You've probably seen this camo somewhere—whether in a movie, on the History Channel, your uncle who's been a hunter his whole life, your dad, a random dude in a bar, or hanging on racks at any outdoors store. This is one of the most famous camo patterns known to everyone.
So, where did Duck Camo (or Duck Hunter Camo) come from? To tell you, we've got to go back to World War II. This pattern got its start being worn by Marines in the Pacific Theater. It was dreamed up by a guy in his San Francisco garden, staring at a frog—which gave this camo its original name: Frog Skin.
In 1942, General Douglas MacArthur put in an urgent request for 150,000 Frog Skin camo uniforms for troops fighting in the jungle. The original uniforms were reversible, featuring a five-color pattern for dense jungle operations on one side and a three-color pattern for beach environments on the other.
Norvell Gillespie, a horticulturist and gardening editor for none other than Better Homes & Gardens magazine, was contracted by the government to create the camouflage. By studying the frogs that frequented Norvell's garden, he developed the iconic Frog Skin pattern.
After the war, the military sold off its surplus inventory to the public. Many returning veterans, eager to get back into their favorite marshes for hunting, wore their Frog Skin uniforms. When the hunting industry caught on, the market flooded with the Duck Hunter camo pattern we know today.
This pattern was popular up through the 80s when modern and more realistic camo patterns took over the hunting market. The camo pattern has since had a revival in the hunt industry, both in the original pattern and modern interpretations of the old school camo pattern, along with vintage surplus and used hunting apparel making a comeback.