I did not dress in camo for the hunt. I was trying to think of a polite way to explain it without sounding like a snob so I just said that I was more comfortable wearing what I had on. The truth is that I believe it is silly to dress head to toe in camo and then go sit in a plywood box all day and shoot a deer out of a little window.

Edit: That did not come out right. I don't think it is silly to sit in a plywood box all day and shoot a deer out of a little window. That is how 90% of the hunting is done here. I think it is silly to wear camo from head to toe while doing it. The deer can't see what you have on.

I do enjoy seeing camo families all dressed in their Walmart camo outfits on the road to or from their hunting property during November. It just makes that time of the year more festive.

Camo in church in Orange, Texas threw me for a loop, but then it seemed like 10% of the population wore some camo all the time.

quote:

Originally posted by Wolfgar:
Good points by all. I want to wear my Camo BDU's in Zim, only because I find them the most comfortable, and because I have lot's of them.

You can always get some solid OD or khaki BDUs.

I dislike seeing cammo clad hunters in Africa almost as much as seeing hunters in blue denim jeens in hot africa.
With all the dull coloured cotton clothes avaliable, I just dont think it is necessary.