Archers Ghillie

[Droberts]

bdu's from brigadoons army surplus in south east OKC.

netting from an army surplus / farm supply store near Okarche, cant remember the name of it was years ago. was in there looking around and they had a HUGE chunk of this netting hanging on a wall being used to hang merchandise from. im talkin like 150 sq ft of the stuff. i offered the guy something like 80 bucks for it and he sold it to me. i've used it to make 3 ghillies so far and have enough left over for who knows how many more. i just saw it hanging on the wall and my eyes lit up thinking "lifetime.. supply.. of.. guillie nettinggggg.... /droooool"

you can get the netting all over the place online though.
heres 45 sq ft of the stuff for 30 bucks.
http://www.ghilliesandstuff.com/store-products-N-GK59-Ghillie-Netting-5x9_42257229.html

45 sq ft for 18 bucks.. but i'd be skeptical & double check over the phone if its actually the stuff thats pictured.
http://www.ghilliesuitclothing.com/products/Ghillie-Suit-Netting.html

one time i ordered some online that had the 'good stuff' kind and got a big bag of the 'garbage' kind.

 

[r00s7a]

How successful have you been creepin in the ghille suit?

 

[bigcountryok]

Outstanding write up, thank you! I just started messing around with making my own ghillie last year. Doesnt look near as good as yours but seems to work.

I would be concerned that the rafia made too much noise when compared to jute. Does the rafia soften up some after conditioning?

 

[Droberts]

Does the rafia soften up some after conditioning?

very good observation, yes its nasty loud when its brand new. several good soakings and lots of brushing up against stuff later & its silent and doesn't stick up like a prickly cactus.

the raffia has the added benefit of not getting snagged on thorns. burlap and jute ghillies are a nightmare in thick thorny underbrush. the first ghillie i ever made was a jute kit and i cant tell you how many times i fell over or had to jerk my leg out of a snag. key to eliminating that is raffia and full perimeter stitching.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Nice write up and pics included. Thank you

 

[Droberts]

How successful have you been creepin in the ghille suit?

this is the first year i've tried bow hunting. sawed up my left thumb and impaled my right hand last year so i missed the season.

but.. i've been out 4 times now so far this month and here are my observations: deer can hear really good. moving around in thick brush is pointless. the deer will hear you, bleat their alert call a couple times then jump into warp 9. if you're in an area where you can move freely (large semi-clear area under a thick shadowy tree canopy, well established game trail, w/e) you CAN move quietly enough and slow enough to walk right up to deer. i've done it in the past several times over the years while not bow hunting with lower quality ghillies, and sadly did it once on my 2nd outing this month but didnt realize it till my scent cone reached her (was about 6pm & im sure i was a bit stanky). i was creeping up a game tail nice n slow following something making a ruckus ahead of me when about 50 feet directly behind me i hear an alert bleat. i immediately thought to myself 'you've got to be kidding me' i waited to see what direction it was going to bolt toward then double backed a wide flanking arc toward where it went to see if i could get a look. turned out to be a doe that was bedded about 10 feet off to my right along the trail and i had just missed it in the grass.

i would advise making use of the ghillie in stationary ground positions, and in open areas where sound isnt an issue. visually it seems to be a superb advantage, just move very slowly. sound though it doesnt matter if you're naked or wearing a santa clause suit, dont go tramping around the woods in a ghillie thinking your some woodland ninja cuz it just wont work. a ghillie is a great tool but really has to be used correctly to be of any benefit. one of the primary uses if you're comfortable shooting from a sitting position is that it basically completely replaces a ground blind. you could essentially stand in one spot 10 feet from a game trail and if your feet can handle it wait long enough to get a rear quartering shot after a deer passed you by. i had a grey squirrel come up about 2 feet from me and look at me very intently for a few minutes this last sunday.

the last two times i've been out i doused the raffia with buck urine cover scent, haven't had an instance to confirm/deny its effectiveness yet.

also on a side note, put it in a plastic trash sack and into the deep freeze after a hunt to kill all the bugs. i've had scorpions crawl out of my suits over a week after use. makes the wife real cranky.

 

[Lurker66]

Thanks for taking the time to post this. Well done.

 

[bigcountryok]

Have you tried stalking with just the top half on? I've had a little better luck in the thicker stuff just wearing the top half since it lets you slip through brush without making as much noise.

I have a few spots on public land I want to hunt that are over a mile from any parking area. I plan on packing in a full ghillie rather than a tree stand and hunting from the ground.

 

[Droberts]

Have you tried stalking with just the top half on? I've had a little better luck in the thicker stuff just wearing the top half since it lets you slip through brush without making as much noise.

I have a few spots on public land I want to hunt that are over a mile from any parking area. I plan on packing in a full ghillie rather than a tree stand and hunting from the ground.

i run with just the top half of one of my really old ghillies in paintball all the time, my fat gut outgrew the pants i built with it about 6 years ago. its better but really doesnt effect it too much. i've never made a full front/back ghillie. all mine have pants with the front open with reinforced, padded knee/shin coverings. lets me not have to ever worry about thorns or rocks if i have to drop to a knee quickly. the most noise that comes from my suit while i walk is on the insides of my legs from the pant material rubbing against each other.

my next build is going to be a bushrag poncho, something small enough when rolled up that i can stick it in the bottom of my BoB. it would work well for what you mention.

i need to add this to the DIY posts, didnt think to add it. under the knee pads i've put this:

vinyl padded shelf liner, no need to sew it on, just liquid stitch the daylights out of it.

 

[Boehlertaught]

The suit looks great and I agree your writeup is fantastic. I do think the footware shown may give you away though. The flowered flip flop and the shinny black pump just don't quite match the suit...