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Post by Woody Williams on Aug 4, 2006 7:52:13 GMT -5
Look me in the eyes..
When I have deer in close I do my very best not to look them in the eyes. I feel that a deer either receives telepathetic signals or just flat knows what eyes of a predator looks like.
Your thoughts on looking them eye to eye?
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Post by budfields on Aug 4, 2006 8:14:09 GMT -5
Funny you should post this Woody...
I have had this very same thought for MANY years. I even mentioned it to some other hunters and they almost "laughed me out of the woods."
I DO BELIEVE they are able to distinguish the "whites in our eyes." I have had deer standing within spitting distance of me and NOT really know what I was as long as I squinted my eyes or NOT make "eye contact" with them at all BUT... the second I DID NOT squint my eyes.. they snorted, blew, and left the country.
Good Post and worthy of CONSIDERATION..
Bud Fields
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Post by raporter on Aug 4, 2006 8:40:52 GMT -5
No way will I look them in the eyes. It is almost like they have a shock collar on and that is the trigger that sets it off.
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Post by cedararrow on Aug 4, 2006 9:14:56 GMT -5
No matter how hard you try to not look at their eyes, we have all seen them just kind of stop and show in their body that they know something isnt the same as the last time they walked through that area. Its definately an instinct that has been bred into their genetics through years of being a prey species. Think about it.. if you walked around your whole life wondering what thing was going to try and eat you today.. youd learn to be extremely aware of your surroundings. Deer are amazing in how well they adapt. It has even been documented that on some heavily hunted public lands deer are now walking through the woods occasionally looking upwards to distinguish something that doesnt belong. I know its hard to believe but I can honestly see it happening. We have all been sitting a tree, here comes a nice fat doe ready to walk down the trail that goes within 15 yards of your stand, you are looking at the spot she is coming too, in your head thoughts of tenderloins, shot placement, the trailing job yet to come. Then the foot steps stop and you slowly look over to see whats going on and she is getting spookey. You know she didnt see you and you know you dont smell the wind is blowing straight away from her. Then the almighty head bob and foot stomp. A couple more stomps and then the infamous blow and you are left to sit in the tree and wonder what the hell just happened. Come on you all know it has happened to you. You sit their initially baffled and a little  ed off cause you cant get your mouth to stop watering after those tenderloins were pretty much sitting next to the tators already. Then you cant help but shake your head and wonder what the world just happened and then you smile and know that its hunting and you are up against one hell of a prey species. They are like mind readers im telling ya that much. |
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Post by hoyt1166 on Aug 4, 2006 9:21:02 GMT -5
I wholeheartedly agree. I can't put a scientific reason to it, but I feel the deer get hinky. It's as if they know a coyote is around but can't smell the coyote who's downwind. I firmly believe in it. I always try to look elsewhere other than their eyes. Hopefully, it's a little brown patch that leads directly to the heart and lungs! ;D
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Post by chicobrownbear on Aug 4, 2006 9:21:51 GMT -5
I've experimented with this a little, with marginal results. I have been within 10 or 15 yards of some does (I also hunt from the ground only) and stared them down right in the eye. In my efforts, some of them have picked me right off (this could be the result of scent also). Others continue in a state of blissful ignorance of my presence.
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Post by semisneak on Aug 4, 2006 9:35:14 GMT -5
When I first started deer hunting I didnt look them in the eyes. I think it was more of a calming effect on myself then thinking they wouldnt see me. I still close my eyes if they look directly at me sometimes when I get busted out by them.
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Post by eelriver on Aug 4, 2006 9:43:06 GMT -5
I think we have all had the same experiences. I've been busted by a deer and they start the stomp, wheeze, and head bob, all trying to get you to move. If I have made eye contact I look away and they often times will settle down.
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Aug 4, 2006 10:20:41 GMT -5
I never make eye contact with them. Quick observation of the critter, then lock-in on the kill zone until the shot is taken or passed.
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Post by dec on Aug 4, 2006 10:24:04 GMT -5
There is no scientific proof to support it, but I swear they have a 6th sense of some sort. It is amazing how even with the perfect set up, there are times that they can stop and look dead at you and then come unglued. Other times, they can look up at you and never even take notice.
If I have one looking at me, I usually squint to make the whites of my eyes dissappear.
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Post by Decatur on Aug 4, 2006 10:41:18 GMT -5
I never look them in the eyes. Even when I was a kid, I noticed animals have a sixth sense. I would walk down our stone road, and there would be birds all over the power lines. I'd go home and get my trusty slingshot or pellet rifle, and before I even fired a single shot, they would disappear as soon as they saw me. I'm convinced they know when you're in "hunt" mode. Think about it, how many times have you felt someone staring at you that you didn't even know was there?
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Post by 30pointbuck on Aug 4, 2006 17:28:46 GMT -5
deer like all prey animals have eyes wide set on the sides of there heads so when they see something large with binocular vision they do not like it.
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Post by solohunter on Aug 4, 2006 18:50:27 GMT -5
I try to glance away and not catch their eyes, sometimes though you are just busted, if that is the case I slowly close my eyes and squint. Then slowly open them to see if they are staring me down..makes for some fun...
Solo
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Post by Sleazy E on Aug 4, 2006 19:33:14 GMT -5
Actually it is not telepathy but they know what an eye looks like. The same goes for tree rats if you are hunting them and you pull up a scoped rifle they will bolt everytime. To them it is a big eye. In the ARMY when I was doing recon I trained my squad to look for eyes and hands because the eyes are impossible to camo and the hands lose camo fast. In the 2 1/2 years I did that job I always saw the enemy before they saw me. So to make a long story short (I know to late) if a deer is looking me in the eyes I close mine and then just peek (like you did when you were a kid) and wait for him to drop is head.
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Post by hunter480 on Aug 4, 2006 19:55:01 GMT -5
I agree there is a "thing" about the eyes, but there also IS some sort of sense as well. I`ll never forget the story I read years ago, the author I certainly can`t remember, but the fellow was deer hunting, and fell asleep. When he awoke, there were several does within spitting distance of him. He was careful not to move as they were so close, but as his heart rate jumped, the does began to get nervous, and finally put flags up and disappeared.
Everyone know`s of a story, or has one themselves about deer they know couldn`t wind them, but for "some reason" wouldn`t take that last couple of steps.
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Post by RiverJim on Aug 5, 2006 5:52:05 GMT -5
I had a buck keep raising his head to see over my cantted recurve that I was using as a eye to eye shield. He was right under me and it amazed me how he'd keep bobbing his head to see if those were in fact eyes he was seeing. The trees have eyes!  |
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Post by hornharvester on Aug 5, 2006 7:55:54 GMT -5
I think deer do look for eye to eye contact thats how they know a predator has spotted them. Ive had deer hiding and watching me walk by but sudden spot them and stop and look at them and they bolt and run off. Since i learned this i have intentionally walked by hiding deer and when out of sight sneak back and they would still be there.
I really think that most of the time when deer get edgy they have gotten a slight whiff of your scent. Wind in a woods swirls all the time. Just thing what smoke from a campfire does. How many times you sit around a campfire and have to keep moving becasue the smoke swirling. It does the same thing in the woods. Everything you touch you leave scent on, not much but some and i thing the deer smell this in a very light form, just enough to alarm them to stop and look but not enough to make them bolt.
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Post by duff on Aug 5, 2006 14:11:44 GMT -5
Don't know if it is true or not but old habits do die hard. I try not to look them in the eyes either but really I don't think it has one bit of difference to a deer.
They are cautious by nature. How could we determine if a deer acts that way only when someone is watching. If they have some sort of ability to tell if a person or other predator is watching I am sure they could tell if a video camera is on them even remote.
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Post by pbr on Aug 5, 2006 18:32:28 GMT -5
I never, ever look a prey animal in the eyes.
Just stare eye to eye with your dog and see what he does. He will start to get very nervous and will break eye contact very quickly.
Have you ever had the feeling thata someone or something was watching you and you look around and sure enough someone or something was giving you the evil eye.
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Post by deerdude on Aug 5, 2006 19:39:12 GMT -5
as soon as you blink your done, i have found alot of deer will lock eyes with you ,but as soon as you blink they snort and are gone.i had a deer one time almost run over me while i was setting on the ground on a very windy day.i mean i could have reached out and got this deer by the nose. she looked straight into my eyes but never moved until i had to blink and thats all it took and she turned and was gone with the wind.
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