In February, I spent a week in Harrisburg, PA, for the Great American Outdoors Show with a gentleman named Tim Minnich, whom I met through a mutual friend, and I helped out at his booth selling a very unique camouflage pattern; it’s called White Tail Forensics or WTFCamo. I’ll admit, I was extremely skeptical at first. This camo looks like nothing that fits the “typical” hunter's camouflage. It doesn’t have leaves or twigs or sticks, and it’s not the typical color shades of green, brown, and black. I spent a week with Tim and his son and partner, Brendon, and the pro staff team listening to their stories about their experiences wearing this line of camouflage. The stories were all very similar, talking about how even when deer were as close as 5 yards, they could not pick the hunter out of the tree. Tim’s story of starting out was pretty interesting.
Back in 2013, I stood on the second floor of our local Cabela’s store in Hamburg, PA, gazing down at the sprawling hunting camo display. From 45 yards away, the clothing seemed like a sea of dark jackets and pants, regardless of the brand. They merged into indistinct blobs. This observation sparked a question: If it appears that way to me, how do deer perceive these lifelike camo patterns from a distance?
Our research journey revealed a fascinating truth: Deer don’t see colors as we do. Whitetail deer, mule deer, elk, moose—they all experience a form of red-green color blindness. Moreover, their vision lacks fine detail. Whitetail deer, for instance, have an estimated 20/40 to 20/100 vision when it comes to details. Their remarkable peripheral and night vision compensates but limits their ability to discern intricate patterns.
So, my son and I embarked on a mission—to create camo that breaks up a hunter’s silhouette based on deer vision. After rigorous testing in various field settings, we birthed WTFCAMO® from WhiteTail Forensics. Our brand name reflects our scientific approach and, let’s be honest, it’s pretty catchy too. Remember, it’s all about seeing the world through deer eyes. What is amazing is that WTFCAMO is just as effective for other big game animals as well!
So as it turns out, I went home with a set, and having now hunted turkey in my new camo, I have nothing but good things to say about this gear.
The set includes two hats, gloves, a neck gator, a long-sleeved performance shirt, a jacket, and pants, all in the WTFCamo pattern.
Quality
First and foremost, what I love about this gear is the quality. You can tell that there was a definite time put into it, where quality is concerned, when designing this product. There were no threads or mis-stitching pulling out of any of the suit or accessories. Sometimes I run into gear having threads tripping up the zippers or getting caught in my sleeves.
Quiet
WTFCamo is QUIET in the woods. I walked through the woods, crawled through thickets, belly crawled after turkeys, and the set is quiet as you want to stalk through the woods.
Tactical
There is nothing I hate more than Velcro on my hunting gear. WTFCamo has ALL zippers. Your pockets can be closed to carry what you want, easily accessible, and you don’t have to worry about any extra noise when reaching for your call or your lure. There’s also a face mask built into the jacket hood, and it was SO much easier to use this than try to fumble around for my mask in my pack or pocket when I got to where I was ready to set up on a turkey. The extra length to the sleeves, where there is a liner past the end of the sleeve, is also a great touch and keeps my gloves in my sleeves and the water out. Although not waterproof, it rained really hard during my first outing in it, and the gear kept me relatively dry despite having been in a downpour all morning.
Comfortable
I am a fidgeter, and I CANNOT sit still if I am not comfortable. WTFCamo gear is so comfortable; it’s soft on the inside and the outside. It's easy to move around in, too, and offers give if you want to layer underneath your shell. I could easily wear this over my heavy suit.
Most of all the biggest flex about this camo is that it’s based on science and it’s proven to work. If you visit the WTFCamo site, you can see more of an explanation, but the gist of it is that WTFCamo is designed to disrupt the blending effect that a lot of traditional camo gear has for deer, which actually makes you more noticeable in the field.
Tim and Brendon are men with a vision, and they’re enabling hunters to get closer to their game. I highly recommend this camo, give it a look! They are also currently in the process of refining and developing a women’s specific line as well as a heavier weight line of gear.
You can check out their website and give their Facebook page a follow, too!
