How Well Deer Can Detect Color
A scientific study done by the University of Georgia in 1992 conducted by Drs. R. Larry Marchinton and Karl V. Miller, and Bryan Murphy from UGA, Dr. Gerald H. Jacobs and Jess Degan from the University of California, and Dr. Jay Neitz from the Medical College of Wisconsin have shown that a Deer’s eye contain Rods and Cones much like the human eye. Rods are more sensitive to low levels of light, but do not register colors and Cones tend to be able to pick up colors in daylight. The human eye contains more Cones than Rods, so this basically means that we can distinguish a wide variety of colors, but because we have less Rods we have limited night vision capabilities.
A Deer’s eye contains more Rods than Cones, so they are able to see in a much lower light level (night vision) than humans. There is some debate on exactly how well Deer can distinguish colors, but there is evidence that they can see some color spectrums. Studies have shown that Deer have only blue and green color sensing cells (cones) on their retina and that a Deer's eye does not contain an Ultra Violet filter giving them the ability to see in the Ultra Violet spectrum and can only see short color wavelengths like blue and middle wavelengths like green. Colors like orange and red may appear to them as shades of grey, because they are essentially red / green color blind since they lack the ability to see higher wavelength colors like red. What this means is that red colors will not stand out to a Deer.
You may be asking yourself "What does this have to deal with the clothing I wear when Deer hunting?" Many hunters may have the misconception that if they wear orange or brightly colored clothing or vests that they will be seen by Deer. Studies have confirmed that these colors can be perceived by the Deer, but all look the same (a grey hue). So, if you wear clothing that contain green and can sufficiently break up your pattern, you will be good to go.
You have to remember that many animals do not totally depend just on their eyesight to detect predators. They depend heavily on hearing and smell in most cases rather than eyesight alone. This does not include all animals because predators do depend on eyesight just as much as they do on their other senses. Deer will often times smell or hear you before they even see you, but if you move and if they are looking in your direction will detect the movement since they can see almost 90% of the world around them because of the way their eyes are located in relation to their head. Most prey species eye's are wide set on either side of their heads, where a predators eye's (like humans) are set closer together and more to the front side of the head.
Here are some tips of what to wear and not to wear:
· Do not wear anything that is blue, as this color is detectable by Deer.
· Do not wash your hunting clothing that contain UV brightening (color brightening detergents) detergents as this might be a problem in low light conditions and it may be more detectable by the Deer.
· Do not wear clothing that contains vinyl or plastic because they reflect light and can be seen by the Deer.
· Do wear safety vests or shirts that are orange or red for safety, if your state law allow it, wear those colors in a pattern that will break up the overall pattern (these are illegal in some states).
· Deer detect scent and movement far before they detect what you are wearing.
· Try not to wear solid color clothing, rather something that will help break up your pattern, such as camouflage.
The following information is on how Deer communicate in pdf format:
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