By: Gary Akin
I like wearing plaid when I hunt. It doesn’t really matter if it’s red, green, or something else. I’m Old School, I know it, and I don’t care… I am aware of most of the new camouflage garments with their hi-tech fibers that are lighter and probably provide more insulation. I own some and wear some in the woods occasionally. But I am almost always more comfortable when I wear my plaid! I’m a traditionalist. For me, nothing represents hunting better than a plaid jacket or shirt. Yes, I take some kidding occasionally, and I’ll chuckle too when I hear the Elmer Fudd comments! But in my own way, I am honoring traditions and paying my respects to those who’ve climbed these mountains, tracked their deer, (far better than I could ever hope to) and done it in a manner that required a reliance on grit, determination, and woodsmanship. I appreciate the skills that the woodsmen who’ve trekked before me possessed. Because I try to emulate them and it’s tough!
I find myself paying more attention to the wind when I’m wearing my plaid. I’m moving slower and my eyes are working the cover more carefully. I’m enjoying myself! This is hunting! I’m not plopping my ass on a stump and relying on the latest well advertised “woods” pattern to make me invisible to any game that may be in the vicinity. No….. I’m gonna go find my deer. (hopefully!) I know there are all kinds of products out there that probably make things easier. But that’s not why I am here. I’m here to test my skills… not some product or pattern developed in a…. lab!
Most plaid hunting jackets are made from wool. It’s a great insulator, even wet, but it can get HEAVY! Rich and I still laugh about the time we were hunting in northern Maine. We were out all day in a steady hard rain. Our jackets must’ve absorbed twenty pounds of water and we’d been hunting all day. To this day I don’t think I’d ever slept so soundly! But I was never cold and I did see a deer that day, at very close range. A great memory.
I tracked down the biggest buck of my life in Maine. I was wearing my green plaid jacket, the same type that legendary tracker, Larry Benoit wore. In my pack was a knife made by Larry. Still one of my proudest moments. There’s no better way to honor an inspiration!
I have several books in my bookcase with stories of days long past. The photos and illustrations are always of hunters donning the checked pattern of the day. Great pictures. Great stories. But my favorite photo of men in plaid is not someone who’s been mentioned in a magazine or book. No, it’s my Dad, with his buddy George, and their guide. This picture was taken on their “trip of a lifetime”. They were on a pack hunt deep in the wilderness of Alberta in the Canadien Rockies…. Could anything be more classic?…
Adirondack Camp Journal 