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An article explaining why deer can see you so easily.

As a long time bowhunter. If you can see the deers eyes they can see you. Of course if your rifle hunting from several hundred yards its not an issue if they cant smell you or make out your outline.
I always sit with a tree behind me, or a rock. Have sat inside a fallen tree after cutting branches away with my folding saw so I had a clear path to shoot through. Worked a treat sitting over a land slip clearing, our deer love those areas to sun bake in. Took a nice 26"x 25" Sambar doing that.

Cheers.
 
oh, yep. A face net/disguise and a silhouette break will keep you from getting busted more than anything else. They know the shape to look for and they see the face easily. If you can break both of those up you are most of the way there. I have heard from guys who use ghillie suits, or at least a top cover, that deer often bump into them or even step on them because they have no idea that a human is there. I have had deer almost run me over before when my silhouette has been broken up. Scent is still important, but shape/movement is top of the list for me.

Dad used to smoke a cigarette when we were hunting because he said it would make them feel safe. He also insisted on talking in low tones/whispers. It worked every time. They would smell that smoke and hear noise and think a hunter was not there. We bagged more deer with that trick....

I have been out talking with people and had deer walk close enough to use a bow. They could hear, smell, and see us, but they were not overly concerned about our presence. We were not moving in any threatening way and we didn't stare at them. Hide in plain sight, or don't act like a hunter.
 
I have had them walk behind me sitting in my chair within 20 yards with the golf cart parked beside me and never even look my way,
That sounds like some gruelling hunting trip bean! Golf carts and hay bails... I need to find some new spots with your line of thinking.

The last deer I dug up was in and dark forest....steep and thick. So few deer here in Idaho panhandle now I left her alone. If I can't dig up a buck I may have to revisit her.....
 
Maybe that's why my grandfather was so successful hunting in his red/black pendleton and his carharts
My Gramps called his Pendleton's his "woolies" only his thick German accent it came out as "voolies". Gramps on the left.
 

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My grandpa taught me to hunt and would rail to the day he passed about all the new stuff my brother and I would get. If he didn't huff and walk off he would say "If you want to kill an animal you don't need all that fancy sh&*# keep the wind right and quit your da*&% moving around". I think about his saying every time even today I buy some new fangled bling bling item for hunting.
 
As a long time bowhunter. If you can see the deers eyes they can see you. Of course if your rifle hunting from several hundred yards its not an issue if they cant smell you or make out your outline.
You can add to that "If you look him in the eye he will run". And I mean every time too. Never look a deer in the eye if he is under 100yds.
 
As a long time bowhunter. If you can see the deers eyes they can see you. Of course if your rifle hunting from several hundred yards its not an issue if they cant smell you or make out your outline.
I can agree and would add I've watched probably a thousand deer haul butt and they dang sure didnt see my outline, smell, or hear me, and they were well past 500-1000 yards away.
 
My grandpa taught me to hunt and would rail to the day he passed about all the new stuff my brother and I would get. If he didn't huff and walk off he would say "If you want to kill an animal you don't need all that fancy sh&*# keep the wind right and quit your da*&% moving around". I think about his saying every time even today I buy some new fangled bling bling item for hunting.
He was right. My dad taught me the same thing. Nothing fancy, just a rifle/bow and not-so-common-anymore sense. Didn't have to be super quiet, just no silhouette and no loud noise or unnatural smells. He would smoke a cigarette and we would talk in low voices while sitting against logs. Maybe a small fire to keep warm. We always got deer. Seemed like most of them were curious about us, or just didn't think we were any danger.

Don't break sticks. Rustling leaves will bring them in. I will stir the leaves with a stick or my foot. I walk through the leaves with a deer-like step pattern....heel-toe, heel-toe, with each movement crisp and individual. It makes the telltale crunch-crunch, crunch-crunch sound of deer and that will get them interested too.

I'll even pee on a tree near my stand. If you have a wife/girlfriend, have her pee in a bottle and use that, bucks love it, especially when she is ovulating. Better than doe pee sometimes.

The big thing is don't act like a hunter/predator. Just act casual and try not to be too quiet. Being too quiet will spook them faster than anything else. I have had them stand 10-30 yards away while I cut wood and work outside, digging holes, using a miter saw, hammering, etc... They are curious creatures. Change up the area a bit. They like to investigate new things.
 
It depends on where you are as well. Farm country deer that are around people a lot are less spooky. Big woods deer that only associate people with danger are totally different.
 
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