Printable View
My wife came to the camp with me today. On the way she asked if deer have a good sense of smell and I told her indeed they do as well as vision and hearing. It got me to thinking about the other big game animals.
Bear, great sense of smell but hearing and vision maybe not the best.
Moose I have no idea. Blind as a bat I'd say and maybe mediocre hearing but probably near zero sense of smell, ironic given the size of their honker.
Agree/Disagree?
I’m of the opinion that moose, deer and bears have excellent senses although there are limits to how well they can see, hear, and smell. The fact that all 3 species have muzzels indicates that they have superior abilities to smell. Deer and moose have large ears that can swivel which can pick up sounds and their direction. Additionally, large antlers in bull moose can assist hearing faint or distant sounds. All 3 species have excellent night vision but there is some debate if they can see in the full colour spectrum. The eyes of moose and deer are at the sides of their heads which allows them to see almost behind them. Bears in the other hand have forward facing eyes that enable them to focus more clearly on small things… necessary for stalking prey. I’m not sure about bears, but the eyes of deer and moose are design to view things on a horizontal plane, which makes them vulnerable to threats from above.
People often believe that moose and deer have poor eyesight which isn’t entirely correct. They see very well based in their design, but I think that they have difficulty processing what they see. For that reason, they rely more on their sense of smell and hearing.
Bears see the same as we do apparently. They have the same color vision spectrum and have about the same acuity as us during the daytime. But they gots those reflective eyeballs so their night vision much better than ours.
Moose can smell good, they're just big so they don't tend to give a crap about much. Not too many predators looking to pick fights with a moose.
The old expression is "if a pine needle falls in the forest, the eagle will see it fall, the deer will hear it fall and the bear will smell it fall."
moose don't have great eyesight, but hearing is incredible. They can be hundreds of yards away and if you make a call they will come right to you. Not close, but as in inches under my treestand. I find that ability to locate a sound to the exact spot incredible
I agree. One particular observation has stuck in my memory. About 20 years ago, I once came upon a set of footprints in the snow and could tell that a hunter had been standing there the day before. It was obvious that he had been there for a lengthy period of time as there was an area the size of a door mat that was packed down and a bunch of cigarette butts tossed around on the ground. I knew the guy had been calling from that spot as there were moose tracks on top of his. The moose had come out of the bush (after he left) and had made a b-line to where the hunter had been standing. This was in November, way past the rut, and the bull still responded. It just took its sweet time in doing so. Had the hunter returned the next day, he might have had some success with additional calling.Quote:
Originally Posted by FishHog
To my understanding moose antlers act as a cone to bring in more sound so they can hear mating calls etc. Just what I've read through the years
Sent from my SM-G991W using Tapatalk
Danger detection listed in order of senses.
Humans = Eyes, ears then nose.
Deer bear moose = Nose, ears then eyes.
A deer can smell and hear you a long way away and you will never even know they were approaching.
Deer very easy to scare and Bears are also easy to scare off. However every Moose I have seen don't seem to give a rats arse about you. Numerous time in the woods driving the truck I have had to back up and turn around. You can yell at them to get off the road and they just look at you and it appears their just saying "F U" or "Make me". Even had a few start towards me.
Nature ways.
Dense forests,poor visibility.
What an excellent eye can do for them?
Smell and noise travels far,and no obstruction preventing them being detected.
Thus-good smell,good hearing -eye keyed on movement,not size and shape .Thus-no movement will make you become invisible.