Buying Hunting Clothing

[Swan Hunter]

My wife & I managed to retire early and plan on doing a quite a bit of hunting. I bow hunted this year for my first time...Got lucky and got a decent 8 pointer with my first shot .
We both need complete camo outfits (Southern IL) AND briar proof clothing for rabit/quail hunting.
Do the big retailers have clearance sales on this clothing and if so, when?
Where is the best place to buy?

thanks

[jrothWA]

their stock.

Try a work supply house or farm supply store for Carhart line. their insulated bib overalls, might be waht you looking for.

My buddy Tim & I always started the season off with new blue jeans as by the end of season they were pretty well broke in ( or out).

Next best thing is a dog that can move around the brush.

[CamoCop]

best advice i can give about purchasing hunt'n clothes, stay away from the gimmicks (i.e. scent lok suits etc.). for arguement sakes, even if they did work, why pay a fortune for something you don't need? use the wind to your advantage. pick a camo pattern that works well in the terrain you hunt, Realtree APG is what i use.

[Hawg]

Get some good rubber hunting boots. They won't leave a scent trail.

[boltgun71]

Check Sportsmans Guide for some good deals on hunting clothes. www.sportsmansguide.com They also usually have lots of dis-continued lines of clothes for a pretty good mark down over what they would have sold for a year or so ago. Cabelas and Bass-Pro usually have a clearance flyer after the holidays with some pretty good bargains where they are getting rid of the old stock to make room for the new. Hope this helps.

[MeekAndMild]

Those Carthart overalls are great, but the brown ones need to be dyed as their brown color is too close to deer shade for comfort. The pattern can be interesting if the first wash is light green, then they they are tied for a second dark green wash, then tied tighter and washed in black.

[Art Eatman]

Camo's great if you're turkey hunting, but Bambi doesn't care. Bambi only sees shades of gray, and motion. Any old earth tone will do just fine. Find some slightly oversized khakis at Goodwill, big enough so you can wear warm snuggies under them.

FWIW, I've noticed that a walking-around fella in camo stands out far more than a walking-around fella in khakis...

Spend the money on good boots. Cold feet are seriously bad news.

, Art

[rem870hunter]

i am not sure about briar proof. never messed with them but my dad and i use military surplus bdus. in the old style woodland camo. type. we have regular weight trousers and shirts and a few pairs of the winter trousers with liners. worn with the filed coat. they give you decent warmth with or without long jonhs underneath. and worn with a good pair of warm and waterproof boots . you should be able to tackle almost any weather and terrain for hunting. they do me and my dad very well here in nj. we hunt deer mostly. we used to small game and duck hunt together but have'nt in awhile. whatever works for you should serve you well for awhile. last time i priced the bdus they were'nt too expensive. 20.00 for the trousers and 20-25.00 for the field coat. depends on size too.

[Mainah]

Never pay retail, and check out Sierra Trading Post.

[rush-2112]

I agree that a guy in camo is just that... a guy in camo. I would recommend going with a good set of wool clothing.(re: spendy) Thats all I wear, but I do have my ghillie poncho also. As for briar proof, I would go with Filson tincloth, again very spendy, but they will last a lifetime and a half! I don't think most of any of the camo thats out there will do anyone any good, like was stated earlier deer see only in grey scale so why use colors that have no bearing on anything except for the discriminating hunter. They look like pro hunters therefore they must be. Camo is only good for turkey and the other predators (two legged).

Ted

[Scorch]

Do the big retailers have clearance sales on this clothing and if so, when?

Yes, Cabela's has what they call the "Bargain Cave" on their website, stuff in there is typically marked down about 30%. I always buy their store brand stuff, it is top quality and definitely well-built.

Best camo on the market currently is called Predator. Most of the photo-realistic camos are too dark and very pricey.

[FirstFreedom]

Like anything else, your best deals are at swap meets, flea markets, gun shows, and from individuals. Great deals on clothing (yes, some even used) can be found at gun shows around here. Also check Postaroo and Craig's List. Maybe even Ebay.

No, even when the big stores mark down their hunting clothes for "clearance", they are still absurdly overpriced. Not saying I haven't paid it occasionally, but it's way too high, EXCEPT from Walmart and Academy Sports AFTER the season is over - then some deals can be found - but not BassPro, Cabela's, and the like....

[Tomas]

My favorite elk hunting get up is a cloth (cotton) coverall I paid $40 for. It's quiet, comfortable and has lots of pockets. I tend to spend more money on undergarmets to stay warm and dry. Rain is another matter, however, and you want good gear for that.

Tom

[ZeroJunk]

Sierra Trading Post has some good deals occassionally.

[Mavrik]

Personally I have alot of warm clothes for snow skiing. I didn't want to invest in another full set of expensive insulated clothes for hunting. What I decided to do instead is buy camo sweat pants and long sleeve t-shirt in a size normally too large for me to wear and then wear it over-top of whatever I'm wearing to keep warm underneath of it. Cost about 40$ since it's just there to cover up whatever I already had.

Mav

[FirstFreedom]

Personally I have alot of warm clothes for snow skiing. I didn't want to invest in another full set of expensive insulated clothes for hunting.

It's funny, in fact - the last few years I've been skiing, I see guys wearing their heavy camo winter hunting clothing to ski in - you didn't used to see this years ago, but either now it's suddenly fashionable to do so, or there are just more hunters now among the skiiers ranks (hunting more popular?).

My "under" clothes are the same, but I have to have nice looking stuff to ski in, of course. 'Cept that my ski outer gear is not cold weather gear at all, because I only ski in March or April, not during the evil snowy stuff.

[Mavrik]

It's funny, in fact - the last few years I've been skiing, I see guys wearing their heavy camo winter hunting clothing to ski in - you didn't used to see this years ago, but either now it's suddenly fashionable to do so, or there are just more hunters now among the skiiers ranks (hunting more popular?).

In my case it was more what I started with. I started skiing when I was about 7 and didn't go hunting with my father until I was 9 or 10, then there was about a 6 yr break from hunting during my college years during which I maintained my Ski wardrobe. That and the fact that I always seemed to go during Jan-Feb (-60 windchills and frostbite warning...oh fun)

But I digress

When I did get back to hunting again I wanted to get some Camo which I had never really used when younger but didn't want to build up the 2 sets of gear. The other advantage of just being able to throw it over my existing gear is that it works when it's 60-70 degrees like it was Turkey season this fall because I just wear it alone and get a pair of the suspenders and/or belt to keep up the oversized pants if needed.

Mav

[davlandrum]

stay away from the gimmicks (i.e. scent lok suits etc.). use the wind to your advantage

While I totally agree that the wind is your friend, there are many situations where you can't work the wind. The area we hunt elk is very thick cover and very steep - the wind swirls constantly. If you are 3/4 of the way down in a canyon and see elk, you may not be able to 1) figure out which way the wind is really blowing and 2) might not be able to work it if you can.

Really depends on how you are hunting