OT - UV Killer....?

[deerwhacker444]

Seems like no matter how good my camo is or how scent free I try to make myself, I sometimes get busted. Even when the wind is in my favor. There must be something to the UV properties of the dyes they use to make the camo. Usually the deer don't spook, but they definitely know something is up in the tree.

What are your thoughts on using a UV killer...? I know some of you one here use one,..I think I remember 86'r does.

[Nath]

What I hate is the stuff they put in washing powder and liquids, that'll make your clothes glow! I don't wash my hunting gear, I prefere to stink than glow.

I don't know about the stuff you mention. But how about getting some straight washing soap with iut the additives.

Nath.

[Blaine]

I tend to wash my camo in warm water, no soap..rinse a couple times. It's good for renewing your gortex, too.

[Chas.]

Sounds like what you need is "soap", not detergent. Ivory flakes used to qualify but I don't know what's in it now. The only "soap" that I know of now is horse shampoo. I'm told it's pure "soap".

[BigSky56]

till it gets cold I wear carhartt jeans after it turns cold I wear wool half the elk Ive taken I was wearing blue jeans, I dont buy into the UV/scent free stuff that is marketed these days. danny

[Pisgah]

My opinion, based on experience and common sense --

UV is absolutely insignificant as a problem in deer hunting. Yes, a deer's eye seems to have some UV capability, although there is no way to quantify how good it is. For sure, they are nowhere as sharp as a UV camera, a device often used to "prove" the advantage of various "UV killers".

And scent is way, way overrated in importance. Yes, deer will alert to a foreign scent -- just about any foreign scent, not just human-generated. But I spent an entire season wearing the same clothes, day in and day out, for three months without washing them once. Trust me, after about a week of sweat, blood, smoke and food scent impregnation, those clothes stank to high heaven, and by the end of the season I could barely stand to wear them.My bib overalls would quite literally stand unassisted in the corner.

I got the legal maximum limit that year, 12 deer. My hunting log for that year (which I just now discovered I have misplaced somewhere) reflects that I have never spotted as many deer in any season, before or since. I am a quiet hunter, and try to mind the wind, but fully half the deer I spotted or killed came in from downwind.

Scent may pique a deer's curiosity, and sound may get him edgy; but it is motion that lights his afterburners. The main "secret" of success for any deer hunter -- be STILL. If you must move, pay attention to motion and sound. Go slow and keep extraneous motion to a minimum -- raising a pair of binoculars to scan the bush every 30 seconds will ruin things pronto. Watch were you step, and, yeah, pay attention to the wind, but don't go nuts over it.

I strive to make myself as motionless and silent as a boulder when sitting, and I try to move so slowly that any critter giving me a second look won't be sure that I have moved since the last peep. If you can master that, I believe you can swear off bathing and wear Mylar, and still have success.

[cnjarvis]

I use Sport Wash and have for years. It's cheap and available at walmart and Academy Sports. Never seem to have any trouble.

Some manufacturers do have clothes that reflect UV. If you suspect yours does then the UV killer is worth a try.

[86er]

The UV killer is more important than the camo! Use the UV light to see how the garment glows blue before treatment and does not glow after. Last week I had deer at less than 25 yards from me. They all looked at me when I moved a little or made a slight noise, but never scared or ran. I had on Scent Blocker head to toe, sprayed with Dead Down Wind after putting on. The garments were all washed in Sport Wash and Dried with a Dead Down Wind dryer sheet. Then they were sprayed with UV killer and checked with the light until all the blue was gone. The elk came head in and was looking right at us but apparently didn't see anything - and I was wearing the same outfit with the same precautions. I have no doubt it works.

[AJMD429]

We live in "farm" country, and there are so many human scents, machinery smells, human noises, and unnatural things (55 gallon drums, stacks of old lumber, cannibalized machinery, etc.) around, that the deer could care less about if something reflects UV light, smells 'human', or makes strange noises.

In fact, I think they get nervous when it's too quiet out there, just like in some of the old 'Indian' movies...

[williamranks]

One year, back in Maine, there were no electrician jobs so I took a job cutting pulp wood.
Everyday I'd see deer back in the trees watching.
I don't know if it was the sound or they were waiting to get at the fresh cut limbs.

[Bruce]

Fellas, I am going to reply to this with what some may consider a difference of opinion. I do not intend to offend or contradict anyone, just give some observations. I am 51 yoa and have hunted most of my life. Thirty years of those were spent as a Game Warden working in Florida. I have seen a lot of different things tried and have experienced some unusual animal encounters.

IMHO, camo is a waste of money. Deer see in hues, not color - from white through gray to black. I came across an article one time that stated that Japanese snipers who were color blind were prized as camo stood out to them. I once had the opportunity to interview (talk with) a hunter who was truly color blind. He confirmed that camo stood out to him. He actually thought it was funny that people bought it. Think about this - many hunters each year kill deer while wearing lots of blaze orange. Through out my working career, I have walked up on numerous wildlife species while wearing a uniform. There are many things that may or may not spook wildlife, but I don't think clothing color is one of them. I do think there is one exception and that is real dark clothing such as black. I also would like to note that when I was hunting men in the woods, dark clothing, eyes, movement, shiny flashes or smell (scents) located them for me more often than you would think. I am real serious about spotting people by their eyes. Never look directly at the animal!

I also think one of the smartest people in the world is the guy who invented scents that make you smell like the woods - somebody's woods anyway. The guy who came up with the one thats smells like dirt (a top seller I understand) is the king. I developed a keen sense of smell, especially for things like coffee, foreign scents (commercial), alcohol, cigarettes, oil and gas. For a test, drink alot the night before, sober up and go hunting the next day. I bet the deer will be blowing everywhere. One scent that never appeared to spook wildlife was the scent of wood smoke.

I do not have any experience to comment about the effects of UV, but I suspect it is over rated.

Wash you hunting clothes in an unscented wash with something like Borax. Don't use a scented dryer sheet or better yet dry the clothes on a clothes line. That includes underwear, socks, hats etc... Keep your boots (not black colored) outside or near the fire. If you can smell your gun oil, so can the animals. If the inside of your truck, tent etc. smells funny, so will you. You know what a human wearing a cover scent smells like to a deer? A human wearing a cover scent. Soaps and shampoos are a dead give away concerning scents/smells. Don't gas up or stop by the local Quick Mart on your way to hunt. If it is shiny to you, it is an alarm to them.

One last observation is about sound. If you cause it and can hear it, they heard it earlier and have already became alert. When noises caused by whatever, whether natural or not become too much, deer will move to an area where sight becomes their best defense.

Now, to slightly contradict myself. If you ever come across a product called Magnum 44 pellets - buy them. Don't open then until you are in the woods and don't try to reclaim them. They work great - but they do stink. Pure Vanilla Extract (no alcohol) if used very sparingly (drops) seem to work also.