Beard or no beard for concealment
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: T Mac
19-Aug-19
Heading on first elk hunt in 2 weeks. Thinking of beard for concealment what say you guys? More hair more scent?
From: fubar racin
19-Aug-19
More hair more scent, beard breaks up your face, beards can screw with arrow flight, beards look cool, strings rip beards outta your face. Pros and cons to everything.
From: PoudreCanyon
19-Aug-19
I grow mine for hunting season, not for concealment, or warmth, or any real practical reason... except that then my face doesn’t itch like hell when I don’t shave it for 8-9 days:)
From: HUNT MAN
19-Aug-19
Beard
From: Boreal
19-Aug-19
Beard because....do you really need a reason?
From: WYOBIRDDOG
19-Aug-19
Hockey players are very superstitious. How many grow beards when they reach the playoffs? I think bow hunters are more superstitious then hockey players. GO WINGS!
From: drycreek
19-Aug-19
Beard because I’ve had one since kindergarten. Oh wait, they didn’t have kindergarten when I was little. Must have been first grade......
From: wyobullshooter
19-Aug-19
I’m going with the clean shaven look this year, for the first time ever. It’s gotten to the point the only concealment my beard would provide is when it snows.
From: svrelk
19-Aug-19
I hate shaving.... .
From: midwest
19-Aug-19
haha^^^
From: jordanathome
19-Aug-19
Rob....I resemble that remark.......dammit
I go goatee
From: t-roy
19-Aug-19
Did you go to Jethro Bodine Middle School, drycreek? If so, I’ll bet yer good at ciphering and gozindas!
From: Franklin
19-Aug-19
If you can grow a beard in 2 weeks that can hold odor or get caught in your bow string God bless you. The most I can hope for is a heavy stubble.
From: longspeak74
19-Aug-19
Beard all year long...unfortunately it's more gray than anything else!
From: Aspen Ghost
19-Aug-19
I don't shave during elk season.
From: LINK
19-Aug-19
I haven’t been clean shaven since about 2012. Beard for me.
From: T Mac
19-Aug-19
Franklin I’m like you I’m 2 weeks in with heavy stubble and might be able to catch in bowstring after a month when season starts!
From: drycreek
19-Aug-19
Troy, I’ll just say this, the school I went to had two grades in one room
From: Brotsky
19-Aug-19
I’m new to this elk hunting stuff. So you guys are telling me I have to shave everywhere BUT my face?
From: Z Barebow
19-Aug-19
Beard. It is my game face. Not much camo anymore.
From: SBH
19-Aug-19
Beard. Scent don’t matter when elk hunting. You’ll stink after a few days in the backcountry regardless of what’s on your face.
What svrelk said...I hate shaving too. I don’t think i even own a razor anymore.
From: greg simon
19-Aug-19
Beard. Is that really a question???
From: Matt
19-Aug-19
If your success is based on whether you have a beard or not, god help you.
From: JSW
19-Aug-19
I haven't shaved since 1985 so, beard.
From: orionsbrother
19-Aug-19
Reverse manscaping!!
Beard !!!
From: MichaelArnette
19-Aug-19
Light beard for me but that’s because the ladies like it ...elk could care less
From: Ermine
20-Aug-19
Less hair the better for me. Hair holds scent. I’ve been killing animals with a bow with a shiny “baby face” for years
From: cnelk
20-Aug-19
If you shave your face for scent purposes, you should also shave your head
From: Treeline
20-Aug-19
Brotsky gets it!
Cnelk, some of us don’t have to shave that much on top any more...
I really don’t like growing my beard out these days.
Shiny white face can be covered with camo paint but that color of my beard these days is hard on a guy’s self esteem...
From: APauls
20-Aug-19
Hunt every day like you’re taking hero shots! ;)
From: elkmtngear
20-Aug-19
Yep, my face is the only place that's "unshaven" ;^)
From: Z Barebow
20-Aug-19
Jeff-Nose and ear hair trimmed? Never mind. I don't want details! LOL!
From: cnelk
20-Aug-19
I dont shave my face, but do shave my neck.
Young guys will have this to look forward to :)
From: Bake
20-Aug-19
Fortunately, my "beard" grows in with a big blank spot where my string would contact my face, so I don't have to worry about that.
Growing a patchy red/gray/blond "beard" is just a good way to annoy my wife. So . . . . maybe I should start another one :)
From: Shug
20-Aug-19
Go with this...
From: Surfbow
20-Aug-19
Beard, because I can't. My beard makes me look like a hormonal Amish teenager, and if I grow only a mustache my wife says I look like a creep...
From: LINK
20-Aug-19
Beards are good for storing stuff for later, sometimes even ice. ;)
From: Native Okie
20-Aug-19
Beard, women like a thigh burner.
From: BullHunter
20-Aug-19
Mountain season is beard season!
From: EmbryOklahoma
20-Aug-19
I grow a beard/goatee all the time. I just trim it down while in the warmer/hot months. I shaved all of my facial hair off about 7 years ago. Made it even harder to look at myself in the mirror. That ain't happening again.
From: rooster
20-Aug-19
Seems lately that if I grow my beard out it would only work for added concealment in a snow storm!
From: ESP
20-Aug-19
When your bald and ugly. Beards are a great thing. I know from experience.
From: Frostymug
20-Aug-19
I grow a beard because I'm not a woman or a child.
From: dnovo
20-Aug-19
I’ve had a beard since 1981. It’s mostly gray now but doesn’t mess with my hunting.
From: ahunter76
20-Aug-19
It's just part of me. Nothing to do with hunting.
From: jordanathome
20-Aug-19
Not really concealment but gotta be what I gotta be
From: bigbulls6
20-Aug-19
Beatd
From: 'Ike'
20-Aug-19
I'd go beard, but it's going to have to snow, for it to do any good...Haaaa!
From: LUNG$HOT
20-Aug-19
Yep, I always rock the goatee year round. I’m like Embry in the fact I totally shaved my face one time and the dam dog didn’t even recognize me. Won’t do that again.
ESP. The worst part is being bald and ugly but can’t really grow a full beard. The goatee is strong but the chops are like Joe Dirt!
From: yooper89
21-Aug-19
Thinking about taking the beard down a bit to really emphasize the muff duster.. if the elk don't like it, at least my wife will.
From: mattandersen
21-Aug-19
def beard
From: TD
21-Aug-19
Beard. I used to be just "The Bald Guy"..... NOW.... I'm the "Bald Guy with the Beard"
Let em grow down into the chest hair for a fuller effect.....
If you're worried about beard smell on an elk hunt.... I'm not familiar with that kind of elk hunt. The ones I know are the ones you turn your skivvies inside out to get another couple days out of em.....
Better yet, maybe you can find an elk piss beard balm and not have to pin that silly wafer to your hat. Personally I like the Honest Amish beard balm/oil scent.... you know what the ladies say.... once you go Amish you never go back.....
From: midwest
21-Aug-19
ZZ Tom!
From: Joey Ward
21-Aug-19
TD, I see you use the same technique with your shirts. Or you just waking from a bender?
From: jordanathome
21-Aug-19
OMG I can't unsee that.............
From: Z Barebow
21-Aug-19
Joey- I don't care who you are, that is funny! (TD fell into that one!) I wonder if he walked home carrying his underwear?
From: Hancock West
21-Aug-19
priceless
From: APauls
21-Aug-19
LMAO@Joey!
From: TD
21-Aug-19
Joey, had to do that morning with a rattle can of paint and a broken stem/nozzle that somebody dropped and put back on the shelf...... but same basic theory as the skivvies.... =D
From: Nick Muche
21-Aug-19
Hilarious TD!
From: BIG BEAR
21-Aug-19
The goatee is not that strong Lung$hot........ Sorry.
From: Heat
21-Aug-19
I grow a "Joe Dirt" type thing on my face year round.
From: grubby
22-Aug-19
I'm appalled at the number of selfies posted.
From: Tobpitbull
22-Aug-19
I’ve heard of what type of broadhead to shoot for an elk, and or how heavy an arrow, and stuff like, moon phases best to hunt, etc....
But should a person grow a beard or not, that tops it all...
Don’t forget to be sure your sock color matches for under garments, lol.
Elk are touchy to color.
Having some fun... just hunt!
From: mulecreek
22-Aug-19
Tobpitbull, Obviously you haven't seen the "how to tie your boots for an elk hunt" thread. Hopefully, Newberg can roll up boot tying, shaving, toenail grooming and sack waxing all into one podcast.
From: BTM
22-Aug-19
From: Grubby
23-Aug-19
From: Suegamma
03-May-23
I know this thread is 4 years old, but I just stumbled upon it and I couldn't resist chiming in. As far as using a beard for concealment during your elk hunt, I'm not sure if it'll make much of a difference in terms of scent. However, it could help break up your silhouette and make you less noticeable to the elk. If you're worried about the appearance of your beard, you can try using this thingie https://barbierduweb.com/en/dermaroller-beard/. I think using it is a great way to promote beard growth and make your beard look fuller and more even. Plus, it's a non-invasive and natural solution that could come in handy for future hunting trips.
From: Cheesehead Mike
03-May-23
If an elk can smell your beard then it's downwind of you and has already smelled or will smell your other funk. After several days in the mountains, my beard and face are probably the cleanest and least odoriferous part of my body.
On the other hand, a gray beard probably doesn't provide much concealment.
From: greenmountain
03-May-23
When I was younger I grew a beard every hunting season. It came in dark brown. In recent years I elected to shave throughout the fall. As I get older I realize a full beard would look too much like the underside of a deer's tail.
From: Kurt
03-May-23
White beard is even worse unless you are polar bear hunting, and that resembles me these days.
From: Shug
03-May-23
Maybe Pope and young should include a facial hair question in their Fair chase affidavit… then when the biennial information book comes out we can see what % have beards
From: Rut Nut
03-May-23
I’m with you Kurt! Only 58 but in a few years I will be ready for mtn goat, snowshoe hares and polar bears! ;-)
From: Glunker
03-May-23
I hunt with a beard because I have a beard. For elk hunting I use a light baklava to avoid any shine off my face.
From: Ursman
03-May-23
In August of 1968 l made a deal with God. If he let me shoot a griz l would never shave again. Haven’t shaved since. Only found one tick in it in all those years. Still haven’t figured out why He would care if l had a beard or not.
From: Shug
03-May-23
Funny Walt… Mark Kronyak here… I believe you knew my Uncle Billy from Butts and Bows.. FYI he passed away a few weeks ago
From: Ursman
03-May-23
Sorry for your loss. Yea, he was a great shot back in those days. I often wonder what happened to the ole Butts and Bows crew from the late 60’s and 70’s.
From: 12yards
04-May-23
My beard is white and would be brighter than my face, so no, I shave. I didn't shave on my week long SD hunting trip last fall. I can't remember what I looked like.
From: APauls
04-May-23
Every time I've been busted it was cause I was 100% clean shaven. I'm certain of it.
From: WV Mountaineer
04-May-23
Full on beard that I’m too over worked and tired to groom. At almost 50, there’s something in mine that is reflective now. And, it ain’t the same dust. lol
From: Cheesehead Mike
05-May-23
My beard and rack then...
My beard and rack then...
My beard and rack now. I prefer bigger racks now!
My beard and rack now. I prefer bigger racks now!
Some things improve with age ;-)
From: Basil
05-May-23
Mike for the win ;-)
From: TGbow
05-May-23
Well, for people like me that can't grow a beard other than a sparce patch..I don't have to worry about it..lol
From: Z Barebow
05-May-23
I grow a beard every year for hunting. But at this age, it isn’t very good camo. It is more of a “state of mind”. My “game face”
From: scentman
05-May-23
MIke, I didn't know Aaron Roger's bowhunted, and your daughter has beautiful eyes... is that a quarter down there? lol!
From: Cheesehead Mike
06-May-23
Yeah that's funny, I've gotten the Aaron Rogers thing everywhere I go. Back when I was less gray I even had people ask to have their photo taken with me. We won a Halloween costume contest two years ago as Aaron Rogers and a sexy referee. All I did was darken my hair and beard a little, put on a Rogers jersey and some softball pants and spikes. She was probably the reason for most of the votes.
Based on the age difference between my "daughter" and I, she would have been conceived when I was 12. She's much older than she looks and takes great care of herself. I'm a lucky dog ;-)
