Tips on How to Know the Different Senses of the Deer
Mitch Johnson
There are times when a hunter fails to hunt the deer because the
deer could sense the danger which is coming. In this article you
will find some tips how to approach the deer without sensed by
the deer.
I was watching three deer feeding in a field. I was well hidden
and there was a slight movement of air from the deer to me. These
deer were about two hundred and fifty yards from me and I was
waiting for them to come into surer range of my short-range gun
before attempting to shoot one of them. While I was watching
them, they suddenly stopped feeding, looked in my direction for a
short time, switched their tails nervously and walked out of the
field into the edge of the nearby woods. I had not heard any
sound that could account for their actions, so I looked around to
see if I could find what had alarmed them. When I turned my head
I could hear voices. There were a woman and child walking along a
road about one hundred and fifty yards in back of me. This road
was not visible from the spot where the deer had been feeding.
Although the voices were indistinct from where I was stationed,
the deer had heard and recognized the sound as a possible source
of danger and had made a discreet withdrawal. They were not
unduly alarmed and were back feeding in the field twenty minutes
later. They had heard sounds at four hundred yards that I had
failed to hear at one hundred and fifty yards.
A deer's hearing, like its sense of smell, is affected by the
wind and other atmospheric conditions. These conditions should be
considered by the hunter who wishes to approach a deer without
being heard. Eyesight is a deer's weak point when it comes to the
identification of objects. Deer are supposed to be colorblind.
Apparently they are unable to see details of an object at any
great distance and they seem to be unable to identify objects by
their outline. In spite of this, they are able to detect motion
at a considerable distance.
I have stood perfectly still many times while deer looked at me
and, unless they detected my scent, they acted as if they were
uncertain of my identity. On one occasion, I stood in an open
field and a deer passed me at a distance of about fifty yards. He
stopped and looked at me for a long minute before he continued
his walk across the field. There was no sign of alarm in his
actions. He seemed a bit puzzled about me, yet not enough for him
to investigate or to cause him to run. I have stalked feeding
deer by moving towards them when they were not looking my way and
by remaining motionless when they were looking. I have killed a
few deer in this manner after they had looked directly at me
while I was only partially concealed by small clumps of bushes.
On other occasions when I have tried this they became suspicious
and left the area.
One time in a canoe I stalked a deer. I crossed a small pond in
plain sight of the deer which was feeding on the shore. By
traveling slowly and directly towards the deer I created the
illusion of a stationary or floating object. By keeping the
paddle in the water and only moving it when the deer was not
looking, I kept noise and motion to a minimum. The deer became
slightly suspicious at about one hundred yards, but never entered
the woods until I had more than halved that distance. There was
the possibility that the animal was able to detect my scent. This
seems to indicate that a deer's eyesight is not keen and
dependable.
The deer's hearing sense is sharper than that of human. But they
could be affected by the wind and other atmospheric conditions.
These conditions should be considered by the hunter who wishes to
approach a deer without being heard. Eyesight is a deer's weak
point when it comes to the identification of objects. Deer are
supposed to be colorblind.
Sometimes it is good to play hide and seek games with the deer
while hunting. It is better for a hunter not to be disturbed and
make motions or noise when the deer looks at you when they are in
disturbed position.
Mitch Johnson is a regular writer for http://www.best-scopes-n-
binoculars. com/ . His articles have also appeared on
http://www.hubforcamping.info/and
http://www.interactivecamping.info/
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