EZ CAMO By Ruzz Distribute to anyone you want. Quote, copy, plagiarize, - just give me some credit. Ok if your like me (you probably aren't but that's ok) you probably like being outdoors. More specifically hunting / spying on wildlife. For our purposes we'll call these acts hunting. You may even have a couple of "fans" following you into the outdoors that want more than your autograph. The fine art of infiltration and escape / evasion needs stealth cunning and a whole lotta skill to be done correctly. You can do like most people and just fork over the ca$h for technology to improvise for skill. Also if your in a survival situation and must conserve energy by not practicing, you'll need good camo. Which brings us to the subject of this textfile. Now, you could contribute to the economy by buying all the fancy expensive camo but unless you're a southerner theres almost nothing that resembles a northern hardwoods or pine stand etc. Also it's cheaper to make your own. Still with me? That's cause I haven't dawned my camo! Now I'll start with growing season camo. (Spring summer and fall) The first thing ta do is to get some old clothes (under your bed?) or if your hardcore (or its warm outside) you can use your own skin. Also be sure to grab a hat. Natural colored clothes that blend in make the best bases. Whites grays greens browns and such. Colors that stick out a lot like blues oranges purples etc would be harder to work with because these would show through too much. Black would be hard because it would be hard for other colors to show through. Black would be better saved for night missions. If your after game that uses its nose for defense – deer, mountain lion, lion, wolverine, bear, lawyer etc you should first crush up some activated charcoal and rub it in. Try and get it on irregularly to imitate shadows. In a pinch you can use normal charcoal from the fireplace either way charcoal may not be as strong as commercial scent killers so staying downwind is always a good idea. Now that you have the base and shadows you now must finish off the colors. Try and get some plants that your gonna be sneaking through. Pine needles for pinetrees, burdocks and grasses for pastures and overgrown fields apples for apple orchards, etc etc etc. Now to get these in you must use a principle similar to grass stains. For instance when playing football soccer etc when you dive you get a nice green skidmark. Simply take some of the plant you just gathered and smear it on, again irregularly. Now if this isn't working or you're in pain (darn those pine needles) suck it up and continue on. The humble ruzz has a plan. It takes a while and may not go in some materials or base colors or skin but it works beautifully when it does work. Get some bottles or cups or water holding equipment. Place the plants in water and leave it. To speed it up crush, chop or lacerate the plants. If you need still more coverscent let them ferment in it. Now when it is ready splatter it on. Soaking it will only make a base color that you already have. Splattering makes it irregular. Now when you have done all that get some dry dirt or dust. The stuff from dirt roads is good. Crush it all up and throw it on as hard as you can. Be generous with it as this a second base. And it helps to create depth. It also may absorb some scent. Now for the finishing touch, to break up your outline. I forgot to tell you to leave some of the collected plants. Now then, tie, pin, glue etc some of them to various parts of your outfit. Don't let them hang out too far as they will magnify your movement too much and will give your position away. It will also be ungainly making movement too hard. All you have to do is break up your outline. Alternatively you can make a portable blind. I describe this below. The best way is to use the two in conjunction. Winter in the north presents different problems. In the south where it doesn't snow, you can get away with using warm weather camo. Just a lot more dirt to simulate browns. However, with the snows you must change your approach or camo. Since this deals with camo, we go to camo. You'll not need green on your outfit lest you're hunting in evergreens. Now then, it is very hard to blend in with snow unless you have white clothes or paint. You can do the ptarmigan/snowshoe hare approach by blending in with the snow but -if you don't have / like white clothes -if you want a challenge -if you want to be cool -life is full of ifs then you can take the whitetail approach. Every hunter of these knows of their uncanny ability to disappear in a clump of grass that couldn't cover a rabbit. Now they employ the same tactics our warm weather outfit does- -natural colors and breaking of the outline. Another problem, to stay warm you must dress in layers. You can either make a special outer layer of camo on top of the outer shell or have the normal outer shell camoed. Also a good kinda blind can be formed from the snowfall, a snow pit. Just make a wall of snow in a semicircle. For those of you who aren't up to par on cold weather survival / living, you must dress in layers. This allows warm air to be trapped in to keep you warm. To optimize the air pockets wear loose fitting clothing. Of course you need a hat gloves boots etc you don't need these in the layer system but it helps.. Also should you start over heating you can take off the correct amount of layers to regulate your temperature easier and better than taking off 1 big layer and freeze up and put it back on etc. The layer closest to your person should be breathable and wick away moister. It should be your favorite fabric like cotton or polyester silk or buckskin or the skin of your enemy (muh ha ha hehheh heh omph HA!) to keep you comfortable. The next couple of layers should be wool or thinsulate, for maximum heat retention. The last or next to last (in the case of the special camo layer) is the tough outer shell. This should be tough to resist impacts thorns etc and waterproof as possible, at least water shedding. I love Carhartts for this job. Best of all they come in browns, blacks, greens, and a couple other natural colors. Alternatively, you could grab a good raincoat. You should also have snowpants and heavy bibs. Again Carhartts makes good ones of these. Right then. For those hardcore members among you that still wish to hunt with just shorts and would rather paint yourself instead of clothes, I salute you! OK then. You'll notice in winter there is mostly vertical thin sticks sticking up in winter. Most plants have shed their leaves and now dead stems are all that's standing. So you'll haffta break up you outline better and/or work on your hunting technique. So lets try refining the techniques. You'll need to stay in heavy cover more. You might have to stay up off the ground to avoid contrasting yourself with the snow. Basically do what you do in warm weather but more extremes. Stay in heavier cover (this also minimizes the wind chill factor) and move slower or in dawn und dusk. Now for camo. If you're in evergreens then you can make a blind. If you're feeling particularly creative/constructive then you can cover you whole person with one. If not the least you can do is make one that will break up your outline from the front. Remember, all you have to do is simply stop the line that distinguishes you as a human, called an outline. Now any animal worth it's salt lick will notice the blind. This is why you make it from nearby debris to minimize the shock. Most will keep a healthy distance. But some may come in for a closer look. It's like seeing a new recliner in your living room, your less afraid of it then a robber. Break off some boughs, sticks branches etc. now lay down at least three. Take about three more and interlock them alternatively. For example the left stick goes under the middle goes over and the right stick goes under the left branch. The left stick goes over the middle goes under and the right stick goes over the middle branch. The left stick under middle over and right under the right branch. With practice, it is easy. It is easier than it sounds. Now you must decide if you will be primarily standing or crawling. Get some browns or blacks or white or other natural base color that will blend in well. Get some charcoal. Now put it on so that you have vertical bars to simulate the sticks. Have thin and thick ones if you'll be traversing different terrain. Otherwise have thick for woods and thin for grasses. If you feel better with some browns on you to then you can find and old dead tree or dig for leaves. Rub it in or make a powder. It would be most difficult to get dirt but if you could get a shovel or something to claw it up, by all means. If you evading someone then a good time to travel is during a snowstorm or blizzard, with any luck they'll be struck down by lightning! Just make sure you don't get lost! It will be hard to follow tracks as they will fill in if it snows fast enough, plus they may be discouraged by the foul weather. Now remember there is a chain to invisibility. You must be undetectable. Your opponent mustn't be able to make out any of your features. The must be prevented from detecting your outline. Where applicable the nose can't be allowed to know. Though I haven't covered it much you must be silent. Stealth is the art of moving but not being detected by sight or sound. Also remember to conceal any weaponry or cameras you may be carrying. For firearms you can camo a towel like clothes. Now wrap it up and around it. Don't worry about any cloth in front of your muzzle, if a piece of towel can stop your projectile you better get a bigger gun. You should be able to keep a camera under wraps as well and bring it out stealthily. For bows I recommend putting charcoal on to make shadows and as long as it some color that stands out like red. Or pink and lavender. -If you're hunting with a pink and lavender bow you deserve to be attacked by a yeti or polar bear or Emenem. Heres a good guideline for camo or outline preferences. For deer and other big game conceal outline. For turkeys and water fowl and most birds conceal features and colors. For humans ya have to conceal both.