1. Deer Senses Original Power Point Created by: Andy Harrison Modified by the GA Agriculture Education Curriculum Office July 2002

2. Considerations Preyed upon from air and ground Must communicate with each other by means other than visual displays Has ability to see in low light Same senses as man – hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch (touch not as important)

3. Sound Ears can rotate independently in all directions Ears more sensitive than humans: -Upper range: 30,000 cycles -Human: 20,000 cycles -Sensitive to high pitch noise

4. Sound Two types of sound: - Everyday sounds: birds, leaves, falling tree limbs - Sounds indicating danger: unusual footsteps, brushing against vegetation

5. Sound Deer can sense other deer’s movements at great distances Deer do not move frequently on windy days Deer make little noise when they walk

6. Sight Crepuscular – move about in low light conditions Even during the day they move in shaded areas Have limited color vision - Rods and Cones Rods – see light and dark signals Cones – see subtle colors

7. Sight Have more rods than cones Deer DO note need to see colors Can see upper and lower end of color; whereas humans are tri-chromatic – see red, blue, and green wavelengths Deer have dichromatic vision- they are missing green

8. Sight Wavelengths - yellow, brown, orange and red are not perceived well -These colors are perceived as shades of yellow Humans can move about during the day in bright light because of tri- chromatic vision

9. Sight The human eyes screen out UV Deer use UV to see better in low- light environments Tapetum lucidum – highly reflective membrane behind retina -It essentially reprocesses light for the rods and cones, allowing them another chance to be stimulated

10. Sight Deer eye is larger than a humans Pupil is capable of opening wider than a human’s pupil UV filter in not present as in humans More rods than man; ratio of rods to cones greater

11. Sight Very good at picking up movement Poor at distinguishing detail Excellent in picking up UV reflections Camouflage -Use muted colors such as gray, brown, and green -Viewed by deer as slightly different yellows

12. Sight Things you can do to remain undetected: -Anticipate deer movement -Sit with light to your back -Never sit on top of hill

13. Smell More sophisticated than humans In the forest, because of low sight and low light, smell is important

14. Smell Four basic glands in deer body to produce chemicals: -Tarsal gland – inside hock -Interdigital gland -Metatarsal gland -Preorbital gland

15. Glands Tarsal – located on inside of hock -Strong smell in rutting bucks and does -When encountered, deer urinate on glands because the long hairs provide an excellent evaporative surface for the scent Interdigital – located between toes -Serves as a trail marker -May allow deer to determine direction of travel

16. Glands Metatarsal – located on outside of lower leg -No real function in whitetails -In mule deer and black tail it serves an alarm function

17. Frontal Gland Located on forehead Most likely a dispersal gland Will sometimes rub this area on tarsal gland Will rub this area on scrapes

18. Scents Masking - overrides human scent with other scents common to deer Neutralizing – attempt to destroy odor

19. Scents Communication scents Scents that mask human odors Scents that neutralize human odors

20. Scents Communication Scents: -Designed to smell like a receptive doe or buck -Some people keep frozen tarsal glands

21. Taste Can use taste interchangeably with smell Bucks lick rubs