Thoughts on the color Black
 

What do you guys think about treestands, camo, bowaccessories
with black on them. I think deer reconize black in the woods. I even change my strap on my stands to a camo one.

This is not a fight on camo, I just want to hear your thoughts on black is seen by deer. We can argue about if they can see color or not, but we know they can see black. In a tree(besides a black squirrel) you hardly see any black.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I'd go with a light to mid grey color as my primary base color in any of that stuff you can paint. Even if it comes in black I'd give it a quick once over with grey and then splotch it with some greens, yellows etc. to break up the straight lines. If you can make it harder for humans to see deer won't see it. And like you say, black stands out up in a tree. I have a couple hang ons that utilize black straps to hold them in place. that black strap really stands out. That said, boy does a black bear disappear in the underbrush. Big ole turkeys can vanish pretty quick too.[&:][&:]

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

Unless its a large amount of black, as in a hunter wearing all black in a stand, I don't think it raises any flags for deer.

The straps on my stand are black, the accesories on my bow are black, the soles of my boots are black... Doesn't seem to bother them at all.

I think we as hunters give deer too much credit. Granted, they're smart to an extent, but they aren't humans.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I think deer temporarily focus on anything that doesn't look right , but if the suspicious object doesn't move they'll quickly forget that it's even there . I've seen this in the field too many times to doubt it . My pop-up blind has the black interior , but I quickly noticed that deer were spooking from it when they hadn't from my nearly identical previous one . The black interior turned out to be the culprit . I can't shoot a bow from this blind , so I started zipping the windows up until only "murder slits" were left . This left thin black strips across the sides , but not gaping black holes , and the deer returned to normal after I started doing that . Can they see black ? Sure they can . Does a thin black line viewed from a distance look like a silhouetted branch to a critter that has somewhat limited daytime visual acuity ? Probably . Will it spook them ? Maybe , depends on the deer . My ladder stand is flat black and looks nothing like a tree , hell the bottom of the camo seat is black . Will I be able to kill deer from it ? No question .

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

Kevin1 how many 3.5 up deer have you killed from the black treestand? We had one on the farm, I watch a deer walk up to it and look right up at my Dad. Funny thing the deer turn around to walk away, then turned back around and walked right past it. He was yearing, I am just curious on how the react in other areas. No judging on what anybody wants to shoot.

Another question is we set the stand upand the first time a mature deer notices the stand(black strap) does this send him nocturnil?

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I can't stand the black nylon strap that came on a lot of my fixed-position stands I own... I take grey primer paint in a spray can and break it up by painting stripes and spots on it every four or five inches...

Not sure if it would attract a deer's attention that much (I killed a bunch before I started doing that), but I know I used to be able to spot that black horizontal stripe from 100 yards away when walking up to my stands in the woods... If nothing else, they're less visible to potential thieves.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

Greg that is what bothered me, I thought if I can see the thing from 100 yds out a deer could.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

You guys raise some good points. I have never really given it much thought. I just purchased a new ladder stand for next year and the entire thing is black.

I think I will hit it with some grey paint to break it up a little before I put it out.

Germ and Greg are "droppin knowledge"!!![8D]

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

Germ , 3.5 deer aren't common where I live due to B&Ds , and the stand is also brand new , so I haven't shot any that size from this particular stand . I have had deer of various ages walk by the stand , all of them checked it out , none of them spooked unless I moved or otherwise blew it . I sincerely doubt that you can ever truly hide any new object from a whitetail , they notice new objects very easily . All I'm saying is that I doubt that a couple of black stripes are gonna blow your hunt . Your smell or movement will do that far more often .

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

HG my Uncles bought a big black two person stand, I hunt near their farm. The night I shot my deer I was looking across the field and went, "what the heck is that" It looked like a big tall guy next to the tree. Now i am about 300-400 yds out, I put the 8x30's on it, and it was there stand. My dad said the same thing. It really stuck out!!

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

Thanks kevin1 good info!!!

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I don't really worry about camouflaging a stand from deer. Like someone said, if it doesn't move they'll get over the lines of a stand real quick. I camouflage to hide them and me from prying eyes. I've had people walk under me, had a guy a couple years ago walk down into the woods from a lawn cleaning job and take a dump while he talked on his cell phone. He looked all over the woods and past me a dozen times. I was only about 18 feet up. I've had people walk their dogs past me, drive 4 wheelers within spitting distance and had a state trooper almost pee on my tree once. He came off the neighboring land he owned checking out the state land I was on. If I can hide from people I don't worry about deer except for the wind.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I've doctored up my gear with paint for a very long time. I use gray and black primer. I spray the black first, then the gray. The overspray from the gray takes the sharpness out of the black. On the bottom of stands, I paint a tree trunk with limbs and gray sky around them. Nothing fancy but it works.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

Someone should just paint a big board with leaves and succulet persimmons to hang on their tree. I'm gonna paint some apples on a sheet I've painted up to look like the forest floor......and I may even paint a corn pile on there, too.

I think this is a LOT like camo. I think WE worry about it a LOT more than the deer do.

Jeff

Hey....but what do I know??? Ilearned everything I know from people that brag about shootin spikes, spoonin dead deer and from one who hunts in long, blue underwear. This place rocks!!

p.s. I may paint a tampon on the sheet, too!

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I guess I never really thought too much about it...but Summit is making alot of money selling their SummitSkin to cover the bottom of stands!

Beyond the stand color...I'm paranoid about letting my hoise rope hang down while i'm in stand. With it blowing in any kind ofwind, I'm afraid the deer spot it, then spot me as they are looking at it. Perhaps a bit paranoid...sorry.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

Yooper:

I painted my haul line to look like a real long, skinny acorn. It works great.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

My first compound bow, a Browning Nomad Deluxe II, was a shiney black bow with a natural wood riser. My first few attempts at bow hunting were from the ground, eye level with the deer. I wasn't successful with that bow, but NOT because of the color. I actually used to use Jim Crumley's Tree Bark, and no face mask. When deer were close, I'd have my bow held straight out in front of my face, sort of to hide behind the bow. When the wind was right, the deer didn't even notice I was there. I got 2 shots off with that bow and missed clean twice, the first time the deer didn't even spook but kind of trotted around in a semi circle at the sound of the arrow hitting brush. I even nocked a second arrow, but he was directly down wind and he winded me.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

My bow is painted like a corn stalk. I've painted my yard to match their bedding area......and I painted my gambrel to look like a hot doe's legs. They usually hoist themselves right up.

I am now done.....and I apologize for having fun.....kinda.:)

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

Where the hell is the Thread'n'ator when I need him, LOL

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I have black on my bow and its never been a problem for me. My trail cam has black on it and the deer walk right up to it. I dont think a little black on your bow is going to spook deer.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I think it also stands out from a distance, i like to ad some light greys also and maby some drab green.
Dan

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I think you're putting WAY too much though into your camo man.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I dont think that they can see black my self. I mean they might be able to but my stand is black,the straps are black and everything but my close are black and i have watch deer look right at me and then they walked right under my stand. I think that they just ignore it if they do becuase they see so much black.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

Yopper, I worry about a haul line too, but for stinky reasons more than sight. I always pull it up and stick it behind my seat, stuff it in my packor something.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

Then I am not interested in this thread;)Shadows are black in the woods, bark, and dirt. Black is OK. Lone wolf treestand straps are black; doesn't phase them imo. I do know though that deer don't like the black holed windows in ground blinds just like Double Bull preaches. They see them and they snort and run.BTW; how do you fight on camo? Lay out camo cloth on the ground and then start swinging?
Cool sig BTW.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I will show you at the HNI get together, I will bring the camo blanket[8D]

Sig is a quote from Tony Blair

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I'm not so sure that it matters really - having some black around/on you, but it doesn't make me feel good, so I try to eliminate it. I had a reversible sweat jacket that was camo on one side and black on the other. Every time I wore it, I worried about if the deer could see the black on the inside of the hood that was visible. I don't think it made a difference, but decided to get rid of it since I couldn't get past it. I'd rather feel confident and worry about other things in the woods like "hey, what was that noise?" instead of "hey, what was that noise, god I really hope they can't see this black in my hood!"

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

well if i dont like the color of my treestand i get a can of black spray paint.. an put alittle black in it my bow also has black in it but that came from the dealer.. nothing wrong with black on your gear..

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I've always added touch up paint to my stands. Usually primer grey. I get a maple leaf or fern leaf and put it on the stand and overspray it, then reposition it and repeat. Not too heavy. Makes a good pattern and breaks up the outline of my stands.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

It is not the color that bothers me as much as the finnish!! I would much rather have a flat black finnish on my bow or accessories, than I would some of these new glossae, dipped or anodized camo patterns, the glare or reflection and outline is what puts the deer on edge not so much the color, unless it is in bulk. Hardcore is right, I'm looking out my window right now and every piece of treebark and the bottom of every limb is shaded in Dull Black or Dark Gray. Treestand straps are made of nylon which causes them to shine even on a cloudy day, Black being much worse in this case. My old Fratzke Winona Camo (orrignal open camo pattern made for Bowhunters) Had a tan or gray (shadow) base with dark brown splotches trimed with smallersplotches of black, and I can't tell ya how many deer have passed withen feet of me on the ground at eye level over the years. So for me it is glair, outline, and bulk of a certain color that puts deer off not so much what color it is.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

This is a big one for me. I never leave a bow rope in a tree. I call them scent wicks. I carry my rope in and out of the woods in my right front pocket. It is a tool that I use more than my bow! I've seen deer tracks in the snow that have back tracked my tracks to the stand that I'd hunted the night before. I do not touch the bottom 4 steps with my hands, ever. So I will not leave a rope, that I handle frequently with bare hands, to dangle at the base of my tree to help clue the deer in to my presence.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I wear gloves:DAlways!!! I have set for walking out and getting into my setup. A set I use when I hunt!! They are not black so we stay on topic!!! I never touch a thing with bare hand. When I setup a stand to when I bring it down!!

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

Hey Germ,
If you get this far in your post I usually will take black and white photos on my digital camera, It really helps alot. I bought a box of 16 ratchat straps that were baby blue...clearence.. anyways I skeptically tried them out. I weigh about 270lbs so I like an extra strap or two on all my stands. So getting to the point they look great( grayish sky color)on the camera and I've never had a deer even glance at me! so I would have never thought blue would pass but it has, use your digital It works great.

[hr]

by the way I think black stands out like a sore thumb>Everthing needs shadeing in it.

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

If you're referring to bow accesories, I don't think its an issue at all if they're black. At 20 yards and greater, these items are so small and really a non-factor. Camo, IMO, is much the same way. The new open patterns like predator, enigma and ASAT use black, probably more so in predator than the others. That is what creates the distinct contrast andoutline breaking ability of these camo's. I think if any color is going to be a factor, its probably white.

I wear gloves most of the time, but, if its warm and I can get away without them, I don't. I haven't had any issues with game seeing my hands. Of course, you need to take care not to make any sudden fast movement. Think about skin tone color. Its very similar in tone and shade to a lot of things in the woods. I use face paint because I don't like a mask. Mostly it just makes me feel cool.:D

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I read it, good point

RE: Thoughts on the color Black
 

I don't care for black.