Whitetail Deer Senses - What You Need to Know When Hunting

Whitetail deer senses are extremely acute andfrom, and also each ear can work independently
more powerful than any human's senses. It isof each other. Combining these features of the
actually amazing that hunters can harvest a deer,whitetail's ears is another weapon in its arsenal of
but with enough information and new huntingdefenses.
technology any hunter can bring home someLastly is the whitetail deer sense of sight, which
venison from their next hunt.can only be called good in comparison to its other
In order to be successful you need to know whatsenses. The part that actually makes this sense
whitetail deer senses you are trying to avoid sospectacular is the deer's ability to notice
that you can take as much precaution as youmovement. Make one false move and that
want. Of course many times luck plays a bigwhitetail most likely has spotted you unless it was
factor but there is nothing wrong with that.not looking in your direction obviously. Remember
Bringing home a trophy buck is always nice, but Ito sit still, and make sure you are as comfortable
think I enjoy the thrill of the hunt more than theas possible. I personally have purchased a nice
reward.Gobbler chair from Cabela's that sits low to the
It is the whitetail's sense of smell, sight, andground that I love, but that is just my personal
hearing that are finely tuned and need to bepreference. Every hunter is different and only
avoided as much as possible. These are thethey know what works for them.
senses that will alert the deer to nearby danger,The large eyes of a deer can also see a wider
even though a deer prefers to sneak and hide asrange resulting in a greater ability to notice any
a first line of defense. As hunters already know itstealthy incoming predators looking for a meal.
is the strong physical ability of the deer that helpsFrom science class you may remember that eyes
it escape quickly when it discovers a nearbyhave cones and rods within them. Well a deer's
danger.eyes have more rods than cones giving it the
A whitetail deer relies most heavily on its senseability to see better during low light at dawn and
of smell which is its most effective sensory ability.dusk. This happens to be a very active time for
They have much more smelling tissue in theirdeer and predators, so definitely try your luck at
noses, and the section of the brain thatthese times during your next hunt.
processes smell is very highly developed. So nextOn your next hunt remember the whitetail deer
time you spot a deer notice the size of theirsenses and which is greatest. In order they are
nostrils, they are not just for show but a verythe sense of smell, sense of hearing, and the
effective way to stay clear of hunters.sense of sight. Also be aware that a deer may do
Not as effective as their smell is their hearing,a hoof stomp in order for you to give up your
which is still incredible compared to a human. Ifposition, so try not to fall for this tactic. Good luck
you watch a deer you will notice how their largehunting and try to mask yourself as much as
ears will swivel and move side to side. They havepossible and prevent the deer from noticing you
the ability to pinpoint where a noise originatesand alerting other deer in the area.