How to blend into the background?

[arthem]

So assuming that one has secured permission from a landowner to camp on their land, be it for a single night or a few days, what are the best ways to blend into the background of the countryside to have more of a chance of viewing wildlife and avoid attracting attention of other people so as to avoid being disturbed?

Most of the time I will be either bivvying with or without a tarp depending on weather or using a small tent like the Vango Banshee 200 and will be striving to keep noise and movement to a minimum. I should add that most of the time I will be in and around the Snowdonia/Arthog area so more open land and less forest.

If anyone knows of any decent camping spots around Arthog then that would be epic !

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: I should note that I am in the UK and so I will be attemping to blend into that type of landscape.

 

[Erbswurst]

NO MOOVEMENT.
LOW PROFILE.
MUTED COLOURS.

Plants behind and in front of you.
Broken shape due to camouflage patterns.
No smoke.
No noise.

Broken shape due to camouflage netting, for a hiker it isn't sensible to carry it around but it's effective for hunters, wildlife photography and military.

 

[arthem]

Also I wonder how much of a difference MTP and other Camo patterns would have from the perspective of the animal?

 

[TeeDee]

Also I wonder how much of a difference MTP and other Camo patterns would have from the perspective of the animal?

More smell than anything else I would suggest.

If you want to get close to wildlife - have a designated set of clothes that you don't wash and leave in an 'earthy' state.

 

[Kadushu]

It depends on the animal. Rabbits will walk right up to you if you sit still, as will mice, shrews and voles. Badgers get pretty close since their eyesight is poor but foxes are very wary. Avoid fabric contitioner, pungent shampoo, deodorant, etc. Simple DPM works well but don't forget your face and hands which shine like beacons if you're caucasian. I think people are mostly let down by their impatience to sit still and shut up for a while.

 

[Robson Valley]

Learn to sit still. Mother Nature grabs your bottom and whispers in your ear: " sit. Don't freakin' move a muscle but your eyes for 15 minutes."

Buy panels of "cut-leaf camo." Look carefully and you can learn how to cut that up into 12" wide strips. Use a hot glue gun to attach concentric turns to an old, neutral colored coat. You can't see my bib fronts but you can see how my top half silhouette disappears even in 7 AM sunshine.

 

[Erbswurst]

There is an orange hunters camouflage on the market. Some species only see grey shades. But I am no hunter and don't know that exactly.

Jagd-Regenjacke 500 Treemetic geräuscharm light orange

Jagd-Regenjacke 500 Treemetic geräuscharm light orange null Auch bei Regen ist Diskretion unerlässlich. Diese Jacke hält dich trocken, ohne deine Jagd zu stören. 59.99

www.decathlon.de

 

[Erbswurst]

 

[nigelp]

Also I wonder how much of a difference MTP and other Camo patterns would have from the perspective of the animal?

Not much, most animals can’t see that much detail. It’s more about shape/silhouette/shine. MTP and camo are for other humans - save you money on expensive camo and wear a brown jumper! Learn to sit - I often have to sit for up to 45 minutes before a woodland settles properly.

 

[ScottE]

Laying in a hammock has allowed me to witness some wonderful things, I try to pitch near deer trails and/or water. Just waking up in the woods allows most creatures to feel more confident around your camp. I also do my best to function from the hammock, drinks and meals from the hammock are sheer luxury but do also allow a better saturation into the environment.
Dull and/or dark colours I find are no worse than camo...indeed wearing camo would raise more eyebrows on my way in....

 

[nigelp]

There is an orange hunters camouflage on the market. Some species only see grey shades. But I am no hunter and don't know that exactly.

Jagd-Regenjacke 500 Treemetic geräuscharm light orange

Jagd-Regenjacke 500 Treemetic geräuscharm light orange null Auch bei Regen ist Diskretion unerlässlich. Diese Jacke hält dich trocken, ohne deine Jagd zu stören. 59.99

www.decathlon.de

The orange is so you don’t get shot by other hunters!

 

[Erbswurst]

 

[nigelp]

Leave no trace.

 

[Erbswurst]

Sorry, but it is impossible to leave no traces.

 

[Broch]

Remember that animals see different parts of the light spectrum than we do, and different to each other, so no colour is 'ideal' for all wildlife. You could be wearing the dullest colours imaginable, but if you had washed your jacket in a modern 'brightener' detergent the ultraviolet light reflected from it would stand out a mile to a wood pigeon!

Red camo colours work in deer hunting because a) deer have very poor sight in the red end of the spectrum (as do rabbit) and b) it stands out to other hunters.

As said above, drab, muted colours (but greys and browns are as good as green), break up your silhouette by leaning against a tree or sitting in shrubbery, stay still, stay silent, and sit downwind of any observation area. As others have said, it takes time for wildlife to reappear after you arrive; don't expect too much other than the usual birds before you've sat an hour - so, above all, be comfortable.

 

[Broch]

Sorry, but it is impossible to leave no traces.

I honestly disagree, and find most Youtube videos annoyingly irresponsible.

 

[John Fenna]

"Shape, Shine, Shadow, Silhouette" plus movement, smell and noise are all to be distorted or avoided ... camo (in earth colours or Hi Viz most animals especially deer have limited colour vision, hence an orange tiger blending in to green countryside) helps break up a visual shape - sitting in a bush helps just as much.
Perfumed soaps etc make you stand out loads if you are upwind of your prey. Animals and birds do not seem to be able to count - if two of you enter a hide/woodland/whatever and one then leaves, then nature settles down quickly thinking that all the threat has gone

 

[nigelp]

Sorry, but it is impossible to leave no traces.

 

[Erbswurst]

It is impossible to leave no traces.

You just can decide to lower the impact.

Even if you stay at home in London you destroy nature somewhere else.

Although I admit, that the people who created this slogan surely meant the best, the sentence is and stays a nonsense sentence.

The decision how low you need to keep the impact depends on the local situation.

 

[ScottE]

It is impossible to leave no traces.

You just can decide to lower the impact.

Even if you stay at home in London you destroy nature somewhere else.

Although I admit, that the people who created this slogan surely meant the best, the sentence is and stays a nonsense sentence.

The decision how low you need to keep the impact depends on the local situation.

Indeed, I agree, our impact is a trace that needs consideration.
Leave no trace is so much more than just tidying of fire scars and litter......
I attempt to be discreet, quiet and considerate to the environment at all times....some people aren’t happy unless they’re chopping/burning/cooking/building.....
Try to tread lightly always.