I’m not trying to troll, I’m genuinely curious. Thinking about deer specifically, it doesn’t seem like visual camouflage would really help much when hunting them. Deer sense predators by sensitive hearing (big ears) and smell (long snout). Their eyes are on the sides of their head, so they detect motion rather than high-resolution.
So trying to blend in with the surroundings doesn’t seem to be an advantage in this case. Assuming all this, what’s the point of clothing with camo print on it?
It’s all about stimuli. I’m sure most hunters have sat for hours without seeing a thing only to absent-mindedly stumble on a deer while noisily walking or riding back home. Deer might react to a stimulus, but they won’t react to nothing… obviously right? I’ve had deer snap their heads straight to me because of a slight movement I made. While others have just kept an eye on me while they continued whatever they were doing. The point is to give them as little to react to as possible while actively trying to hunt.
Another aspect is that’s simply what is available. I’ve got nice warm camo bibs because they are made with soft quiet fabric. My buddy who ice fishes has warm bibs as well that are not camo but noisy as hell because fishermen don’t need to worry about noise. There’s almost no options for warm and quiet clothing that isn’t camo.
The first paragraph didn’t really seem to matter with regard to camo. The second one makes sense. If there were non-camo options for silent clothing, would you pick one over the other?
I’d pick camo for the reasons in the first paragraph. Both options are equal with regard to sound but camo is superior with regard to breaking up your outline. Even if it’s barely an advantage, it’s still an advantage. That being said if my only option was non-camo, I wouldn’t be worried.