How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

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just longbows
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How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#1 Post by just longbows » Thu Oct 04, 2012 11:10 am

I was just thinking about my leaf suit and i was wondering just how many people hunt with a ghille suit or leaf suit, and if not what camo do you use when hunting?

Justin

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#2 Post by Buranurra » Thu Oct 04, 2012 12:05 pm

Please take my comments as personal opinion based on my research in the matter...

I am not sure how effective a ghille suit is for stalking. THey were designed primarily for snipers who would be stationary - usually lying down for long periods of time. Most animals see in black and white, so a ghille suite will appear like an almost black object to the animals and quite visible if you are moving. I am also of the opinion that realtree and similar are probably great in tree-stands but again turn into black blobs for the most part. Bare skin of face, arms, hands etc is the areas that need to be broken up.

In my limited understanding I would opt for something like Aus military camo, Asat or even a plaid shirt like the oldtimers like Fred Bear hunted in.
Last edited by Buranurra on Thu Oct 04, 2012 12:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#3 Post by just longbows » Thu Oct 04, 2012 12:09 pm

Yeah i agree i use my leaf suit for stalking and it seams to work fine but i get what you mean by a big black blob in a tree stand it wouldnt look natural.

Justin

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#4 Post by wishsong » Thu Oct 04, 2012 12:40 pm

I have used them a couple of times ... once for photo's and a few other times to see what the fuss is about .

Note I only stalk , no tree stands or blinds .....

Any movement will be picked up by an animal , regardless of clothing . But if you are genuinely slow and careful the Ghillie is the ducks nuts for getting close .

I personally don't like them and choose not to hunt with them but they sure do work. I wear no commercuial camo and can still pretty regularly get close to animals if the wind is in my favour ... the Ghillie just seemed to triple that effect .

Like I said , I don't use them or even really any commercial camo but was greatly impressed by the Ghillie the few times I had it out and about afield .

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#5 Post by Stickbow Hunter » Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:21 pm

I have never used a ghille suit and never will. I hate the look of the things. I also gave up using purpose made camo 15 - 20 years ago. I don't see the need for wearing the stuff. I much prefer a cotton checked shirt which helps break up my outline and is cool (I need to wear long sleeves because of my skin).

As has already been mentioned; your movement and getting the wind right is the MOST important things when hunting.

Jeff

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#6 Post by wishsong » Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:29 pm

Jeff and I share fashion values ... In fact given we are both lefties with a penchant for plaid we might be related .

Ghillies will work ... no doubt , but they just aren't part of my "hunting" ... much like tree stands or multi blade broadheads . They all work a treat but it just ain't how I roll as the youngsters say 8)

... no judgement or any such on those who do . different strokes for different traditional bowhunters :lol: It won't make you are better hunter , just as it won't make you any less "trad" ...

I will say that when I was using it for photo's it seemed like a rather handy tool ...

When I used it hunting , both times i just felt like a tool ...
Last edited by wishsong on Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#7 Post by Roadie » Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:36 pm

I find it dosn't matter what you wear, it's movement & wind that gives you away. Cheers Roadie.

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#8 Post by flyne » Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:51 pm

I have used them in the parst and still do every now and then they do work better in my opinion but I feel like a tosser walking around in it with a recurve or long bow in hand so I'm more inclined to just wear a flany and mole skins and rub dirt on my hand and face to break up my out line And keep the leaf suit just for samber coz I find I need as much help as possible to get in on them
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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#9 Post by Buranurra » Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:43 pm

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#10 Post by wishsong » Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:51 pm

they sure do make great gear !

I have the greatest respect for Asbell as a writer

Not so much for their business practice ... but if you don't mind waiting for long periods without communication , waiting for packages to arrive months after paying for them after re assurances that things have been shipped , only to be told some time later that they don't ship to Oz ... well then go for it .

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#11 Post by looseplucker » Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:56 pm

Now then - the Bushmen of the Kalahari and the Pygmy of the Congo hunt in a loin cloth.....
Are you well informed or is your news limited?

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#12 Post by Buranurra » Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:57 pm

wishsong wrote:they sure do make great gear !

I have the greatest respect for Asbell as a writer

Not so much for their business practice ... but if you don't mind waiting for long periods without communication , waiting for packages to arrive months after paying for them after re assurances that things have been shipped , only to be told some time later that they don't ship to Oz ... well then go for it .
Ahh, wasn't aware of those issues thanks for the heads up. I was thinking the hood would be good for my chrome dome :sad:
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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#13 Post by Buranurra » Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:59 pm

looseplucker wrote:Now then - the Bushmen of the Kalahari and the Pygmy of the Congo hunt in a loin cloth.....
Not a good look for hairy white apes like myself though :lol:
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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#14 Post by wishsong » Thu Oct 04, 2012 3:02 pm

it sure does look good handy gear though eh ... as I don't really go for camo , those big plaids in wool would make for some great Sambar hunter duds come Autumn !

I must say that I think they are still just a Husband and wife operation and travel a fair bit to shoots / hunts etc which may account for limited communications . I was just put off by my experience with them . Plenty of people found their dealings to be the opposite though so YMMV

I'll have to stick with Swanndri for the time being .

Sorry to the OP for off topic

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#15 Post by Stickbow Hunter » Thu Oct 04, 2012 4:07 pm

Off topic again sorrey but:
wishsong wrote:I must say that I think they are still just a Husband and wife operation and travel a fair bit to shoots / hunts etc which may account for limited communications . I was just put off by my experience with them . Plenty of people found their dealings to be the opposite though so YMMV
Yeah I waited weeks and weeks and weeks for a quiver and some books and the correspondence did leave an awful lot to be desired. Their wool gear is very nice but not worth it for me as I might only get to wear it a few days a year living up here. :mrgreen:

I do love the look of those plaids though and I wish I could find cotton shirts with patterns like that here.

Jeff

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#16 Post by looseplucker » Thu Oct 04, 2012 4:08 pm

Buranurra wrote:
looseplucker wrote:Now then - the Bushmen of the Kalahari and the Pygmy of the Congo hunt in a loin cloth.....
Not a good look for hairy white apes like myself though :lol:
Somebody was worried about looking like a black shape or something. Well those dudes are black. Just sayin'
Are you well informed or is your news limited?

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#17 Post by Buranurra » Thu Oct 04, 2012 4:47 pm

looseplucker wrote:
Buranurra wrote:
looseplucker wrote:Now then - the Bushmen of the Kalahari and the Pygmy of the Congo hunt in a loin cloth.....
Not a good look for hairy white apes like myself though :lol:
Somebody was worried about looking like a black shape or something. Well those dudes are black. Just sayin'
THis is true indeed.

I think it all comes down to hedging your bets or one percentiles and doing what is reasonable to minimise the chance of spooking your prey.

Smell being the obvious and most important criteria, so using the wind is probably the most important camo. Sound is probably the next, so being silent is important and lastly blending visually in with your surroundings, which is all the more important if the first or second rules get disturbed. I have no doubt that the San (Bushmen of the Kalahari) are almost superhuman in their ability to work within nature to get their prey and excel greater in the first two 'rules'.

We weekend recreational bowhunters are more ladened with heavier equipment and noisy boots etc, that it would be impossible to be as effective a hunter as the San, so it is logical to try and hedge your bets with what skills and tools that are available. Just sayin :wink: :smile:
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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#18 Post by Slackshot » Thu Oct 04, 2012 9:47 pm

Great for picking up farmers friends :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#19 Post by looseplucker » Thu Oct 04, 2012 10:36 pm

Somebody was worried about looking like a black shape or something. Well those dudes are black. Just sayin'
THis is true indeed.

I think it all comes down to hedging your bets or one percentiles and doing what is reasonable to minimise the chance of spooking your prey.

Smell being the obvious and most important criteria, so using the wind is probably the most important camo. Sound is probably the next, so being silent is important and lastly blending visually in with your surroundings, which is all the more important if the first or second rules get disturbed. I have no doubt that the San (Bushmen of the Kalahari) are almost superhuman in their ability to work within nature to get their prey and excel greater in the first two 'rules'.

We weekend recreational bowhunters are more ladened with heavier equipment and noisy boots etc, that it would be impossible to be as effective a hunter as the San, so it is logical to try and hedge your bets with what skills and tools that are available. Just sayin :wink: :smile:

:lol: :wink:
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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#20 Post by dawallace45 » Fri Oct 05, 2012 12:13 pm

Back years ago when I had a long weekend every second week I spent it away hunting and I did a lot of experimentation with camo and man made and natural sent eliminators and of the whole camo line I found that the gillie suits definitely worked the best at least to my satisfaction ,

Now I may not be 100 % right but I contend that animals see shape and movement more than any thing else , yes camo pattens may break up the shape to some extent but I think it works better against humans than it does animals but the gillie suit breaks up the shape much better than any thing else , you just look like another bush [ in my case a very large bush ] and used in conjunction with a sent stopper it works very very well , I have used the 3 D leafy camo and while it works better than the ordinary camo I found that it still didn't break up the outline as well as a full gillie suit

Also if doing a stalk in the open and stopping every time a beastie turns to look the gillie suit really does blend in better as the long strands on the gillie move with the breeze and definitely look more natural .

Do I wear one these days ? no , because they are far too bloody hot and heavy and I find that they get in the way if I need to grab another arrow or any other thing for that matter , I do on the odd occasion wear a Aus cam shirt when hunting but not often and generally wear the same thing that I wear every day a olive green fishing shirt because I believe that creeping up on the beastie hunched over will break up my out line just as well so I don't look human [ although there are some unkind people who reckon that I haven't looked human for some time ]

Actually the only time I wear a Aus cam shirt is if hunting in some place like Longreach or beyond where they call wooded country any thing with more than one tree per acre and I need all the help I can get

So yes I believe that gillie suits works very well but just aren't practical , scent stoppers work very well too but some aren't practical either , old hunting mate made up some scent stopper from pig urine and it worked very well , he sprayed it all over my old gillie suit and we were able to get up to touching range of the pigs , he also had one he made up from old rancid billy goat pee and that one worked well too and he did me the favour of spraying it all over my aus cams [ and I didn't even have to ask him to ] ,

The sprays surely did their jobs but at what cost , after putting our camo gear in the car for the drive home [ 400 miles with all the windows open ] it took two months for the smell to leave the car , I had to sleep in the end room for two weeks and even storing my camo gear in the shed wasn't enough , it made me gag every time I went into the shed , wife wouldn't let me use her washing machine so I had to run my camos through the Laundromat in town and I still had to burn them in the end

I suspect that Jeffs cowboy camo works because beasties don't see colour the same as us and he stalks in close hunched over like most of us because other wise the only place he would blend in is at a line dance

David

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#21 Post by Brett Finger » Sat Oct 06, 2012 8:02 am

:lol: :lol:
And im sure Jeff is quit the Line Dancer !!
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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#22 Post by Stickbow Hunter » Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:23 am

dawallace45 wrote:I suspect that Jeffs cowboy camo works because beasties don't see colour the same as us and he stalks in close hunched over like most of us because other wise the only place he would blend in is at a line dance
Brett Finger wrote:And im sure Jeff is quit the Line Dancer !!
Far from it Bretto. I just have good taste when it comes to shirts. :razz: :mrgreen: :lol:

Jeff

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#23 Post by dan76 » Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:38 am

I don't know about how they look to an animal but i will say i won't ever wear a leafy suit again, it caught on every thing. It caught on the grass, the tree bark, sticks and the bow string on the arms and on the chest no matter how hard i tried to fix the clearance issues i would get another one. Now i just wear natural gear camo tee shirt and cargo pants, they are great, comfy too, those leafy suits are uncomfortable and itchy.

Dan

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#24 Post by Gringa Bows » Sat Oct 06, 2012 11:06 am

Ive been wearing army issue camo pants and the leafy camo top for years,nothing to do with animals,just think i look damn sexy wearing it :mrgreen:

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#25 Post by Brett Finger » Sun Oct 07, 2012 11:55 am

yes Rodney,

it makes you look very SQUATCHY !!
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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#26 Post by Gringa Bows » Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:34 pm

Thanks Brettnee :biggrin:

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#27 Post by just longbows » Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:41 pm

Rod
how much and where did you get your army camo pants ?

Justin

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#28 Post by Gringa Bows » Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:44 pm

My ole girl got them from a disposal shop cant remember how much they were though :wink:

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Re: How many people use a ghille/leaf suit when hunting ?

#29 Post by matt61 » Sun Oct 07, 2012 7:16 pm

I dress the same as LB rod, can't beat the Australian auscam pants with a leaf suit top.
Have had a few mesh leaf suits,but hunting Sambar I destroy the pants in the
blackberry patches.For me there is no greater proof that they work that when whistling
foxes,I had a fox raced in and jumped on the log that I was standing on only six feet from me.
Doing a lot of fox whistling,I swear by them combined with a facemask.
Matt

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