Are Deer Color Blind? (And Why Camouflage That Manages UV and Reflection Matters)

When someone asks me “Are deer color blind?” I don't answer with a flat yes or no—because the truth sits somewhere between myth and nuance. Whitetails don’t see the world like we do, but they do see it—and that reality shapes everything from high-end camo to how we position ourselves in the woods. In this post, I’ll walk you through the biology behind deer vision (with a bit of Dr. Kroll’s perspective), show why non-reflective and UV-absorbing camouflage like Code of Silence matters, and talk about how sensory gating plays into what matters most when a deer is sizing you up.

The Biology of Deer Vision: What Science Tells Us

Dichromatic vision, not total color blindness

The simplified “color blind deer” narrative is misused. Whitetails aren’t blind to all colors; they don’t see exactly what we see. Multiple studies, especially the VerCauteren review “A review of color vision in white-tailed deer” (2003), conclude that deer are dichromatic—they have two types of functional cones rather than three like humans. In practical terms, deer can discriminate in the blue and yellow ranges more reliably than reds and greens.

That means if your camo pattern relies on a red‑based tone or strong green contrast, in many light conditions, it’s less about deer “not seeing” red and more about their reduced sensitivity in that spectrum. VerCauteren and others note that deer can see UV wavelengths (in the short‑wavelength end) that humans can’t. 

So no—deer aren’t totally color blind. But they’re also not seeing what we think they see.

Sensitivity to contrast, movement, and brightness

Since deer rely more heavily on rods (light-sensitive photoreceptors) than cones, they're tuned to detect motion, contrast, and brightness shifts. The PSU “The Eyes Have It” project notes that deer have a high rod density, which gives them strong sensitivity in low light and sensitivity to changes in brightness over nuance in color. 

In this way, a piece of camo doesn’t need to “look green” to a deer—it needs to minimize abrupt contrasts, specular reflection (shine), and unnatural outlines. That’s where non-reflective surfaces and UV control come into play.

Newer work and light-enviro influences

A 2023 paper titled “Influence of visual perception on movement decisions by…” explores how differing light environments affect deer visual ecology and movement decisions. It shows deer respond to how light shifts around landscape features, indicating their visual perception is context dependent. 

Also, deer vision is not static across the day. Bright sunlight, dappled shade, dawn/dusk—each shifts how contrast and color matter.

Dr. Kroll’s Insight: Red Light, Deer Behavior & Camouflage Philosophy

Dr. James Kroll—the “Dr. Deer” many of us read or listen to—has spent decades thinking about deer behavior and research. One anecdote he shares: when working with deer in holding pens, they exploit the fact that deer are weak in red wavelengths. So he can turn on a red light and “they can’t see us”—effectively operating behind a visual veil. 

That tells us one thing: using wavelengths deer are less attuned to (or filtering them out) offers a stealth advantage. It argues for camouflage systems that go beyond visible-spectrum patterning and lean into spectral control—especially minimizing reflectance in deer-sensitive bands, and absorbing or diffusing UV or short wavelengths that horseshoe broad detection cues.

Kroll also highlights that deer management and hunting techniques have to embrace not just behavior and habitat, but sensory biology. The smarter your gear cooperates with deer perception (rather than working against it), the more advantage you have.

Why Non‑Reflective & UV‑Absorbing Camo Matters (Code of Silence Angle)

If deer aren’t perceiving colors like we do, why worry about fancy camo? Because camouflage isn’t about fooling human eyes—it’s about fooling the deer’s visual system. Here’s how non-reflective and UV-absorbing design helps:

1. Eliminating shine / specular reflection
   A sheen on fabric, a glossy fiber, even a wet leaf can momentarily “flash” in light. Deer are masters at picking up micro‑brightness shifts. When your camo fabric is non-reflective—when it absorbs rather than bounces light—you reduce the chance of that betrayal in harsh sun or with stray rays.
   
   

2. Controlling UV / short wavelengths
   Because deer can detect into UV and short‑wavelength ranges, stray “brighteners” (optical brighteners in detergents, synthetic fibers, reflective inks) can backfire. A fabric that absorbs or filters UV (i.e. not bouncing it back) aligns more with the deer’s spectral sensitivity and reduces artifacts deer might detect.
   
   

3. Contrast smoothing and texture break-up
   Beyond color, the visual boundary between you and your surroundings is what deer often detect at distance. Camo that blends in brightness gradients (shadow to light) and introduces microtexture (versus large bold blotches) does better. Add in the reduced specular reflection, and you get a more seamless blend.
   
   

4. Consistency across light conditions
   Camouflage that performs well in bright sun but “blows out” in shade is a liability. A non-reflective, UV-controlled system holds more consistently across midday, edge light, or filtered canopy. In practice, that means fewer high-contrast failures as light shifts.
   
   

In short: Code of Silence’s non-reflective properties and UV absorption (if engineered properly) are not marketing flair—they address real vulnerabilities in deer perception.

What Do Deer Studies at Missouri State, Penn State, Texas A&M Say (and What They Don’t)

I dug around. There’s no massively cited “Missouri State University deer vision camo test” that jumps out, but there are useful references to deer biology and vision from Penn State and other arms of deer research.

• Penn State / Deer-Forest Study
  Penn State’s deer-forest work (under “The Eyes Have It”) underscores how deer are vision-limited in cones and better tuned to rods. This supports the idea that contrast, motion, and brightness shifts—rather than fine color differences—drive detection thresholds.
  
  Their broader “Proven Recipe” research is more about antler growth, nutrition, environment—not vision per se. But it does reinforce: habitat, cover, and plant composition influence deer behavior far more than flashy gear.
  
  

• Texas A&M / Kroll connections
  Dr. Kroll got his Ph.D. from Texas A&M, and many deer management practices and research projects are in conversation with TAMU wildlife work. In more applied deer management journals, Kroll co‑authored with Texas A&M colleagues on topics like remote camera use, harvest strategies, and bait effects.While not directly testing camouflage fabrics, those collaborations show that Kroll’s on-the-ground insights interact deeply with academic wildlife programs.
  
  

• What we don’t see
  I did not find a peer‑reviewed paper where deer were tested in the field explicitly against a “non-reflective UV-absorbing camouflage” vs. standard camo, with quantitative detection thresholds. That means much of the camo claims rest on inference from deer vision biology, anecdotal trials, and design logic. But inference grounded in solid vision science is more credible than marketing fluff.
  
  

So: university deer research supports the foundation (how deer see), which is exactly where good camo must connect.

Sensory Gating: The Deer’s “Filter” and Why It Matters

Sensory gating is the neurological process by which an animal filters out unimportant stimuli so it can focus on signals that matter. For deer, that means ignoring background noise (visual, auditory, olfactory) and reacting when something crosses a threshold of salience.

From a hunting standpoint:

• If your camo occasionally “flashes” (reflection, glare, highlight), your pattern becomes a salient “signal” that breaks through that gating filter.
  
  

• If your scent, movement pattern, or contrast all remain below that salience threshold, deer may never fully “see” or lock on you.
  
  

• Over time, deer habituate to stable background signals (terrain, foliage, wind-blown leaves). But a sudden deviation—say, a sheet of fabric that glints in UV—can override their gating and force a reaction.
  
  

So camouflage that maintains silence in multiple sensory channels (vision, smell, motion) works not just by passive concealment but by reducing the chance of triggering the deer’s internal alert switch.

In other words: the deer’s brain is always watching for “difference.” Your goal isn’t only to look like background—it’s to not act like a signal.

Key Takeaways & Tactical Application

Here’s what all of this means in the timber, from one woodsman to another:

In practice, before pushing into a blind or line, run test setups: shoot reference photos of your gear in the light conditions you expect, under skies, shade edges, sunrise. Compare “standard camo vs your gear.” Observe whether any part “blows out” or generates shine. The better your gear survives that litmus test, the more you push the odds in your favor.

Closing Thought

In the deer woods, camouflage is rarely about tricking a deer with perfect illusion. More often it’s a game of hiding behind the deer’s perceptual limitations—its color insensitivity, its contrast sensitivity, its gating thresholds. Code of Silence (or any high-end camo built on spectral control, minimal reflectance, and attention to brightness gradients) isn’t magic—it’s applying what we know of deer vision to lower your “signal profile.”