Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum what deer see

I can answer this question. I already know, if you’re not wearing cotton or natural fibers they see you.
I also know that diesel fuel is the best deer lure you can buy. Cow shit works great too.

depends . cotton in the field wont reflect uv light but most cotton clothes you buy will . cotton is really not white so at some point its starched thats when it starts reflecting uv light . most camo makers stop doing that process many years back . i wanna say real tree was the first ,

Hell, the last 10 to 15 years, I hunt in blue jeans, and T-shirt. From the ground.

Me too. Shooting houses with propane heat and comfy chairs. I don’t climb trees no more.

Same here. Since my buddy fell and is in a wheelchair, I quit climbing.

^^
I try not to climb - 57

I was just reading a study from UGA experts on color and what deer can actually see. There experts said deer see color blue the best and they can see ultra violet way better than we can. Supposedly they can’t see blaze orange at all

I do ground blinds a lot even in woods or homemade brush blinds sitting on ground

I just use Tk and Mikes extra violent ray spray when I hunt so I don’t have to worry about deer seeing me

I worry way more about the wind direction than what I’m wearing.

^^
Heck yea

And I may have to goggle TK and Mike videos - they were good - it’s been a while since heard them

The UV issue clicked for me one evening while bow hunting. It wasn’t hot but wasn’t particularly chilly. I was wearing an older, faded long sleeve cotton tee that was probably some variation of hardwoods timber. Lots of grey at one time had faded to almost white. I was in a climber on a pine tree just off the plot edge up about 30 feet. I’d had a little four point in the field for close to an hour and a half, feeding up and down the plot. I’m t had been under me twice already. As the sun went down the moon was high and bright. As the last of legal light faded that deer picked its head up and marched almost a hundred yards down the field to the base of my tree, looked up, and started stomping. It was then that I realized my shirt was glowing like a dim bulb. All that light grey had a glowing blueish tint.

Anytime I see the headline, “a University of (anywhere) study” I can predict the outcome according to who funded the study.

I try to avoid the UV brighteners, but I question how much of an impact it really has. These brighteners have been in almost all detergents and factory treatments for 50+ years. If you truly glowed like a lamp to deer in an otherwise muted forest, there is simply no way any of us would be seeing deer, especially mature bucks or matriarch does, at close ranges sitting in a treestand against a bare trunk. It’s simply not logical.

I can see it being a slight factor that could cause your movement to be more noticeable in very low light conditions, but I am not buying that you glow like a horror movie alien.

I never wear anything not washed in tide witb downy and hardly ever wear camoflauge, never use any scent elimination product. Deer are dumb, just sit down wind of where the deer will be and you will be very successful

Movement and who see who first. Lol

There ain’t no “downwind” in Alabama. The wind blows every direction at the same time.

Truth!

Yeah, wind change just long enough to spook the deer.

Solid Carhartt or Kuhl pants and camo shirt and jacket or vest. I wash them in scent free soap. As long as I manage my movements and profile and play the wind I never get busted. A $500 Sitka jacket is not going to hide you if you are moving around and smell like gas station fried chicken.

IF folks are in a shooting house/blind all the time OR if you're hunting long-range, UV is probably not a factor whatsoever. However, if you hunt in stands or on the ground without having shielding around you, it's a factor. If you hunt in the latter conditions, get a black light and shine it on your hunting clothes in a dark room sometimes. Obviously, UV isn't a big deal when the sun is bright, but on cloudy days and in low-light conditions, it's an issue. I checked all my hunting clothes last year and logos in particular were very bright... on hats, coveralls, jackets, etc.

Back in the '90s I hunted a few times with the guy with ATSKO, which makes Sno-Seal for boots and also laundry detergents with no UV additives.

He had been with them for years. Knew a lot. We had some interesting discussions, and a few other veteran grizzled hunters also were among those. We discussed UV light, what deer see, odors, wind, movement vs. sitting the eff still and quiet, all the things. Even back then he said that blue jeans and/or blue denim blue-wavelength anything was more visible, while blaze orange was not "blaze" to deer but more like an overcooked roast. Gray, bland, meh.

Research is great. I'm a fan. They learn more every year. But wearing dull clothing (no UV additives), knowing the wind, and not moving is what helps most of the time.

I used Bakeing Soda brand of washing powder for baby diapers.