To start with, let’s think about this. When we go shopping for camo we are seeing the camo through our human eye. What we perceive is far different than what the deer perceive. Consider this, nothing really contains any color. That’s a hard concept to grasp isn’t it? What we are really “seeing” is wavelengths of light. The light enters our eyes and the eyes send a signal to the brain to translate the wavelengths into color. Different wavelengths correspond to different perceived colors. The colors perceived are determined by the cones in the individual’s eye. Humans have three types of cones in the eye, one for red light, one for green light and one for blue light. This allows us to see the full spectrum of colors EXCEPT for the very extremes of infrared and ultraviolet.

At a study conducted at the University of Georgia in the early 90’s, it was determined that deer only have the green and blue cones. They are missing the red cones. What this means is that deer see green, yellow, orange, red and brown all as shades of yellow. In low light and darkness, color perception is reduced to black and white. Deer are also far, far more sensitive to blue light and ultraviolet light than humans and these will appear very bright to deer. So given this information, it would appear that the color of camo is not as important as long as it is not blue! It is important, however, to make sure your camo is not emitting any UV light. You can check the level of UV emitted by your camo by holding it under a fluorescent UV light which you can pick up at most any building or home center. If your camo emits a glow, you can treat it with a UV killer product.

So, back to the original question. Is there a perfect camo? Personally, I think it just boils down to individual preference. Practice good scent control, minimize your movements and watch out for the UV effect and you should do fine with whatever camo you choose!