Common sense tells us that we need to choose our camouflage pattern to match the area we hunt, but experience teaches us to match our camouflage to the type of hunting we're doing as well. Consider the tree stand hunter: His backdrop is often quite uniform, so he need only match his camo to the bark of the tree. A still hunter, however, encounters an ever-changing background, and even finds himself in the open sometimes. With this in mind, the still hunter should concentrate on "breaking up" his human form instead of trying to duplicate his varying surroundings. The best way to do this is to "break" your outline into thirds, using one camouflage pattern for your hat and face mask, another for your shirt or jacket, and perhaps the same pattern used on your hat to conceal your pants. This erratic mixture of patterns does an effective job of confusing your quarry's keen visual sense. It is also a tactic employed by knowledgeable turkey hunters who match their pants' pattern to the ground on which they are likely to be sitting and their shirt to the trees they are likely to lean against. Of course, no matter what type of hunting you're doing, full camouflage is important - both for your clothing and accessories. To consistently take wary game animals such as turkeys and deer, hunters should make use of every legal aid available. Few things are worse than blowing a hunt over something you could have controlled.

Camouflage works because it creates visual confusion. It doesn't make you invisible, it simply disguises your recognizable form by breaking up your outline. This visual confusion is created by both shape and color. The overall pattern consists of contrasting areas of different hues and shapes. Even for animals without acute color vision, such as deer and elk, the irregular pattern of different shades and shapes breaks up your outline. The use of natural earth-tone colors produces a camouflage pattern that is effective for color-seeing animals, like wild turkeys, without any loss of camouflage effectiveness for deer or elk. Counter-shading increases both shape and color contrast. This enhances the camouflage principle by producing a three-dimensional effect and creating a third element of visual confusion. All Advantage and Realtree patterns are based on the most effective contrasts of natural colors and shapes and use counter-shading to maximize their ability to disguise you in the woods.

The whole idea of camouflage is to blend into the environment. You, better than anyone, know where and how you will be hunting. Take an overall look at your hunting habitat to determine the predominant color tone of that terrain. If you're going into an area you haven't been to before, ask a friend or your guide what to expect. If your hunting lands are mostly green vegetation, go with a pattern that features a green component such as new Advantage Timber. A gray or brown environment is well matched by Realtree X-tra Grey, new Realtree Hardwoods or Advantage. Advantage Wetlands is a specific color and pattern match to the lighter yellow, brown and fawn colors and shapes typical of marsh vegetation in the fall but also works great in standing or cut corn, wheat or other crops, as well as in natural grasslands. Also consider mixing your camo tops and bottoms. For instance, if you're turkey hunting, consider an Advantage Timber top to match the tree you're leaning against and Advantage pants to match the forest floor.

Don't get "blocked up" by too much "stuff." Looking at camouflage at arm's length is not the best test of its effectiveness. Looking at it from where the game sees it tells you much more. There is a natural tendency to want to see a lot of contrasting colors and shapes--a lot of "stuff"--in the pattern. However, at some distance, a really "tight" and crowded pattern can "block up" and appear to be a solid color. This destroys the pattern's camouflaging effect. The Realtree patterns are rather open and all carry the "20-200" designation, indicating they are as effective at 200 yards as they are at 20. The Advantage patterns feature large, light-colored areas that prevent them from blocking up at distance.

The two most movement-prone areas of your body are your face and hands. Even when still, these light, high-contrast areas stand out like a sore thumb to game. Complete camouflage should include a face mask or head net and gloves to cover these chinks in your camouflage "armor." Face masks and gloves are necessities for close-range hunting scenarios such as bowhunting for deer and elk and calling wild turkeys into shotgun range. Waterfowlers also benefit from face masks. Many a duck has flared off because of an upturned face in the blind.

The legal requirement to wear Blaze Orange for most big-game hunting with firearms works against good camouflage. It is proven that deer and elk can see this highly reflective color as a "light spot" in contrast to the more drab and darker natural environment. The best option is to wear a "camo-orange" pattern such as Realtree X-tra Blaze that breaks up the orange area. However, some areas require a completely orange garment with no pattern. In those places, an orange vest meeting minimum size requirements coupled with good camouflage on the more movement-prone head, arms, hands and legs is your best bet. Check regulations carefully. Some states, such as Colorado, require a Blaze Orange hat.

Camouflaged boots and even camouflaged boot soles may seem like going overboard, but paying attention to details results in more successful hunting. For the tree-stand hunter, those boots are hanging out there in plain sight, visually presenting a solid blob to approaching game. Turkey hunters, sitting a the base of a tree, may unknowingly be giving an approaching gobbler an excellent view of their boot soles. In both cases, pant legs that ride up show the tops of socks. Camouflage socks are not going too far for success. Both Realtree and Advantage Camouflage patterns are now available on both leather and rubber products made into boots. Previously both these materials were difficult to camouflage. However, new technology has provided a process to apply accurate and durable camouflage patterns to both leather and rubber.

The new process for applying an accurate camo pattern onto guns and bows has been a big help to hunters. The hard surfaces of hunting hardware, particularly traditional blued steel and resin-finished wood, have a sheen that can actually "flash" reflected sunlight and spook game. A new camo immersion process actually bakes on a camouflage finish that not only eliminates reflected glare but also provides a protective film covering your bow or gun. All Advantage and Realtree patterns are available on factory produced hunting hardware. For older guns and bows with traditional shiny finishes, this same process is available after-market through Second Skin Camouflage, phone 540-774-9248. All Realtree and Advantage patterns are also available in tapes and adhesive kits from Hunter's Specialties, phone 800-728-0321. Camoclad Camouflage System offers special adhesive camo for trucks, boats and other large items, phone 800-585-8550.

For hunters in snow country, a fresh fall of new powder presents a camouflage challenge. The traditional snow camo was an old white bed sheet. This was better than nothing but not that great. Now, a snow camo pattern, like Realtree X-tra Snow, is a far more realistic camouflage for snowy days afield. Using the primary contrast components of the Realtree pattern on a white base color, Realtree X-tra Snow breaks up your outline and keeps you from looking like Frosty the Snowman, a very obvious big white blob, in the winter woods Advantage Wetlands works on dry land too. The unique colors and leaf and grass patterns of Advantage Wetlands not only match fall marsh vegetation but also blend with most agricultural crops as they take on hues of yellow and brown in the fall. Whether field shooting for geese or ducks or even shooting doves over recently harvested corn and millet fields, take a look at the color tones of the field and take a look at Advantage Wetlands for the most effective camouflage. Help your camouflage help you. You can do a lot to maximize your camouflage's effectiveness by not making yourself obvious in the woods. Stay close to the cover you are trying to blend into. Don't "skyline" yourself on the tops of ridges and hills. "Sidehill" around in a way that keeps you from being silhouetted against the sky. Stay in the shadows; don't "spotlight" yourself by sitting out in a sunny spot. Use every advantage the habitat gives you to enhance your camouflage effect.

Keep your camouflage clothing clean. This is particularly important for hunters after smell-sensitive game like deer and elk. Wash your clothing (and yourself) in one of the "no-scent" soap products. No scent or a neutral scent is best. That way you can add whatever cover, sex or food scent product that is natural to a certain area and time of year.

Be alert for camouflage "washout". Realtree and Advantage patterns are printed by the best processes, on the best fabrics, with the best dyes and inks, to be as colorfast as possible. However, fabrics eventually fade. A faded camouflage pattern loses both color and contrast. This undermines its ability to present the visual confusion necessary for effective camouflage. Particularly with frequently washed hot-weather garments, at some point you need to start over with new clothes for good camouflage. To delay fading as long as possible, wash your clothes turned inside out in cold water and hang them to dry.

Camouflage doesn't have to compromise comfort any more. Not too many years ago lightweight cotton clothing was about all that was available in camouflage. This was fine for bowhunting and other warm-weather hunting. However, when it turned cold, you had to either give up on camouflage or buy camouflage garments in extra large sizes to wear over cold-weather clothing. This added bulk but little warmth and it was inconvenient and often uncomfortable. Today, sophisticated and specialized cold-weather hunting clothes, especially designed for warmth and weather protection, are available in all Realtree and Advantage patterns. You can hunt waterfowl in the foulest weather in Advantage Wetlands, elk in a snow storm in Realtree X-tra Snow, whitetails at subzero temperatures in new Realtree Hardwoods, all in comfortable, specialized cold-weather garments without giving up your camouflage advantage.

The original inspiration behind both Realtree and Advantage Camouflage was to match the hunting terrain of North America. Prior to the 1980s, most camo patterns were old military patterns. None of these were designed to match the temperate forest where we hunt! They were too dark overall and their dark green tones were meant to match jungle vegetation. All Realtree and Advantage patterns are specifically designed to match the colors and patterns that are natural to the North American continent during fall, winter and spring hunting seasons.

Fade into the background for safety and good camouflage. Turkey hunters are advised to sit against a tree, rock or other pellet-proof obstacle that completely covers their back. This also makes good camouflage sense for all species. Advantage and Realtree Camouflage are the best patterns available and provide excellent concealment. However, at the moment of truth, with an important game animal in your sights, every little bit helps. A good background that helps disguise your outline from a gobbler, buck, or anything else is not just safe but a camouflage advantage.

Advantage and Realtree are separate companies and their patterns are quite different in camouflage concept. However, nothing says you can't mix the patterns for best concealment in a specific hunting situation. A common mixture for turkey hunters who sit on the ground amongst the leaf litter is to wear Advantage pants to match the brown leaves and a Realtree X-tra Brown, Grey or new Realtree Hardwoods top to blend with understory brush. Many tree-stand hunters like the open pattern and the strong vertical component of Realtree X-tra Brown or Grey for their pants but prefer the more "leafy" look of Advantage up top, particularly in trees with some leaves still hanging on. No matter how good your camouflage is, you can defeat it by excessive movement. All game animals, whether color-sensitive turkeys or nearly colorblind deer, can spot a flash of movement instantly. When they do, they go somewhere else very quickly. Good camouflage can help you get away with small, slow and subtle movements for the final adjustment of your aim, but for best hunting success, wait until your quarry's view of you is obstructed before making any major moves.