Camouflage and Concealment

The change in the season, as it often does, has brought about a reassessment. Specifically, my clothing.

For the past two years I have lived in two pairs of cheap DPM trousers that have now faded to the point of exuding a pale cream hue, the knees have worn thin, buttons on the pockets long lost and the disruptive pattern not even that disturbing. No wonder my hunting trips have been more challenging and less fruitful!

I didn't honestly expect trousers I work in to also remain effective in the field, certainly not for long. I do have work trousers, but not wishing to upset the washing cycle I often neglected to change in to them.

Even if the above were not the case, it is optimistic to expect predominantly green camouflage to provide concealment in autumn and winter. Whilst the knock off DPM's have been placed in the 're-purposing' bag, and proper heavy duty replacement ones purchased in their stead, still I am conscious that soon the shading canopy above me will disappear completely, and the woodland will be much lighter as a consequence. The basic principles of camouflage and concealment are as follows;

Shape, Shine, Shadow, Silhouette, Sudden movement, Surface, Spacings.

Adhere to these and you should succeed in bagging game. Even dressed in Jeans and a yellow t-shirt. Of course, wear the same colour as the predominant one around you, generally green or brown, and you should see improved results. Wear a disruptive pattern in those colours and you should fare better. The other end of the scale is a full blown hide. But lets stick to the context of clothing.

I decided to research camouflage patterns and available products that would better conceal me these next two seasons where foliage and cover are thin on the ground.

There are a multitude of patterns from a wide variety of manufacturers. The selection is greatly narrowed if you consider your landscape and the plant species that predominantly grow in it. Not only that, but I also had the seasons as a criteria.

Now consider this. Many patterns are sold that appeal to the hunters eye, but I don't wish to avoid detection from humans. So lets consider our prey. This is mostly rabbit, wood pigeon and squirrel.

Of the three, the wood pigeon certainly has the keenest sight, so movement (or lack of it) is key with them. Rabbits and squirrels, are a touch more forgiving, but they all have difficulty with depth perception.

As we know, the pigeon overcomes this to an extent by bobbing its head, the squirrel by moving its head up and down or side to side relative to the subject, and rabbits are just plain terrible. Why is any of this of any relevance? Well some of the most effective patterns have what is called a 3D effect to them whereby the pattern includes blurred background and sharp foreground, this all helps in confusing the senses of what is looking at you. The aim and result is that your shape is broken up almost by employing a 'magic eye' optical effect.

What about colour?

Well rabbits can differentiate only between green and blue, seeing shades of light and dark. Squirrels have 'dichromatic' vision comparable to a human with red-green colour blindness and wood pigeon can see the same spectrum as humans plus ultraviolet!

The latter two species make your choice rather important even if they have trouble gauging your distance.

Then of course, there is that very human factor. Price!

So I have chosen to go with the HSF Stealth Evolution Camo Jacket and Trousers (both just £29.95 each) from Stock and Tackle (www.stockandtackle.com)

I will be testing this outfit and posting a full review soon so watch this space...

The Hunters Chronicles - Wednesday 1st August 2012

Since the 21st May 2012, I have been employed on the renovation of a cottage in the local village. This has not only removed me from my woodland habitat and tending to a very mini 'smallholding' but has also greatly reduced the time available for me to procure meat by hunting. 

I have missed this time greatly.

I have not, however, failed to notice some disconcerting warnings in nature. As I pruned an overgrown Hazel tree in the grounds of the cottage in the middle of July, I was surprised to find rather developed though not yet ripe hazelnuts. Nuts, in general are an autumn harvest. The hazelnut, according to Richard Mabey's "Food For Free" should not start to be seen until early August and not be ripe until the husks have dried in mid-September-October.
Elderberries, out since the beginning of July and already many being stolen by the song birds. I say 'stolen' because I and my partner specifically went easy on the flowers so we could make some elderberry cordial to stave off the coughs and colds of Winter. A month early in fruition.
Hawthorn berries, from which I like to make very nutritious fruit leathers, again, a month at least ahead of schedule.
Black berries, some ripening in the middle of July when according to Mabey they are supposed to just begin to develop now in August.

Squirrel activity has risen noticeably in the past month and I know that they are after my long awaited crop of hazelnuts. I purposely skipped coppicing them last winter as they take 3-5 years to recover.

In the mornings and evenings there are at least two nut raiders leaping from branch to branch. The one that fell to the BSA Scorpion T10 clearly forgotten and the warning unheeded.
Now I'm sure it is not unheard of for squirrels to be making preparations for winter in July/August but combined with my other observations I must admit I am ever so slightly fearful of what Boreas and Pan may have planned for this year.

I pondered my misgivings, unable to yet divine what the warnings message may be. A dry yet very cold winter?
An extreme, prolonged winter possibly even early, in contrast to the last?
Or perhaps just another dry warm one that never seems to properly arrive before it leaves?

As I sought for answers to the clues the Gods were giving, the two nut nickers returned. This time the SMK TH208 was quickly unwrapped and awake. They played a double act that kept me guessing and made full use of the thick foliage and cover.
I half ran, half crept from trunk to trunk. They paused once each and allowed a shot however, with range and and often acute angles hard to judge then compute into hold under/over, I missed both. I did not miss the third. Just as this male thought he had evaded me, he dithered too long in a Hazel and Zeus struck him down. A dull thud with not even a flicker. He simply fell to Earth like a leaf should in Autumn.
As you can see in the picture, some of those have fallen earlier than expected too!

The SMK TH208 has been very impressive and I can see it earning a permanent place in my stable for this very purpose. Watch this space for an in-depth review.

Olde Winter Time - Sunday 28/11/10

The nights are long, and the days are hard. This is winter, Olde English, or should I say, Olde Welsh style.
Last night was cold, temperatures dipping below -4C. Over ground pipes frozen. Roof vents sealed by the elements. If you're not checking your heat source through the night, you will invariably wake up to a frost bitten duvet at the very least.
Our wood consumption has rocketed to two overflowing buckets a day. This is opposed to one lasting two days. Our stockpile is diminished and in urgent need of replenishment.
Thursday the 25th saw our first flake of snow, with more forecast.
I've managed to contract a cold and a cough. This has meant me being relegated to light duties for fear of triggering bouts of rib crunching, ear popping, coughing fits.Throw in a strained back muscle, and existence gets miserable.
This modicum of discomfort has gone a little way to illustrating how challenging winter was to our ancestors. I recall reading books containing the phrase "might not survive the winter". Experiencing what I am, perhaps those words were not the melodramatic exaggeration I once thought them to be. Is it any wonder why, only in the last 100-200 years, the life expectancy of the average man has surpassed the age of 40? One of the reasons that, at present, I might reach 60 can be partly attributed to the fact I can pay some bloke £40 and VOILA, another few months of processed firewood appears...

In other news. Our little family has acquired a 6 week old feline addition aptly named Eira, welsh for snow. (Despite being a grey slush colour) This choice of label stems from the snowy, bollock chilling day we picked her up. Unsurprisingly her and I can now be found practically hugging the wood burner.

Took Fran to an adventure park called Folly Farm near Narbeth. She had a great time and I got a hot meal that contained a lot of meat. Need I say more.

The Log Store - If I were to store logs in there again, I'd put them on a pallet.

Camera Boredom

The Tasmanian Devil

M Jones

The Death Of A Friend - Saturday 13/11/10

All around are the visible signs autumn is here and winter is approaching.
The recent high winds have dislodged the leaves that have died, and the trees now look skeletal and bare.
All this death will pave the way for rebirth. But death has come calling too close for comfort this year, seeing fit to end the life of a good friend of mine. At present, I know scant few details, but a man not living past his 24th winter is a sobering thought indeed. His loss has weighed heavy on my mind, occupying thoughts and clouding others.
If nothing else, I am reminded that whatever my reservations about having another baby are, he never got the chance to father one.
To my friend Keith Jefferies, who died 11/11/10

The message I wrote on his Facebook wall when I found out:

"I find this page extremely hard reading. It goes from friendly banter and chat concerning day to day life. Then posts of "get well soon". To Comiserations and Eulogies.

There's an anger inside me I can't direct.
There's a feeling of betrayal by the forces upon which I trusted and depend.
An anguish that an individual such as he, has gone where I cannot yet go.
Above all, there is a gut wrenching guilt. The guilt we all dread which cannot be assuaged by apology. But its an apology I will make anyway.

Keith. I am sorry I didn't give you more of my time. You gave me yours, and for that I will thank you eternally. Please forgive me.

My time will come, as yours has done. You have led and I shall follow. Knowing this I shall not fear death. Because I know you're waiting for me.

Til then Keith, I will miss you, and mourn your passing. We all will."

To his brother Mark, this message;

"My good friend Keith...

I went to school with Keith, a valued and trusted friend. I'm deeply shocked and saddened.

As a brothers love is so great as to be valued and cherished, his loss is all the more terrible and the grief that much more severe.

I am so sorry. Alot of people are thinking of you, in that take some comfort.

Whoever God is, may He bless you, and all your family."

M Jones