buckwild41

The videos on the web look pretty convincing. Anyone here have experience with this stuff? If what they are saying about deer vision it may be worth a bottle...

kevin1

I've used it and it definitely works as advertised. I've done blaze orange(still looks visibly bright orange to humans, so still legal for hunting), a snow camo suit(white is tricky to dull because it will reflect UV to some degree regardless of treatment), and on ordinary home linens for testing purpoes. In all cases it made a very noticeable difference in the "glow". You can find out all you need to know here: http://www.atsko.com/index.html

Rebel Hog

I even use it on regular clothing for hunting....

buckwild41

I pulled out a black light this evening and was amazed at what I found.... Some of the clothing had no flourescents while other pieces glowed bright. I had to order the UV Killer and will give it a try. Now whether it makes a difference to what deer actually see the jury is still out for me. I have made several inquiries with independent professors who know a lot more about how the eye works and how UV, IR, rod and cones, and all that vision stuff works. Once I get a response I will let you know if interested.

kevin1

Perhaps this will help?
As you can see, deer definitely see UV light. If you try the UV killer be sure to follow the package directions, most currently available hunting oriented detergents don't have UV brighteners, but be sure to read the label. I run a full load cycle on the longest setting with hot water and a double shot of Sportwash first to clean out the washer, then launder my camo. I don't use the dryer since we use fabric softener sheets in it, and it's drum may also contain brightener traces. I've used Atsko Sportwash for many years, none of my hunting apparel reflects UV when viewed with a BL. I had recently purchased their UV Killer/Sportwash combo pack because a recent camo purchase had been revealed to have UV brightener, the Sportwash alone dulled the garment well enough that the UV killer wasn't needed.

buckwild41

Kevin , thanks for the info and chart. Its pretty clear to me deer can see UV and only view the world in the colors of blue and yellows, black and white at night. I have witnessed the “bluish glow” emitted from some hunting fabrics when subjected to a fluorescent black light. I am also confident that the UV Killer spray and wash will remove and or mask the “bluish glow” observed. I am not however convinced that the products remove and or mask the UV that a deer can see? I hope that it does, but it has not been confirmed in my eyes as of yet.

Here is why I question the theory. Humans possess a filter over the eye preventing the detection of UV rays (fact). Therefore, when you observe the “bluish glow” produced by the black light you are not seeing UV. I think what you are seeing is florescence or luminescence not UV? The question I have posed to the experts is whether this “glow” is an accurate representation of the UV a deer can see and that if removing or masking that glow is also removing that visual UV available to a deer’s eye?

If that isn’t enough to think about get a load of this. While pondering the above I decided to view an assortment of hunting clothing with 3rd generation night vision goggles. This was to see what the fabric looked like from the other end of the color spectrum IR. Well, there wasn’t any glowing or bright fabrics revealed but there was an interesting observation. Some of the camo patterns completely disappear when viewed in IR. I don’t mean the garment disappeared, I mean the printed pattern disappeared. The garment appeared as if there was no camo print what so ever and that it was a solid light colored garment. This is a whole new question that I am not ready to dive into just yet. Thank heavens only a few pieces of my cloth’s camo pattern disappeared so I’m not worrying about it as of yet.

Mojotex

I am what folks would call "old school" and have been very skeptical of stuff like this. But I want to say I am convinced by my personal expereince that there is definitely somehting to this UV deal.

Five seasons ago, late one cold misty evening, I was pegged from up wind by a really nice 10 pt. buck. I saw him before he saw me,and I froze, stone still. He stepped out onto a logging road at about 150 yards and approached m7y set-up from dead up wind. The first clear shot I was going to have was at about 75 yards or so. I was ina ladder I had set on a huge red oak which gave me a tree-trunk and branch back gound wider than I am.I was 15' up. I felt great about being well hidden. At about 100 yards he stopped dead still, looked right at me and pegged me.I may have moved, but swear not. He did the head bobbing deal tring to make out what I was, then stepped off the road into the woods.Gone. I was dismayed to say the least at how I had been spotted.

A good buddy made the comment that he thought that UV was a problem. My first thoughts were "another piece of commercial BS"! But I started recalling how many, many times over the past 30 years or so that deer seemed to just know where I was when all along I knew for a fact I was well hidden and not upwind, and had left no trail.That following spring I attended a grand opening of a Bass Pro Shop.I saw a demo of this UV deal and how a UV elimination spray eliminated the bluish glow under black light.

So I started drinking the cool-aid. I bought a cheapo black-light and took a look at my cammo hunting clothing.I was amazed. Practically every aticle of clothinglooked like a purple/blue glowing glob. Some pieces were almost white under the black-light. I sprayed this stuff with the UV killer and the blue turned to more or less flat brown/gray. So I started using this stuff that next fall.

I am now absolutely convinced that the elimination of the "blue glow", so to speak, helps hide me big time.I have not noticed deer even looking towards me nearly as often as in the previous 20-30 years.Maybe I am just "wanting" this stuff to work so I don't look like such a gimmick gober. But, as of right now, I will say I think that this was an issue that I had over looked for decades and have now found a solution.

L. Clement

Okay I will admit that you guys have me thinking… I do think that the sent killer spray works; I do NOT think that the Scent Lock and Sent Blocker clothing is worth the extra money.

I am now considering this UV issue because there was one time I was spotted from up wind… well it’s been more then one time now that I think about it. I do believe that deer can see UV rays or have some type of alternative vision.

I was up wind one time walking in the middle of a path, a doe jumped out from no where so I froze. Knelt down to one knee and stayed still. They where about 100 yards away and were feeding, few other deer came out including a small buck (spike). This went on for about 20 minutes. Then the first do took one look in my direction, changed her posture and took off like a dart! There was no way she could have winded me as they were directly up wind… It was an over cast type day but I bet I was glowing like a piece of uranium in her eyes and that’s probably how she made me.

Now as for the black light test… I to question as to if this is an accurate representation of how the deers eyes actually see this type of light??? You guys know that salesmen will do anything to sell there products because that’s their job! If they find a way to make a sale and successfully market a product then by god they will do it! They especially like to bend the truth so things sound more attractive. At times they will even flat out lye so you get out your wallet.

I may buy some of this UV Killer so I can see what it is primarily made of then try to find a cheaper way of making my own. Like the sent killer, I believe that its mainly sodium bicarbonate (baking soda!) so I just wash my cloths in baking soda (unscented) and that’s that, may even make my own spray this year also but will have to see how it dissolves in water, I would imagine that it would dissolve better in distilled water rather then tap, plus you would not have to worry about chlorine either.

Will research the UV Killer idea further to see if it has any merit… Happy Hunting

buckwild41

Mojo, Thanks for your first handed insight and like you I am an “Old School” hunter and tend to view most gadgets as just that, gadgets..

Clement, Your thoughts regarding manufactures bending the facts to sell a product is why I ask the questions I have. I have no reason other than my own suspicion to believe this is the case with UV Killer, but I am educating myself on the issue before I take a stand. If I can get the answer to my question of whether the “glow” is the same as the UV seen by deer I think I will be able to draw a conclusion to truth or quackery.

There is one fact I have unequivocally proven to myself. Some camo fabrics when subjected to a fluorescent light do glow like a light bulb. If deer are able to see this glow or if it presents the same contrast as observed by the human eye to a deer. I’m spraying everything!

kevin1

Another thing to consider is that the UV portion of the spectrum is spread over a number of wavelengths, while we may not see any of them the chart indicates that deer see most of them. The flourescence of blaze orange is around the 605 NM mark, which we can't see and deer can, but stretches nearly to the 650NM mark, and that's a pretty good chunk of spectrum. All we see is the orange because of out natural filter, but deer don't have that so they see both the orange as well as the flourescent "glow". When I treated a blaze cap while the blacklight was on I could visibly see the dulling effect, if not the UV rays themselves, so I know that it had an effect on the UV reflectivity even though I couldn't actually see the "glow".