Calling on my fellow color blind hunters - glassing advice

[LongWayAround]

The rainbow comments are something I will have to pay attention to.

I'm pretty sure I can only recall seeing blue and yellow as well.

 

[Tom-D]

sounds like you have already found the best work around to look for distinct shapes rather than colours. I don't glass much myself here in aus we dont have the open country like that. There are heaps of different levels on the spectum of red green colour blind some are heaps bad with red but see green ok and vise versa. I have been told im about 60% bad on both red and green so its hard to know whether we have the same issues. I tried the glasses before at the optometrist they were pretty crazy but i didn't want to wear glasses majority of the time for no reason but i am curious to get a set to pull out if i need to track blood

 

[100percent]

It must effect people differently, I'm colorblind as a MOFO and ever since I was a little kid I spot more game than almost anybody I hunt with. Deer, elk and color phase bears especially. They all seem to stand out vs the terrain in my eyes.

Same! i believe our eyes have trained themselves to overcompensate for the lack of color. We are sublimally looking harder than the next guy or we are detecting another level of shades that normal people don’t pick up. I have always worn the “Eagle eye” monicker in my hunting groups? Hey! I will take it and continue to let my wife pick out my tie!

 

[Rjk300]

I have a good friend I hunt with a lot and work with that is red green color blind. This year was the first time he hunted elk and MT was always his dream hunt but he had a hard time seeing the elk until the snow fell! We would glass elk most mornings and afternoons between 850 and 1200 yards out but he usually could only pick them out once they moved. Now here in Ohio he seems to pick deer out like anyone else would but that’s usually within 100 yards. He also has a very hard time following blood trails. We splice telecommunications cables copper and fiber at work which is all color coded so it can get fun! The orange and green pairs look almost the same to him so after I tell him which is which a few times he then can tell by the shades what they are.


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[NB7]

I don't have any trouble finding animals, but I can't see blood very well. Especially blood on something like darker dirt or vegetation.


Blood trails are a REAL problem for me. I am on hands and knees for a bloodtrail that a normal person can follow at a walking pace.

At least I feel like I'm not alone! If I use my 25 year old son as comparison (who has excellent vision both normal viewing and color), I know I can hang with him when it comes to spotting game both through glass and the naked eye. We're on par there.

But when it comes to blood trailing, my color blindness gets me. I'm down on hands and knees looking for those specs that's he's seeing while walking 10 feet prior. It's frustrating to say the least. That's why I love blood trailing them in the dark when the blood's still wet, when even Stevie Wonder can follow a blood trail

 

[Wapiti151]

I have a good friend I hunt with a lot and work with that is red green color blind. This year was the first time he hunted elk and MT was always his dream hunt but he had a hard time seeing the elk until the snow fell! We would glass elk most mornings and afternoons between 850 and 1200 yards out but he usually could only pick them out once they moved. Now here in Ohio he seems to pick deer out like anyone else would but that’s usually within 100 yards. He also has a very hard time following blood trails. We splice telecommunications cables copper and fiber at work which is all color coded so it can get fun! The orange and green pairs look almost the same to him so after I tell him which is which a few times he then can tell by the shades what they are.


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same here, I used to work a lot with electronics and cables as a kid with my dad who owned his own business. He'd have to tell me which colors were which once, then I figured the reds, greens, browns, etc out because of the shades.

Fun stuff, I will always wonder what the normal people see. I can only imagine how vibrant everything is. I wouldn't change anything though.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I'm with you folks. Being not completely color blind, I'm about 40% red green . The pale colors just aren't available.

I once had a yellow chevy truck for about 4 years before someone told me it was a very pale green. Critters don't stand out to me by contrast. I have to depend on subtle movements.

Moving slower and taking my time gets me more success.

 

[Lytro]

I'm red-green color blind enough to get DQ'ed from most military occupational specialties. I haven't noticed any significant disadvantage when it comes to glassing. I've actually thought the opposite that it may help for locating animals, but that's probably not accurate either. I think I do well because I'm always looking for parts of animals (antler tips, ears, etc.) or movement. Some people seem to struggle if they can't see an obvious silhouette of the majority of a body.

Blood trailing on the other hand, I am completely useless at it during daylight hours.

 

[Renegade14]

I get the blood trail comments 100%! I've shot antelope that ran 30 yards in sage flats where there aren't great bushes or trees to pinpoint exactly where they were, and I've tried to follow the blood trail from the animal back to where they were shot. I can't follow it more than a few feet. That's why I don't archery hunt, probably never will.

 

[joehew89]

I'm red/green deficient, glad to know I have a lot of company. I'd say I'm average at spotting critters. The blood tracking is what gets me too. When friends help me track they'll point out blood and can't believe that I'm not seeing it. I don't know if their is anything specific for colorblindness that'll make you better at spotting. I think the same things that help anyone get better at glassing could help you. Like good glass and finding a systematic approach that works for you. Also It's interesting to me that some of you feel like your vision has an advantage in other areas. I've always felt like I see really good at night or in the dark compared to most people.

 

[Jimss]

Similar to a bunch of you I am red/orange/green handicapped. Hunters orange definitely blends in.

Having quality optics is obviously important. There also is a knack to locating critters. The more practice you have the better you likely are for picking out an ear, nose, tail at long distances. It's also possibly to spend more time glassing types of country, vegetation, etc that tend to hold critters vs those that don't. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye!

 

[LongWayAround]

Several years ago I took a buddy elk hunting during archery season. We had been out all day and stopped to fill our water at a creek crossing. The creek was lined with raspberry bushes so we started picking berries for a snack.

A few weeks later we were having dinner with our women and he said he couldn't figure out why I was so meticulously selecting a single berry, while he was munching away. I told him that I was picking every berry I saw.

 

[Scoot]

There's no doubt being colorblind hinders glassing ability. People saying it doesn't impact them negatively have nothing to compare against, other than their buddies who spot less game than them (it's not like they were ever not colorblind, then became colorblind, so they can compare what it's actually like to have color vision). That doesn't mean they're not impacted negatively by being colorblind- it just means they're better than their buddies are at spotting game (maybe their buddies are crappy or they are great)! You can still be good at finding deer and be colorblind. You're just not as good as you would have been if you weren't colorblind.

My son and daughter have been my trackers since they were very little. I can't find blood at all, unless it's on snow. I've also had times when my buddy spots something and tries to point out a deer because "it sticks out like a sore thumb" due to its color. I usually eventually find it, but it's tough!

Wish I had something brilliant to help the OP with, but I don't. It's a disadvantage, but you can still generally be good at glassing. Other than having good glass and continuing to practice year around (sounds like the OP is doing that), ya got what ya got!

 

[DanMan]

I switched to Swaro binos this past year and it sure helps although I'm still very slow at picking up mulies from the brush.
Several of you guys have commented about the difficulty of following the bloodtrail. I am the same, on hands and knees trying to locate drops due to my colorblindness. Have any of you been successful using a bloodtracker light?
For a number of years I had a Primos bloodtracker light that helped me a lot. One of the settings would make blood really dark, almost black to my eyes. This was a huge help for me. That light quit on me and the 2 that I have tried since have not been the same. Not sure what the difference is but I sure wish that I could find another like the first one.
Would like to hear your experience with them.

 

[BigHunterification]

Pretty awesome topic to discuss as there have been times when I feel like I am the only "colorblind fool" around. I have not had much of a problem spotting game while glassing but tracking them has been my challenge. Blood on the ground/leaves I struggle seeing. I often look for wet spots on the dirt or leaves. Fortunately, I have found everything I have hit; but their was one time when my buddy was laughing at me because I couldn't see the blood trail after I shot a buck with my bow. I was frustrated cause I knew that I had hit the buck good but frustrated as I thought he didn't leave much of a blood trail. My friend showed up and said, "Dude! Looks like a battle zone over there. Blood is everywhere!" I guess I couldn't see it from 40yds away.