Turkey hunting and colors: What to avoid
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Time to read 5 min
Turkey hunters wear camouflage clothing. Period. The two go hand in hand like any cliché comparison you might want to consider, e.g. apple pie and ice cream, baseball and hot dogs, summer and swimming pools. You get my meaning, yes?
But does this head-to-toe camouflage actually serve a purpose? Is it worn truly as concealment? Is it meant to help a hunter blend or disappear into his or her outdoor environment, thereby being hidden from a gobbler’s ever-watchful eyes? Or, as some might believe, is camouflage clothing or the lack of any colors other than those found traditionally in Mother Nature’s world, more so a fashion statement as opposed to anything utilitarian? And might a turkey hunt be nonetheless successful from a harvest standpoint, if you were to forgo the camouflage and instead wear, say, a white t-shirt, denim blue jeans, and a fuzzy rainbow-colored wig? Well, and dressed as such, you’d certainly garner attention; however, it might not be the attention of which you seek!
To answer these and other questions, let’s first take a look at both how and what wild turkeys see before delving into the dos and don’ts of turkey hunting colors and apparel.
How and what do turkeys see?
Ask anyone who’s hunted turkeys even a single season, and they’ll tell you that turkeys see extraordinarily well. Too well, they’ll add in many cases. How well? I’ve read in the past that wild turkeys possess eyesight not unlike that of 10-power (10x magnification) binoculars. Or that they have three TIMES 20/20 vision. Regardless the exact science and/or biology, let it suffice to say the wild turkey can see much better than can we humans.
But there’s more to a wild turkey’s eyesight than it merely being impressive. With their eyes positioned on the sides of their heads rather than forward-facing as do we humans, turkeys possess monocular vision. This means that with a very slight turn of their heads, turkeys can see in 360 degrees. Ever wonder why those hens walking in front of the blind are constantly turning their heads back and forth…back and forth…as they meander? It’s to compensate for the small 90 degree ‘blind spot’ they have, this thanks to this monocular vision.
And then there’s what I call movement acuity, or the wild turkey’s ability to instantly see and isolate even the slightest out-of-the-ordinary movement, e.g. you, Mister Turkey Hunter, using a slate call or s-l-o-w-l-y brushing a mosquito away. Camouflage, then, and its purpose of helping blend one into the natural environment, works to downplay, i.e. conceal this movement essentially by overlaying green against green, per se, rather than black against white. Does that make sense?
And finally, color. Researchers theorize via dissection and examination of the wild turkey’s retinas and associated visual receptors, i.e. rods and cones, that yes, turkeys can see colors. What colors, science isn’t certain; however, and based on the biology that indicates a turkey’s eyes contain six types of cone cells – NOTE: Human eyes contain only three types of cone cells – it’s suggested turkeys can perceive a broader spectrum of color than can humans. It’s hypothesized this ability to differentiate between colors assists turkeys in feeding, mating/breeding, territorial dominance, and predator detection.
Colors to avoid
So what colors might be on the DO NOT WEAR list when it comes to turkeys and turkey hunting? First on the list are those associated not only with concealment, but more significantly, safety. These are red, white, blue, and black, or the predominant colors of the adult male (tom) wild turkey. Overall, adult gobblers, particularly those in full strut, appear black; their heads, either when amorous or aggressive, are a vivid combination of patriotic red, white, and blue.
Eliminating these colors – red, white, blue, black – from your turkey hunting ensemble, then, decreases greatly the likelihood that you might be mistaken for a gobbler by another hunter. According to sources such as the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), some 75 percent of spring turkey hunting accidents, i.e. one hunter shooting another, involves the situation known as “mistaken for game.”
How, then, can you be certain these four colors are absent in your turkey hunting garb? My personal routine, once dressed for the field, is to look closely at myself in a mirror. Or better, have your hunting partner give you the once-over. Are the heads and necks of your decoys fully hidden inside your turkey vest? When you sit down, do your pants ‘hike up’ leaving your red/white socks exposed? Your wrists? Your neck when you turn your head? Hunting accidents are, fortunately, relatively uncommon; however, there’s no sense in tempting fate, if all you have to do is take a look at yourself.
Colors to consider
Two words here – Complete Camouflage. Head to toe. Boots, britches, belt, shirt, jacket, headnet, gloves, head cover. There is no such thing, I’ve told new turkey hunters for over 30 years now, as an insignificant detail when it comes down to hiding yourself from the very best eyes in Mother Nature.
What camouflage pattern, as there are many? That is more a matter of both personal preference and individual environment; that is, an attempt to match the foliage and colors predominantly found in your hunting area. True Timber’s innovative STRATA camouflage pattern, available on several TideWe turkey hunting products, including their new StrutBack Turkey Vest, is one pattern that might be considered not only universal geographically, but is applicable throughout the whole of the spring season from Day One to the final bell. Regardless of your camouflage design, be sure to follow the simple rule – Complete.
Does blaze orange (BO) have a place in the spring turkey woods? To me, the answer is a definite YES. I, personally, wear a blaze orange ball cap when moving through the woods. When I strike a gobbler and set up, it only takes a second or two to swap the BO cap for the camouflage one in my vest, my head net up, and I’m ready. Too, many turkey vests, including the StrutBack, sport an integral and/or detachable BO safety flag or patch on the back designed to partially cover a harvested gobbler while it’s stowed in the pack and transported out of the field. Just another safety feature, and one that makes tremendous sense.
Author
M.D. Johnson
M.D. Johnson’s full-time outdoor writing career began in 1992. Prior to that, he worked with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife in their Outdoor Skills Unit, helping to coordinate hunter education courses and resources across the state.
