# Problem seeing at dusk old age or ?????



## farmerjack68 (Jun 11, 2005)

Is there anything that will help glasses ect. ?
Tonight I was out deer hunting and a deer walked past me at about 50yrd. I almost didnt even see it .
I waited and started looking harder and almost didnt see 2 more.
didnt get any of them though.LOL
Maybe tomarrow


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## farmerjack68 (Jun 11, 2005)

Sorry forgot to add im 43


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## TheBigSwede (Nov 7, 2007)

You might want to see an eye doctor. I noticed that as I got older, I couldn't see as well as the light faded. A new pair of glasses with a fairly weak prescription cured the problem.


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## Tarheel (Jan 24, 2010)

With my corrective lens I see 20/20 but still have a hard time seeing deer as you do. I bought a good pair of binoculars, and now I use them all the time. I tried several pair before I settled on a pair of 12x 25 mm. Sure makes a world of difference on those early morning and late evening hunts. Good luck.


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

As I get older, it gets harder to see at night. That's why I try not to drive at night. Not sure what would work to help this.


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## EDDIE BUCK (Jul 17, 2005)

I can't tell if I'm not seeing as well at dusk as I always have or not.I haven't noticed any difference.I will say that before I started wearing glasses,it cost me a nice buck by not having glasses on.

I was using open Iron sights and when the buck walked out and I tried to level the sight right behind the shoulder,in order to bring the sight in focus the deer would be out of focus.I had to let him walk.

I solved that problem with a scope.You did not mention whether you use a scope or not.Anyone that hunts and thinks their eyes are not quite what they used to be,even if you don't need glasses quite yet,get a scope, if you don't use one already..


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Night vision is one of the first things to go.


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

Yeah. Me too. I am 51 and noticing it. I never hunted until last year. The DW gave me a choice for my 50th birthday. Bow or rifle. I chose the bow and love it. It is so challenging. Good optics help bring in the light but a scope is not an option with a compound bow with a peep site. I understand that a good daily vitamin for the older generation will help and it can't hurt so I do this.

I also have progressive tri-focals. They are bad enough on stairways......they are even worse in tree stands. I am thinking about getting a different pair of glasses for this reason. I have to take them off to read anyway.

Definitely considering a combination laser range finder/6x21 monocular for this reason. Looking at the Nikon made for archery (shorter distances and angled heights).

I am not going to give in to the notion that I am too old for this.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

When I turned 50 or 55 my night vision was starting to go. I found when shooting a round of clays late one evening at the club that my yellow lens shooting glasses helped in the reduced light.

How ever today I stop hunting at sun set and never go to the legal half hour after sunset. I don't feel a wounded animal is worth the extra half hour of hunting.

Also if you have to use some type of open sights( some states laws.) a peep sight is far better than buck horns in th early morning and evening.

 Al


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

One thought, quit hunting earlier... maybe it was just to dark? :hysterical:
Another thought, as others have suggested, get the peepers checked, the eyes gettin weak is a sign of the eyes gettin weak - not gettin old as others may offer. :ashamed:
And a final thought if'n you want to hunt in the dark get a "large" spotlight to help see them. Hey it worked for a couple of hunters around here till they tried to shoot the DEC's plastic buck. :doh:


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

chuckhole said:


> but a scope is not an option with a compound bow with a peep site.


not exactly true, scope as in rifle yes but you can set it up with a sight with no peep.

I have the same issue when as the OP. using the bow more so lining the peep and pin up in a dusk or early light environment. so I went the sight route had a green dot sight and wanted a different mount for it found a HHA optimizer with sight for a good price on eBay. it has four reticules and lights up red. took a little while setting it up but its a sweet deal now. more so lining the peep and pin up in a dusk or early light environment. so I went the sight route had a green dot sight and wanted a different mount for it found a HHA optimizer with sight for a good price on eBay. it has four reticules and lights up red. took a little while setting it up but its a sweet deal now.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

If you think a scope can't be installed on a compound bow check out Pollingtons web site. My brother has a 3x9 on his High country with mounts from Clude.

http://claudepollington.com/

 Al


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

kinda what I have ally but I call that a sight as a scope to me has magnification,

I had a scope style but switched to one like this,

http://www.google.com/products/cata..._result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CJ0BEPMCMAk#


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

||Downhome|| said:


> not exactly true, scope as in rifle yes but you can set it up with a sight with no peep.
> 
> ...... found a HHA optimizer with sight......


Nice. I checked out HHA's web site. They have 2x, 4x and 6x lenses that fit standard site diameters. And they have amber tinted lenses as well. I wonder if that might help out. I have a lighted site with three pins set to 15, 25 and 35 yards.

I saw their "C" Peeps as well. That looks pretty good. They even mention that it is better in low light conditions. It seems that everything I have been "seeing" (if you can call it that) lately is right at sunrise or even five minutes before.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

I am not familiar with the magnification scopes on a bow, you may have been looking at the crossbow stuff ? 

what i do know is its a pain to sight a dot or lighted reticule in but once you do its golden,
when I used peeps and pins I found it hard to line them up in the dusk. 

with the lighted "scope" again I think of it as a sight, I just need a silhouette and I can hit it. I like 20-30 yard shot closer is fine but not over. whats nice about the mount is you can adjust it on the fly if you have it marked with your distances, also helps to sight it in.


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## farmerjack68 (Jun 11, 2005)

Thanks for all the replies and ideas.
I guess its time to get the eyes checked out its been along time I've also noticed 
reading is a little bit harder up close .
I was hoping there was a simple fix like shooting glasses or somthing without going to the eye Dr. 
The Big spotlight might work too but I bet the plastic deer dont taste as good, probably smoke alot when cooking .
Is there a scope that has more light gathering ability not like night vision just better than others. I dont have a great scope on it now but maybe by next season.
My season ended last night unless I go to another county the doe season is open till Dec.5th I think.
I probably won't though to much on the honey do list to make up for .


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

My brothers scope on his high country is a simmons 3x9 standard rifle scope. He got the bow mount from Pollington. Of course my brother only live about 12 miles from their shop. I have a BSA red dot on my Mathews, I got it at Browns Hardwear in Goodrich Michigan.

A real good light gathering scope I have on one of my 7MM 08's is a Pentex light seeker 3x9. I can stay in the deep cedar swamp a half hour longer with that scope than any other I own.


 Al


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## Haggis (Mar 11, 2004)

I have "needed" to wear glasses since I was but a lad, but I could never get used to walking around in them, so I've never worn them. I do get my eyes checked yearly, and I always buy a set of bi-focals when I need a new set (and it seems these last few years, I've always needed a new set with every check-up), but I only use them when reading or writing. I too have issues with seeing clearly during the morning and evening twilight moments. Compounding all of this, I am quite color blind, yet most people who hunt with me wonder how it is that I see so many deer, or any sort of game, while they, with their good vision, cannot see; even when I point it out, many cannot see the animal until it runs, or takes wing, or what ever the creature may choose to do.

I have a few "secrets" to this seeing of deer, or other animals, and my age now being on the dark side of 60, I've use of every one of them.

- Firstly, bushes don't move, other than to and fro, so if, during the twilight moments, and elongated "bush" is seen walking here or there across a field or through wood, I make it a fair bet it be a deer; the horizontal line of the back be the a dead give away, and of course, the bobbing head speaks quite loudly, even to fading eyes in dim light.

- Secondly, there be the "4 - S's", something I learned back in my Army days: shape, shade, shadow, silhouette. This 4 - S's system works any time of day. It is a rare season of deer hunting that I don't kill a deer or two in the last moments of legal hunting time, and often these twilight deer be a more than a fair distance from my stand.

- Thirdly, a scope, or bonculars, even a cheap scope, or binoculars, will "gather" light and seemingly "light up" what ever appears in the lense. Whenever I see something with my ever dimming eyes, something I believe to be worth a closer look; I put a lense on it.

But, even with my wee bag of tricks, there comes certain very dark and overcast evenings when there is nothing to do but give it up, count it deer 1 - hunter 0, and head for a warm hearth, a soft chair, and quaich of Islay singlemalt. Too, there is something blessed about this going home empty handed, as there will be no deer to be field dressed in the dark, by bloody hands guided by dimming eyes, and them aided by the light of an even dimmer torch.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Ya know, I don't even consider shooting a deer near or at dusk....even when I can see it. I absolutely hate the thought of tracking a blood trail and then field dressing the deer by flashlight. Been there - done that - hate it. Just quit early, there's always tomorrow. That's my $0.02.

BTW, the problem for my old eyes is focusing on the front site post no matter what time of day it is.


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## Tarheel (Jan 24, 2010)

Cabin Fever said:


> Ya know, I don't even consider shooting a deer near or at dusk....even when I can see it. I absolutely hate the thought of tracking a blood trail and then field dressing the deer by flashlight. Been there - done that - hate it. Just quit early, there's always tomorrow. That's my $0.02.
> 
> BTW, the problem for my old eyes is focusing on the front site post no matter what time of day it is.


I agree Cabin, I have walked away several times at dusk when I have had deer around. I do not want to mangle up any animal. I want shoot unless I am almost sure that it's a perfect shot. A lot of times at my age, just seeing wildlife is enough. Meat in the freezer is a bonus.


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## farmerjack68 (Jun 11, 2005)

Well I don't have any intention of taking a bad shot and wounding any animal thats probably why I havent killed a deer in two seasons .
I just wondered if anyone had the same problem seeing deer at dusk and what could be done to help. 
If I was sure of a kill shot I would not have a problem shooting around dusk.


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## TheBigSwede (Nov 7, 2007)

By the way, if you do decide on eye glasses, don't buy the photogray lenses. My hunting partner had them and loved them> That is until we were hunting the late muzzleloader season one year. He could hear deer and see them, until he tried to aim his .54 caliber Hawken. It was overcast and snow was on the ground. His lenses had darkened and he couldn't see the sights. He now has a pair of clear lenses just for hunting.


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## tamsam (May 12, 2006)

Caterac Surgery fixed my night vision. I refused to drive at dusk or dark. Now I think they gave me cat eyes. Sam


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## makete (Aug 4, 2010)

Bearfootfarm said:


> Night vision is one of the first things to go.


I thought it was the second thing to go. LOL.


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## Grits57 (Nov 29, 2008)

You may have cataracts or the beginnings of them. Night vision/glare are some of the first complaints when people deside to have their eyes checked.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Is there a scope that has more light gathering ability


Divide the diameter of the objective (front) lens by the magnification, and that gives you the "exit pupil" "diameter.

The larger the number , the more light it's transmitting.
Anything above 7 is more than your eye can use.

Keep in mind most scopes will let you see PAST legal shooting times


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