What deer see

[rancid crabtree]

I don't want to hijack the "breaking up your silhouette" thread so I will create this one. Some of the points made there were getting a bit far afield because it turned to how/what deer see rather than the topic at hand.

There is a lot to be learned about how and what deer see. I have researched everything I can get my hands on as it relates to a deer’s vision. Reading studies, watching videos, listening to researchers has taught me a lot. Threads like the "breaking up your silhouette" thread and similar threads on other forums tells me most hunters still are not up to speed in regards to what/how deer see.

Deer do not view their world in black and white. They see color, most notable within the blue spectrum and yellow as well as UV. Their low light advantage comes at a cost in regards to what we would consider a form of colorblindness but they see color. That same low light vision also comes at a cost in regards to image clarity. They don’t see as well as we think. Their best defense is their ability to spot movement which is why guys wearing blue jeans washed with UV brighteners are still killing deer.

That horizontal pupil is their downfall as it relates to treestand hunters. Their vision is better at the horizon and worse above and below their straight forward gaze.

Camo (like fishing lures) is made to catch the eyes and pocket books of people. It means squat to deer. They don’t see like we see. If you donned a wild pattern and super colorful Hawaiian shirt, you would look like an idiot to most hunters but to a deer, you would look no different than had you dropped big $$$$ on some overpriced camo brand. We still have that army camo mentality that makes us think because it fools human eyes and hides us from other hunters, it must also be working for deer. We fail to consider that humans are trichromatic while deer are dichromatic.

In almost 40 years of hunting deer with gun and bow, I have had deer look right at (and through) me while wearing solid blaze orange and blue jeans and not become alarmed. Why? Because I didn’t move. Think about this "movement" when you are decoying since its key to decoying success. They cant even find a motionless deer look-alike unless it moves.

That being said, I like camo (even if its meaningless in regards to a deers eyes) because I also hunt other critters like bear and turkey (who see color and movement like no other animal but again movement is the key).

I make a lot of my camo or buy bargain basement/on sale/ yard sale camo. Its just not important. Last weekend I had a few occasions over a couple days where deer bedded between 6 feet and 20 yards of me in wide open trees while sitting in a ladder stand. All of them looked right at me at some point. None of them cared. None of them bolted or even stomped. I didnt move, they didnt care.

On cold mornings, My worst enemy is a ray of sunlight and frosty breath. Every exhale produces that misty, moving cloud that gives me away. Opening weekend it got me noticed by a doe and then later a buck. I wish I could fix that because I stopped worrying about camo a long time ago. Worry more about movement, sound and scent.

Some videos to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SKJeenZmf8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9gbl-RS14A

Sales pitch coupled with good thinking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yUbYwWqLnc

Not as useful but some wisdom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKm9p8-HCTA

Sale pitch and science.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=109&v=DNe2PB3CSnA

almost useful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlV9fm68wUc

http://outdoorchannel.com/article.aspx? ... pe=article

http://www.outdoorhub.com/stories/2013/ ... -eyesight/

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewc ... m_usdanwrc

http://www.petersenshunting.com/deer/wh ... hitetails/

http://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/big-ga ... -and-hear/

[GRUD]

I didnt watch all the videos but one thing I noticed is that unless the deer is looking straight at you they dont have a whole lot of depth perception. Since their eyes are on the side of their head, they only see to the side and read with one eye. Only in front do their circles of vision overlap. If you are in the woods, cover one eye and see what I mean.

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[cameron]

Good stuff!

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[Rome]

This is another one of those things that I think goes overlooked by a lot of hunters. Great post Rancid.

There's no pixie dust or camo pattern that trumps movement. Just like no scent killer spray or device can ever trump the wind. We can debate all day long on what camo pattern is best, if scent killers help your hunt, etc.. but there is no argument for being absolutely still and playing the wind.

I think one thing that a lot of hunters miss on the movement part is that it should not only be when you have a visual on the deer, but the entire time you are on stand. When you "need" to move, be sure it is very slow, and all movement has a purpose, and is deliberate. Fast movement is too easy for them to pick out.

[Reflex011]

Awesome first two videos! THANKS RC!!

[hunter10]

Very good points. I have in the past worn my tough duck coveralls in stand when my regular camo didn't keep me warm. I agree that the craze of new camo patterns is getting out of hand. Personally I wear camo to hide me from hunters. Too often there is others hunting land I am on and I don't want them to figure my patterns once I enter the bush and disappear. I also believe the old school timber, bark and large oak leaf patterns were more accurate than today's in most cases.

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[PK_]

I definitely agree.

I do think there are certain situations when you have 0 cover that a good open pattern will help break up your outline. I can remember being 25' up a tree with no cover in a bedding area. The deer never noticed me in that tree. However a small buck got directly below me and began to groom himself. His eyes were now aimed directly up at me and as I was staring down through my platform he definitely noticed the 'blob' in the tree. I never moved an inch, He tensed up for a few minutes before relaxing and bedding down nearby. I do not think a mature buck would have relaxed.

I very much agree that movement is key and I believe a lot of guys get caught by moving too quickly thinking the deer is not looking in their direction because the deer's peripheral vision is so sensitive to movement.

Only time I care about wearing a good open pattern camo is when there is a chance I will be skylined. Otherwise I couldn't care less.

Good points.

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[Dewey]

I definitely agree.

I do think there are certain situations when you have 0 cover that a good open pattern will help break up your outline. I can remember being 25' up a tree with no cover in a bedding area. The deer never noticed me in that tree. However a small buck got directly below me and began to groom himself. His eyes were now aimed directly up at me and as I was staring down through my platform he definitely noticed the 'blob' in the tree. I never moved an inch, He tensed up for a few minutes before relaxing and bedding down nearby. I do not think a mature buck would have relaxed.

I very much agree that movement is key and I believe a lot of guys get caught by moving too quickly thinking the deer is not looking in their direction because the deer's peripheral vision is so sensitive to movement.
[glow=red]Only time I care about wearing a good open pattern camo is when there is a chance I will be skylined. Otherwise I couldn't care less.[/glow]

Good points.

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This is the key right here. I agree if you have great cover camo pattern doesn't matter one bit. When the leaves come off the tree is where you will notice how extremely well open patterns conceal you. I have been picked up so many times with the darker blob camo patterns even though I had zero movement to tip them off. It was amazing the difference I noticed when I switched to Predator.

[stash59]

Great stuff Rancid!! Thanks for sharing.

[headgear]

I think the importance of camo can be overstated but I have far too many memories of old does picking me off up in a tree with zero movement and wind in my favor, heck I even had good back cover but they just spotted a big dark blob up there and got spooked. Anyone else not have that happen wearing that old style camo? That is not to say you couldn't get it done wearing any old clothing but it can be one of those little things that adds up in the end. I'd much rather wear a good open patter than see press my luck with this or that.

[BigCedarJack]

Rancid I was busted a few years ago due to my frosty breath; or at least that is the only thing I could figure. I started trying to hide my breath in the shade after that.

My experiences have me thinking camo does have some importance when up close. After watching the video it would seem that the importance is higher for still hunting and other ground hunting (I like to hunt from the ground).

Also, when hunting up high on the mountain, the trees are much shorter and smaller around. A good break-up seems to help fairly often.

I have not tried predator or optifade but when I started using ASAT I felt I was noticing a difference. On the ground or in big trees my homemade ghillie did great. But in the air in small trees the ghillie hurt, I think because it makes me bigger.

[BHC]

I agree and disagree RC. I agree movement is #1 followed by a close second. Looking out of place. Sit on the ground and let deer pass 30-40 yrds from you and see how many don't notice you. They know your not supposed to be there. Same thing in a tree. You need to be hid well. I can't tell you how many times I have not moved a muscle and deer catch me out of the corner of there eye. Then the stomping and head bobbing starts.... I never where white!! White is a signal in the deer world. So while camo pattern may not mean much how well you are hidden is very important.... You need some background cover, but also good front cover...

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[kenn1320]

I think the importance of camo can be overstated but I have far too many memories of old does picking me off up in a tree with zero movement and wind in my favor, heck I even had good back cover but they just spotted a big dark blob up there and got spooked. Anyone else not have that happen wearing that old style camo? That is not to say you couldn't get it done wearing any old clothing but it can be one of those little things that adds up in the end. I'd much rather wear a good open patter than see press my luck with this or that.

Ive also had times when I didnt plan on shooting and deer picked me off instantly, yet other times I was able to move and not be seen. Deer can see things that dont move, especially if it looks out of place to them. Years ago I hunted the edge of a field one time and stuck a small pumkin out 30yds to know my limit. First deer in the field was a small doe and instantly she freaked out seeing it. She stomped and head bobbed and slowly but cautiously approached it. Once she smelled I had handled it, she high tailed it to the woods. It was interesting to see how something they have seen(that land owner baited with pumpkins) and knew to be food and harmless was now somehow threatening due to its location which was out of place to that deer from the time before it had been in the field.

[rancid crabtree]

Kenn and BHC are talking about the "something new" aspect even if its not moving. We hunt in their living room. They know every feature. They live there. If somebody came to your house and replaced an item of furniture with a new item you would notice it even if it weren't moving because you know our surroundings and that new thing was not there before. They head bob and stomp BECAUSE they are trying to see if they can trick that new thing into moving. When it doesnt, they calm down.

We buy camo for the human eye (nothing wrong with that if you want to hide from other people and as hunters we do that to some degree) but from a deer's standpoint, all the below patterns would be equally effective.

top row Corrected for deer's vision.

[headgear]

I don't think we should lump "something new" all into one category. If you are a new dark blob sitting up in a tree they are going to give you more attention. If your outline is broken up and you blend in more they might pay your not attention at all. I've just had far too many negative responses with old camo and had plenty of deer look right through me at close range with open patter camo to say that all camo is the same. I will totally agree that a Hawaiian shirt or any other crazy pattern could work just as well, however I will also say any good pattern that breaks up your outline is worth wearing hunting.