To a layman, face camo for hunting may look like a very basic concept – you slap some colors on your face and make sure that you blend in with the environment. However, any experienced hunter can tell you that there are many things to take into consideration. Not only does it matter what type of camo you will use, but the color of it also needs to match the purpose of the hunting trip. Different animals are better at distinguishing certain colors.
Keep in mind that face camo also comes in different shapes – there might be no need to paint your face. Sometimes, a face mask might be more than enough to keep you hidden from the eyes of your prey. Below, we will go over some of the best practices to follow when it comes to face camo for hunting, and we will also help you make the best choices according to your needs. Last but not least, we have a great trick in store for those of you who are looking for a non-greasy black face paint!
Consider the Vision of Animals When Selecting Face Camo for Hunting
The first thing to take into consideration when selecting face camo for hunting is what type of prey you are going after. Animals react differently to colors, and you might end up ruining your hunting trip if you make the wrong choices.
For example, turkey hunters tend to stay away from read, white, blue, and black – these are the colors of male turkey. In the meantime, deer hunters might want to stay away from blue colors, since deer vision is very good at distinguishing blueish colors.
Waterfowls also have excellent color distinction, so you need to be extra attentive with your camo when hunting ducks. Thankfully, these hunting spots are usually green, so there are plenty of camo options that will allow you to seamlessly blend with the surrounding environment.
Is a Facemask Better than Regular Camo?
If you are not a fan of dealing with face paint, you might have already found out that face masks tend to be a neat alternative. The majority of the face camo available in stores is grease-based, which might make it a tad difficult to remove. Furthermore, you might get it everywhere on your clothes because of touching your face accidentally – and this is bound to happen while you are outside.
But facemasks are not always the superior option compared to camo. They might be the better option if you have a very light skin complexion, and you find it difficult to find face camo colors that offer enough contrast. However, facemasks might also be very uncomfortable if you live in a warmer place, or if you do your hunting trips during the warmer months.
Last but not least, facemasks are not ideal if you prefer bow-hunting – the friction between the mask and the bowstring may seem minimal, but if could have detrimental impact on your aim. If you are a fan of bow-hunting, then we definitely advise you to go with face camo.
Is Color Camo Really Necessary, or is Black Face Paint Enough?
If you have been researching face camo options, you may have noticed that people tend to recommend different things. Many hunters claim that simple black face paint is all you need to get by, while others recommend multi-color face camo options. So, which one is the best choice?
There is no final answer to this question – it all depends on your skin complexion, and what you are hunting. If you are fair-skinned, then we certainly advise you not to ignore face camo under any circumstances. Your face will reflect light, and it will be easy for any game to spot your presence. In almost all cases, you should be able to get by with simple black face camo – it is enough to prevent your face’s silhouette from standing out, and it will minimize glare. However, if you are hunting turkey or waterfowl, then you might want to focus on using multi-color face camo – e.g. dark green, brown, and black. The reason for this is because birds are very good at distinguishing colors, and improving the quality of your face camouflage will greatly reduce the odds of birds spotting your presence.
A Neat Trick to Replace Greasy Face Camo
We already mentioned multiple times that most face camo for hunting is grease-based. This makes it very easy to apply, but very difficult to remove. Not only is it very messy to get rid of, but it can also get all over your clothes, making it even more difficult to remove. Thankfully, grease-based face camo has developed a lot in the past decade, and it is not that annoying to deal with as it ones was.
But what if you can get black face paint without the greasy mess? There’s a neat trick to get black face camo for hunting – all you need is some black cork and a source of fire. Light the cork on fire and then put it out. Immediately rub it on your face. You will get a very contrasting black color at first, but it will fade away after a few strokes – you will need to light the cork up again if you want to continue applying the high-contrast black. Do not worry about getting burned – cork burns at very low temperatures, so the carbon ash you get on your face will not be uncomfortably hot.
Another thing worth noting about the carbon black face camo is that you can easily control how contrasting the color is – if you want it to be blander, simply do not put the cork on fire again. The best part about all of this is that it is incredibly cheap, easy-to-apply, and a towel is all you need to quickly remove the face camo.
