Ghillie Suit

[MSHunter]

I just purchased a ghillie suit for ground hunting this fall. Whats the best way to condition and break in the suit for hunting?

[Woods Walker]

What kind is it? What's it made of?

[MSHunter]

Hi WW.
The brand name is Bushrag. It's made of jute and burlap. It's designed for bow hunters. That is, the arm and chest area are free of the jute and burlap.

[Woods Walker]

Ok MS.....good choice. Here's what I do.....

1. I keep my ghillie (which is a Rancho Safari Shaggie Longcoat) as well as all my other hunting outerwear in a Rubbermaid tub which has a cachet bag of crushed hardwood leaves in it, thereby making everything stored in the tub smell like an October woods.

Jute material ghillies sometimes have a "jute" odor to them. Those that are really anal about scent will swear up and down that this is not good, but I started getting close to deer the first few times I used mine. They may have smelled it but they didn't care, or more likely didn't associate it with human beings. That said, what you still might want to do is hang your ghillie outdoors for as long as you can for a while to let it lose some of the odor.

2. I have never tried this, but I'm going to. Marc Anthony, who used to post here a lot before he started his own site, SWEARS by a product called "Carbon Synergy" which is a wash that he uses for his Bushrag ghillie. If you do try this please let me know what you think.

http://nontypicalhunter.com/?s=carbon+synergy


Two final points regarding ghillies..........


1. Which ever ghillie you have, you must wear it for practice when you shoot, and basically just get used to being in it, just like any other hunting gear you use.

2. This is merely a theory I have, but you may want to see if it also applies to you after you've hunted in yours for a while, that possibly some of our scent may get trapped in the dead air space, and that's why we can get so close undetected? I dunno...but I'd sure like to hear what you experience.

I hope this helps. Keep us posted!