Ghillie design considerations help.

[SquidHC]

I am wanting to construct my own ghillie suit for hunting. I have done quite a bit of reading and am curious about a few things.

1. I bow hunt, so I am thinking I should have coverage on the front as well as the back. Any thought?

2. Is this thing going to stink so bad it chases off game?

Thanks in advance.

 

[c11h26no2ps]

I'm working one of my own, My focus is to put the netting on the back so I can be prone (front stuff will abrade easier), since you bow hunt, then go for the full 360. You'll be standing or at least kneeling to take your shots, so your front will face your target.

The materials I'm using have an earthy odor to them. I don't know how game will react, but some of the online guides I've seen advise dragging the completed suit behind your car down some rural roads, or across fields and such to take away the 'human' scent. Scent masking agents from your local sporting goods store may also aid in that goal?

I'm no where near completed, but that is some input I can offer so far.

 

[Papa Zero Three]

Are you bow hunting from the ground or a stand? If you are on the ground are you stationary or walking? A full on military style sniping ghillie is going to be overkill for you. Also think about the action of drawing and aiming your bow, you don't want the ghillie getting caught up with your bow. My suggestion is that you forget a traditional ghillie and build a ghillie jacket/smock out of a desert night parka with very little/no burlap on it around the inside of your arms. You don't want or need to look like a wookie, you just need to break up your human form. A smock is also easier to put on/take off and doesn't weigh a lot. If you are walking, the more likely it will get snagged on brush and slow you down and make noise as well, so less is more.

 

[Direct_Fire]

^^^^+1^^^^^......It has been a while since I saw a set of the desert night stuff, haha.

 

[SquidHC]

Yeah I considered a smock type design. I am planning on not going overboard on the jute. I mainly just want a set up that I can tie in local veg. I will look into the smock set-up; though I do already have an acu ready to be sewn.

 

[Sniper Uncle]

I've been thinking on how to do a multi-purpose ghillie suit. I think I may make one with the snake-skin on the front, but have some sort of Cape type top or front that can be attached when needed for frontal camoflage, ie. for Turkey Season. Does this sound like a foolish idea?
Maybe this would be best done by making a three piece set, pants, top, and cape, and the cape used instead of the normal top when frontal camo needed?

Not to hijack your thread, Squid, but I think this parallels your question.

 

[Papa Zero Three]

I've been thinking on how to do a multi-purpose ghillie suit. I think I may make one with the snake-skin on the front, but have some sort of Cape type top or front that can be attached when needed for frontal camoflage, ie. for Turkey Season. Does this sound like a foolish idea?
Maybe this would be best done by making a three piece set, pants, top, and cape, and the cape used instead of the normal top when frontal camo needed?

Not to hijack your thread, Squid, but I think this parallels your question.

Will you hunting turkey with a Bow or a gun? Do you plan on being stationary when hunting or will you be on the move (I'm assuming stationary on the ground since it's turkey)? Do you use a tripod with your gun (if you use one)?

 

[Sniper Uncle]

Will you hunting turkey with a Bow or a gun? Do you plan on being stationary when hunting or will you be on the move (I'm assuming stationary on the ground since it's turkey)? Do you use a tripod with your gun (if you use one)?

I haven't gotten into bows yet, but plan to get into cross-bow this year-----hopefully. Right now, I hunt turkey with either my .222/20ga over/under, or my 12ga mossberg. I have employed both stealth movement and sitting at the base of a tree in my attempts, so really don't have any one modus-operandi yet. I haven't been successful, having only hunted turkey one year so far, but I have a friend who has done bow, rifle, shotgun, moving and stationary---his kill numbers are in the low 30's at present. He just uses the mossy oak Walmart coat and overalls, which I did too, but I want to make a ghillie for the experience of it, and for what I think will be better cover. I want my ghillie to be usable---or at least parts of it---for other types of stalks, even tactical if possible.

May be I am trying too many things here, but if I can, I'd like to make pieces that can be multi-use as opposed to two or three full sets. I know it may take a little more use of natural veg etc to be able to fit in to different terrains, but I'd like to hit as many as I can in one go.

Hey, dream it up, and reach for the stars and be happy when you get the moon, right?

 

[Papa Zero Three]

If you want to build a cape, I'd suggest you go the turkey blind route and build a wall that you can use to support it. It might just be easier and lighter to buy a commercially produced one than to try and create one from scratch.

 

[Sniper Uncle]

If you want to build a cape, I'd suggest you go the turkey blind route and build a wall that you can use to support it. It might just be easier and lighter to buy a commercially produced one than to try and create one from scratch.

I'll look into that, thanks. Part of my agenda in this is to have a set up that I made---I know it may sound silly, but I want to design it and make it myself, with advice from others.

 

[Papa Zero Three]

You can buy the raw mesh materials commonly used in the commercial blinds and fabricate one yourself. The support structure will be the tricky part. Of course, you could also wrap/drape it over the front of yourself once you are situated at the base of the tree to break up your outline. A tripod could also serve as a support structure for said cape if you use one.

 

[slingshot14]

I don't know jack about ghillie suits. The one piece of wisdom I can pass on is keep your shooting side clothing short cropped. This fall I was wearing a loose fitting flanel shirt while practice shooting. While at full draw the bottom of my shirt got between the strings and upon shooting as the strings retracted my shirt got sucked into the bottom cam. That makes for an embaressing visit to a buddy with a bow press.

 

[Dallas4rceMarine]

as several people have mentioned the position you shoot in and how mobile you are will determine just how elaborate of a ghillie you build. I shoot a rifle right handed to the right shoulder area is clear allowing for proper positioning and cheek weld. most ghillies have a canvas front for durability while low crawling, padded canvas elbows for comfort and durability and then a netting on the back to start. you can add as much or as little jute or burlap as you want to the netting. after you are finished you will want to do a "ghillie wash" traditionally you wear it and roll around in a mucky pond to give it a natural smell and get rid of any bright colors, if you want to stand on the bank and dip it in by hand you could do that too.
here is applying the canvas to the front of your suit.

here I applied the netting to the pants and top, also you might want to cut out a middle section and then sew in a fine mesh to help keep cool, keep the shirt together, and bugs out!

id post a pic of my finished product but I cant find one so if you want I can take it outside and take a pic for you.

 

[Sniper Uncle]

as several people have mentioned the position you shoot in and how mobile you are will determine just how elaborate of a ghillie you build. I shoot a rifle right handed to the right shoulder area is clear allowing for proper positioning and cheek weld. most ghillies have a canvas front for durability while low crawling, padded canvas elbows for comfort and durability and then a netting on the back to start. you can add as much or as little jute or burlap as you want to the netting. after you are finished you will want to do a "ghillie wash" traditionally you wear it and roll around in a mucky pond to give it a natural smell and get rid of any bright colors, if you want to stand on the bank and dip it in by hand you could do that too.
here is applying the canvas to the front of your suit.

here I applied the netting to the pants and top, also you might want to cut out a middle section and then sew in a fine mesh to help keep cool, keep the shirt together, and bugs out!

id post a pic of my finished product but I cant find one so if you want I can take it outside and take a pic for you.

Thanks, man, that is great!

 

[Ghillie man]

Squidhc when I made mine the jute stunk real bad almost like kerosine. I smoked it over local vegetation advice I got here on the hide and stored it in a tote with vegetation from my back yard for a week or too. Don't keep it in the tote to long or it will get mold. The more you use it the less it will smell

 

[PPD7800]

I would recommend for hunting purpose build more of a hood from a boonie hat with netting that comes just past your shoulders. I have found the most important aspect is breaking up the head shoulder outline once you do that you are good to go. I have had deer come as close as 6 feet and then feed around me in the wide open while employing one of these. Also I would recommend use less material than you thing you need. Most first time builds end up with way to much jute and you end up taking half of it off.

 

[rlm8541]

Word of advice when applying your juke, ripped up strips of earth colored T shirt or whatever you are going to use.....Rule of thumb being "Alllllways easier to make a light Ghillie darker than a dark ghillie lighter", so always try and start out making it as light as possible with light tans or light green's,etc. Once you drag it through the dirt, mud, water, etc it will gradually get darker and darker, then use your natural veg. to blend it into your AO/hunting enviro.etc...It will gradually get darker and darker the more it's used....you can always darken it up with light spraying of a darker spray paint (spray very lightly to prevent from over darkening it) to get your desired color. Use a Bowflage or flat earth tone colors type of paint, stay away from any sort of gloss paints...for obvious reasons....Once it's dark it's almost impossible to make it entirely light again...without starting over. Hope this helps.

 

[redcastle]

I've seen BDUs with a similar mesh backing like that on your MARPAT digis. Where do those come from?

 

[midmoguy]

If the deer can smell the suit they can smell you anyway

 

[Yotalife]

I hunt around farms,fields and some hardwoods bordering both.once I finished my suit I washed it in scent killer,drug it through the fields ALOT down in the swamps near my hunting spots. Hung it on my clothesline and let the sun work on it. After each hunt I spray the inside with scent killer and dig trenches in my garden lay it in there,cover with dirt and leave over night. Right before I take a scent free shower I pull it out and hang in a tree.i just shot one the other sat at 6yards standing never knew I was there. Right before I go into the woods I find any plant that smell strong like where I will be and break it up in my hand and rub it on the suit and mash it into the burlap and leave it . If you walk a lot it will fall out after a while . Hope this helps its never let me down.

 

[Unknown]

Regarding smell, I just finished watching a program about deer, and they said that the deer's sense of smell is even better than a bloodhound's. However, their eyesight is generally poor, and mostly designed to work best around dusk and dawn.

 

[hessian]

Deer eye sight is poor compared to what? Maybe you hunt blacktail and mulies. Virginia white tail deer can see damn good and are very smart. Ghillie suites are for man hunters. I've sat in plain sight and been passed over by men calling their dogs that knew exactly what and where I was. You can fool a turkey as long as you do not move. Can't fool a dog.Fella named Leonard Lee Larue or close to that wrote some books on deer. My experience coincides with his observations. Ghillies are only useful with prey that have no sense of smell. Even better if they can't see for shit.