Deer Vision is Different Than We Thought! Series: Deer Science w/guest Dr. Karl Miller.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.พ. 2025
- In this episode we start our series on the science of whitetail deer, and how knowing that is our greatest leverage, our greatest potential to become better hunters. In part one we are joined by the well-known research scientist Dr. Karl Miller of the University of Georgia Deer Lab. He has done incredible research over the years on deer and made some impactful discoveries. We’re going to talk about some of those over the next few episodes and delve into just what makes deer tick. Now, Dr. Miller lives in a remote area, so reception was spotty - a few parts of the video version look like a bad movie overdub, but the content is definitely top notch - just a warning for ya. But, this is a very High IQ episode.
And, you’re going to want to write some of this overflowing wealth of wisdom down, and reflect on it after to get the most out of it. Our free journal is the best way to do that - download it below. Ok, so here are the top things to look for during this episode:
•What don't most hunters understand about deer senses that negatively impacts their hunting?
• How do a deer’s 3 main survival senses really work together, and what does knocking one or more
of these out mean for hunters?
• What did Dr. Miller’s research reveal about how deer actually see - and what are the implications for
us as we hit the woods, buy camouflage, and plan our hunting strategy.
• And how do deer actually see in slow motion? Yes this is a real thing..
And there is a lot of in depth science stuff in here, almost too much to digest - you may want to listen a few times and really think about how it applies, and our FREE journal to help HERE: deeriq.com/jou...
Year Theme: To Be a Greater Hunter
Series: The Legacy of Great Hunters
Episode # 49
Guest: Host Adam Lewis; Dr. Karl Miller
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• The Science of Deer He...
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Great stuff, After 50 years of Bowhunting , I've learned that you can fool a deer's eyes, and you can fool a deer's ears, But you Can't fool a Deer's Nose! If he see's something, he might hesitate, and if he hears something ,he might hesitate, and question it, But when he smells something he doesn't like, he never questions that, he's gone ! They live by their nose !
I was sitting in a tree when I saw a big buck. He was tracking my scent down the trail and as soon as he hit the spot where I left the trail he turned and fled so fast that I never had the chance to move!
Ozonics will fool them. Not every time, not every situation, and definitely not the latest models. 😂
Yes
It’s the nose !!!
I’ve deer hunted since 1972 and there is one ,ONE THING! That is their nose is their number one friend to stay alive.
They have to eat and how do “ I “ , the deer get to and from the best food. But all along the way is sign posts of who is in these areas . There is sent posts all along the way .
The deer uses the wind and wind currents to safely guide their way to and from their food and sign posts .
Know your land like they do . Know every wind current for every wind direction.
The lay of the land creates currents. You have to know your land , temperature changes ect ect ect . The nose knows and guides.
Got to spend a bunch of money on scent killer buddy
I live in the forest in British Columbia and made friends with wild mule deer. Started by one who befriended me. She died of an infection in her mouth. Then I looked after one of her offspring who ended up with a broken leg. Haven't seen her this year. I treasure the moments I spent with them. I would find the mom in the forest and we would sit together and she would fall asleep beside me. They have really good hearing with those big ears.
This is a great point! Those of us who only see deer as prey only think about the way our attempts to hunt them intersect with their attempts to avoid predation, but those of us who see deer as fully formed living beings (regardless of whether we hunt them or not) think about the ways in which they relate to us in a broader fashion.
Lumpy jaw (necrotic stomatitis) is perhaps what caused the demise of the doe. It's a bacterial infection that attacks the mouth when ungulates are particularly vulnerable to entry of the bacteria due to them feeding on rough forage, common on marginal winter range, that lacerates the animals' gums. Horribly, the infection can completely sever an infected animal's jawbone though healing follows the necrosis (bone's healing process is what produces the "lumps"). I've seen photos of elk jaws that showed evidence of repeated infections before the one that ultimately took the subjects' lives. Death resulting from the action of an ethical hunter or even other predators is significantly less prolonged and agonizing a process.
I grew up with both a passion for wildlife and for hunting that urbanites raised on Disney seem to find incompatible with each other; but, I believe that a significant portion, if not a majority, of hunters share those dual passions. I am envious of the interaction you were privileged to share with that Mule deer doe and her offspring--it reminds me of Joe Hutto's experience documented in "Touching The Wild: Living With The Mule Deer Of Deadman Gulch." That said, I've had the opportunity to personally observe Columbia Black-tailed deer closely here on the Olympic Peninsula for several years. While I do not attempt to feed them, I leave them as undisturbed as possible in my yard and the adjacent woodland. There is something spiritually satisfying in being able to walk around the corner of the house or shop, not being alert, and unexpectedly encounter deer at distances under thirty feet that don't bound away in fear of my presence, but will return to feeding instead or even bed down to ruminate in the grass that I leave uncut in the backyard.
@@willong1000 That was my conclusion as well. A kind hearted veterinarian gave me some anti biotics to give her. I put some in her food but it was too late. A huge mass formed on her lower jaw which eventually burst open. Dripping blood. She was behind my shed when a conservation officer came and killed her. I cried all day. I have wonderful memories of our times together and some great photos of us. When the Saskatoon berries were ripe I would bend the branches down so she could reach them. She loved them. I would often go into the forest to find her and we would sit together. She would fall asleep beside me. Sometimes she was with other does and they accepted me. I am sure she told them I was a friend. She introduced her two fawns to me who also became friends. Iwas able to rub their ears and heads. One disappeared and the other ended up with a broken leg. I took care of her. She never showed up this year. The only one left from that family group was an old matriarch. I helped her out this winter and spring with bird seed but now she too has disappeared as there is lots of natural food and ii think she helps guard the newly born fawns. I have learned a lot about mule deer and their behavior by spending time with them. I am a park caretaker and these deer are part of the parks herd that live here.
I HAVE HUNTED DEER MY WHOLE LIFE,HARVESTED AND CONSUMED MANY.NOW I HAVE ACCESS TO A SMALL SUBURBAN WOODED PARCEL OF LAND 13 acres! I have 2 older does that drop their fawns off our patio,I am amazed at how they interact and avoid Danger, mainly Coyotes,and dogs!OLD DOES are remarkably observant and can recognize harmless humans,from hunting neighbors on adjacent properties!The Bucks come thru the property when they are growing antlers in June,and during the rut in November,Other than that the Does,usually dropping twin fawns ,rule the area!I still believe the numbers need to be managed,But at this stage in my life I leave that to someone else,I just enjoy them too much now !
@@Happy11807 I understand your feelings. Two days ago, I watched a spotted fawn, a Columbian Black-tailed deer, bound out of the woodland from behind my house, race across the neighborhood access road, continue across the large lot opposite, and then leap over the fence separating that property from its neighbor. A few minutes later, a couple walking their small breed dog passed by. Before they had traveled another ten yards down the road, an adult doe, walking out along my neighbor's concrete driveway, also came to the road. Straining against its leash, the couple's dog barked aggressively and lunged at the doe several times. I watched amused but also concerned as the doe, with her head down and ears angled back, followed the couple and their dog. (I'd not seen the local deer exhibit that posture previously except when it was displayed deer-on-deer in what appeared to be territorial disputes.) I heard the dog-walking pair voice such comments as "What the hell?" and "What's wrong with you?" as the doe pursued them and their aggressive pooch around the corner. I don't know if the couple heard me, but I hollered "She's just looking for her fawn that ran across the road." Not long after following the couple, the doe came near again and sniffed the ground near where the fawn had crossed. I had hoped she would detect the fawn's scent and follow on its path. I even pointed repeatedly in the direction that the fawn had traveled in vain hope that the doe might somehow interpret my meaning. As she returned from pursuing the yapping dog, I noticed the doe's mouth was open and she appeared to have a slight limp at her right-rear hock or hoof area. The doe was aware of me, but she showed no aggression whatsoever. She did not follow along the fawn's trail, but crossed back and presumably reentered the forest. A day later, while looking for edible mushrooms in those woods, I stepped within eight feet of a bedded fawn before it bolted. I glimpsed another deer through the dense foliage as I halted. Neither animal continued on their flight while I spoke and whistled softly and clucked my tongue at them. In fact, they eventually began to browse, and I eased away from them. I hope it was the pair from the previous day reunited. Coyotes in this neighborhood sometimes strike up a horrendously eerie chorus! Moreover, my late mother once found what appeared to be a cougar-killed deer in her backyard. Despite decades of hunting deer and other game myself, my affection and sympathies lie with them. I actually want to resume some hunting, but I could never bring myself to shoot any of the neighborhood deer as I would feel that I was betraying their trust!
“I’m not selling camo to the deers eyes, I’m selling to the hunters eyes”
Everything I needed to know right there.
What an amazing interview. I learned a ton!
Hunt simple is a channel that is created by a gentleman from Idaho I believe he is an avid hunter and smart as can be, he has stated the industry about hunting is all about just making money and that’s it. This camouflage and scents and all of that is just gimmicks and money makers for greedy people.
Something else less scientific is the cost of hunting cabin beer nuts are now $3.99 per pound but luckily deer nuts are still under a buck!
One firsthand example of animal's ability to see in low light - I can throw Frisbees to my dog at night and I can hear her running across the yard and catching them in mid-air, yet I can't even see the dog when she comes up to me and drops the Frisbee on my feet!
I hunt in an enclosed blind on top of a tripod, 1/2 way up a hill facing west where the predominant wind blows towards me. I enter from the top of the hill. As long as I stay quiet I can avoid all their senses. My experience is small noises don't startle them near as much as movement, the worst sin is getting winded.
Enjoyed the video, couple things about lights. First I've always told everyone just what the guest said. Deer see in the dark. Not using a light or even if you found one they can't see you're not helping yourself. They can still see you.
Second thing is with deer seeing at a faster rate than we do, your led light if it uses a push button switch will look like it's flashing to them. Those lights dim and brighten using pulse width modulation. It's actually turning on and off at a high rate. To dim the, the lights off cycle is a bit longer and appears dimmer to the human eye. As the cycle speeds up it looks brighter because it's actually on longer. It's why you can sometimes see led headlights flashing on camera. It's catching the pulse between. In my opinion led headlamps that use pwm instead of a resistor based current control are more noticeable no matter the color.
Thanks for the feedback - I only use red headlights. Dr. Miller said deer can see slightly into red, but I’ve tested my red lights on deer for years.. they cannot see it when shined in their eyes even at close distance. I’ll share more on that in a later video.
I coon hunt and own a business building lights. They just aren't bothered by lights. Unless you have someone in the area that is spot lighting. Then they learn to associate it with danger. It's the same with dogs. I have videos of deer bedded right by dogs barking treed, but if you have an issue with someones dogs running deer. They start to associate it with danger.
I wrote a series about the eyesight of deer about 30 years ago in college, the cone curvature from early morning to late evening you glow blue to them, that’s why you don’t wash your clothes in detergent.
My name is Cass using my wife’s account, lol I’ve hunted all my life, we live in Arizona and whitetail was my favorite animal to hunt. Many years in the woods and even lived there.
You can use a detergent that does not contain UV brighteners/whiteners. A good brand to use is Atsko laundry detergent.
The blue glow is from UV light hitting any brighteners commonly used in detergents. This is actually a problem in wedding photography, where the bride's dress will have a blue cast in photos where a strobe flash is used. Not the same "white" as shots made in natural light.
Great video n content ! This guy has Whitetails I'm his Veins 😎
Traditional Wool hunting coats and shirts had black and red or green patterns. I think they had it figured out years ago to go with the patch work pattern to break up the solids. I've had deer walk up to me at 10 yards and just look at me to determine what I was with the lack of a wind.
thats why stuff like swedish m90 camo work, even on humans. You see it in the picture and it looks stupid but once in the woods its like your brain just doesnt register it as a human shape even when looking straight at it
I would like to know if, after sunset and as its getting completely dark, if there is a time of eye adjustment for a deer that leaves them vulverable to a hunter because i have had deer not see me moving as im lifting my rifle up to scope a buck behind them. I often wonder why those deer didnt see me.
This is the best podcast i have heard. Thanks!
Glad you enjoy it!
Very interesting science. Lots of takeaways. Not a hunter, but finding out about what makes animals tick has ALWAYS fascinated me. Great video. Thanks.
Welcome!
This was a cool talk. I just opened up my photo editor to alter a photograph by color channel graph curves and then increased the brightness and shadows. It makes me wonder now how their eyes perceive depth perception and distance, like how a telephoto lens will compress distance to make a scene look more flat, which may look flatter if deer see light in low contrast.
Everyone should check put Penn states archives they have led the way along with many others but Pennsylvanias come back with deer population and elk population is incredible
best camo out there.... faded carhartt coat and coveralls!!! been saying It for years
Great video . I always prefer the old army camo . Like we used to hunt with .
That was freaking awesome! Good stuff. I didn't know most of it. Thanks Adam and Doc. Like I always say, can't beat learning! Even when you are making a mistake.😮😅
Great!
camo is always hotly debated. My experience in europe is that yes it matters. but pattern is definitely more important than colour and those realtree camos are for the hunters eye only (unless you hunt birds, while different ballgame)
Swedish m90 camo has definitely increased my succes rate in the early season, the exact colour scheme doesnt matter, its big irregular patches of greens that make your outline harder to spot. Finnish m05 winter woodland and dutch fractal pattern are some other milsurp examples of this. I even wear the winter woodland in fall, it has an almost dazzling pattern of green, dark grey and pine green. id wager even blue would work fine if you can create a pattern that breaks up your siluette. Remember the rule about V shapes, humans can be easily picked up by the angles between limbs basically.
here is one tip that so far has worked wonders for me! When you move, follow the vegetation. match your speed timing sway with the trees blowing in the wind basically. For me personally this really works crazy well. also in my experience deer do not pick up movement in s straight line well. Last winter i was oit with a shotgun in an open field and saw a roe buck out in the snow. i decided to try something and keeping my barrel pointed and my arms tucked in and knees together i slowly moved closer in a straight line while swaying with the wind.
I got within 30 paces and fired. Believe ot, dont believe it, test it!
my experience has been that while deer have this really accute prey animal vision they are really easy to put at ease by specifically not moving like an animal/human
Very interesting video. I’ve killed more whitetails then I can remember, also a lot of mule deer, moose and a couple of elk. It’s great to have a scientific explanation on deer. I’ve also killed several bighorn sheep and learned that their vision is top notch…they can spot me at 700-1000 yards away..it would be interesting to get a scientist explanation of wild sheep vision.
This was good, thank you.
Best camo for deer hunting is vintage 🦆 duck camo ... it works and breaks up your silhouette and the pattern blends into every scenario and it definitely fools the deers eyes from my experiences and if it works for ducks 🦆 then it works for 🦌 bucks ....
Great podcast!
Re: Cammo pattern- detail=contrast, if something of contrast is moving as a field between brush, it will stand out more as apparent motion than a solid shade.."why is a bush moving laterally?" vs a steady shadow..or "ripple" of old army green, brown, black camo from 70-80's
Re: "FEAR" I beg to differ, ALERT and fear are two separate things..deer are ALWAYS processing situational awareness..discerning..they are hyper responsive (very sensitive in a cognitive sense rather than fear) to both immediate personal space and 1000 feet out.. but above all the mandate for situational awareness and tactical security decision overrides fear..deer will snort-blow a threat, "retreat" to an advantageous area of the "cleared zone" they are currently in to ascertain threat's response, intention, and better identify. You think they left, but they won't go far ..unless they know threat as identified risk or have not "secured zone" (deer travel in "zones" of situational awareness, "clearing" (much like tactical security clearing) an area before entering. I have followed deer flanking and "infiltrating to the rear" of disruptive stressors, (ie. a brush cutting operation..sneaking "ninja" up on the supervisor in pickup truck from behind..smart doe, but common behavior to investigate)
Re: Headlights..no footfalls..vehicles sound more like wind, do not have footfalls..deer cannot judge distance in their manner of perception, and if too close of an approach angle(more direct on roadside than seen passing laterally from distance, where there is more lateral apparent motion..(it is harder to judge a bird dive bombing you than one flying by)
Deer also instinctively broadside predators..DOESN'T WORK WITH VEHICLES..
*Why deer are the deadliest animals to humans...
After my 40+ years with wild whitetail, podcasts like this are so refreshing to see..
Keep up the good work! Keep learning!
Hit the nail on the head with the camo contrast analogy. Consequently I don't wear camo anymore only solid shades of light gray. I don't get visually busted as much anymore 😊
Super interesting. Thank you!
Welcome!
Biggest thing I got out of this is the color white. I already knew about the blues and yellows and dichromatic etc.. but I hadn’t thought about what colors white reflects…
Good info thanks, very important ? What color camo is best. Not pattern just the best colors to use.
I personally like very open patterns like the Cabela’s version on the shirt I wear in this video th-cam.com/video/lj29H6dH8d0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=g89ys0SsRrjgByh-
I was eating corn on the cob when you said parts of the podcast may be like a bad Chinese movie, I laughed and blew a piece of corn out of my nose 😅
Hahaha!!
I've been using Red Fox urine for cover scent that trappers use while setting their traps for over 50 years. Works great ! If a Deer smells Red Fox urine, they assume it's safe since a Fox is just as cautious as a Deer.
My father used that when I was growing up and I did as a kid. I found smelling like nothing is much much better.
Hunting deer for 49 yrs now, I studied them myself but I don't have a PHD . Deer can see orange vest it may not be orange color to them. I have lot of things I have done and try it helped me put 60 buck untill Tennessee chance to 3/does a day added over 100 this year it's going up . I help feed the hungry
I will deffer to him on vision. That being said, a fast compound bow with hunting weight arrows is 300 fps. Screaming fast 330 fps. The fastest cross bows are hitting 500 fps. Sound? 1100 fps. That means the sound of the fastest crossbow reaches the deer twice as fast as the bolt from the bow gets there. They're 100% hearing the bow go off. Had them drop with their heads behind trees and couldn't see me or my bow.
I concur
So what’s better for camo then, a camo pattern or solid colour, for example realtree edge vs army green? Great info, Thanks
20 years ago or so I had a friend at Bath Iron Works here in Maine who had a lens called the "Deer Eye." It was supposed to allow humans to see colors the same as a deer. It was developed by some relative of his and when you looked through it things looked generally blue, but some colors really stuck out and others disappeared when you looked through it. Even seemingly identical (to the human eye) hunter orange jackets looked totally different. Some looked yellow, others purple, and others almost became invisible. One particular Hoyt camo pattern on a bow of the time period looked almost like aluminum foil through the lens. Anyone ever heard of this? I physically had this in my hands so I know it's real, and I saw the product literature on it with the lens, but never thought of it again until now.
Interesting. If you get more info please share. It isn’t too hard to do knowing how light works and the cones present in a deer’s eye to decipher how they perceive colors. For example, since they cannot see red light, a red shirt only reflects red, so to them this would look like the absence of light or black.
I wear blue jeans and a leafy suit top in tree stand my 1 stand is roughly 9 feet off ground. I firmly believe if you break up the human out line you could wear soild pink and still be just as successful as any camo pattern available..
Excellent synopsis on sight although we addressed the white/blue connection, the blaze orange did not enter. When converting color blaze orange to b/w in a camera , the image is bright white. Years ago I challenged a team leader in worker visibility from the air wearing camo enhancing habitat in a waterfowl state controlled zone. I was the pilot recording the aerial survey of the entire control zone, hunting as well as refuge. My crew was wearing black and grey coveralls with outside labels removed or blacked out. In the photos the team wearing the camo were more easily spotted as the camo did not ( from the air) blend in as was thought. The team with grey/black covering blended as stumps or limbs of downed trees. Note: this also revealed non movement is the best defense of being “BUSTED “ by game. HOWEVER THE QUESTION OF
WHETHER DEER SEE MOSTLY AS SHADES OF GREY,
BLUE TO WHITE. While Dr. Miller explained the abilities of sight the difference between blue/ white and every other object color did not seem clearly defined, interpreted by deers vision capability. We will continue watching your postings. We do not wear camo, we buy the Original Bug Shirt in white and tie/dye grey/black. The fine mesh on hood hides the face.
We read books by Lenard Lee Rue lll from New Jersey and attended seminars years ago ( now called home by Creator ) we are grateful for you podcast with Dr. Miller to continue a personal connection.
Camera is different than a deer’s eyes. Since they only have blue and yellow cones and not rbg like us, they cannot see red light at all. Orange pigment, reflects orange which is close to red, so it appears grayish to them
It seems that deer have learned when hunting season is. I've seen deer in the summer and they just stand there and watch me even as I tried to scare it off it would only move a few feet and watch. But in hunting season they see you and they are gone.
As soon as hunters start invading their territory they know. It’s due to hunters educating, not just a date on the Calendar
There's actually good evidence that deer change their movement patterns the day before the opening of gun season in Pennsylvania.
A very interesting topic of deer.
Camo to hunters is like fishing lures to fisherman ? LOL
And I believe you are correct. I’ve got a lot of lure that’s never caught fish yet.
But they caught me. Lol
true, overall. i've shot more deer in my blue jeans going out straight from construction work. and i still-hunt, not road-hunting. but, there are incredible camos out there, like asat and predator. deer will literally look right through you, unable to see you.
I worked for a company that built and marketed fish finding sonars. The operative philosophy in the industry was “Hook the fisherman.”
All this seems pretty interesting, the only thing I can question is that 4 times now I have been about 5 to 8 meters from deer in near darkness, and neither I or the deer knew the other was there, even though there was nothing between us. All times I was returning to camp on a track or game trail, and all times the deer honked me in the end and ran off.
I don't believe that they can see very good in near darkness but is this only relative to the Sambar deer I hunt? Or all deer?
Great podcast 👏
Appreciate that! This is specific to whitetail deer, so not sure about other varieties. But, deer run through the woods at night at high speeds and don’t run in to things…
@@adamlewis_outdoor must be more specific to whitetail then as when I've spooked sambar in the dark, they run off smashing everything in their way, even hear the antlers hitting the trees.
So a quick question. If white just screams to a whitetail, what about snow camo in snow? Now I’m not talking about blizzard but just a normal northern Indiana snow
I think it’s about matching your environment to break up your form, so yes. Also if you are skylined it may apply in a pattern. But if that’s not part of the background then no
Everything in deer hunting is situational is where I’m at in what I’ve learned myself trough hunting and research. No 2 deer are exactly the same just as humans. I’m alway learning and hope I never know all the answers otherwise would it even be considered hunting or would we have to relabel it as harvesting?
I was always dressed head to toe in flourescent orange..no camo pattern. Multiple times deer nearly stepped on me. But did observe a doe under my tree stand(rarely used a stand) hear a guy walk this way.. she stopped..she layed down in some laurel and waited for him to go by and then walked in his footsteps in the direction they just came from. Sound seemed to me to be the game I lost the most when it came to spooking deer. Had a buck sneak up behind me and sniff my shoulder while I had a salami sandwich in my hand...he walked on by unspooked...maybe he had a cold :)
Good stuff thanks guys learned thangs I always thought about
Glad you did!
It took me a whole three seconds to figger out what makes a Deer Tick! A male deer tick & a female deer tick, and maybe some hard apple cider!😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
Great info!
Glad it was helpful!
One time I was out with a friend who was hunting. I'm not a hunter personally, but I like to get out and observe. We had a few come out of the timber as the stand we were in was on the edge of a hay field. We are roughly 16 ft up in the stand. The doe, yearling, and 2 young bucks come out. Nothing worth taking a shot at. That group was spooked by something off to our left. The wind was blowing in towards us as we were facing west. It was approaching sunset, and another doe and yearling come out. She followed the scent of the deer that had just been out there 20 minutes before, and then stopped and looked at us. She put her head down and popped up again, and repeated this several times. Both of us were in our camp, and I was wearing a face mask. However, I do wear glasses. My question is this, even though we were quiet and not moving, how did she spot us? The only thing that I could logically come up with was that she was seeing the reflection of the sunset in my glasses. Is that even possible? I would love an answer to this ongoing riddle in my head, please.
Either that or you were skylined or stuck out. Wearing camo doesn’t necessarily mean you blend in
What about electronic magnetic fields that animals can detect. Does Dr. Miller discuss this in his research of deer? Thanks
I don’t think so. I don’t think it’s ever been shown deer can do this
@@adamlewis_outdoor Thanks
I know a hunter that is very successful that only wears white camo all season long so I tried it this yr and the 3 times I used it i never got busted with deer around me at 10-15 yards. I felt I was sticking out like a sore thumb but never got busted.
Interesting.. ground or tree? What was your background like? What time of year?
I believe this, alot of companies like Vuni make some pretty nice white camo patterns, and it's proven to at least work as well as "normal" camo.
Great information
You forgot the 4th reason for living comfort.
That's why they will be on the east side of the hill in the morning waiting for the warm sunshine of the morning
I raised whitetails for 8 years. They disliked orange camo, perhaps because it broke up the silhouette. When i wore solid colors, especially blue, they were much calmer, maybe because they could see me better. Just an interesting observation.
Interesting info, thanks!
I wonder if its from the UV light? All of my newer orange ive checked glows really bright under UV light.
I ALWAYS thought that deer saw my orange, no matter what experts say. My wife+I had a conure(small parrot, size of a robin), and WHENEVER I walked past it with my orange hunting stuff, IT WOULD FREAK OUT! Just start 'screaming'. Now, birds have to see at nite too, in case they have to fly away, but....?
I don't mean to dispute anything but if you think you can get above a deers vision, I challenge you to come to Wattensaw WMA in Arkansas and test that theory. We've got bowhunters looking down on buzzards being picked off by those deer.
To say they're accustomed to bowhunters is an understatement....😂😂😂😂
Thanks! Very interesting.
Glad you liked it!
Deer can learn, deer can hear well, deer can see well. Yet they can't seem to avoid getting hit by car. So if you walk to your stand on the same trail three times a deer might learn that and avoid the area, but can't learn to avoid the highway. Got it.
You sir is indeed correct 😂
I live with whitetail deer. The females are terrible mothers, especially here in North Florida where we get two ruts a year. Not particularly smart either but the males that survive their first hunting season get pretty wily.
Strategy idea: Pave a road to the tree stand and you'll never blow your cover again!
They don't necessarily need to cross your trail but to access their territory they have to cross the road like the chicken to get to the other side.
So, I’ve traveled this road called The Taconic Parkway. I used to see piles of dead deer on the side of the road. But the last few years I see a lot less of them dead. Lots of live ones still. I always thought they might be learning to keep out of the road when cars are present. Maybe I’m giving them too much credit.
I wonder whats a better substitute for white in camo? Shades of color in Tan, grey, or green?
I think I’ll do a followup video to break this stuff down more for application. There’s so much in here! So subscribe if you haven’t and signup for our newsletter so you don’t miss that.. but honestly I’d say stay away from gray, white, blue obviously, UNLESS you plan on being skylighted and blending in with the sky. Otherwise it’s about shades of various colors and not blobbing up. Here’s the newsletter link: deeriq.com/signup/
@@adamlewis_outdoor good point about skylighting . Camo relies on many things to work well. Movement and color were talked about, how about getting Dr. Miller to weigh in on shine, texture, tone, shape, and shadow? I wonder if deer are in a sunlight field, how well can they see in the adjacent dark woods? Similar issue with human vision when going from bright sunshine into a dark interior of a building or vice versa.
Also for those that have not heard never use over the counter detergents !! They have brightner s in them that will make your camo Glow !!! 🙄 Sooo noo blue .. white in camp or clithing or regular detergent ..lol !! 😎
I have been feeding and observing Blacktails for about 20 years..... When I toss them apples they find them by smell more than by sight.
Do their eyes only stay level when their head is down? What about when they’re looking up at you in the tree? I guess my question is does their kilter only work in one direction?
He did not say, but I think it keeps it horizontal mostly but they can definitely see up in trees so maybe only a certain range up and down it shifts
@@adamlewis_outdoor That sounds right. Thanks man!
I spend so much time on my land that the deer smell me everywhere literally everywhere so I could be stinky just getting off work or fresh out the shower and hunker down next to a tree and have deer walk right past me without even worrying about it
Answered many questions I’ve had
What is the vertical angle of deer vision (level/90 degrees plus and minus degrees)
Around 25-30 degrees from horizontal
@@adamlewis_outdoor I presume that is + 30 and -30. I have looked for that for years. Do you have a source?
What’s the best way to not get smelled
I have a scent control regimen. You can implement and download it here.deeriq.com/scentcontrol-regimen/
Stay down wind.
Since green fabrics are usually made with blue and yellow pigments, wouldn't camo gear with green in it look bright blue to the deer?
No since it is green once mixed, not blue and yellow..
@@adamlewis_outdoor No, that's just how human vision makes it appear. Human eyes are incredibly sensitive to slight changes in color; so the pigments in fabric don't have to absorb very much light to make it look to us as a completely different color. The pigments don't shift the wavelength of the light like the brighteners do, they work by a phenomenon called subtractive color mixing. The blue pigments absorb a small amount light at the lower end of the spectrum, and the yellow pigments absorb a small amount of light at the upper and lower end of the spectrum. So, the remaining light as has a little more intensity in the upper-middle portion of the spectrum, which our eyes interpret as green. The yellow pigment doesn't absorb all of the blue light, otherwise it would appear very dark red to our eyes. Green is right next to blue in the visible light spectrum, so unless you are looking at a green laser that is pure green light, anything that appears green to your eyes has a lot of blue light in it. That's part of the reason most animals would get very little advantage by having green cones in their eyes; it's right next to blue on the spectrum. So, they get the most information in their environment by having cones at the two ends of the spectrum. Something that looks green to you is going to have about half of its light in the blue part of the spectrum, so it's going to look about half or three quarters as bright to a deer as something that looks blue to you. But they also see that blue light more that 20x brighter than you do, so that little bit of light absorption the in blue part of the spectrum that the yellow pigment provides wouldn't affect a deer's eyes nearly as much as a human's eyes.
@@ThirdLawPairokay, so based off of the information in your last response, take “green camo” and green plants. Put yourself in that green vegetation with green camo, is a deer easily going to be able to see you? If light and color works the way you explained, they shouldn’t be able to.
Probably having kind of splotches of gray and green, with quite "soft" gradients... with soft gradients, it's probably not going to trigger the deer's movement sense as easily... movement is detected by transitions between the "sensors" in the eyes, and the soft gradients makes for less- distinct transitions...
Great interview! Wondering any difference between green and red lights with their vision? Any brand of light that has the darkest shade of red? Also curious as to if deer can pick up the lightest shades of grey and tan that are in many camo patterns which often get more bright as clothing gets older and the colors seem to whiten up. Curious on deer vision with affects of sheen from any materials such as any paints that aren't really flat or types of clothing material that may reflect, metal surfaces, bow or gun materials and coatings and potential reflection, glass lenses and coverings from cameras. I noticed so many reflections myself looking at so many hunt items/clothing in which I don't see much of in nature when it's not wet out there. High pressured areas if deer sees a light of any color walking nearby then smells a human, hears unnatural noise say a metal stand or the 2 step cadence as discussed then the light human association connection is made imo in these high pressure areas I hunt and I noticed deer scatter quickly once any light I seen, less pressured areas or early season I don't see this affect statisical in my 150+ hunts a year. >350 public land big game harvest here for me, majority all self filmed, now mostly public trad archery so now that I get very close to my quarry I'm curious of more of the finer details of the hunt.
I do know every red light I’ve used gets no reaction. I don’t think it’s something you have to spend a lot on. I shopped Amazon for a bright rechargeable one for $30 and it years well. Also, more 3d patterns I think would work better .. more relief and open camo patterns. Light is fine just not white. Also if you’re against a tree va sky is different
Last year I experimented with my headlight while in the tree after dark when I knew I had deer under me. They didn't budge when i turned the red light on, bucks or does. The bucks hauled ass when I turned the green on. Deer learn, especially on public land. You are not walking up on a deer with a white light in my area. Green is about 50/50 on does, bucks zero.
💯 correct. They can see green very well, red not at all. Here’s more on that in an article I wrote .. deeriq.com/seeing-the-light/
Really.... I've been hunting over 60 years... never seen it in Ohio. Semper Fi
Should have asked him what camo he said he could make that would be invisible to a deer. Probably paid by that ceo not to disclose.
Does this apply to all deer species? I'm from New Zealand and we have several types of deer here, just as I'm aware you have different species and sub-species of deer in America. In some regions we have different species living in the same areas. They have slightly different rutting times. And they all have different habits/mannerisms. My main point is do you think their vision is all the same? Most of the different species came from different regions of the planet, could that mean their vision evolved differently for their different original regions? Or even if only 150ish years of being in this environment it doesn't matter anymore?
Not sure .. this is whitetail deer. Probably the closer they are related the more similar in this manner
I have a chocolate brown German Shorthair Pointer that simply vanishes in the wood line. That chocolate brown color is better than any hunting camouflage for sale out there now. If she locks up on a point and stops moving she just disappears.
I’m not going to wear chocolate brown in the deer hunting season because,”If it’s brown it’s down” around here!
@@randypond7499 His point was you wouldn't be seen and maybe the saying should be "if it's tan it's down"...big difference between chocolate brown and tan.
Maybe someone could make some glasses that replicate deer color vision.
I read deer venison is different then we thought. lol OK its vision I get it. my bad :D
Karl said when bowhunting the arrow get to the deer as the sound does THAT'S impossible a arrow is 300fps sound is 1125.328 fps so the deer hear the bow look to the sound see the arrow coming trys to move
Cool video. I never bought into a deer "jumping the string". I figured it was the arrow travelling at them. Watch any slo-mo and they don't duck until the arrow is almost there. Now that we know about how fast they process things with their vision, he may be correct in that they see the arrow.
Only thing is , they drop to load there legs to take off when frightened all the time.... Not just when you shoot an arrow at them... it happens every time they are spooked and take off to run.
They are dropping to load up their legs to flee... has nothing to do with an arrow coming at them.
@@Stickbow1980 Umm they aren't going to drop and run if you DON'T shoot at them. Unless of course they hear you or smell you. Even then, they usually don't bolt. It's only when they're suddenly startled that they do that. :)
I have had good luck with yellow buckskin shirts and the Swiss military camo that has red and various greens
I have always been fascinated by the fact that deer do not seem to be flash blinded by bright lights at night. I have a very bright flash light with an interchangeable bulb (white, green, or red) that i have used when walking in and out of the woods. I have at times been walking in in the morning at two hours before first light (John Eberhart) and encountered deer, which interestingly spook much less in the pitch black of night. I have shined the focused light of all 3 colors directly into their eyes in a way that I'm sure would flash blind a person. When they do run away, they never run into a tree!
I'm going to speculate a bit here, but it's based a bit on my limited knowledge of why we get flash blinded. As the cells in our retina process light and send signals to the brain, they consume chemicals that must be replaced. This is why we hit that limit where a rapidly flashing light starts to look solid - we don't produce the chemicals fast enough to send on/off/on signals as fast as the light changes.
When we are in dim light our pupils expand to let in as much light as possible, and when we're in bright light they contract to keep the amount of light coming in balanced with our ability to replenish those chemicals. When we're in dim light and get hit with flash, whether from a flash bulb or a bright flashlight, those chemicals get burned up instantly and it takes a moment to replenish them.
But the deer's eyes replenish those chemicals much faster, which means they're flash-blinded for shorter.
Also, as he mentioned, they have a wide band of area where they see well, whereas we have a narrow spot. If your light was just one spot in their wide band, only the cells that were over-exposed to that light burned out - the rest are still fine, similar to how if a flash bulb is a ways off, you'll have a burned out spot in your vision for a few seconds, but the rest of it still works fine. So, when the deer turns to run, most of their band of vision is still working fine for spotting trees and branches as it high-tails off into the bush.
JerseyMiller,
"(John Eberhart)" ...?
Context...? ☆
I READ SOMEWHERE THAT WHEN A DEER DETECTS YOU, they usually will identify you with 2 senses before splitting the scene. But when the sense of smell is primary , they never forget, always relate that smell with man and will always be spooked. What do you think?
Mostly true I believe. They don’t need 2 though but trigger sense is hearing usually
does it mean they can't see 850nm infrared at all?
Correct since that’s longer wavelength than visible red
It appears black to them.
If green was the best camo color, the deer, moose, grouse, goose, partridge, etc would be green…
They’re ‘hiding’ from predators, not their own kind.
Our vision of white light is a combination of all the colors of our visible spectrum roygbiv. I have heard that deer only have cones that see light composed of royg. You are saying they see blue better than anything. Who is right? Also, since you say they don't see as far into the red as we do, do they see farther down into the blue, such as ultraviolet, that is beyond our perception? Do they actually see something more like oygbivuv? Also, mixed light colors is different than mixed pigment colors, e.g. mix roygbiv light and you get white. Mix roygbiv pigments, such as paint, and you get some ugly brownish color.
Yes they have yellow and blue cones, which does not allow them to see red at all. They can see higher frequencies hence good blue and yes into UV. This is why detergents with uv brighteners are bad for hunting clothes. Humans have red, green, and blue cones. And yes pigments are different than light.
Why can I get closer to deer at night? I've been able to walk within 50 yards in an open field at night. Couldn't get away with that during the day
I believe the 18X better than us applies, but still can see better during the daytime
The topic of blue light from camo patterns that have white in them makes me have 2 questions. First off it you live in a place where the surroundings has lots of light colors from grasses and aspens (think out west) then does the blue light issue affect you that much. The other side to it is if you wear camo that doesn't reflect as much blue light under these conditions would that be a problem because now you are a dark hole in the middle of all the blue light.
Good question! I’d say match your background mix. It’s about breaking up your form not blending in to our eyes. One solid color doesn’t break up as much as varying swaths do.
What about hearing?
Here The Science of Deer Hearing & Smelling! Series: Deer Science w/guest Dr. Karl Miller
th-cam.com/video/2js2_WdSrS8/w-d-xo.html
👍
Fear, feeding and fecundity. There, fixed it for you.
I think he draws the wrong conclusion from the white in a camo pattern. Look through the woods/ brush there are specs of light unless there is a predator which appears as a blob. The interviewer's camo does have too much white. Tthe overall take away should be movement is more important than colors.
I've seen plenty of deer and elk that had no idea i was there wearing blue jeans.
yalls gramps killt a hunnert derre in blue jeans flannel and smoking a cigar
Just because it can be done occasionally does not mean it’s the best method or highest odds approach.
@@adamlewis_outdoor occasionally? those dudes have basements full of mounts. most dudes just need to learn how to shoot and stop fidgeting around in the tree stand like a crack head.
ALL creatures see Differently then HUMANS --- ALL ---
I wish they’d learn to stay out of the road
Good content but please stop script reading brother.
Deer see papa Smurf
Haha!
Today's hunting has turned into learning how other people are hunting. It's no longer person vs deer and it's sad.
Haha he said deer tick
If we seen like them we would be blind in 15 to 20 years
Think deer can see blaze orange, don't wear it, on private property no other hunters around. Wouldn't wear yellow or light blue.
Old fashion army camo is all you need.
You're never going beat their nose.
Deer have built in instincts and don't have a learning process like this guy thinks, sorry never believe this nonsense, or they would have learned not to cross a road with a vehicle approaching them.
Hunting is 80 percent luck and 20 percent putting the effort into it.
That's not even hunting anymore. Stop cheating. I grew up hunting in the Ozarks with my Native friends. Wouldn't use anything but my old lever action 30-30, no cheats, no scope, no guilt.
What isn’t? Isn’t a gun kind of cheating?
I don’t understand, what’s cheating about better understanding the animals that you’re intending on hunting and harvesting? It’s like the anti hunting people complaining about hunting over “bait” yet you take that away and smart hunters will set up near their natural food plots. It’s just mimicking what naturally happens anyways. Nothing cheating about improving your odds of putting natural food on the table. Same with using your 30-30. Try that with a bow 😂 matter of fact, try that with a recurve. Same argument.
I had a buck see me take my hands out if my pockets 25' up a tree over 20 yards from him.
Deer don't look up.... tree stands every time!!
Deer in pressured areas look up to find hunters in trees. I see this in Michigan public land all the time
You have no idea how a deer sees stuff, none
Dr. Karl Miller has a PhD and did the tests on deer we discussed. What are your credentials?
College doesn’t seem to help some people spell.
Please clarify so we can fix any errors. Thanks!
IT'S WHY I HUNT 24 FT OFF THE GROUND IN A BLIND
It doesn't matter how camouflaged you are if a deer can smell you hundreds of yards away...concentrate on being scent free as possible..buy and ozonics and only wear your hunting clothes when you are hunting.dress outside of your truck...keep your clothes in a air tight container..spray down walking in and walking out of your hunting area ..oh and never ever go hunting without taking a scent free shower just to name a few things 😘
Huh, how did he stop deer from smell in an hearing in his experiment , plugs hopefully 🫣
Only go off visual cues - light wavelengths
@@adamlewis_outdoor If the deer can smell the light's wavelengths, they've been into the good mushrooms and we've got bigger problems, hahaha!