How many of you believe in the deer's "sixth sense" about eye contact. I'll confess with no proof other than alot of experience, I absolutely believe it. If a deer is alert and looks my way, I try to avert my eyes immediately without any head movement. If I make no eye contact, a high percentage of the time the deer will eventually relax(even if it seems like an eternity). I'm talking about when the wind is in your favor and the deer hasn't started the "head bob" or "hoof stomping" antics. Even well camouflaged in good cover, if I maintain eye contact my experience is I'll lose that battle just as high a percentage of the time. Creeps me out!
happened to me today while hunting. I have already taken 2 does, and have been hunting since the middle of Oct with nothing but my homemade set up (bbo with flint) and I rattled up a buck today. I have not hunted this stand in a while, today we had a South wind (the only wind i can hunt this stand) and he came from the south. He came in to 30 yards, I was trying my hardest to look at his tail, nose, ears, but my eyes kept crossing up to his antlers. Well one time my eye caught his and he immedately began acking spooky. he turned around and crossed a creek at 50 yds and left.
I agree 100%
Thats been my story this season. Everytime Ive maintained eye contact, I get the doe blow and they are outta dodge. I also try diverting my eyes, but sometimes its too late. I end up straining my eyes by using peripherals to watch them.
yup i Believe in the old Deers sixth sense for real any movement and your GoneBurger hell yeah.
I definately believe. I make every effort not to look directly at a deer in close. They may not be too concerned with an oddly shaped stump; but an oddly shaped stump with eyes gets them as nervous as you would be.
I squint until it's time to focus on "the spot". ;-)
I would have to agree. You look them in the eye and things go bad quick. I'll even take it as far as your mental state can effect their level of alertness. Seems to me when I'm relaxed I see more deer.
I'll take it one level further and say that I've learned that hunters develop a sixth sense as well. You learn to trust it and listen to it. That urge to look over where you would never expect to see a deer, or pause for longer than normal while still hunting for some unknown reason. Seems like everytime I fight it I wind up missing out.
I don't know if its a sixth since but it happens, I tend to think that a set of predator eyes is just something they pick up. looking away is not enough in my experience, squint or close your eyes.
It happens to spook them for sure but I believe its due to Hill Hunters hypotheses. I wear a mask or paint most of the time and especially try to keep my eyes in shadows.
ive tried not locking eyes! sometimes i cant help it . i want it so bad i can taste it. have you ever watched a cat get target fixation, to the point thier pupils dialate to let in every bit of available light , along with the adrenelin rush its hard to fight! thats what i feel like. ruddy
I am with Hill and Iz...I intentionally use black lines(camo paint) and go "through" my eyes. It keeps the outline of eyes down to a minimum and seems to work very well for me...
No direct eye contact for me. I've seen it go wrong to many times. :thumbsup:
Guarantee it, Everytime you look'em in the eye..... Your done.
Stiks
I'm with you old dog...avert the eyes and have faith in your camo and you can win the battle!!
Yep I believe it....has happened to me.
me too - usually I close 1 eye and use peripheral vision from the one that is open
I always avoid eye contact. Never works out for me in fact i normaly just watch them in my perifical vision until I'm ready for the shot.
I believe 100%,Every time I made eye contact I went home alone.
It's not a sixth sense as others have said. However, make eye contact and you're busted. you have to try your best to keep the area around your eyes covered. It's hard to keep that area "broken" like a camo pattern so your eyes tend to "glow" for lack of a better term.
Same with turkeys
Many critters within the animal kingdom take direct eye contact as a threat.
This may be quite apparent in dealing with very agressive dog breeds.
Yep staring contest usually end in an empty game pole. I normally wear glasses, and have found that the transitional lenses hide my eyes from deer nicely. The drawback is they also change in the lowest of light and make for a longer darker morning.
Pete
I think all animals are the same, just stare at someone in a crowd and see how long it takes them to look at you...same way you feel someone looking at you.
Deer are just better at it than us.
With small game it is essential. And since it seems that small game hunting is just big game training to me, I use the same techniques for big game! I always avert, and like others have said I often close them too!
I never make eye contact. I even squint when a deer looks my way. Glad to know I'm not the only one freaky about it.
Put camo makeup on your eye lids, as they area like a flash light everytime you blink.
Yeah I've had deer look me right in the eye. I was told years ago to avert your eyes when that happens. If they dont see movement or catch your scent they'll return to what they were doing, if not with a little suspicion. Phil
I read in the UBM years ago about a study they did on the small indention between human eyes.They said there is what they call a "cone" there that had no purpose other then for psychic power.1 thing they talked about was when some hunters go hunting the animals tend to move around behind them instead of in front of them because the signals that your giving off through the cone repel the animals from ever being right in front of you because you have the intent to shoot them.How many of you have had that happen?I know whenever I want to hunt and kill something the animals never appear in front of me like I plan they always come from behind or something difficult they never make it easy like for some people.My cousin has deer practically lay down right in front of him and give up.He gets easy shots and the deer just are drawn to him(and he is a ground hunter,stalker and we all know how hard it is to kill a deer from the ground) and he kills with ease every year.The article said it has to do with how deep or shallow the indention between your eyes is and that is what determines how much psychic waves your putting out.I'm beginning to believe it.Some hunters kill out so easy its rediculous and some hunt their a$$ off all year and maybe get 1.I am a better stalker then my cousin and thats a fact.I have better health, balance,stealth,I'm more patient, everything yet he has no problem killing with ease and its a struggle for me.I have a TON of close calls every year but its usually something like the deer comes in from behind me and is standing 5 yards behind me where I can't do anything.When I don't have a weapon with me and killing an animal is the last thing on my mind thats when a deer walks up right in front of me at 5 yards and stands there for 20 minutes.
Do any of you remember reading this in the UBM,United bowhunters of missouri magazine?
I don't believe it matters to the deer whether you're eye-balling them or not.
I do know it matters to me. I'm much better off not looking directly at the deer's "face" becaue it bends me further out of shape.
I think when folks eye-ball the deer they don't realize their mouth opens progressively wider and wider ... that's what Mrs. Doe sees. (of course I'm kidding about the mouth).
Old timers taught me: avoid eye contact and don't show your teeth.
QuoteOriginally posted by Hill Hunter:
I don't know if its a sixth since but it happens, I tend to think that a set of predator eyes is just something they pick up. looking away is not enough in my experience, squint or close your eyes.
You nailed it Hill, we are predators and deer have to deal with all kinds. They have learned to spot us just like we have learned to spot them and the eyes are a dead give away, especially if your face isn't covered up.....anybody who doesn't at least wear a face mask should really think about getting one.
When you were a kid and just learning to hunt, did your dad, uncle, or grandfather ever take you out to try and find a rabbit sitting so you could shoot one? Mine did and you know what he looked for amongst other things to spot a sitting rabbit buried up in brush......the eye.
He told me that it looked like a big black marble and the eye is a dead give away, find the rabbit's eye and the rest of him will come into focus.
I think that's what deer do.......they may not see the outline of your body right away with good camo on, but if they see your eyes and stare at you long enough the rest of your outline will come into focus.
I wouldn't call it a magical 6th sense, just very good survival skills.
Achilles- I would like to read that article if you can locate it. Don't know for sure, but there could be some truth to that?
Who knows? If a dog can detect cancer in a human body then why couldn't a deer pick up on negative..Predatory energy from a human?
Maybe we should all think about puppies, flowers, kittens, Santa Claus, and the easter bunny while we are deer hunting? :bigsmyl:
I stare 'em down all the time. That's how you learn what they're thinkin'.
Must be the face paint.
I tend to squint at turkeys and deer when they are looking at me. I do believe they can pick out the eyes of a predator. We all have a "six sense", even the animals. Like someone already said, how often have you looked at someone and they turn and look right at you. Or you just sense someone walking up behind you. Oooooooooooo!....Spooky:)
Semo....I will try and find it I think I still have it.
They don't need a sixth sense- the five they have are enough to make fools of us most of the time!
Predator species (like us) have their eyes located on the front of their heads, for binocular vision and improved focus on their prey. Prey species have their eyes located on the sides of their heads, where they can look all around without moving their heads. A deer can see a much broader field of vision than we can. Prey species naturally are alerted by a pair of predator eyes looking at them as a survival tool.
Dan Quillian clued me in to these facts. Makes perfect sense to me. After learning this, I squint and/or close one eye when a deer is in front of me. Since the eye on your side can always pick you out, they don't even have to be facing your way to see your eyes.
Honestly, I've never bought into this whole sixth sense, don't look them in the eye thing. So for the past few years, every time a deer that I intend to shoot gets within range, I stare at them and think as many ill thoughts as possible. Judging by my chest freezer, I'd have to say it hasn't hurt my chances any.
Jason...Yes but you may be one of the lucky people that was born with a psychic cone that puts off zero waves.
QuoteOriginally posted by Jason R. Wesbrock:
Honestly, I've never bought into this whole sixth sense, don't look them in the eye thing. So for the past few years, every time a deer that I intend to shoot gets within range, I stare at them and think as many ill thoughts as possible. Judging by my chest freezer, I'd have to say it hasn't hurt my chances any.
I don't understand it? Even in my Shrew-Works wool hood the deer
always make me when I stare!
(http://scienceblogs.com/bushwells/upload/2006/11/marty_feldman.jpg)
QuoteOriginally posted by -Achilles-:
Jason...Yes but you may be one of the lucky people that was born with a psychic cone that puts off zero waves.
I had them take out my psychic cone when they repaired my ruptured gizzard.
;)
What hump? :biglaugh:
I watched a doe's shoulder as she walked up to 6" from me. No problem. As I wanted her to leave so that the buck that had been murdering my walnut tree could step up, I just raised my eyes to her eyes. Poof, she was gone. The other deer in the yard just looked at her like she was nuts and kept right on browsing. I'm a definite believer in no eye contact.
I don't know if its 6th sense, or if they see eyeballs and recognize them for what they are. I have had a lot of close in deer and find that if I partially close my eyes, I don't get busted nearly as often. You can still see the deer and set up your shot, then of course open your eyes fully and pick a spot.
Semo...I still havent found it yet.This newsletter for the UBM was in 93' and you got 6 a year.I found 2 of them but so far not the 1 with the article.There are guys on trad gang that are on the board of the UBM and I know 1 personally so I'm hoping 1 of them will chime in.