[USBP_1969]

I am reposting with a more accurate title. The old title was "Whitetail Saga." It's my hope that this will reach more folks and they will not be wondering as I did why I was being so easily spotted by deer.
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History: I retired one month before archery deer season was to start in PA. After much scouting I had found several locations with excellent deer populations. I had been shooting my 53# longbow daily for years and had been practicing for months with dulled 200 grain Grizzly broad heads on my 11/32 cedar arrows.

I had a full ASAT 3D camo outfit, sharp broad heads (It did take a while for me to discover an easy way to sharpen the Grizzlies though) and a Screaming Eagle Marabou Stork wind feather. I was ready.

But….try as I might (and I could hunt everyday) the best I could do was see them waving “bye-bye” with their white tails. Everything seemed right. I even had one hunter walk past me at about 1 yard, stop come back and say, “Darn, I thought you were a bush," and the wind feather kept me apprized of the wind currents at all times.

On my last day of hunting I pondered my lack of success. What had I done wrong or not done right? Then I noticed my fletching. It was my favorite color, fluorescent yellow. Somewhere I remembered reading that deer see really well in the ultra violet spectrum. Could it be?

I purchased a “black light” bulb, put it in the light fixture in the closet, gathered up a variety of different color fletched arrows, closed the door and turned on the light. In the ultra violet light the standard fletching appeared quite dull, but my favorite fluorescent fletching light up like Christmas lights!

Oh well, now I know and I’ll be using non-fluorescent yellow the next time I head into the woods.

 

[USBP_1969]

Outstand post. Keep up the good work! :thumbs_up

 

[bminn]

I remember when all the talk came out about deer seeing ultra violet and different products hit the market to eliminate all the problems with ultra violet. I knew guys that insisted that by washing their clothes in this stuff they were practically invisible to deer. I also remember reading a report that I believe was put out by Penn State Wilife Research that disagreed with that theory. The only visual response they reported from color was blue and even that was questionable. I have had deer walk by me while I was wearing flouresent orange and they didn't seem to notice me at all. I have a friend who uses flouresent green and white vanes and he takes deer almost every year. Hard to know for sure what affects deer I guess. LOL

 

[WildmanSC]

There's an old song from years gone by that tells it all, "It's blowing in the wind..."!

Bill

 

[a45gunslinger]

Feathers or vanes??

 

[J. Wesbrock]

By the time a deer notices my flourscent feathers they're usually passing through its chest. Sometimes I think we tend to overcomplicate things a touch. :wink:

 

[Earl]

Maybe it was just the wind

 

[USBP_1969]

a45gunslinger, these were 5.5" shield cut feathers.
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I don't think it would be much of a problem if one was hunting from a tree stand.

Also, movement was certainly the key to being spotted, but if I had been moving any slower I think the snails would have been passing me.

I don't know in what spectrum squirrels see, but I remember sitting on my hunting stool in my ASAT 3D camo. I had my longbow in my lap with an arrow nocked. I had been watching a large grey squirrel some distance away and realized that he was headed my way on a small trail. Since my stool was right on the trail I wondered when he would see me. At about 10 feet he stopped and started messing around in the leaves in front of me. I thought it would be fun to see what it took to get his attention. First I moved my camoed hand slightly - nothing. Then my arm slowly - nothing. then I moved my arm faster - nothing. I was thinking, "Man this camo is great!" I then started to very slowly move my bow and he took of like a rocket. Interesting. Maybe he doesn't like bows. :tongue: