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Let's talk UV: bought a $19 light and made an interesting find

sawyer.com

Understanding UVA and UVB

Our purpose here is to explain the differences in UVA and UVB and to show the changes that have been mandated by FDA to call a sunscreen “Broad Spectrum.” We will cover the following topics. Relationship To better understand the difference between UVA and UVB, let’s look at it this way. The...
sawyer.com sawyer.com
 
After seeing a similar demonstration at a hunting expo I started using this product from Atsko. It is comparable in price to other hunting detergents and hey I'm washing my stuff anyway.

www.atsko.com

Sport-Wash Laundry Detergent - 2 Quart (64 Wash Loads)

Sport-Wash Residue Free Detergent Sport-Wash is safe for all washable fabrics, and yet powerful enough to remove odors and your toughest stains such as soil, blood, and grass.
www.atsko.com www.atsko.com
 
After reading 5 pages I think I will save the $19.00 dollars and just depend on what has worked for me. Don't move when they are looking in your direction.
 
I have switched two or more years ago to a unscented, hypo allergenic detergent without brighteners that I purchased from Walmart. The name was Ecos, and since then I have seen much great improvement in my kill and sightings. I am a true believe in the UV theory. Also, just a footnote, if you put your hunting apparel in the outside air for 12 to 24 hours the sun acts as a ozone generator to kill any remaining scent that your family dryer may leave behind. Happy Hunting. Also Ecos is much,much more inexpensive then the commercial detergents with UV inhibitors.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
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.
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Yeah, I went down this rabbit hole 8-10 years ago too. Got the right black light and found that one set of cheap camo I owned glowed like a purple sun under the black light. As Tom said, the UV brighteners were in the fabric not a result of my hunting detergent since nothing else glowed like that. I sprayed those clothes with the Atsko UV killer, checked it again and it had negligible effect on the glow. That set of camo became scouting clothes from then on.

So if you are worried about UV then I think you have to check the clothes you buy AND use detergent with no brighteners.

This is a good reminder for me to break out the old black light again!
 
I have a couple pair of Mossy Oak Jeans I bought at Walmart over the winter for $5 that are dark under the UVA light. My more expensive pants have some glow on the whitish streaks. Sometimes you get more than you pay for. :D
 
austin1990 said:
I use 20 mule team borax on my solid od green coat, shirts, pants and the blue Jean's that I hunt out of. Long as you're still I have no problem getting picked off. Also I will add that is absurdly amazing on how good a deers nose is. A buddy sent me some video clips from his game camera a few weeks ago of a big buck freaking out over where he had sat down his backpack 5 days beforehand when he hung the camera! If there wasnt video evidence I would not of believed it. If I get the ok from him I'll post um up.
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I guess this is kind of off topic but since you posted about deer noses I want to throw this out there. I’ve always understood a deers sense of smell to be better than a dogs. Anyway, at one of my sons Cub Scout meetings, the den leader invited a guy in with a black lab that was used as an explosives dog. He said that he gets called out all over the US with his dog on suspected bombs and explosives. The guy said his dog once sniffed out World War 2 bombs under 90 feet of water. He also told us that his dog was on a hit list for an Islamic terror organization.

Now think about a deers nose in comparison.
 
slydog said:
After reading 5 pages I think I will save the $19.00 dollars and just depend on what has worked for me. Don't move when they are looking in your direction.
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I'm with you on this one. If they are close enough to really see you, you should have a shot. And if they do see you it's more or less because you're moving too much/they caught your wind. Forget watching the does and watch for what's lurking.
 
Wlog said:
I guess this is kind of off topic but since you posted about deer noses I want to throw this out there. I’ve always understood a deers sense of smell to be better than a dogs. Anyway, at one of my sons Cub Scout meetings, the den leader invited a guy in with a black lab that was used as an explosives dog. He said that he gets called out all over the US with his dog on suspected bombs and explosives. The guy said his dog once sniffed out World War 2 bombs under 90 feet of water. He also told us that his dog was on a hit list for an Islamic terror organization.

Now think about a deers nose in comparison.
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That's crazy to think about in reference to a deer's nose. Truly important to play the wind!

Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk
 
So which black light should we use? I just have a generic one that I got from my wife. Is there certain criteria for which wavelength, etc. ... for the light?

Also, what is the difference between UV in the fabric and something reflective, like the reflective life lines that are made of hunters?
 
Wlog said:
I want new hunters to know that they don’t have to have all this extra stuff to kill deer. In fact, they don’t have to have it to kill nice bucks either. The hunting industry, whether it’s on purpose or not, tells young or new hunters that they have to have “X” product and if they don’t they aren’t serious hunters. The hunter ends up disappointed when he gets busted and wonders, “how do these deer keep seeing me...
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Thank you @Wlog! Think you are unknowingly making my point! These statements are very true and may be the exact sentiment that brings this discussion full circle to what I was trying to get at in the OP. My intent was to bring awareness to those who might not even know that this is a thing. I wanted to talk about this because... it seems like no one is really talking about this.

Here's the deal... there are obviously folks out there like @kyler1945 who are in the know. He said he isn't caught up in the crazes dealing with the latest in camo patterns. He has already done some research and it's worth it to him to wear wool and use All. This doesn't make him a gadget loving freak. It makes him knowledgeable in facts associated with the way deer see.

Until very recently, I wasn't in the know. In fact, I may have made an irreversible decision based on a lack of information. I'll pick on Broadside Camo for a minute because I now have first hand experience with it. I wanted their new Ascender series jacket and pants because of the utility factor of the garment, not for the pattern they are using (they are leaps ahead of other clothing manufacturers in terms of solving problems for someone intent on hunting from a saddle). My kids happily presented them to me for Father's day this year. They fit great and work wonderfully and I was so stoked to jump up in a tree this OCT until... UV. Honestly, now I'm pretty deflated about the whole thing because I didn't know about the science until AFTER this purchase. Would I have wanted them so badly if I had known that they would fluoresce like the sun? Maybe. Is there something I can do about it now that they're already in my tote? Possibly. Does it really matter? To me, yes. I was just telling ol @Nutterbuster that for a guy like me with 7 kids and a day job, it's hard getting into the woods in the first place. Add to that a wife who tolerates, but doesn't relish the idea of me spending all weekend in the woods, or me traveling 2 hours to do so, and I've got a situation where I'm pretty much sequestered to my 16 acre hardwood plot in the middle of... 220 acres of hardwoods. This set of circumstances makes me interested in even second order effects because I'm trying to eek out every ounce of... whatever the word for it is, to make my season a success and put two of those four does I've seen on the cameras into the freezer.

Easy solution! Don't wear camo, wear wool. No problem! But wait... we're saddle hunters, and thus, need a saddle. Saddle manufacturing companies are more than likely using the latest camo available and that camo contains (or may contain) built in UV brighteners that don't wash out even when you use UV free detergents. My 2014 Evo is a perfect example as it shines bright blue in UV light.

Guess it all boils down to, manufacturers making hunting related products with UV brighteners infused into the material at the factory + ignorance of the concept in general [MAY] = "Dang! How do these deer keep seeing me!?" And I for one would like to see some threads on how folks are going about mitigating the effects of what they've seen in their own gear so far. Or what various saddle models look like under a UV light so we can help others make wise decisions before purchasing (or maybe even influence the manufacturer's processes prior to delivery). We're all about letting folks know when we stuff carbon sheets in our boots or throw them in the bottom of our air tight totes as a scent mitigation strategy. Why not share ideas about the effects of zinc oxide powder on our clothes?

Who knows, maybe it isn't the right time for this. Last year was safety. This year is heavy arrows. Maybe I'll just let this die and bring it up again next year so we have something to talk about and tinker with. :tearsofjoy:
 
Did a test application. The center of each garment was treated. Both were still wet from spraying at the time of these photos. The pictures don't show it well but the white is significantly subdued. Not gone mind you, but subdued. Left the copy paper and paper plate in there for reference.

The directions say not to wear for 24hrs so maybe they'll get better with time?
Screenshot_20200814-143013_Gallery.jpgScreenshot_20200814-143035_Gallery.jpg
 
Red Beard said:
Did a test application. The center of each garment was treated. Both were still wet from spraying at the time of these photos. The pictures don't show it well but the white is significantly subdued. Not gone mind you, but subdued. Left the copy paper and paper plate in there for reference.
View attachment 32244View attachment 32245
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You got a second to spray some water and see of it changes the glow? Or I guess once it's dried that'll tell the tale.
 
Nutterbuster said:
You got a second to spray some water and see of it changes the glow? Or I guess once it's dried that'll tell the tale.
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I'm up for it! :) Trying to understand though. You want me to spray some water on the treated part or a non-treated area?
 
Well Red Beard I just got some broadside camo as well, at what darkness level do you think this starts to show? Are you thinking this is a first/last half hour of light thing?
 
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