So I got myself a Primos Truth Cam 35, so far so good.  Simple and useful and I already got some good game pics.

Just for kicks and giggles, I thought I'd try out wearing some of my hunting camo and step in front of the camera to see how it works.  I was quite surprised with the night mode (infrared) cam!  It was about 7PM in the woods so light was already getting dim.

Seen below, I'm wearing some Cabelas 60/40 Poly/Cotton Mossy Oak pants, A cheapo Wal-Mart Mossy Oak print Polyester shirt, a cheapo Poly face veil with a digital pattern, my Danner Pronhorn Boots, and my Cabela's Goretex Boonie in Realtree.   The cheapo Poly stuff shows up like a ghost! Even the Danner Pronghorn boots show up a little bright.  Both the pants and the shirt are the SAME MOSSY OAK PATTERN





So- The million dollar question is:  Do deer see me the same way?  Or is this just a special effect of the night vision of the camera?

After some thought, I can see how the cheap Wal-Mart polyester stuff would reflect more light- it's silky smooth and really the same stuff that reflective runner's shirts are made of.  Cotton seems to do a much better job absorbing light.

One more thing- yeah I look like a potato.   6'4", 260 lbs worth of potato :)

What wave length is the camera recording?

Infrared if that's what you mean.  

Not 100% certain, but don't deer see a little into the infrared spectrum?

Deer see the UV spectrum better than we do.

Your clothes are reflecting the IR. Were the colors dark or even black? I understand that black clothing stands out in IR like it's glowing.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_18/423814_NODS_and_cammo_concelament.html

Looks to me like the very rare night possum is following you.

Good stuff, thanks for the link.  I checked out some of your other links there too.

Conclusion:  Synthetics Shine!   I'm eager to try out my wool camo next.

Just a little daytime test.   That's an 50/50 NyCo BDU Blouse and 60/40 Cotton/Poly pants in Seclusion 3D Open Country:

Your cloths are reflecting IR. Lots of cheap camo does this. The better stuff, does not. Same with UV reflective clothing. I usually check everything that's visable with a black light to check it out. It's amazing what odds and ends glow like a lightbulb.

I have never seen any research that says deer can see into the IR spectrum, but they can see UV very well, so checking with a black light is a good idea. Biggest issue with UV I've found is gloves. Many of them glow badly, and those are usually the parts of you that are moving the most, so it's doubly bad. Second biggest glower I've found is ground blinds. A ton of them must look like a giant glowing marshmallow.....it's no wonder deer are skeptical of them. Yet another reason why I hate them.

most  laundry detergents contain brighteners which as you just found out will cause your clothing to glow when viewed in IR or night vision.  


http://www.atsko.com/articles/clothingcare/article-washingacu

DETERGENTS THAT CONTAIN OPTICAL BRIGHTENERS
Dreft Liquid
Dreft Powder
Era Liquid (all versions)
Gain Liquids (all versions)
Gain Powders (all versions)
Ivory Snow Liquid
Ivory Snow Powder
Tide Liquids (all versions)
Tide Powders (all versions)
Tide Tablets (all versions)
Fab (all versions)
Dynamo (all versions)
Ajax (all versions)
Suavitel Fabric Softener (all versions)
All laundry products made by Colgate-Palmolive
Arm & Hammer Liquid (all versions)
Arm & Hammer FabriCare Powder (all versions)
Arm & Hammer Fresh 'n Soft Fabric Softener (all versions)
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
Rain Drops Water Softener and Detergent Booster
DeliCare Fine Fabric Wash (all versions)
Wisk (all versions)
All Liquid (all versions)
Surf Liquid (all versions)
Yes (all versions)
All Dial Laundry Products including:
Purex Powder (all versions)
Purex Liquid (all versions)
Purex Fabric Softener (all versions)
Purex Baby (all versions)
20 Mule Team Detergent (all versions)
Zout (all versions)

DO NOT CONTAIN BRIGHTENERS:
Bold Powder
Cheer Liquid (all versions)
Cheer Powder (all versions)
All Powder (all versions)
Surf Powder (all versions)
Woolite (all versions)

Dies and additives in laundry soap.

And now you know why military uniforms are "IR" rated.

Things can have very different reflectances in the IR spectrum than the visual.  Your camera is sensitive to IR.


Kind of the opposite, black stands out because it's BLACK.  Effectively nothing in the natural world looks BLACK in the IR spectrum.

Good to know. Am I correct in assuming that black will seem more visible when viewed in IR?

Update:  I took out my Bow and some alternative Camo.

First up:  Predator Fall Brown Poly/Cotton Cabelas pants, Charcoal/Plaid Wool Stormy Kromer cap, Predator Fall Brown Kompass 1/4 zip top Polyester shirt.  THE SHIRT WAS WASHED IN WOOLITE PRIOR TO THIS TEST.

Similar results with the Polyester shirt- washes out like a marshmallow. Marginally better than the cheapo Wal-Mart shirt as you can see some of the pattern very lightly.  The same pattern in the Poly/Cotton pants holds its pattern.  The predator stuff retailed for $45 pants and $85-some for the shirt (I paid much less actually as I got them on sale and used Cabela's bucks).  I would expect more from a  the $85 shirt.  I will say the shirt is excellently constructed and designed but in IR it shines like a ghost.




I threw my Columbia Gelatin wool shirt-Jacket over and liked what I saw better.   The wool is very medium grey with little break-up but is better than any synthetic I've tried yet:





Conclusion:  
-If Deer see in UV similar to what shows up in my IR game camera, my chances of being spotted go way up.
-Wool seems to do a good job (hat and  jacket)
-Poly Cotton blends seem to do fine

Yes- Scent and noise may be bigger factors in your success but that's not what this test is about. If anything the lesson learned is not to spend lots of $ on fancy Polyester camo!  

I'll try to do some more experimenting with different patterns and fabrics.

Your camera is showing IR, NOT UV. UV is at the opposite end of the spectrum. If you want to check your cloths for UV reflectivity, go into a totally dark room and shine a black light on it. UV reflective materials will glow and easily be seen.

Deer do see into the low-UV range well above where humans can perceive, in fact their vision is very sensitive there.  If you wash your hunting clothes with detergents which have optical brighteners (like virtually all consumer laundry detergents) you will look like you're glowing to a deer regardless of what uber camo pattern you happen to be wearing.

Deer do not see well in the low end of the human-visible spectrum (red) nor into the near-IR.  Red lighting is almost invisible to deer.  IR "night vision" lighting would be invisible to deer as well as humans.

See:  http://www.atsko.com/articles/animalvisionandsmell/seeandsmellbook

It'd be an interesting experiment to modify a digital camera sensor to replicate the two-color vision with correct spectral ranges to simulate deer vision.

If you've EVER washed clothing using detergent w/ optical brighteners, they don't wash out.  Optical brighteners are a dye.  You have to redye the fabric.

http://www.atsko.com/hunting/uvkiller.html

This has been a fun little project.  I wore some Flecktarn out to the woods today.
Jacket/Parka:  Artkis (Nylon/Cotton)
Pants: Surplus Flecktarn (Cotton/Poly)- these are actually much more faded in color than the jacket
Gloves:  Black Poly
Headcover:  Poly Flecktarn- this looks rather ghostly in the IR photo!


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And just in case your wondering- YES I do get pictures of game on my camera: