The Colors That Fool Deer

Survivalist Scoop
2 hours ago
4 min read

Think your camouflage makes you invisible to a whitetail? Think again.

For years, hunters were told that deer were basically colorblind. That old idea isn't quite right.

Deer can see color. They just don't see the woods the same way we do.

And if you understand what a whitetail actually sees, you can make some smarter decisions about your hunting clothes, detergent, camouflage—and how you move in the stand.

Forget the Rainbow

Human eyes are built to see a broad range of colors. Deer aren't.

A whitetail's eyes are much better suited for detecting movement and seeing in low light than for picking out fine details and a wide range of colors.

That's why a deer can have trouble distinguishing certain colors that look obvious to us while being remarkably good at detecting movement.

The biggest color lesson for hunters is this:

Deer are much more sensitive to blue and ultraviolet light than we are.

Red and orange, on the other hand, don't appear to a deer the brilliant colors they do to us. Blaze orange is generally perceived as a much duller, muted color.

That's good news for hunters who are required to wear orange.

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Blaze Orange Isn't Your Enemy

Some hunters worry that wearing blaze orange makes them easy for deer to spot.

That's not really the problem.

A deer doesn't see your orange vest the way another hunter does. Bright orange doesn't stand out nearly as dramatically to a whitetail as it does to human eyes.

But there's an important catch.

Color isn't the only thing a deer notices. Shape and movement matter.

A hunter sitting motionless in a properly broken-up pattern is a much harder target to identify than a hunter constantly shifting around, regardless of what color he's wearing.

So don't ditch the orange. Wear the required safety gear—and concentrate on breaking up your outline.

Here's the Color You Should Worry About

If there's one color family hunters should pay attention to, it's blue.

Deer are particularly sensitive to shorter wavelengths of light, including blue and ultraviolet. Their eyes don't have the same UV filtering that human eyes do.

That creates a problem that many experienced hunters may never have considered.

Your hunting clothes can contain materials or residues that reflect UV light.

And that includes laundry detergent.

Some detergents contain optical brighteners designed to make clothes appear whiter and brighter to human eyes. Those same brighteners can increase the amount of UV light reflected from fabric.

In other words, your freshly washed hunting clothes may look great to you—and potentially be more noticeable to a deer.

You Don't Need Fancy Camo

Here's where some common sense comes in.

You don't necessarily need the most expensive camouflage pattern on the rack.

Deer aren't looking at your clothing the way you are.

They aren't admiring tiny leaves, branches and intricate patterns.

Their vision is geared toward detecting contrasts, shapes and movement.

That means a camouflage pattern that breaks up your overall outline can be more useful than one covered in microscopic details.

Think big shapes and broken edges, not just tiny patterns.

A hunter who looks like one solid human-shaped blob is easier to recognize than one whose outline blends into the surrounding woods.

Dawn and Dusk Are When It Matters Most

Here's another fact worth remembering when you're sitting in a stand.

Deer eyes are extremely effective in low-light conditions.

That makes sense when you consider when whitetails are often on their feet.

Dawn and dusk aren't just convenient hunting times. They're periods when a deer's visual system is particularly well suited to the available light.

So that buck easing toward your stand in the last few minutes of legal shooting light?

Don't get careless just because it's getting dark.

He may be seeing better than you think.

The Old Rule Still Wins

All this talk about color and camouflage can make hunting sound more complicated than it needs to be.

But there's one rule every veteran hunter already knows:

Don't move.

You can spend hundreds of dollars on camouflage, scent control and hunting gear. None of it matters much if you swing your rifle, draw your bow or turn your head at the wrong moment.

A deer's eyes are exceptionally good at detecting movement.

That's part of the trade-off in their vision. They don't need human-level color discrimination or fine detail to survive.

They need to notice danger.

And they are very good at it.

What This Means for Your Next Hunt

You don't need to throw away your hunting wardrobe.

Instead, remember a few simple rules:

Don't obsess over whether a deer can see your blaze orange. It doesn't see it like you do.
Be cautious with clothing washed in detergents containing optical brighteners.
Don't underestimate blue and UV-reflective materials.
Choose camouflage that breaks up your outline rather than relying only on tiny patterns.
Pay extra attention to movement at dawn and dusk.
Most important of all, stay still when a deer is approaching.

You don't have to fool a buck's eyes completely.

You just have to keep him from putting the pieces together.

And when that old bruiser steps into range, that's usually what separates the hunter who gets a shot from the hunter who watches his buck disappear into the timber.

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