Deer and UV spectrum - Page 2

Art Eatman · November 3, 2009, 10:23 AM

Vignette: I once watched a doe walk up to within maybe twenty feet of a hunter. He was wearing Levis jeans and jacket and sitting on a stump out in an open area with no brush really close by. He sat absolutely still. The doe knew that the stump didn't look righteous, but without any motion to spook her, her curiosity had her checking it out.

She stomped around and bobbed her head. He never reacted, and she finally wandered off.

Staying with deer and coyote hunting: Wildlife is horizontal. People is vertical.

Animals cue on motion, and different is by definition bad. Vertical is different, right?

I dunno. I learned how to sorta ooze along in the woods, moving slowly from tree to tree and letting dull earth-toned clothing make me into some sort of strange growth on a tree that didn't really stand out as being an obvious different thing.

One thing I've noticed through the years with other folks out hunting: Moving camo attracts MY eyes quicker than somebody in--for example--solid khaki in dead-grass country.

Double Naught Spy · November 3, 2009, 10:56 AM

Yeah, you really should pick the correct camo for your environment.

Hog Buster · November 3, 2009, 02:13 PM

00 Spy

Good idea, I'll stick on a few feathers and look like Big Bird that should do the trick...

CajunBass · November 4, 2009, 04:00 AM

A few random stories about being seen, heard and smelled by deer. They prove nothing at all of course.

I once had a full length blaze orange hunting coat. I was walking through a plowed field late one evening wearing that coat, when I turned a corner, and there were a few (3-4) deer in the field. I stood still, but the old doe spotted me, but just kept snapping her head up trying to catch me moving. As long as I stayed still, they kept on feeding. As soon as I moved, she snorted, and off they went.

On stand once, I was wearing a blaze orange hat and pretty much camo everything else. A bunch of does came out 50-60 yards away (too far for buckshot). One of the does, looked right at me and came to attention. Gradually she looked away. When she did, I took off my hat and tucked it out of sight. The next time when she looked up at me, she paid me no mind and went back to browsing. I put my hat on. She spotted me right away. This went on through several cycles. Every time I had the hat on, she spotted me right away. It didn't "scare" her, but it did put her on alert. Eventually the dogs got too close, and they moved on.

A few days ago, I was squirrel hunting. I was leaning against a big tree when four or five deer came over the hill. At first they ignore me, but finally the bigger doe moved to where she had a clear view. Now I was just wearing a sweat shirt and pants, with a camo hunting vest over them. She spotted me right away and the stare down started. I tried not to move. She kept locked on me. Before too long one of the others must have seen me because she locked her vision on me too. I stood there for must have been five or more minutes before I finally got tired of the game, and moved. As soon as I moved, up went the tails, I heard a wheeze, and off they went.
They saw something out of place, alerted on it and watched it until they figured out what it was.

My grandfather used to hunt Civil War relics with a metal detector. When deer season was open, he'd put a rope on his Fox double, and sling it over his neck. I don't know how many deer he killed doing that but it was more than a few. He said the deer paid him no mind at all because he didn't move like a hunter so they didn't see him as a danger. He was walking in the woods, making no attempt at being quiet, digging holes in the ground, and so on. Was he right? Who knows. He had the results to prove it.

How many times have you heard of deer being attracted to a chain saw? I'm not a wood-cutter, but I've had people tell me they've been cutting on one end of a log and seen deer eating off the other end. People I have no doubt were telling the truth. Maybe we need to carry chain saws as calls. I know deer around here pay no attention at all to the kids in the yard yelling and screaming, and the yard dogs barking. They might look up when they hear the noise, but they don't really alert. Just more a curious look.

None of this proves anything other than you never know what a deer will do or how they'll react. And bucks react a lot differently than does.

November 3, 2009, 10:56 AM	#27
Double Naught Spy Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Forestburg, Montague Cnty, TX Posts: 12,717	Yeah, you really should pick the correct camo for your environment. __________________ "If you look through your scope and see your shoe, aim higher." -- said to me by my 11 year old daughter before going out for hogs 8/13/2011 My Hunting Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

November 3, 2009, 02:13 PM	#28
Hog Buster Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2009 Location: Pointe Coupee, Louisana Posts: 772	00 Spy Good idea, I'll stick on a few feathers and look like Big Bird that should do the trick... __________________ Those who beat their guns into plows, will plow for those who don't.-Thomas Jefferson

November 4, 2009, 04:00 AM	#29
CajunBass Senior Member Join Date: May 6, 2005 Location: North Chesterfield, Virginia Posts: 4,767	A few random stories about being seen, heard and smelled by deer. They prove nothing at all of course. I once had a full length blaze orange hunting coat. I was walking through a plowed field late one evening wearing that coat, when I turned a corner, and there were a few (3-4) deer in the field. I stood still, but the old doe spotted me, but just kept snapping her head up trying to catch me moving. As long as I stayed still, they kept on feeding. As soon as I moved, she snorted, and off they went. On stand once, I was wearing a blaze orange hat and pretty much camo everything else. A bunch of does came out 50-60 yards away (too far for buckshot). One of the does, looked right at me and came to attention. Gradually she looked away. When she did, I took off my hat and tucked it out of sight. The next time when she looked up at me, she paid me no mind and went back to browsing. I put my hat on. She spotted me right away. This went on through several cycles. Every time I had the hat on, she spotted me right away. It didn't "scare" her, but it did put her on alert. Eventually the dogs got too close, and they moved on. A few days ago, I was squirrel hunting. I was leaning against a big tree when four or five deer came over the hill. At first they ignore me, but finally the bigger doe moved to where she had a clear view. Now I was just wearing a sweat shirt and pants, with a camo hunting vest over them. She spotted me right away and the stare down started. I tried not to move. She kept locked on me. Before too long one of the others must have seen me because she locked her vision on me too. I stood there for must have been five or more minutes before I finally got tired of the game, and moved. As soon as I moved, up went the tails, I heard a wheeze, and off they went. They saw something out of place, alerted on it and watched it until they figured out what it was. My grandfather used to hunt Civil War relics with a metal detector. When deer season was open, he'd put a rope on his Fox double, and sling it over his neck. I don't know how many deer he killed doing that but it was more than a few. He said the deer paid him no mind at all because he didn't move like a hunter so they didn't see him as a danger. He was walking in the woods, making no attempt at being quiet, digging holes in the ground, and so on. Was he right? Who knows. He had the results to prove it. How many times have you heard of deer being attracted to a chain saw? I'm not a wood-cutter, but I've had people tell me they've been cutting on one end of a log and seen deer eating off the other end. People I have no doubt were telling the truth. Maybe we need to carry chain saws as calls. I know deer around here pay no attention at all to the kids in the yard yelling and screaming, and the yard dogs barking. They might look up when they hear the noise, but they don't really alert. Just more a curious look. None of this proves anything other than you never know what a deer will do or how they'll react. And bucks react a lot differently than does. __________________ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)

November 3, 2009, 10:23 AM	#26
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Vignette: I once watched a doe walk up to within maybe twenty feet of a hunter. He was wearing Levis jeans and jacket and sitting on a stump out in an open area with no brush really close by. He sat absolutely still. The doe knew that the stump didn't look righteous, but without any motion to spook her, her curiosity had her checking it out. She stomped around and bobbed her head. He never reacted, and she finally wandered off. Staying with deer and coyote hunting: Wildlife is horizontal. People is vertical. Animals cue on motion, and different is by definition bad. Vertical is different, right? I dunno. I learned how to sorta ooze along in the woods, moving slowly from tree to tree and letting dull earth-toned clothing make me into some sort of strange growth on a tree that didn't really stand out as being an obvious different thing. One thing I've noticed through the years with other folks out hunting: Moving camo attracts MY eyes quicker than somebody in--for example--solid khaki in dead-grass country.