deer vision and camo

[RGKulas]

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. Reading threads on hunting 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.

 

 

Sales pitch coupled with good thinking.

 

Not as useful but some wisdom

 

Sale pitch and science.

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

almost useful

 

 http://outdoorchannel.com/article.aspx?id=3531&articletype=article

 http://www.outdoorhub.com/stories/2013/12/02/whitetail-vision-shedding-light-deer-eyesight/

 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1279&context=icwdm_usdanwrc

 http://www.petersenshunting.com/deer/whitetail/science-of-sight-whitetails/

 http://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/big-game-hunting/scientific-facts-about-how-deer-see-and-hear/

[maxwell]

Thanks for the information-

I am in total agreement with that line of thinking. I do think my leafywear camo helps though. I have had many deer look at me without the leafywear, and it it like they see "something" that they have to stare at for a while. If I don't move, they eventually go back to whatever they were doing. When I do wear the leafy suit and they look right in my direction, they usually just keep scanning, and go back to whatever they were doing much quicker. I don't think it is the color so much, as it is the fact that the leafywear breaks you up more, and turns you into part of the tree you are sitting in.

Bisch

[KentuckyTJ]

Very informative thanks for posting. With my years of experience being in close proximity with deer I've come to the conclusion that your clothes matching your background is way more important than any pattern. What I mean is if you have a dark background anything dark will be good to wear. That lack of contrast while you have to move to draw is the key. They have a much more difficult time picking up your movement while wearing something dark with a dark background or vice versa.

[maineac]

A member of our state traditional archers group had some lens made at one point to match the findings of the study talked about in the video. I bought one because I thought it would be cool to play with.  It filters out the wavelengths deer don't see, so it cuts total light as well.  here are some picts I took with it.  Of course the deer would see much brighter, but it shows how different colors disappear.

 

 

 

 

[RGKulas]

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.

 

[Dave Lay]

I think you could really wear a clown suit as long as you don't move and you are not totally out in the open
ive been in the summer woods with a t shirt and jeans and had deer almost step on me while I was simply leaning against a tree
 im not a big camo guy at all, and much prefer muted plaids or earthen tone solids..

I just posted this on the face mask thread'
I have one of those tight stretchy ones. One day I went out and it was hot, too hot to wear my Swanee wool, so I left it in the car. Wearing a leather Arvis hat, white and red plaid wool shirt and khaki brown pants, at least I had my face mask and my Nifty seat. I was still hunting anyway and would probably not get a shot. When I stopped, parked my butt on the Nifty seat, I ripped off that face crusher to hydrate and eat my apple, a small 8 pointer came walking up. Red and white shirt, white beard, I did not even have my hat on and my sweaty bald head was probably reflecting like a car mirror. That little buck walked with in 20 feet of me. I thought, 'you poor blind fellow', I thought he was blind and considered putting him out of his misery. He looked right at me like I was not there. Then another hunter fully camoed and straight down wind of him and me walked across an alfalfa field about 200 yards away. The little eight pointer flopped to the ground about 15 feet from me and did not take his eyes off the other hunter until he was out of sight. He then got up and browsed his way around the bend and out of sight. I have no clue why he could not see me, sitting there with my back against a baseball bat sized tree. I still hate that face crusher mask, I still have it in my pocket and I still take it off as soon as I can.
  I also hunt fall turkeys, and I can guarantee, no matter how much camo you are wearing that they can see if you have a fall turkey tag in your billfold.  My wool camo is so good that if it were not for my shadow, I  would not know where I was, but the deer can still pick me out, when they want to.

[NY Yankee]

I totally feel that you don't need camo clothing to kill deer, only dull colors and non glare finishes. I also believe in soft, non noisy outer shell fabrics to avoid extra noise. Scent, movement and flash are what spooks game the most.

[centaur]

What you are wearing is not nearly as important as the wind and movement, which will get you busted regularly. Totally agree that camo is not neccessary to be successful. If it was, there would have been a lot of starving Indians.

[Bjorn]

I think the above applies to other animals as well. Movement kills you. Once picked up-either by sight or sound they are just looking for confirmation. If they got you by scent they will not seek confirmation they will just be gone. Play the wind and don't get caught eyeballing them!

[Cavscout9753]

Quality thread. Thanks for the info and the pics as well! I think many trad members here agree about gimmicky-camo. I always feel like an idiot when I put camo on and then a blaze orange vest (on Ft Benning it has to be solid orange, no patterns). I am trying out some ASAT this fall. The pants came pretty large, so just the shirt for now, but I like it because of the contrasting colors. I think the dark irregular patterns do help to break up the figure somewhat, and I have to wear a shirt so it may as well be this one. But the "insert name brand" 3D-high definition-tree pattern stuff seems pointless to me. Break up your outline, muted colors, dont move, play the wind.

[BAK]

What you're not mentioning is "texture".  That does make a difference, hence the great effectiveness of the Gillie suit.

[Paul Cousineau]

Yep... Good post.

[Stump73]

What do yall think about the head lamps with the green lights? They are supposed to not bother animals as much as regular lights. But since they are saying that they see in the blue and green color spectrum sounds like it would bother them. Maybe im just thinking wrong.

[Mjolnir]

Originally posted by shed hunter:
What do yall think about the head lamps with the green lights? They are supposed to not bother animals as much as regular lights. But since they are saying that they see in the blue and green color spectrum sounds like it would bother them. Maybe im just thinking wrong.

I use a low power red led headlamp to get to my stand in the morning. The red light doesn't affect my night vision very much and I've walked up on raccoons this year without the light spooking them. On opening morning, I got in my stand and turned the light off about 5 seconds before an owl landed within 4' of where I was sitting. Those things are almost completely silent.

When I was learning to hunt with my dad as a kid I used to think he was crazy for saying that we didn't need camo. As with a lot of other things, I've since learned that he was right.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

The advantage to a good camo pattern is that sight movement isn't detected as easily as a solid pattern. Dark woods camo in a jungle environment with a lot of light colored foliage is going to stick out like a turd in a punch bowl, as will a light colored pattern with a dark back ground. I think the contrast is more important than color. its just like getting sky lined..... you can see movement 500 yards away on a ridge line with nothing but sky behind it......

if you just use common sense and try and blend in with what is behind you, your slight movements will not be detected near as easy.

[Michael Arnette]

When I was in highschool i bought a deer decoy for cheap. On two different accasions several whitetail came bounding full hyper-speed into my setup after being spooked by other hunters...both times the deer stopped dead in their tracks several yards before they got to my decoy which was placed under my stand.
1) they were distracted
2) the decoy didn't move

I just can't believe it's just movement but also shape, shade and color to the extent they can see it. That is why camo and gillie type systems work

...By the way both encounters allowed me a shot I otherwise wouldn't have had    a decoy is a great deer drive tool

[David M. Mathis]

I use camo to hide from people. I don't like blood on my jeans or t-shirts, I wear them to work.

[highlow]

Always knew camo was pretty much worthless. I just like to blend in with my surroundings and stay hidden from other humans while on stand. Movement has always been the key. And scent if the wind isn't right but then there's always Ozonics.   :D