Fall 2024
By Tom Seegmueller
For decades deer hunters have been admonished about the whitetail’s superior sensory perception over mere mortals of Neanderthal ancestry. Today we know that in some circumstances this is not actually true. In other circumstances we now know their superiority exceeds what we thought we knew.
Research conducted at the University of Georgia indicates that a deer’s visual acuity is actually 20/100 meaning that a human with 20/20 can see details at 100 feet that a deer can only see at 20 feet. However, before you get excited, you need to know that due to eye placement deer have an almost 300-degree field of view. With a slight shift of their head, they can easily cover the missing 60 degrees. In contrast humans have a 210-degree field of view requiring much more head movement to see the missing 150 degrees.
A deer’s eyesight is not all that good, but its nose makes up for that in giving away your presence. Photo by Jimmy Jacobs.
Although they may not have the ability to see details at distance, they are far superior when it comes to detecting motion. Even the slight motion of a hunter moving his head does not go unnoticed. Not a bad ability to have when you are a prey species to so many predators. Deer are able to detect and follow movement with relatively little head movement while humans are forced to directly focus on a moving object to follow it efficiently. A deer’s eyes also have the ability to pick up more light, giving them superior vision in low light conditions, as well as in total darkness.
There’s good news for those deer hunters that feel handicapped by the regulation requiring hunters to wear, “an outer garment at least 500 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange above the waist when hunting.” A deer’s vision is sensitive to only the blue and green spectrum of light, making it difficult for them to distinguish items which are in the red and orange spectrum. Therefore, the old school red and black plaid shirt worn by many hunters was actually a smart choice for warmth as well as camouflage – not so much for blue jeans.
Surprisingly deer and human hearing are similar in the range of sounds being heard at the same distance. However, existing in the woods as a prey animal they are much more attuned to the sounds around them when it comes to what sounds belong and what sounds don’t. The ability to move their ears allows them to better locate where these errant sounds are coming from, allowing them to freeze or flee as the threat dictates.
When it comes to the sense of smell, deer clearly have us beat. Not only is their sense of smell at least 1,000 times better than ours, requiring that serious attention be paid to wind direction and scent control. Deer also have a highly developed Jacobson’s organ allowing them to process multiple smells at one time. The Jacobson’s organ located in the upper palate acts as a second scent receptor.
With regard to deer having a superior sense of smell, it’s not all doom and gloom for the hunter that knows how to turn this disparity into an advantage. The primary manner of using wind as an advantage is to utilize wind direction in relation to stand placement. Never intentionally hunt upwind of your quarry. Don’t be lazy when still hunting. If you spot cover or other areas that you think may be holding deer take the time to circle and come in from the downwind direction.
Wind detectors can aid the hunter in determining wind direction and the changes related to it during a hunt. One simple and inexpensive commercial “wind detector” consists of a fine white chalk-like powder, which drifts in the prevailing wind, visibly showing its direction. Over the years I have tied a lightweight, dark thread about 9 inches long to the muzzle of my rifles. This tell-tale is always on hand, continually indicating wind direction as it shifts direction in the slightest breeze.
A variety of products are available to neutralize, eliminate or cover human body odors. State of the art electric nano ozone generators are designed to eliminate odors from everything ranging from your clothing to the air in your vehicle and surrounding your stand. Special detergents are marketed with the same goal.
Photo by Tom Seegmueller.
Other scents are available for hunters to use as attractants for lovelorn bucks. The majority of these target the sensors in the Jacobson’s organ, focusing on pheromones, which are hormones triggering social responses related to breeding. Deer have a variety of glands which secret these scents and others. The forehead gland of a buck deposits chemical signposts when bucks work their rubs. Other glands secret chemical signals or calling cards in scrapes and along trails.
In the same manner countless calls and rattling systems are available to use a deer’s hearing against him during his time of need. As they say. “all’s fair in love and war” and a little of both factor into this game of hide and seek.
Tom Seegmueller writes for the Albany Herald newspaper in his hometown. Tom is a member and past president of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association. Tom can be contacted at tmseegmueller@gmail.com.