Colorado offers a lot of elk and challenging terrain, as well as plenty of beautiful backcountries. This does require some specialized camouflage patterns as well as high-quality materials and design. Elks are smart critters and cautious critters, so you’ll need to disappear as well. So what works? Well, let’s see.
These are our recommendations for the 4 best camo patterns for Colorado elk hunting on the market:
Predator Camo Hunting Performance Crew
Predator Camouflage is a simple design that has proved to be quite effective. This is the perfect camouflage for early in the season before the snow falls, or when it’s hardly fallen. The Predator Camouflage is an interesting pattern that works to break up your outline and allow you to blend in with the beautiful Colorado greenery. The Predator Camouflage also inserts plenty of browns in the pattern to capture the seasons of fall as they transition to the winter. The Predator Camouflage pattern has been a very popular choice for bowhunters in Colorado because it allows them to get nice and close to the animal before taking it down.
The Predator camo is a well-proven design, and beyond the pattern, the shirt itself is designed to maximize your stealth. The camouflage shirt is designed to be silent and doesn’t give off the noise of a shirt rustling when you move. The shirt stretches and moves with the user, and it’s incredibly comfortable. The Predator camouflage performance T-shirt is also moisture-wicking, which is invaluable when it’s cold, and you are sweating.
The Predator Camo performance crew shirt is superbly lightweight and ultra-comfortable. The camo pattern is different and unique, and overall the package is one that’s extremely high quality. The only downside is that it requires you to hand wash the shirt and I hate hand washing, but suck it up. Quality demands it.
SITKA Gear Hooded Camo Hunting Pullover Sub Alpine
Sitka gear is one of those patterns you look at and go what the heck? I understand this digital pattern looks silly outside of the environment it’s designed for, but inside of the environment, it’s almost an invisibility cloak. The Sitka Gear Sub Alpine pattern is the first pattern designed specifically with the vision of animals in mind. Specifically, it’s designed with elk and mule deer in mind.
The Sitka Sub Alpine (see full specs) pattern allows you to blend in with fall to winter conditions for both ridges and mountains of all types. The pattern gives you the ability to disappear. As long as you can remain still, the camouflage can do its thing to make you invisible. The Sitka Sub Alpine pullover is the perfect piece of gear if you just want one piece of sub alpine pattern. This pullover allows you to fit all your warming layers under it to ensure you are nice and warm when hunting in the cold and harsh Colorado mornings and evenings.
The Sitka Sub Alpine Pullover is water-resistant and acts as a windbreaker. This ensures you get a hood to protect your precious and often frozen ears. The weather resistance comes from a healthy dose of Gore-Tex built into the pullover for superior comfort. The Sitka Sub Alpine pullover also offers some conveniently placed pockets. For the money, this is one of the best camos for elk hunting in Colorado.
Badlands Stealth Long Sleeve Camo Hunting Sweatshirt
The Badlands Stealth pattern is designed with places like Colorado in mind. Places with harsh and often mountainous conditions require special camouflage, as well as ultra-tough clothing. The Badlands Stealth is another pattern you’ll often see on bowhunters in the bush. This pattern allows you to get ultra-close to your target and take it out with precision placed arrows. The Badlands Stealth pattern incorporates all the colors of Colorado to break up the pattern and outline of hunters as they climb, traverse, and sit quietly, waiting for that elk to cross their path.
The Badlands Stealth pattern (see full specs) is an unbeatable design, but the sweatshirt itself is also superbly comfortable. It’s made from premium Merino wool that’s not just warm and tough, but weather-resistant and it seems to last forever. Merino wool is a superb material, and it will most certainly keep you nice and warm while sitting in the cold Colorado weather.
The Badlands Stealth sweatshirt comes with an integrated hood that also employs a built-in mask to keep you nice and warm all around. I’d buy a few sizes up to and layer some extra warming gear under my sweatshirt. That way I can maximize the pattern and my warmth. This should be on anyone’s list of the best camo for elk hunting in Colorado.
Mossy Oak Mountain Country Cam Hunting Performance T
If you desire a lightweight base layer that can get you close to your prey, there might not be a better, more affordable choice than the Mossy Oak Mountain Country t-shirt. This design is specific for mountainous environments and incorporates the colors and patterns you’d see in nature. It does an excellent job of breaking up the human pattern and concealing yourself from the elk that might be right around the next tree. The Mountain Country design is a fantastic pattern, and Mossy Oak makes it affordable for the everyman.
This is a performance T that fits tight to the body and helps prevent snags when moving through the woods. It is tight, so if you prefer a looser fit, you should order a size up or so. The Performance nature of the T-shirt gives you moisture-wicking performance that keeps you sweat-free and does also give you some protection against the cold. The Mossy Oak Mountain Country T-shirt will perform brilliantly in the field and keep you nice and comfy.
This is a lightweight base layer that is better suited for the warmer parts of the season and the day. This simple base layer does give you an excellent option for those warmer days, or if you want to strip off layers when you get hot.
The Best Camo Patterns for Colorado Elk Hunting: Getting Dirty
Hunting elk can be an exciting adventure, and part of the challenge is fooling the animal, and camouflage is the solution. Camouflage and discipline. You have to sit still, be patient, and quiet. Camouflage will only get you so far. However, camouflage can’t be replaced by skill and discipline. Both are equally required to be a successful elk hunter. Good luck!
