the last few years i have had a couple times in the same stand that deer will look right up at me, and run off. there isnt a lot of cover around this stand, and everytime i have been wearing camo on everything besides my face. do you guys think it would have helped if i had my face painted, or a face mask? or is it just a matter of not having good cover around me? do you guys always wear something on your face? paint or mask?
I have a beard So I don't use paint or a mask. I personally have a hard time anchoring with a mask on. Good back cover is hard to beat. Use the shadows to your advantage.
It's probably both. I guess it depends how educated your deer are. I always wear a face mask. But a face mask alone won't solve your problem. You need some better cover as well. To solve the anchoring problem I use a face mask with an open mouth to it so I can feel my kisser.
I'm a big fan of head/face coverings. I also try to hold my bow in front of my face to break up my outline and I squint. (even tho' I'm already squinty eyed) It seems to help. If you've ever walked through the woods and seen another hunter in a tree without a face covering or gloves, you'll notice that they stick out pretty good.
Bar-none the best face mask I have ever used: 3/4 XLT Facemask from Robinson I'm planning on buying their 3/4 fleece facemask this season too.
Deer are pretty keen on their surroundings. They are very good at noticing something that wasn't there before. One of the biggest challenges a hunter faces is blending. I had this trouble a year or so ago, every deer that came into my area didn't bust me, but they were very suspicious and kept an eye on me the entire time, some even looking up and stomping. there are a few things that could cause this... 1. Stand location - I was simply too close to the action, in the location I was at, I should have been a little further back 2. Behind cover - as you stated, and that has been stated, cover behind is imperative. you'll get busted on the draw (or even lifting a rifle) if your cover is poor. 3. Camoflauge - This is all about silloette breakup. You don't want to be a large blob sticking off the side of a tree, it's noticeable. Your face is part of that but only a small portion. 4. Stand placement - I used to stick my stand straight off the front of a tree, after looking at some other successful setups compared to my own, and lessons on how I took my big buck a few years ago, I now angle the stand so that the tree will help provide cover Just a couple things to think about. Even up in a stand you have to take scent into account, hunting pressure... There's a lot of factors. Also, think about how the deer reacted immediately before they ran off... were their noses up, did they look at you and stomp before they ran...
I use a facemask all season. In early season I wear a lose lightweight mask (seen in my avatar pic) and then when the cold moves in I switch over to the UA coldgear mask.
I always have used some kind of face cover. Mostly an Under Armor mask. Its basically skin tight so I have no problems with my anchor or anything.
Cover all skin. Even a white covering would be better then your skin white will blur into the sky. Not to sound rude in anyway but the only way you dont have to worry about your hands or face is if you have dark skin. Hope that doea not offend anyone in anyway.
The only time I wear a facemask is when the weather gets really cold. It's more for protection than hiding my face. I'm not fond of them so the rest of the season I usually just throw on some face paint. For those wondering about anchoring with a facemask, here is what I started doing to eliminate any problems with that. I never used a kisser button, but instead, I use a tied on kisser button that is positioned on the string where I then can put the tip of my nose on it. Since the tip of your nose is really sensitive and most have their beak hanging out of a facemask anyway, it works really well.
I don't think the facemask makes as much difference as you breaking up your outline. You not having cover around you can make your silhouette stand out big time. You need to break that up so when a deer looks your way they can't tell what's going on up there!
I have always been amazed how close animals (squirrels, birds, etc) get to me when I have my face mask on. When I don't have a face mask on they keep their distance.
I'm with this guy. I used to be a religious mask-wearer, but found them to be a pain in the butt in most cases. Since switching to paint I am much more comfortable. However, being the cold weather sissy that I am, I do switch to a fleece facemask when the temps start dipping down in the low 30's and below.
I used a mask all last yr but not this year I am going to be using paint as the mask screws up my anchor.
ok here is a tip for all of the face paint guys. I know there are alot of hunting face paints out there but most a greasy, and smug, and are somewhat expensive. when I use face paint I use a latex halloween paint and powder. It lasts longer and the powder gets rid of that shine that hunter paint seems to always have and makes it last longer. No there is no real smell to it either for those that are wondering. go to the halloween shops after halloween and stock up.
I started using Camo FX last year and I really liked it. Yes, it's somewhat greasy like most face paints but IMO the ease of putting it on quickly without using your fingers outweighs the messyness. I also tried using CarboMask and I wasn't a big fan. Great concept, just really messy to put on and not quite as easy to take off as I thought it would be. Took about the same amount of work as regulard face paint. Although I did like the fact that once it dried it didn't rub off. http://www.bowhunting.com/videos/new-products/Camo-FX-Face-Paint_899
Mask Or Not My 1st 15 years bow hunting I was an avid mask wearer,since being able to grow a gotee I've stopped. Have never been made out either and I have had many of stare downs! Object is to have great back coverage behind you. So in the last 5 years I've had total comfort free of any interference with any masks. Love it too! Another thing I've always been told to not do is stare into the eye's of the deer looking at you,another myth if you ask me as I do this a lot on stare downs. I like to think I'm in control here not the deer. The mistake most hunters make is movement of any kind. I even go as far as trying to see if there is any effect when I blink while in the stare down too. Nothing again, and this has been at 15 feet. Guess my gotee has the same colouration as my fall grey Predator camo. Bonus of being old huh! LMAO Rocky
I had a little experience with special effects and one of the best tricks we learned about face paint was to make sure that after you've washed your face and before you put on the makeup, put some lotion on it. Allow the lotion to be mostly absorbed before putting the makeup on. Not only will the makeup be less likely to dry, it will be less itchy, it will clean off easier later and it won't make you break out if you have problems with that sort of thing. I'm weird in that my anchor point is the position of my knuckle on my ear.
What kind of face paint do you guys use that comes off really easy? That was always my pet peeve was you get home tired and hungry and it took too long to get the face paint off.
