Blue / Yellow Feathers and Deer Vision

[bowhuntingrn]

I just ordered some Maxima Blue Streaks to try a heavily front loaded arrow. Since the nock collars and writing is blue, I thought I'd do some matching wraps / feathers. I had been designing away on Onestringer's custom page and then got to thinking about something I read sometime back. So then I did a little rereading. It seems the prevailing thought on the way deer see things is not as "black and white" as many of us were always taught. They see colors, they just see them much differently than we do, with blue being the color they can see the best. They also see yellow, but it doesn't stand out the way blue does, not to mention there are plenty of yellows in nature. I know being still is the most important, but being primarily a ground level hunter, I'm now wondering if I should go with other colors? Any thoughts or personal experiences. Anyone been busted / picked out with blue anything? As always, I'm probably over thinking this, but I need every advantage I can get.

[dbd870]

I think I'd be more worried about scent and movement than the fletching colors.  

[Bladepeek]

You may well be right, but usually when I'm ground hunting, I take my quiver off (don't use a bow quiver) and place it where the upper half is hidden behind a tree/bush/grass. The single arrow on the string is a pretty small profile - especially if it is pointed toward the deer.

[joe skipp]

You have a PM...

[TOEJAMMER]

I have a couple of friends that are color blind and they tell me that they can distinguish the color blue best of any.  Whether that translates to deer, I don't know.

[Bjorn]

If the colors reflect they become remarkably visible. I was on a ridge a while back and could see movement at a great distance-like someone waving. Turned out it was neon letching on arrows in a bow quiver. The hunters and bows were coming towards me and only became visible a while later-couldn't see them, but their neon fletches 'could be seen for miles' even by an old guy with failing eyesight.    

[bowhuntingrn]

Originally posted by dbd870:
I think I'd be more worried about scent and movement than the fletching colors.      

This is pretty much what I figured,  but thought I'd ask. I tend to over think things...thanks for all the replies / PM'S so far.
Cory

[TSP]

Any color that CONTRASTS with adjacent surroundings to a great degree is going to draw attention, especially if it moves.  Fletch in a bow quiver is a good example of contrasting repetitive movement...each time the hand moves (center core of movement) it results in a correspondingly larger 'wave' of contrasting fletch at the end (outer perimeter) of the quiver. It's not the color as much as any contrasting tone, together with the movement, that makes the difference.  

Deer (and also deer flies/moose flies) can apparently see blue in some way, deer as a tone of gray (depending on the hue) and the the pesky flies as an actual blue tone, which are apparently) attractive to them (so avoid wearing blue clothing during deer and moose fly season, lol).  For deer, if the color tone (regardless of color) matches the tone of the surroundings it wouldn't seem to be a problem.  For bow quivers or some hip quivers where the fletch 'bounces' repeatedly with each step or with hand movement, the easy solution is a camo or 'tone correct' fletch cover.  Next best is fletching that approximates the surroundings...like natural turkey fletching in the woods...to average out tonal qualities.  You still have to contend with the bouncing/movement problem, though.

I guess the bottom line is...if you look at it and can see it moving, so can they.

[TSP]

Any color that CONTRASTS with adjacent surroundings to a great degree is going to draw attention, especially if it moves.  Fletch in a bow quiver is a good example of contrasting repetitive movement...each time the hand moves (center core of movement) it results in a correspondingly larger 'wave' of contrasting fletch at the end (outer perimeter) of the quiver. It's not the color as much as any contrasting tone, together with the movement, that makes the difference.  

Deer (and also deer flies/moose flies) can apparently see blue in some way, deer as a tone of gray (depending on the hue) and the the pesky flies as an actual blue tone, which are apparently attractive to them (so avoid wearing blue clothing during deer and moose fly season, lol).  For deer, if the color tone (regardless of color) matches the tone of the surroundings it wouldn't seem to be a problem.  For bow quivers or some hip quivers where the fletch 'bounces' repeatedly with each step or with hand movement, the easy solution is a camo or 'tone correct' fletch cover.  Next best is fletching that approximates the surroundings...like natural turkey fletching in the woods...to average out tonal qualities.  You still have to contend with the bouncing/movement problem, though.

I guess the bottom line is...if you look at it and can see it moving, so can they.

[TSP]

Sorry for the double post...not sure how that happened.

[stiknstringer]

I use chartrues feathers and had deer pick them out so I keep them covered . I also knew a guy who hunted on the ground in blue jeans and killed deer pretty regularly.  

[Zradix]

I stay away from blue for that reason.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Yep overthinking is pretty common these days, I have no idea how many deer I've killed with a trad bow wearing blue jeans when I was younger. I had Treekiller make me up a beautiful set of blue and white arrows a few years back unfortunately the ended up red white and blue and didn't last very long.

 

 

I worry a whole lot more about sent control and could care less about camo. My average deer shot is 12 yds from a tree and from the ground.

Killed my biggest buck at 8yds wearing blue jeans

 

Tracy

[bowhuntingrn]

K.S. Trapper, that is one heck of a buck! Thanks for the pictures. I'm pretty methodical about my scent control and try (try being the key word) to keep the wind in my face. I hunt public land though, chances at any size deer are few and far between, so I sweat the small stuff in the off season. Probably going to go with some variation of blue / white / silver wraps...haven't decided on the feathers yet. Will most likely order more than one combo and decide what I like best when they get here. Thanks again everyone.