Part 2: More on a Turkey’s Eyesight

Last time, I was talking about the senses of wild turkeys.  On the subject of  turkey’s eyesight, I mentioned 3 ways to handle the UV brighteners in most hunting clothes.

Bright Blue Blob

This guy sees the "blue" in blue jeans clearly!

The issue of UV brighteners has been with us for several years. Take a look at the ground-breaking study of the University of Georgia (see below).  He refers to deer, however, wild turkey were found to have the same eyesight abilities.

Forums on the Internet

Folks in the forums have been discussing this issue since the study became common knowledge. And when Atsko came out with products to “remove” UV brighteners from hunting clothes, the discussion became more intense!

Hunters have taken positions on both sides of the aisle.  Some talk about the fact that our ancestors did just fine hunting with what they had at hand.

Some hunters are of the mind that they should use every tool at their disposal.  If you feel the need to make sure that you have every advantage in a hunting situation (i.e.: removing UV brighteners from your hunting clothes), so be it.

It’s not my place to tell you what to use or do.  I can only tell you about my experiences.

The Long View

I’m not planning to burn all of my husband’s hunting clothes, even though they have all been washed in detergents.

I’ve decided to take the long view: Reading the reports by the  scientists conducting the tests, I can see there is a problem.

However, the scientists admit that deer and turkeys see this “blue glow” at two distinct times: early morning and late evening. This is during low light conditions.

True, deer seem to be more active during both of these times, while turkeys are active in the early am.  During regular daylight hours, the animals’ (deer and wild turkey) eyesight seems to be less acute.

BTW, this study (and others) did comment on wearing blue jeans while hunting deer and turkeys: Don’t. The blue in jeans is very obvious to the eyes of deer and wild turkey!

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Next Time: More on this Issue!

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This blog is a companion to my website: GreatGhilliesAndGraphics.com

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* ‘A Year in the Life of the White-tailed Deer Through the Eyes of a Deer,‘ by
Karl V. Miller, School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia.  This is an excellent overview, in layman’s terms.