The Hunter Training Group was an early, all-volunteer, counter-insurgency unit trained in guerrilla warfare, patrolling, tracking, bushcraft, and intelligence gathering. The unit was formed in 1968 but was not officially part of the SADF and in fact never recognized as an official unit. It was, however, the first military formation to wear specialized camouflage clothing in South Africa, since at the time no camouflage was being produced or worn by either the SADF or the SAP. All uniforms were purchased privately by members of the unit and eventually standardized camouflage was obtained from a supplier in Durban. The Hunter Group was disbanded in 1974, but members who went on to pass the selection course became the nucleus of 2 Reconnaissance (Citizen Force) Commando.
As there was no specific industry for producing camouflage military clothing in South Africa at the time, all uniforms worn by Hunter Group personnel were obtained from private firms. The designs were unique and were never reproduced, and most items have commercial-style tags. What has come to be known as "1st pattern Hunter Group" camouflage features blotches of grass green, light brown & yellow ochre on a sandy background.
The "2nd pattern Hunter Group" camouflage was produced in two color variations, with either a tan or light olive green background. The design features dense blotches of black, olive green & reddish brown. A variation of the 2nd pattern Hunter Group camouflage was printed without the black shapes. This pattern has only three colors, with blotches of grass green & yellowish brown on a sandy background. In the mid-1970s, the Hunter Group tested a four color "spot" pattern incorporating blood red, reddish-brown and grass green spots on a tan background. Uniforms were produced in very limited numbers and were not adopted or widely distributed.