Looking to stay away from the prying eyes of wary quarry? Mike Morton reckons you’ll want to try this ghillie suit from In Your Sights on for size
Natural concealment is one way, while bringing and wearing your own is another – one example of which is the ghillie suit
Key Specs
Manufacturer: In Your Sights
Model: Chameleon Hides Winter & Autumn Camouflage Ghillie Suit
Price: £30
Contents: Jacket, trousers, hood with face veil, rifle wrap, carry bag
Size: One size, equivalent to UK XL
Back length: 82cm
Chest width: 81cm
Bottom jacket width: 70cm
Cuff: 9cm
Sleeve length: 99cm
Front Length: 70cm
Half waist: 36cm
Inside length: 83cm
Outside length: 119cm
Leg width: 15cm
Crotch back rise: 47cm
Crotch front rise: 39cm
One of the key factors that can give away a hunter’s position is his or her shape. Anything that does not blend in with the natural surroundings may set alarm bells ringing in your quarry – and that can make all the difference between bagging one for the cooking pot or going home empty-handed.
One thing even this ghillie suit can’t do is offer complete coverage of your footwear – especially the soles of your boots
So how can you best break up the human outline? Natural concealment is one way, while bringing and wearing your own is another – one example of which is the ghillie suit. The idea here is to break up your outline using physical three-dimensional materials rather than relying on regular camouflage patterned clothing. A ghillie suit will also sway in the wind in the same way as the surrounding foliage, further assisting concealment.
‘Ghillie’ is a derivation of a Scottish Gaelic term for a ‘servant’ or ‘lad’ – in this case meaning a traditional Scottish gamekeeper who would take people out deerstalking. It wasn’t long before the Army recognised the importance of the ghillie suit, with the Lovat Scouts using them in the Boer War; today the ghillie suit is usually associated with the military sniper rather than the civilian hunter.
Don’t forget to wear a pair of gloves, otherwise all that careful concealment could go to waste
So should the airgun hunter wear one? Yes, why not? The purpose of a ghillie suit in an airgun hunting environment remains the same – to conceal the shooter from his quarry, not turn them into some sort of wannabe military sniper.
How about this suit from In Your Sights? It offers a jacket, trousers and head cover with integrated face veil. It also provides some wrapping material for your rifle – something that can be a massive give-away, even when the shooter is well-concealed themselves. It’s a one-size-
fits-all affair that is intended to be worn over regular clothing, and the looser the fit, the more natural it looks. It’s comfortable to wear and it’s easy enough to look through a scope while peering through the face veil material.
It would have been nice to have seen a bit more coverage over the shoulders and upper back, but the suit does a good job of concealment from the front, which is the most important area
A ghillie suit will most naturally be used by a prone shooter, presenting his front towards the quarry. The suit does a good job of covering this area, but if I had to nitpick, I’d like to have seen a bit more foliage material over the shoulders and upper back. The trousers, in contrast, offer fuller foliage. If you’re finding it hard to keep your quarry in your sights, a ghillie suit may help give you the edge. Just remember to take it off when you pop in for petrol on the way home!
This article originally appeared in the issue 108 of Airgun Shooter magazine. For more great content like this, subscribe today at our secure online store: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
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