Whether you’re turkey hunting, duck hunting, or just filling the role of a sniper in an airsoft match, you need to stay hidden from your target.
Sometimes, concealment is largely aided by the camouflage pattern you choose – such as tiger stripe camo, MultiCam, or a full-blown ghillie suit.
Other times, you need to get creative if you want to stay hidden. Here are three hacks.
Bring Along a Cork and a Lighter
This is one of the most effective ways to up your camo when you don’t have any other camo gear. For it, you’ll need a wine cork and a lighter, like a Bic or a Zippo.
Light the lighter, and apply it to the end of the cork. Let the cork glow a little, you’re charring the end.
After a few seconds, remove the lighter and let the cork cool off. When it stops glowing, give it a few more seconds to cool.
Once cool, wipe away the ash (the white stuff). What should be left is the partially charred cork underneath.
Now, use the cork like a “pencil” to paint stripes, slashes or other marks on your hands and face. These will break up your outline and can be impressively effective at keeping you concealed in the woods.
Naked skin reflects sunlight and glows in the woods – not so much to human eyes but definitely to game birds and other targets.
Cover up and use this technique if you ever need to boost your camouflage just a little bit.
Use What’s There
The next best thing you can do – if not the first best thing – is just to use what nature provided you.
What’s around you will afford the best concealment because it will naturally, effortlessly blend into the background. It is the background.
If you need to conceal your position or shooting lane, cut some branches or grass and pile them up over you to cast shade, or at the sides of your lane.
You can also use moss and grasses and reeds to obstruct your position, or lay these over the top of your gear in order to obscure it. In some instances, you can use moss and grass on your gun barrel or on the top limb of your bow.
In other instances, you can use mud or clay in lieu of the charred cork method mentioned above, using these to cover your skin so that you won’t show in the woods when you’re trying to remain concealed.
The point is to get creative and use what’s there. There’s a ton of it and it’s the best camouflage there is.
Stop Moving
This is so simple and straightforward it can hardly in fairness even be called a hack, but it works.
The truth is, unless you’re wearing highlighter yellow or blaze orange, much of the time the first thing that will betray your position is your movement.
You don’t need to move much, either. Just a slight head or hand movement can give you away.
The antidote to this ill? Just stop moving. Make it a conscious effort to keep still whenever you’re in the field – and an utter imperative whenever your target is within your line of sight.
For Traditional US Woodland and Tiger Stripe Camo Gear
Are you here because you’re looking for traditional camouflage patterns like US woodland, MultiCam or tiger stripe camo gear to take in the woods on your next foray?
Visit Fatigues Army Navy first and bookmark their page. They carry a wide range of gear, not just clothing and outerwear but also accessories and MOLLE-compatible gear, perfect for outdoor sports.
