Animal Identification based on Eye Color

DougK

DougK

New member
Last night I was out walking the dog with my 2 million candle hand helded with a red lens cover.

As I was paning I saw 1 pair of red eyes 100 yards out low to the ground. Thinking coyote /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif I thought again /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif and took the lens cover off and the eyes where blue, deer /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

How can you tell what your looking at using the red lens and the animals eye color?

Thanks
Doug
 
If it's only a 100 yds away, you should be able to tell what it is through your scope.

Once you've done it long enough you'll be able to pick up on the way it comes in, the way it runs, etc. to be able tell what animal it is.

Tim
 
I wouldnt go and shoot based on eye color, you need a positive ID. You never know, it could be cuddles the kitten or alphie the dog, or any other animal. Allow them to present themselves so you can identify, if not dont take the chance.
 
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I wouldnt go and shoot based on eye color, you need a positive ID. You never know, it could be cuddles the kitten or alphie the dog, or any other animal. Allow them to present themselves so you can identify, if not dont take the chance.



AMEN!
 
If you were in a hunting situation where you were calling you would get a better idea of what your looking at.

Just walking up on something is pretty hard to do because he isnt reacting to anything. Blow a call, I bet you know whats coming.
 
you got to get positive id when using predator calls.on my place i call in has many deer has coyotes.many times i thought i had coyote coming in and after they got closer it was deer.not to long ago i called my neigbors yellow lab in also.he had to come over and set in my lap when he figured out it was me.i would have felt real bad if i would have shot him.
 
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I never paid that much attention but if my memory is right I belive All eye shine is red in the red light. I never shoot until I can burn them with the light for positive ID just to be safe. Sometimes it cost us a shot but you'll have that sometimes.
 
I used to have a great portable light with a nitrogen bulb. Pure white light. Cats eyes were orange, coyote and grey fox were deep green. Kit fox was silver and racoons were almost blue. Rabbits, deer and cows were pink and only one eye.

That being said there's no substitue for a positive identification through the scope.
 
More than once I've picked up eyes with the red light and tried to call and call and call to get this stupid fox to come in only to discover I've been trying to call a very confused steer.
 
Other night I had two coyotes come into the field coming right to me. Looking at the red light all the time. Their eyes where red. Showing two eyes. When they got about 100 yds I could tell that it was a doe and fawn. So make positive ID before you squeeze the trigger.
 
Eye shine even with a white light is not reliable. The light reflects back different colors even in the same species. I have seen all sorts of colors come back. Animals could have an eye infection or catarac that totally changes the color of shine. Never use eye shine as identification only use a positive id of the animals body. Oh and deer and elk will shine both eyes, so just cause u see 2 eyes shine doesn't mean it is a predator.
 
I have to admit I was packing a .177 cal Webley Tempest air pistol, what has been effective in euthanizing a raccoon... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Interestingly raccoon eyes show up yellow. I think. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Doug
 
429149.jpg


Two small Red Fox. I "had" some other pics of them. But my PC crashed. Also, these pup's eye reflection's, changed color hues. Depending on the light angle.
 
My 2 cents...
1)a fox or coyote's eyes will bounce back a very bright red color, kind of like the red you will see if you light up your truck's taillights with the red lense on your way out of the stand. Its a strong non-mistakable red. A deer on the other hand will be more of a faint red, almost like a dull color. Trust me when you see a yote or a fox, it looks like two red headlights coming at you.
2)Fox and coyote's eyes are placed by nature "forward" on their head, as they are the hunter looking for the prey, when they are lit up 99%of the time you will see both eyes at the same time, a deer on the other hand have their eyes placed back and to the sides to look for the predator. So often times when you light up a deer you will only see one eye at a time.
3)Hight is another give away, the eyes of a fox and yote generally are low to the ground like they are creeping along and a deer will be 40 or so inches off the ground looking around.
4)To tell a fox from a yote, you can tell by the way they come in. A fox's eyes don't seem to move much up and down, they kind of "B-Line" towards you and a yote will bounce up and down 4-6 inches each way, another way to tell a fox from a yote is to look at the eyes through your scope. A foxes eyes will look very close almost together and a yote will be 3-4 inches apart

I hope this helps you out. If you have other questions let me know, the last thing I want to hear is that someone mistook a deer for a yote at night. That could/would be bad.
 
Hi,don't just eye color for identification.It should be used for locating an animal.Then you look for other things,like body movement and shape.Do not shoot if you are not sure what it is,I would let one go befor takeing a chanes on shooting a deer or that prize bull.And you know it will always be the prize bull LOL.
The reson for the diff color eyes.Is they have a cone shape peice in there eyes to help them see at night.That we don't have.And the diff shape of the cone will determon what color the eyes look like in the light.Diff shape diff color of the specrum they send back.Thanks Clint.
 
wait until it gets close enough to make out a body or head. i would never recommend shooting at "eyes" unless you have made a body ID. the colors change w/ angles of reflection.
 
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