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Bottom line: Moose and Supercore both have their bucks. Angus and I are still looking.

With the clipper coming through yesterday, we adjourned from camp and will be back out later in the week. I had a monstrous sore throat starting a week ago. It made for tough going the first couple days of season. I'm better now, but with snow and extreme cold, I decided to lay up until things got warmer.

Details and pics are here:
Rifle Opener 2019 -- The Story So Far


Genesis 9:2-4 Ministries Lighthearted Confessions of a Cervid Serial Killer
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I've put up a couple of does, but the bright moon we had in the first few days of season has helped not one bit. Figuring on going back to the farm on Friday for a hunt, and then again on Sunday and Monday.


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Shaman, I enjoyed reading about your trip and especially the informative regarding photos of different types of colorblindness, Especially the example of what deer would see.

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shaman Offline OP
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Originally Posted by StrayDog
Shaman, I enjoyed reading about your trip and especially the informative regarding photos of different types of colorblindness, Especially the example of what deer would see.


Thanks. You know, of all the things I've written over the years, I think the thing on what deer really see was the most flat-out informative piece I've done.

If you go back and look at the canon of stuff written about deer and their eyesight, you see mostly flat-out manure. I'm talking about whole chapters of books that are completely wrong. I was decades into deer hunting and even outdoor writing before I got a handle on the reality of it all. If you'd asked me 20 years ago, I couldn't tell you if:

Deer saw Hunter Orange as gray
Deer saw Hunter Orange as yellow ( or black or white or whatever)
Deer didn't see Hunter Orange at all (whatever that meant)

I'll also tell you that it is my suspicion that the outdoor world does not want the hunter to know the truth. There are a lot of powerful advertisers out there that capitalize on hunters' misunderstanding of a deer's eyesight to market their product.


Basic truths about deer's eyesight according to the shaman:

1) Deer see Hunter Orange as a muted yellow-- about the same as maple leaves that have turned
2) Deer have a bigger retinal area in focus than humans. However, it is not in as crisp a focus as a human's. The bottom line is that they can see movement better than us, but can't make out detail as well.
3) Deer have more rods than we do, and fewer cones. This means they can see in lower light conditions. It also means they don't see as vivid a color palette and the image is not as sharp
4) Deer have a phenomenal 270 degree cone of sight, but they can only see stereoscopically in about 2-5 degrees directly ahead.

The big takeaway from all this is that if you do the following things, you will be nearly invisible to deer:

1) Only move when they're moving, and do so in small increments
2) Keep your movements confined to those interior to body outline. Do not allow your general body outline to change shape as you move.
3) Try to blend in with your background.

Let me give you an example. Our Deer Camp is on the highest elevation of the farm. It is painted bright red. I sit on the back of the house in the evening and watch the deer. If I'm not going to spook the deer, I can't wear a white T-shirt, however, a normal barn coat and jeans is enough to fool them out to about 60 yards. I also wear a hat with a brim, so I can tilt my head down and obscure my face. If I sit out in cut-offs and a white shirt, I can spook the deer at 400 yards. If all is going to plan and the wind is with me, the deer treat me as part of the house. I can even take a sip of my scotch or put my binos up to my eyes without a problem. If however, I have to reach outside my body's outline to do something (like refill my cup) the deer are almost immediately on alert.


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As to your takeaway list:

1. Not only is it harder for them to pick up movement when they're moving, but the sounds they make, even though usually small, cover your noise, as close-in sound is louder to them than distant sound. (Pretty basic, I know)

2. As soon as I see deer, I get my rifle pointed in their direction and keep it there. That way, any movement is vertical and in line with my outline. With a single deer, it's usually pretty easy to get the rifle lined up, just remember that while you may be out of sight when a deer's head Is behind cover, your rifle barrel may be far enough to the side for its movement to be seen. Shiny SS barrels are extra noticeable, one reason I prefer the matte ones Ruger put on the All Weather Hawkeyes. They're pretty dull and muted.

3. Muted, mottled colors tend to blend in with the background. A little black is small chunks is okay, but large sections are bad; think how easy it is to spot a black bear in cover. I usually wear a face mask and hat, or at least a scarf across my face. I also try not to look directly at deer when they're close. The human face, or even just the eyes, are pretty prominent head on. I also avoid any orange on my hands (and head if possible) because they move the most.

I can't really say that the industry is trying to fool us about deer vision and colors, but I'm certain that they're turning our "sport" into a quasi-military exercise by marketing a bunch of electronics, and other stuff to give the impression that you need to defeat all a deer's defenses with some kind of gadget rather than woodcraft. "Ignore the wind and just hunt" is a perfect example of that. You have to leave the game something in their favor. They ain't terrorists.

Good post, Oldtimer.


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Pappy, I couldn't agree more.

As to your last point, anytime you see digital patterns on hunting clothing, you know someone's trying to pull your leg. It's not that it's more or less effective on deer. It's just that you need electronic vision enhancement for it to be useful-- something most whitetails lack.

I used to be a head-to-toe camo kind of guy. Now?

[Linked Image]

No, that isn't a pic from the 70's. That's me last weekend. I've basically found Carhart Brown and checks to be about all the camo I need. Yes, I still wear my share of Mossy Oak and that stuff, but I'm not tied to it anymore. This whole turn back to retro is after a decade of careful testing on my own deer. This marks the first deer I've taken nearly 40 years where I wasn't wearing any camo whatsoever.


Genesis 9:2-4 Ministries Lighthearted Confessions of a Cervid Serial Killer

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