It looks like you're winning, @Red Beard . 
I have to shine a UV light on my gear. Thanks for the heads up.
I have to shine a UV light on my gear. Thanks for the heads up.
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Let's talk UV: bought a $19 light and made an interesting find
- Thread starter Red Beard
- Start date
Haha. Not trying to win... just trying to understand as much as I can about the craft.
I'm curious to see if a few cycles with a no-uv-brightener product changes anything. My initial suspicions are it won't make much of a difference. Looking at that table, it seems like the actual material or dye seems to either absorb or reflect the light.
I'm not sure where they got this vid. but it's a striking resemblance to me getting ready to climb up in the saddle on opener of rifle season after a night out with the guys. Seemed appropriate for the thread:
Guys, the only point I was attempting to make is the idea that that we are not glowing in the dark the way those pics show. I remember a hunting specific detergent company (before most brands offered dye/perfume free versions of their products) that sold a little pen light to demonstrate the glow effect to imply we are all beacons in the wild.
As I said, sure deer can see into the UV spectrum better than we can and maybe there is a higher percentage of UV light at dawn/dusk. But that does not mean we are all looking like lightning bugs right about the time the hunting should be best. No harm and probably a benefit to use free and clear detergents on our gear, but I am not going to panic about this.
As I said, sure deer can see into the UV spectrum better than we can and maybe there is a higher percentage of UV light at dawn/dusk. But that does not mean we are all looking like lightning bugs right about the time the hunting should be best. No harm and probably a benefit to use free and clear detergents on our gear, but I am not going to panic about this.
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I have a long and short wave uv light and my Alps pack has brown areas that turn orange under long wave but not bright. My camo pants have some streaks that light up more than I would like but not too bad. My climbing line is dark so OK. My DIY Yellow Jacket saddle has an orange streak down the middle but not too bad. My sit drag setup is good but the linesmans rope and Prusik rope look like a Christmas tree.
I think some people are also confusing UV killer with detergent that doesn’t contain UV brightners. The detergent won’t cover up your already UV reflective items. But regular detergent will add UV brightners to your non-UV reflective clothing and make them glow when they previously did not, “making your whites whiter and your brights brighter.”
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Yep, this is something I am unclear on also. I have used the UV killer in the past but, mostly just wash in detergent without UV brightener. I am curious the difference one versus the other makes.
Don't get me wrong, I have always been fascinated by this UV stuff and I do some night hunting for predators and have some GEN II NV with IR and let me tell you, talk about rabbit holes.... sheesh, anyway. Vision is super important and is our greatest sense. But I think more time is spent on scent control because like Predators, their noses are their most acute sense and the one which they rely on most. I read or heard it said one time long ago, something like they always trust their noses. If the deer sees you but can't identify you as a threat, they'll probably still be under your stand. If they hear you but can't associate it with danger, they'll probably still be under your stand. But if they smell ya.... gone! Especially Mr. Big.Exactly!
Guess I wasn't necessarily trying to get into a dispute over the validity of the science in the OP. I was just trying to understand the reason this isn't a regular topic of discussion among hunters. I mean, WE BEAT SCENT CONTROL TO DEATH every single season. Discussions range from "you do you bro" to smoking vs. activated carbon vs. ozone. This season, we've seen an explosion in the amount of discussion regarding the race to see who can accurately fling a 1300gr arrow into the non-scapula of a 3D target from 91yds.
Why is no one taking a picture of their new Cruzr or Flex with the lights off? Uh, wait a minute... please don't do that @Blinginpse!
We put out a lot of content about tips and tricks to help achieve the highest level of stealth possible. I was wondering if this is one of those things a few folks had read up on and are employing as a secret weapon.
Practical application... there's a go in an hour before sunlight vs. creep in during grey light discussion going on right now. Would it change anyone's approach to the answer if you knew you looked like a smurf walking around the woods at first light?
I am bummed about the Broadside camo though.... I just picked up their sweet "Ascender Hoody" which is my first saddle related clothing purchase and I was loving this hoody (which is super thick and warm) has awesome back pockets for saddle gear and a button down area for your bridge and loops. Now I have to worry I'm glowing?????? GRRR.
I think if we all just spent as much time scouting as we did researching products and upgrading every gizmo and gadget the hunting industry has to offer we’d be a lot better off.
I also think people give deer way too much credit on the intelligence scale. I’ve had deer so close I can spit on them in a nonUV treated blaze orange vest and hat more times than I can count.
I also think people give deer way too much credit on the intelligence scale. I’ve had deer so close I can spit on them in a nonUV treated blaze orange vest and hat more times than I can count.
Hi, I'm nutterbuster. Wanna make a beautiful, deer killing baby together?
Like most things in life it's not "All or nothing", It's a discussion. You can see in the picture above that some clothes glow and some clothes don't. Some deer might react and some might not. I think we all agree that if a deer notices something out of place, especially a mature deer, it's not going to stick around long.
Personally, I don't think that understanding a deer's vision is much different then understanding their behavior during the rut, or where they feed, or how well they can smell. I for one would hate to spend all season scouting and patterning a mature buck, put myself in the right spot at the right time, only to have him peg me in the tree 40 yards out (when I know I didn't move) and watch him turn and walk out of my life, to be left to wonder if I would have just bought a different detergent would I have killed that deer? If I remember correctly, that's exactly what happened to my dad 30 years ago when he started wondering about UV brighteners.
River water and doe pee
all free and clear to wash everything for me
Wait...we're supposed to wash our hunting clothes...I put mine away year after year with all the mud and muck on them from the previous year. Figured if it worked for ole' Arnold in Predator it would work for me while on a predator...Right?
Several years ago, I spoke with Atsko customer service (you know...the people who want to sell us stuff). Anyway...I was told that a lot of fabrics are manufactured with UV brighteners engineered into the fabric which cannot be washed out. But it can be blocked, thats what their UV blocker is for.
I'm also under the impression that a lot of the "free and clear" detergents like All, Arm and Hammer, etc don't have perfume or dye but they DO have brighteners...is that correct?
I don't lose sleep over UV but I figure its just as easy to launder outer layers in a hunting style detergent. All my base layers get washed in perfume free detergent.
I'm also under the impression that a lot of the "free and clear" detergents like All, Arm and Hammer, etc don't have perfume or dye but they DO have brighteners...is that correct?
I don't lose sleep over UV but I figure its just as easy to launder outer layers in a hunting style detergent. All my base layers get washed in perfume free detergent.