Science of Nothing... Elevated
In 2009 we introduced GORE® OPTIFADE® Concealment’s Open Country pattern, optimized for backcountry hunters of elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and other ungulates.
Now Gore scientists have developed GORE® OPTIFADE® Concealment’s Forest pattern, which is configured for tree stand hunters who operate in wooded environments, pursuing big game from elevated angles at close engagement ranges.
The world of the tree stand hunter is defined by stark contrasts—bright sky, dark leaves and branches—and by the vertical lines of trees. These lines make it easier for whitetail deer and other ungulate prey to detect the hunter’s presence: even if he is wearing mimicry camo, he "blobs out" with every movement. In collaboration with the experts in concealment and animal vision who helped develop OPTIFADE® technology, Gore manipulated the macro and micro patterns to meet the specific requirements of wooded environments. The results is the new OPTIFADE® Forest pattern that makes tree stand hunters NOTHING in the eyes of ungulate prey.
To see the difference, let’s compare the OPTIFADE® Open Country pattern with new Forest pattern:
- The Open Country pattern is scientifically designed for engagement ranges of 35 yards and beyond at ground level. The larger neutral areas of the pattern—the macro-pattern—are more critical to concealment at these engagement ranges, in a landscape of rocks, brush and scattered trees.
- The Forest pattern is scientifically designed for close engagement ranges of under 20 yards and for elevated angles of attack—typically 15 feet up in a tree stand. At that proximity, the micro-pattern used in GORE® OPTIFADE® Concealment becomes more critical: it compensates for the contrasted, highly detailed background perceived by the prey.
