The Stalk pt.2

Relocating is not the only way a shooter uses to prevent exposure from the enemy. A sniper must learn to camouflage. To camouflage is to blend in with the environment making it harder to be spotted or hit. Snipers use ghillie suits to help them camouflage. A ghillie suit is a set of clothes specially modified to look like a pile of underbrush that fits the environment from where the shooter will be when taking the shot.  The ghillies suit was created by a Scottish warden to catch poachers. The ghillie suit is used when on stalking missions. A sniper also uses face paint to camouflage. The color and pattern of the face paint also depends on the environment from where the shooter will be hiding.

Hide sites are used for cover and concealment where a sniper can conduct surveillance and fire from. It will cover them from the enemy and give the shooter good visibility. A position might look like an ideal location for a hide site but might be the way to the enemy. When a sniper is on a stalking mission he is to use a ghillie suit. It can take hours for a sniper to move a couple of inches to get closer to the enemy. If a sniper feels like he might have been spotted he is to stay immovable to avoid detection even if it takes hours. "The longest wait was three days…we were in a big bush, 300 yards above a village. Eventually, they came out and we dropped two out of three of them" (Sgt. Ed Kuglar). Since a sniper is expected to remain immovable for such a long period they cannot up get for any reason. It has been known of that people have walked over snipers without noticing that they are there.

What is so important about the stalk? If you can stalk then your mission will most likely be successful. Snipers aren't only sent on killing missions. There are many different missions for snipers.