I have a
shocking confession. During my years in
the military and as a hunter I have had numerous occasions to use makeup. Many are the time my fellow Marines and I worried
“if our makeup looked right”. Sometimes
patrol preparations looked and sounded like the girl’s bathroom on prom
night. Fortunately my wife is okay with
this and has asked me to share some of the basics of makeup application for
hunting.
While I would not consider myself to be knowledgeable
on the way a woman should apply makeup for a night on the town, I do know the
ins and outs of camouflage and camo makeup.
Here are the basics:
1)
Blend into the terrain you are
hunting. The colors of your skin,
clothing, and equipment may help the animals detect you if the colors contrast
with the background. For example, a summer or fall real tree pattern will
contrast with snow-covered terrain. Camouflage yourself and your equipment to
blend with the surroundings. It is very
important to take into account the time of year, weather conditions and foliage
species of the area being hunted. Avoid
excessively straight patterns. A lesson
I was taught early on is that there are no straight lines in nature, they stand
out.
2)
Before camouflaging, study the
terrain and vegetation of the area in which you are hunting and remember in
different seasons the same terrain and foliage will look different. Then pick
and use the camouflage clothing and makeup colors that will best blend with
that area.
3)
When you are moving from one area to
another, you may need to change camouflage to blend with the new surroundings. You
can use grass, leaves, brush, and other material from your location and apply
it to your clothing and equipment to help conceal yourself. Keep in mind the movement of these items when
you are drawing your bow or moving to make the shot. It might give you away if you go overboard on
the grass and leaves.
4)
Exposed skin reflects light and may draw the
animal's attention. Even very dark skin, because of its natural oil, will
reflect light. It needs to be covered either by clothing or natural colored
makeup. Cover the shiny areas, your
forehead, cheekbones, nose, ears, and chin with a dark color. Paint shadow
areas, around the eyes, under the nose, and under the chin with a lighter
color. Also put it on your lips and
neck, they need to blend into the rest of your face.
5)
When applying your camouflage work
with a hunting buddy and help each other. Keeping in mind the terrain and
foliage of the area being hunted, apply a two or three color combination of
camouflage in an irregular pattern.
There are traditionally 3 methods the blot, the stripe and a combination
of the first two. The last is the best
in most cases.
6)
In addition to the face, cover the
exposed skin on the back of the neck, arms, and hands. Use gloves or apply
makeup to your hands and arms if uncovered.
Doing a great camo job on your face is useless, if the prey sees a pair
of little white hands moving. (See Good Camo picture above) Remember you are trying to blend into your
surroundings. Check your camo paint at
intervals while hunting. Moisture from
sweat, snow or rain may cause it to come off.
7)
Remove all jewelry to further reduce
shine or reflection. Last note but
this is a big one, TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE OR WATCH WITH THE ALARM OR BEEPER! I have seen several instances when a hunter
lost the opportunity due to a wrong number calling.
Practice putting on your camo paint
and clothing before you go hunting. It
will help when you get to the field if you already have a plan. And remember there is no such thing as perfect
camo for every environment. It is
continually changing, be aware of your surroundings. A good idea is to have a friend move a
distance away and see if they can spot you.
It is a learned skill and the more you practice the better you will
become. It is also fun! 
