How far do you think can deer see?

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dand883

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As i was sitting in a ground blind last week watching a buck that was a little over 300 yards away through my binoculars i had a friend who was trying to sneak closer to get a shot at it i was wondering to myself how far whitetail deer can really see. I've been picked off by deer before at 300-400 yards and i've had them oblivious to me at 50. I've also had one doe see me at a little over 400 and it came towards me curious but seemed like she wasn't sure It almost seemed like she expected me to be another deer and was trying to rejoin the herd which makes me think that out that far it's getting a little fuzzy for them.

There's been lots over the years on what colours they can see, 300 degree's around them, motion vs staying still and even dusk and dawn vs mid day but none of it ever addresses distance away. I assume with such a wide field of view their distance for vision wouldn't be as good as ours but it seems so random sometimes whether they see you or pay attention to you.

What has been your experience with how far they can see? What's the farthest you've been picked up by one? Any tips besides stay still and move slow?
 
They have about 3x less visual acuity than we do. I think scent is a much bigger factor. It's easy to get made if the wind changes and they end up downwind of you. But how they react can be a crapshoot. I've had deer suss me out even after spraying down with scent killer, and I've had deer not give a dang even after the boys and I have been eating, smoking, and farting in the hide. Just one of nature's mysteries I reckon
 
I think they can easily see to 200 for a human standing up, but require noise, motion, or scent as well in order to spook. Its more about what alarms then VS what they can see. Buddy here got the biggest buck of his life at 10y as it walked up to him from behind when he sat on a tree stump. Didnt even aim his rifle, just pointed the barrel at it.
 
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In my experience it has more to do with them seeing motion vs how far away they are. I've shot deer from a treestand at under 100 yards and reloaded a muzzleloader without other deer running away as long as I move slow. I've put rounds over a deer's back and had them not move.
 
Unlike humans, deer don’t have an ultraviolet (UV) filter in their lens, making their eyes far more susceptible to the sun’s damaging UV rays. The trade-off is that researchers surmise deer can see UV light — something humans can’t detect.

By studying the physical characteristics of deer eyes, scientists estimate deer have 20/100 vision. This means that the level of detail whitetails see at 20 feet is what normal human vision can see back to 100 feet.

If you’re a deer, you don’t have to be able to count the whiskers on a mountain lion to know that it’s a threat.

Researchers also discovered that deer have a higher ratio of rods to cones and a pupil 10 times larger than humans. These factors, and the lack of a UV filter, give deer far superior vision in low light.

Unlike in human eyes, the cones in a deer’s eye are distributed across the back of the eye on a horizontal plane. The lens in a deer’s eye also can’t adjust to objects at varying distances. These factors give deer less visual clarity than humans have. An object a deer is looking at straight on is equally in focus as something out to the side — so don’t assume that because a deer isn’t looking directly at you that it can’t see you.

Oh yeah, blue, they see blue like a neon sign.
 
When I had the farm the deer would walk out at the back of the field and they would notice my mastiff walking around the barns. It was a 1000 yards. Humans didn't really bother them but they'd sure pay attention to my dog. They'd graze out back while we shot trap
 
I've been busted from over 200 yds away when I was sitting on top of a rock. A doe came out, took one look, and spun around and went back the way she came. I wasn't moving, but there was no doubt she saw me.
 
I had a small WT forkie watching me do yardwork yesterday.

My rangefinder put him at 838m.

He stood watching me cleanup branches for a few minutes. Once convinced I wasn't a threat, he continued on his way.

Last night as I walked the dogs had a MD doe scoping us out from about 600m.

They can see motion a long ways out in open country.

If I don't show any movement, they can be real curious.

This year on opening day I had a mature buck ( 9pt in total) approach me. I was standing still and he got to 30m or so before he caught my wind... Close enough I thought I might HAVE to shoot him.

I was lying prone on a knoll one time, watching a monster muley in his bed. Heard footsteps behind me. My concern quickly melted to marvel as a lone fawn approached and practically sniffed my boots (2-3yd).

I believe like most animals, they respond to movement more than anything else.
 
I watch deer, they watch me (mutual admiration society) I watch them, then they watch other things that concern them more in life than a guy they dismiss as no threat just taking a piss off the rear deck of his farmhouse. I have had the opportunity to observe deer for the past 25 years daily and can tell you they are multi tasking with eyes, ears and nose 24/7. They see me at 600 yards but ignore me when coyotes show up at the opposite side of the field. They have priorities. I’ve watched them see me shoot a coyote in the same field and instead of running away I’ve had them casually walk over in the next 30 minutes to inspect the carcass. Some of them are ‘smarter’ than we give them credit for. I suspect they have been secretly training me to protect them. Fawns get parked within 20-70 yards of my home most mornings and picked up by moms in the evening. These days I have to drive 200kms to my friend’s farm if I want to shoot a deer. Can’t seem to pull the trigger on my own deer because they’re always keeping an eye on me. Cheers !!
 
Do you suppose that deer can see the sun? Or stars? In which case they can see objects a long way away. Same as you. Virtually unlimited distances.
 
Mule deer can see well enough to know you do or don't have a tag for them. If you have a tag they are gone. Had a mule buck walk right over me once in the Porcupine hills in Alberta in bear season .
 
Raton57 said:
Mule deer can see well enough to know you do or don't have a tag for them. If you have a tag they are gone. Had a mule buck walk right over me once in the Porcupine hills in Alberta in bear season .
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Whitetail bucks are the same way. This season i had already used my normal tag and had a nuisance tag that is doe only and i had to shoo 4 or 5 bucks out of the field so i could set up my ground blind to wait for some does to come out.
 
I think their vision is comparable to ours, if anything though motion definitely gets their attention vs sitting stationary. I have sat motionless and had them come up very close to me until they got my scent. Their exceptional hearing and scent make up for any vision issues they might have.
 
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