Jul
23
UV brightens with deer hunting?
Filed Under Turkey Hunting
Does uv radiation really make you super visible to a deer? I have seen pictures of deer vision where a hunter glows blue, is this true? How effective is uv block laundry detergent? Are deer the only animals that can see uv, or do turkey, bear and moose also see it? Thanks.
I have had 5 doe, 10 pairs of eyes not more than 7 or 8 feet in front of me while on the ground, no scent cover, no uv wash and they never knew I was there. They stood in front of me for a good minute before naturally moving on.
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5 Responses to “UV brightens with deer hunting?”
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It really is true with deer. However, I am of the opinion that movement, and the way you move, have more to do with a deer spotting you than anything else.
I’ve seen a couple of guys do what they call the cow walk. They hunch over and the guy in the back puts his hand on the guy in front’s back, and they walk right up on elk. The theory is that the elk aren’t so bothered by what appears to be a 400 pound 4-legged animal as they would be by two 200 pound two legged men.
I’m with Roadhunter on this one. Movement is the most important factor for being seen by deer. And like the guys doing the ‘cow walk’, the type of movement makes a huge difference. If you don’t have another guy to ‘cow’ with, do it by yourself. Go on hands and knees, moving your rifle along the ground with you. Don’t go srtaight, but wander and let your head move SLOWLY around, then crawl another ’step’ and so on. I went right up to a big doe last fall from 500 yards out in plain sight the whole way. She just watched me approach without much concern. 75 yards out I stood up, and she was gone in a flash. Watch out for your UV for sure, but move right and it is much easier to approach wildlife. J
Im gonna have to join the above two answers and agree that UV is visible to deer and many other game species including turkey. The reason that this is not an immediate Red Flag to them is that many other things in nature also reflect UV rays i.e. rotting logs and vegetation. You should still wash your clothes with non UV brighteners though. There is no reason why you should want to stand out while not around these other sources of UV light. The sport washes are expensive though and I can see why someone would be detered from using them. I have been looking for a cheap substitute and finally found one. I found a $2 bottle of detergent with no fragrences or UV brighteners, and beleive it or not, It was at the local Walgreens. Every hunter has had their close encounters with wildlife, but every hunter has also been busted by wildlife.
Yes Deer can see UV brighteners in your clothing.
More important than using a UV blocker is using a detergent that does not have UV brighteners. Most detergents marketed to hunters do not contain these chemicals.
And as stated by others- Movement is the critical factor in avoiding the eyes of your prey.
I also agree with the above statements, but in addition, deer see shades of blue very well. It’s kind of like blaze orange in the winter to us. I have almost never seen a deer-especially close walking thru the woods with bluejeans or anything with blue.