stealthyness

[oakley3]

how early do i need enter the woods. i usually like to sit in the dark for an hour to make sure whaterver i spook settles down. Is my headlamp going to spook the deer out at 4:30..5 in the morn or should i just consentrate on getting to my stand quick and quite. how well do deer see? ive heard they only see 2 demensional and are color blind but i sure feel dum sitting in my orange vest feel like i stick out like a sore thumb...

[huckones]

Oakley,

I can offer a few of my own observations that may be helpful:

Scouting is an absolute necessity an will answer every question anyone could ask. The indians say you'll see everything if you spend enough time in the woods. Maybe that was my grandfather. Anyway... You might get to a stand at 5:30am and deer don't come into the area until 4:00pm. That'd make 5:30am a bit soon. It'd also make you lose interest in hunting pretty quick. Spend a few days scouting, meaning hunt but don't get your expectations up too high that you lose interest for lack of seeing deer. You might have to move within an area or even move to another area. Obviously if you've seen deer in an area you need to hunt them.
If you "hunt in" and "hunt out" you won't spook anything you don't get a shot at. Yes, I realize you're entering the woods (probably) in the dark. But what you "spook" while it's dark has either left the area or will settle down within 15 minutes - unless they get your scent while spooked. Then they might remain in the area or leave completely. I live in Texas and go to my stand in the dark with no light to get my low light vision. I don't hunt in woods but I know it can be pretty dark walking. Maybe try a red lens and keep it pointed low.
That recommendation touches on your question regarding deer eyesight: Deer eyesight is not better than a human's it's different than a human's. Deer see Blues and Yellows (opposing colors in the spectrum) pretty well. That means a camo shirt and Bluejeans is not a good choice. Deer see hunter orange (HO) as a dull yellow since orange light falls between red and yellow and the dye formula used for hunter orange probably includes some red and yellow dye. HO dye formulas typically include Optical Brightening Agents (OBA) that convert some of the normally undetectable ultra-violet portion of the spectrum to visible light (think Day-Glow) so HO might stand out a bit. Deer have excellent low light vision due to a higher number of rod cells. The trade off for them is fewer cone cells (less color sensitivity). BUT they are MOST EXCELLENT at detecting movement. So look, sit still and make slow, scanning with your head movement. Deer have a wide field of view since their eyes are positioned more to the side of their skull than a predator's but they do see in 3D. They will look right at you if they suspect you of being something of concern so they can see you with both eyes - that's 3D vision since they see two, combined images. Try HO clothing with break-up patterns on it if it's legal in your area.
Hey, HUNT! OFTEN! Be safe. Have fun. Good Luck!

[mainewhitetail]

Wash your hunting cloths with a uv scent killer soap. Also us a face mask, the most important camo you can wear. Also do you really need to use a light to find your way into your stand? After 5 or so minutes your night vision should do the trick. P.S. the uv killer is the most importing part of the soap, always hunt down wind!

[huckones]

Yes, that UV killer neutralizes the Optical Brightening Agents and so dulls down the HO clothing.