Camo face paint

[Drelk]

I'm a face paint believer. No face masks for me. When I was a teenager I spotted a spike bull and a little rag horn bull feeding in a large opening. I snuck up the other side of the ridge. Crept over the crest. Drew my bow. They just stood there and looked at me. And for the life of me I couldn't see through my peep with the damn face mask on. After I few seconds they took of. Worst part is my father in law saw the whole thing and was laughing. Now I never use a face mask or hunt with him

 

[Drelk]

I should have said my future father in law

 

[Old Hunter]

I'm not going for it. You'll always look like a human to game. Movement and scent is what spooks game. Not your lily white face.

 

[Doe Nob]

Primos 3/4 stretch face mask FTW. Very comfortable spandex like material. I put it on then my ball cap then pull it up and the back goes up over my ball cap and holds everything in place even in a stiff breeze. No peep problems as it has a good eye opening and the stretchiness of it has nothing hanging down in your face. I do cut out a hole for my earlobe to peak out on the right side as I tuck my knuckle under it as my anchor point.

Super comfortable I wear it all the time spot and stalk bowhunting, waterfowl hunting, and turkey hunting.

 

[dito]

I face paint. Carbo mask is good stuff. Natural camo is good too but a little greasy.

 

[squirrelduster]

I'm not going for it. You'll always look like a human to game. Movement and scent is what spooks game. Not your lily white face.

You are correct about movement and scent spooking game but if you have a mask or face paint on they don't run. They stand and look holes through you and after a few minutes go back to feeding. So if your standing there in your blue jeans and flannel shirt when they look up they see a person with a lily white face. Then they run.
Couple weeks ago my brother was sneaking up on me. He was trying to surprise me to go pig hunting and was headed up the ridge in full camo minus anything on his face. It was raining with heavy overcast in the afternoon and it looked like he was waving a flag every time he turned his head. I saw him from 500 or so yards without binos.

 

[Old Hunter]

I can only go by my own experience. I've starred down game at 20yds. As long as I was downwind, and didn't move. They didn't spook.

We can't compare how we see each other, and how a deer/elk see's us. They see everything in a pale yellow shades. Our face is just a shade of yellow to them. Probably a similar shade to a tan shirt.

 

[Zim]

No way I'd ever use face paint. I'd either sweat it all over everywhere, or wipe it into my eyes. Just too messy. Been using a facemask for 20 years without incident.

 

[trkytrack2]

I'm not a big fan of face paint although I have used it before. It's just too messy and a SOB to remove every night before bed. I prefer a spandex face mask. Shoot instinctive with a longbow so not a problem trying to find sights. Works great and have no complaints about a face mask.

 

[HuskyMusky]

burnt cork, super easy clean up!

 

[Old Hunter]

burnt cork, super easy clean up!

Doesn't that make the wine taste funny?

 

[ivorytip]

haha, old hunter... you my friend are classic! i love it. straight and to the point. yeah i to have to base it on my own experience. cammo doesnt matter, it really doesnt in the least matter. just broken up colors, no blue. i wear cammo most of the time but not while winter hunting, non cammo cold weather gear is so much cheaper. if paint works for u it works. wont hide ya anymore than not wearing it though. unless it has then it does. i think dr sues said that once.

 

[ivorytip]

how bout one of the eastman boys chime in here on this topic. they all use to just wear flannelshirts and blue jeans.

 

[JBudd]

I use the stuff from hunter specialties. I like it but I don't like the application, have to get it all over your fingers. I used my buddies camo x and liked it alot, goes on without use of fingers and comes off easy. Also, seems like the camo x goes on thinner and doesnt rub off on clothes as easy.

 

[Old Hunter]

Poor Fred Bear. Think how much better he could have done with face paint.

 

[Doe Nob]

Poor Fred Bear. Think how much better he could have done with face paint.

While I don't disagree entirely with this, the animals he was hunting saw a fraction of the pressure they see these days. People scout them year round, go shed hunting, hunt several seasons, have a team of spotters out there and can get farther in the back country with better gear than they had in his day. Mike Eastman has spoken extensively in his books about changes in mule deer behavior over the past 50 years due to increases in hunting pressure. The wind and not getting picked off moving are still the two most important things, but if it can make a fraction of a difference putting camoflage on your face, why not do it? A lot of these tags now take years to draw and for non-residents are horribly expensive, I want to cover all my bases, if something that costs a couple bucks can make a small difference I'm going to do it.

If you aren't going to camo up your face, why not wear red flannel and cordorouy pants like they old timers did as well?

 

[Old Hunter]

What makes you think I don't wear red and black plaid? We never wore corduroy.

Did you miss my name?

 

[Doe Nob]

What makes you think I don't wear red and black plaid? We never wore corduroy.

Did you miss my name?

I'm sending you some new wide belted suspenders for a belated Christmas present

 

[Old Hunter]

Works for me, but i'm not fat, so a belt works.

 

[squirrelduster]

Boy did I start a bunch of fun.
I would agree that in the vast majority of situations camo face paint is not necessary.
I see no purpose for it in rifle hunting, bow hunting in a tree stand could be done with a face mask if you feel it's necessary and archery elk hunting a face mask would work. In the tree stand and elk situation you normally know they are coming in ahead of time.
Spot and stalk archery hunts for Blacktail and mule deer are a different situation. Mule deer aren't as wary as the blacktail and normally you can spot them ahead of time.
We hunt in brush and timber areas with very little visibility at times. Anybody can sneak up on a deer they see from half a mile and get within a 100 yards but to sneak up on a buck you spot at 100 yards and get to within 40 yards you need more than flannel and a beard. I was after a Pope and Young buck so I wanted all the edge I could get.
What I did find out is all face camo is pretty crappy stuff.