• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Face paint?

raisins said:
Deer can obviously see well enough to determine shapes. For instance, a human-like shape at a distance will cause them more alarm than will something that is shaped like a plant of some sort (or even another deer). If they can do that, then it isn't silly at all to think that at close range the shape of a human face could be alerting to them when that face is a shade that is different than your surroundings. Deer then watch these more troubling shapes and if they don't move then they don't necessarily alarm, but still they are treating these certain shapes differently. I've heard it claimed that the head and shoulder shape of humans is different than other things in the woods and that ghillie suits breaking this up is a big advantage of them (but who knows).

A study to determine if deer recognize human shapes and are bothered by it would have to be properly designed to find the effect. All studies start with the idea that the effect is absent and then you collect evidence to disprove that null hypothesis which then infers the effect.

Camo that breaks up the human outline is praised. This might be wrong, but it infers that deer see shapes and are troubled by some of them. Seeing just the eyes (or just the whites of them) might be a stretch but I would not find it odd if the whole package of the human face (including 2 forward facing eyes in the right location) might be troubling. Heck, there are lizards with spots that look like their eyes on their tail and this makes predator attack the tail.
Click to expand...
This is just rednick speculation, but here goes.

I would say a deer probably has a hard time detecting a face. I say this merely because I have 4 deer on my wall, and all of them have a vivid white throat patch, white around the mouth, white around the eyes, and white around the ears. They also have their namesake white tail. Why?

My best guess is to help pick up on nonverbal cues. A direct stare. Raised and alert ears. Laid back and aggressive ears. That kinda thing. We have eye whites to help us pick up on those subtle eye movements that convey whole paragraphs in a nanosecond. We couldn't pick up on that with solid brown eyes like a deer has, so nature helps us out. My two-beer theory is deer similarly couldn't pick up on those nuances without a visual aid.

Compared to a deer, humans have very flat, nondescript faces. Just a teeny little nose and some beady little eyes recessed into our head so the sun doesn't burn them out. The whole face is one color. If a deer can't perceive another deer's long and exagerated face without an aid, I don't think they can pick up on our little pug faces. I do believe if you're a Caucasoid, you're disadvantaged because you're basically alarm-colored to them. White is the color of a dominant deer staring directly at you or a bunch of your buddies running away. A moving flash of light is probably similar to a blinking red light to us. We notice that because it's never good. But as far as having the visual acuity to distinguish a face from say, your other cheeks...I question it.

Other animals do have eye spots. For a butterfly or lizard to have eyespots makes sense. Birds can most definitely see eyes, and staring eyes are not food. Fish have tail spots, which can be handy because most pescatarians prefer to eat fish head first. Strike at the tail and you're likely to fall short on your strike, or now you have to swallow the fish tail-first and choke on spines, allowing for escape.

I think it's natural to assume deer see faces because we obviously see faces readily. We see them so well we see them on the moon, in wall plaster, on our wall sockets, and on pancakes. But we see them because they're absolutely vital to our well-being. If you have to live your life taking other people's words at face value (hee hee) without being able to cue in on body language, tone, and facial expressions, you're gonna end up disadvantaged because people lie like crazy. We lie so much that we make whole games out of it. Acting, stand up comedy, poker, etc. Games are a safe way to practice a species' serious skills. Human faces matter to humans. Deer? I don't think they're as essential to perceive. Movement gives them the info they need, and it's less costly to evolve the ability to perceive that.

It all rolls back to our habit of anthropomorphizing deer! We know that we freak out when strangers stare at us or ours, and we assume they react to that stare the same way we would.
 
Nutterbuster said:
This is just rednick speculation, but here goes.

I would say a deer probably has a hard time detecting a face. I say this merely because I have 4 deer on my wall, and all of them have a vivid white throat patch, white around the mouth, white around the eyes, and white around the ears. They also have their namesake white tail. Why?

My best guess is to help pick up on nonverbal cues. A direct stare. Raised and alert ears. Laid back and aggressive ears. That kinda thing. We have eye whites to help us pick up on those subtle eye movements that convey whole paragraphs in a nanosecond. We couldn't pick up on that with solid brown eyes like a deer has, so nature helps us out. My two-beer theory is deer similarly couldn't pick up on those nuances without a visual aid.

Compared to a deer, humans have very flat, nondescript faces. Just a teeny little nose and some beady little eyes recessed into our head so the sun doesn't burn them out. The whole face is one color. If a deer can't perceive another deer's long and exagerated face without an aid, I don't think they can pick up on our little pug faces. I do believe if you're a Caucasoid, you're disadvantaged because you're basically alarm-colored to them. White is the color of a dominant deer staring directly at you or a bunch of your buddies running away. A moving flash of light is probably similar to a blinking red light to us. We notice that because it's never good. But as far as having the visual acuity to distinguish a face from say, your other cheeks...I question it.

Other animals do have eye spots. For a butterfly or lizard to have eyespots makes sense. Birds can most definitely see eyes, and staring eyes are not food. Fish have tail spots, which can be handy because most pescatarians prefer to eat fish head first. Strike at the tail and you're likely to fall short on your strike, or now you have to swallow the fish tail-first and choke on spines, allowing for escape.

I think it's natural to assume deer see faces because we obviously see faces readily. We see them so well we see them on the moon, in wall plaster, on our wall sockets, and on pancakes. But we see them because they're absolutely vital to our well-being. If you have to live your life taking other people's words at face value (hee hee) without being able to cue in on body language, tone, and facial expressions, you're gonna end up disadvantaged because people lie like crazy. We lie so much that we make whole games out of it. Acting, stand up comedy, poker, etc. Games are a safe way to practice a species' serious skills. Human faces matter to humans. Deer? I don't think they're as essential to perceive. Movement gives them the info they need, and it's less costly to evolve the ability to perceive that.

It all rolls back to our habit of anthropomorphizing deer! We know that we freak out when strangers stare at us or ours, and we assume they react to that stare the same way we would.
Click to expand...
Starts with "rednick"... ends with "anthropomorphizing".

Man how I love Nick's explanations :tearsofjoy:
 
Nutterbuster said:
This is just rednick speculation, but here goes.

I would say a deer probably has a hard time detecting a face. I say this merely because I have 4 deer on my wall, and all of them have a vivid white throat patch, white around the mouth, white around the eyes, and white around the ears. They also have their namesake white tail. Why?

My best guess is to help pick up on nonverbal cues. A direct stare. Raised and alert ears. Laid back and aggressive ears. That kinda thing. We have eye whites to help us pick up on those subtle eye movements that convey whole paragraphs in a nanosecond. We couldn't pick up on that with solid brown eyes like a deer has, so nature helps us out. My two-beer theory is deer similarly couldn't pick up on those nuances without a visual aid.

Compared to a deer, humans have very flat, nondescript faces. Just a teeny little nose and some beady little eyes recessed into our head so the sun doesn't burn them out. The whole face is one color. If a deer can't perceive another deer's long and exagerated face without an aid, I don't think they can pick up on our little pug faces. I do believe if you're a Caucasoid, you're disadvantaged because you're basically alarm-colored to them. White is the color of a dominant deer staring directly at you or a bunch of your buddies running away. A moving flash of light is probably similar to a blinking red light to us. We notice that because it's never good. But as far as having the visual acuity to distinguish a face from say, your other cheeks...I question it.

Other animals do have eye spots. For a butterfly or lizard to have eyespots makes sense. Birds can most definitely see eyes, and staring eyes are not food. Fish have tail spots, which can be handy because most pescatarians prefer to eat fish head first. Strike at the tail and you're likely to fall short on your strike, or now you have to swallow the fish tail-first and choke on spines, allowing for escape.

I think it's natural to assume deer see faces because we obviously see faces readily. We see them so well we see them on the moon, in wall plaster, on our wall sockets, and on pancakes. But we see them because they're absolutely vital to our well-being. If you have to live your life taking other people's words at face value (hee hee) without being able to cue in on body language, tone, and facial expressions, you're gonna end up disadvantaged because people lie like crazy. We lie so much that we make whole games out of it. Acting, stand up comedy, poker, etc. Games are a safe way to practice a species' serious skills. Human faces matter to humans. Deer? I don't think they're as essential to perceive. Movement gives them the info they need, and it's less costly to evolve the ability to perceive that.

It all rolls back to our habit of anthropomorphizing deer! We know that we freak out when strangers stare at us or ours, and we assume they react to that stare the same way we would.
Click to expand...
 
I can't stand face paint, or trying to wipe it all off day after day after day I should say. I feel like it gets caked in my pores and I never really get it all off. Can't wear a mask as it interferes with my anchor point. I let my beard grow in during hunting season. I'm also constantly using my bow to cover my face while still hunting, stalking, or setting up on the ground. I don't care what anyone says, deer (especially does) lock on to my round bright white face at ground level bow ranges often. Even when I have good back cover and am not moving a muscle. I usually could have already killed them by then if I wanted to, and often times they don't immediately spook but start to investigate, offering more shot opportunities.
 
Been bow hunting for over 30 years. Wore simple blk/gry/ brn face paint for first 15-18 seasons then an article I read convinced me face painting was a WOT and I didn't wear any.
Bare in mind I was hunting low pressured private land with a high deer density and set my stands at least 12 screw in steps high or 22' to the stand base rare indeed was the sit I didn't see 6 or more deer
Instantly started to get noticed by deer not busted but does and small bucks I was seeing early season were for the first time ever stopping and staring at me as I sat or leaned against the tree motionless as a rock set in concrete
After this happened a few times went back to face paint and didn't happen again.
Just my experience
 
Last edited:
swampsnyper said:
If a deer spots me and gives me the gotcha stare, I always look back at them cross eyed. It momentarily paralyzes them so you can get a shot off.
I’ve been doing this for years. Learned it from my great uncle’s cousin’s half brother from another mother.
Click to expand...
I tried this this year and my Mom was right......... now my eyes are stuck like that.
 
I never used it before. But I picked some up this year to give it a try. I don't plan on going full painted. But just some break up. Another point for me is I spend a lot of movement at times adjusting my face mask. Rides up, rides down, shifts to the right or left. It moves and limits my vision which bothers me. Also limits my hearing some. I'm adding it to the tool bag of hunting stuff.
 
pasty like me and blacktails will spot your face and hands both.i started taking corks from my wifes wine bottles burning them and just making black stripes.makes the difference between them watching me or just walking by.been within 4 yards of a few blackbears without a glance. cork washes off easy.goes good with a beard.and its not makeup
 
Last edited:
I always cut ear holes in my mask. That also anchors the mask on my face. I have never and don't plan on doing the paint. I grow a beard for season. The whites of your eyes stand out way more than your face. Shade your eye with a hat brim and don't sit with the sun in your face.
 
Mack's PW makes a nice mask for $14 or so that is a 3/4 mask that pulls up from bottom and is designed to be worn with hat or cap. The material is stretchy and real comfortable but best of all it has a hole that can be positioned over nose for eyeglass wearers where your breath/condensation won't get the mask wet and fog glasses like most masks. I wear glasses and contacts interchangeably and I can make this mask work. The best thing is for those using a nose button (like myself) this mask allows for full contact of the nose button but still shows very little of your face when used with cap or hat. For guys struggling with hard-to-remove face paint just buy some Carbo Mask face paint and it'll come off with a damp rag easily. It dries somewhat chalky and doesn't have a grease or oil base additive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top