UV Brighteners in Detergent

Carl

Carl

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Staff member
My buddy who is a big bow hunter is big on using detergents without UV brighteners for all his hunting clothes. Says clothes washed in UV brightener deteregent stand out like a neon sign to a deer and thinks it is the same case for ducks too.
What do y'all think? ANy of you make sure to wash your duck hunting gear in non-UV brightener detergent?
 
Something to do with the visible spectrum of deer, and how they can see into the ultra violet range, thus the brighteners make the clothes "glow"
Don't know about ducks.
I've been using Sportwash for my outer layers, it can't hurt, and it cleans well.

Ever wonder how you can be standing still with the wind in your favor, and a deer strolls into view and seems to focus on you like a laser? So maybe there's some validity to it, or maybe in certain light, who knows.
Like I said, it's cheap insurance.
 
I am a scent maniac with respect to deer hunting. (Although, so far this season for some reason, my buddy and I are breaking all our scent rules and the deer couldn't care less.) I guess if I actually washed my duck hunting stuff, I'd use the same detergent - In fact, I think you've just raised a new point I've never thought of. Great!!! - Something else for me to act manic about.
 
Since we can't see UV we need to modify it to see it. I doubt it glows to a deer like they show in commercials. It's just another color to them to see poorly in shades of muted colors. I've had deer walk right up to me while wearing brand new hunter orange, if you don't move they don't see you. If UV was so strange to them in the woods they would react to it without movement. If deer start to carry blacklights like they use on the commercials then I would worry.

More importantly this begs the question "Who washes their waterfowling jacket?" I think you could find chunks of hunts from 4 years ago on mine. Wear it enough and there is little worry about UV rays showing through. Ducks can't smell ya. :)

Tim
 
IMO it's just another way to separate hunters from their money. No different than all the hype about scent control.
 
Deer only possess blue and green color sensing cells (cones) on their retina, whereas, humans possess blue, green and red. Deer also do not possess an ultraviolet (UV) filter in their eyes. So, what does this mean to hunters?
UV brighteners absorb ultraviolet light and emit it back as visible blue light. As deer are sensitive to blue, the hunter may appear to "glow" and thus the reports of how washing in UV brightener free detergent will aide hunters.

Couple of things to point out - UV brighteners work best on whites - most camo clothes I know of have no white on them unless you are hunting animals in snow and are using white camo.

For ducks, unless ducks see the same way deer do, it doesn't have an effect for duck hunters. So far as I know, ducks are not color blind like deer and see all colors. Don't know this for a fact but do know from unintended field traisl where I have flared many ducks when my red ga can, or other colored material is showing in the blind.

How to check your clothes for optical brighteners - put them in front of a black light and see if they glow.

Mark W
 
How to check your clothes for optical brighteners - put them in front of a black light and see if they glow.
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You can do the same thing a step earlier with your detergent.

I tend to use tech washes for my waterfowling clothes but I'm more concerned about restoring the DWR coating than whatever aura I may project when I'm hidden behind a blind. Personally, I think the scent-lock stuff is bunk but I do admit that I'll wash my big game hunting clothes in something like Sport-Wash.

If deer start to carry blacklights like they use on the commercials then I would worry.
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Now that you mention it, I have noticed a few pieces of velvet Elvis artwork hung along game trails. Hmmmm....
 
I agree on the UV being a way to make money. I also like the comment about who washes their duck coat.

Funny story. Back in 1995 my grandma was still alive and I used to keep my blaze orange in her basement so I would not forget it at my house. Deer camp was at their house so it all worked well. Anyhow, my wife and I arrived late on Friday night around 10 or so, time to get things together and hit the hay for an early morning. As I got things together, I noticed my hunting coat smelled like DOWNEY!!! I could not believe it. Grandma came down and I asked her what the heck. She smiled and said that she noticed my coat had some blood on it so she decided to wash it for me and help me out. Part of her ritual for everything she washes is Downey.....So here I was, my proud grandmother who decided to do a great deed for me standing before me...What could I say other than thank you. She went upstairs to bed. My wife was horrified and wanted to wash it for me. I was afraid that it would not be dry in the morning. She was willing to stay up all night to make sure. I decided it was not worth it. I would go as is.

Next morning I had 6 different bucks all coming into my stand by 9 all with their noses in the air, nice 12 pt came into a lane and I took the shot. I sat back then and watched deer come in almost like blue bills straight in on a rope. Sure was fun to watch. I washed the coat that night, sans downey. But I will never forget that hunt.

So in the end, after watching the in law light up cigs, go in for lunch and come back smelling like a greasy spoon diner, the bar from the night before, taking a dump next to his stand and despite all of that, still shooting deer consistently, well I guess I don't go as crazy about scent as some do. Movement is more key in my opinion.

Have a good hunt.
 
Tim, I've heard vultures can smell. I guess if they start circling you they'd work as confidence decoys ;). I just wash my deer hunting gear in baking soda, it's alot cheaper than the the stuff sold for hunting.
 
What do y'all think? ANy of you make sure to wash your duck hunting gear in non-UV brightener detergent? This is true for deer. They have eyes similar to cattle. Ducks do not. I am not sure it is the same for ducks. I believe ducks can see you "thinking" about moving. I have a phobia about it!!! [/QUOTE]
 
So far as I know, ducks are not color blind like deer and see all colors. .

Mark W
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Ducks see colors, hence the breeding plumages of male ducks. Hens are attracted to the vibrant colors.
 
Tim, I've heard vultures can smell. I guess if they start circling you they'd work as confidence decoys ;). I just wash my deer hunting gear in baking soda, it's alot cheaper than the the stuff sold for hunting.
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Yep, turkey vultures have been proven to use their sense of smell. I may have said it wrong that ducks can't smell, there is just no proof they care about what they smell. I think it is the kiwi and one or two gull type birds that use their sense of smell. Probably more then you wanted to know. :)

I believe if they started to circle me I would finally wash my duck coat. hehehe

Tim
 
More importantly this begs the question "Who washes their waterfowling jacket?" I think you could find chunks of hunts from 4 years ago on mine. Wear it enough and there is little worry about UV rays showing through. Ducks can't smell ya. :)
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I knew that was coming!
I might wash my coat once every couple of years. But my hat and gloves get washed & dried more often.
 
I kind of agree with the above statement of it being another way to seperate a hunter from his money. (In my best Cliff Clavin voice) Now, it has been written that the Native Americans washed all of their loin cloths in UV sport wash. Not well known, but it was the American Indian who was the first to use whisker biscuits, string silencers and Limb Savers. Contrary to many, it was early caveman that created the scent lock technology and Under Armour to wick away perspiration. They BOTH conjoured up Silent Hide clothing and it wasn't until they had created these products that they finally were able to eat the wild game that they had harvested. On a serious note, keep the glare off your face and glasses, keep the spent shells out of the sunlight, and stay hidden.........leave the rest of the "gadgets" for the Sham-wow commercials. I know too many old hunters who still sit on stump, eating a ham sandwich, smoking a pipe and dragging a deer out every year. dc
 
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