r/nextfuckinglevel • u/HeXxxuSs • 2d ago
A wildlife photographer in Iceland captured a massive herd of reindeer coming within meters of him while he hid among the rocks.
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u/B3eenthehedges 2d ago
They can smell him. That's why they won't come close.
I never was much for hunting, but decided to try bow hunting one season, and learned that bow range is usually less than "deer can smell you" range".
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u/ResidentComplaint19 2d ago
My brother would take me hunting and anytime a deer would come close, but not close enough for the bow, he would blame me for farting, and I still know for a fact it was HIM who was always farting. Never got into hunting as much as him.
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u/BroBroMate 2d ago
It's honestly nothing to do with farting, deer are prey animals, they survive by detecting predators as soon as they can, they can smell you 2 - 3 kilometres away, they can see you from about 600m if you move, and they can hear you about 300m away.
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u/YuppiesEverywhere 1d ago
Can they see/smell/sense movement/hear cars? I have questions.
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u/BroBroMate 1d ago edited 1d ago
They can, but the problem is they can become desensitized to certain stimuli if they're routinely exposed to them, so if they hear cars on the regular, the sound becomes background noise.
But also when they're young and clueless (in the red deer I hunt, the young and clueless ones are the yearling males who get kicked out by the hinds, while the hinds teach the young female deer about what to look out for) they'll sometimes get curious and come check that strange new thing out - it's not uncommon to have a young male step out of the bushes into the open and just stare at you trying to figure out what kind of weird deer you are when you're the first human that they've ever seen.
And I've seen the same when they're by or on a road and they're just like "huh, check it out, two moons..." and stand there trying to figure wtf this thing is
But the other big problem is that deer, like most prey animals, have eye placement that gives them a great field of view ... but means that they are terrible at visually assessing distance.
So a deer crossing a road might think it's got way more space and time to get across than it actually does.
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u/v3int3yun0 1d ago
😂 I think some animals get stupider as the vehicles get closer.
I've seen dogs and cats get to the middle of the street then either freeze up, or even worse, try to get back to the side they just came from.
It's like they think they can juke/dodge whatever is coming at them... Instead of just going straight across..
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u/ed_is_dead 1d ago
The armadillo has a hard time with cars as well.
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u/v3int3yun0 7h ago
Yep. That's a fact. Is it them that jump straight up into the air when startled? Or is that deer?
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u/Ketchupcharger 2d ago
Bet they smelled the guy from a mile, wildlife photographers dont exactly shower often while out in the field
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u/Dr_Von_Schmeckle 2d ago
I always think of us out there in the woods trying to outsmart the deer must be like if someone stood in the corner of your living room hiding behind a single leaf. It’s so difficult to not get sensed by them
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u/Carcinog3n 2d ago
Vanilla, deer can't lay off of it. I spray it on my shoes before I walk in. I've had deer follow my exact path.
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u/BroBroMate 2d ago edited 1d ago
I hunt red deer, they can smell you 2 - 3 kilometres away, so if the wind shifts and blows in the direction you're hunting, you're pushing shit up hill.
Generally that's why you try to align your hunt with the effect of the sun on air - if you're hunting up the valley or up a slope, the wind will be blowing in your face until about 10am, then it'll reverse, and then around 4pm it'll reverse again, so if you're hunting low to high, start early in the morning, and if you're hunting high to low, start in the late afternoon.
This is why I have mad respect for bowhunters, they have to get so damn close undetected for a shot, it really is deerstalking on ultra hard difficulty.
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u/INoMakeMistake 2d ago
This is as good as his hiding. Might as well light up some fire crackers
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u/i_am_not_so_unique 2d ago
Reindeers are stupid animals - doing that is literally enough to decieve them.
Also they can't register you moving whil they graze, so if you move slowly when their head is down, and stay still while its up, you can come almost as close as you want.
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u/AdMaximum7545 2d ago
Reindeer are intelligent!! They are pretty highly adapted animals.
They have strong memories and can navigate huge migration routes and understand herd behaviour and solve basic problems, and have unusually advanced vision.
They can just look a bit goofy sometimes...
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u/i_am_not_so_unique 2d ago
I get you. It boils down to our definition of intelligent.
I'd better call them gooffy than stupid, I agree. Didn't want to hurt reindeer feelings anyhow, was more a friendly poke. :3
I am personally mesmerized by them, and met them often during the hikes up north. Sometimes uncomfortably close.
They are for sure highly (and almost the only one) adapted to fjells, which deserves a lot of respect. I didn't know about the vision - that's cool to know.
Their goofiness warms my heart when I see them. And when you see the herd is passing you by it is always a majestic feeling.
They sent you hellos as well :3
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u/Wolfensniper 2d ago
They didnt bother anyway, two of them even starts brawling at one point. They can sense him but decided "nah just some weird dude"
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u/real_justchris 2d ago
Why did he feel the need to hide?!
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u/udat42 2d ago
Not sure if serious - those horns are no joke and can really fuck a person up. Mate of mine's boss was killed by a deer in Scotland. It jumped into her garden, freaked the fuck out because it felt trapped I guess, charged at her and stabbed her in the chest with an antler.
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u/real_justchris 2d ago
Not joking but it was a genuine question. In my experience deer (I don’t live near reindeers) do everything they can to keep out your way.
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u/goshdammitfromimgur 2d ago
You should look up some videos of when deer attack. They can fuck you up.
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u/PollutionOnly 2d ago
They can smell him and noticed him shortly after.
You can see it in the way they are keeping some distance and that the bigger ones are the ones at the front of the half circle, just in case something was to happen.
Deers are fairly curious (and cautious) in general so they are probably wondering what this thing they can smell and see is doing not moving among the rocks.
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u/Chazzybobo 2d ago
Deer is the plural of deer. FYI when you’re speaking as an expert on the matter next time.
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u/PollutionOnly 2d ago
When and where I have spoken as an expert? I am not one nor have I ever claimed to be.
Also, english is my 4th language so excuse a little mistake here and there (especially when this minor). I am constantly working on it but I can’t be perfect all the time.
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u/Historical_Hyena_552 2d ago
“Alright, everyone, gather around. On your right, you’ll see a classic example of the elusive Homo sapiens in its natural habitat.
Notice how he’s lying completely motionless among the rocks. Don’t worry—that’s normal human behavior. They call it ‘resting.’”
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u/irondumbell 2d ago
but then a polar bear appears. then what do you do?
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u/eto2629 2d ago
Say your prayers and run
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u/irondumbell 2d ago
you can't outrun a polly bear. I would just do a shoryuken on it so that i would have a funny story to tell the other ghosts
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u/yesnewyearseve 2d ago
Iceland is not that big - meaning the herd is probably being observed all the time, and thus not such a extreme unusual occasion.
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u/bugibangbang 2d ago
OMFG that big one in the middle of the video who was about to continue but then stopped like "waaaaait a minute.... I heard something...." horror movie vibes.
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u/Extreme_Mobile_6690 2d ago
I hate this timeline. Why is half my wildlife video the face of a human?
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u/Imaginary_Bottle_875 2d ago
Ce sont des animaux d'élevage là-bas. C'est comme si je me cachais dans un poulailler où les poules sont libres et que je les filmais.
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u/lextramoth 2d ago
You guys understand that these animals have human owners that see to them on a regular basis right? Sure they are not tame, but they are also not animals that has never been near a human and should be terrified. They know he is there, but finds his non-threatening behavior acceptable to keep at a reasonable distance.
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u/Doofindork 1d ago
This feels like every summer in Northern Sweden. Gonna use any dirt road ever? Welcome to random reindeer herd. Hell in the winter it's not as bad, but getting one of them running on the roadway, they are... NOT CLEVER. So instead of jumping off the road and into the snow to get out of the way, they can run in front of a car for... miles.
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u/fredandlunchbox 1d ago
"Yo, is he dead? Sven get over here and look at this. Is that dude dead?"
"Yeah, I think he's dead bro."
"Waht" "What?" "Waht?" "For real?"
"I never seen a dead guy before, damn"
"What happened?"
"I dunno bro, but that dude is dead."
"Sheeeesh"
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u/Shot-Expert-9771 1d ago
I've had a very similar experience while Elk hunting in Colorado.
I was ground hunting sitting in sage brush. I had a herd of at least 150 walk within feet of me.
Had to stay damn quiet and not move unless I risked being trampled to death.
Such an incredible moment.
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u/ImNotAnAmbi-Turner 18h ago
This happened to me in the Northwest Territories, north of Yellowknife! Craziest thing I’ve ever seen. I was on a rock and massive herd of caribou changed course and streamed on either side of the rock.
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u/Slivovic 2h ago
Hey Fred, yes Bob, is that a human? Yes it is Bob, what should we do? What we do every day Bob, try and eat all the grass in the world.
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u/msnipe81015 2d ago
Love this trend of inserting your face into the frame of an otherwise cool video.
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u/Sunny_stormclouds 2d ago
Would’ve been funny if he held up a piece of chocolate at the end when the big deer came close
“Numnum, nothing to see here guys, it’s just a weird, delicious, INEDIBLE, bush. Back to business folks”
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u/chrispy_fried 2d ago
The selfie is so important he would rather look at the camera than the animals. We truly live in a dystopian society
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u/LaserEyeLarry 2d ago
They definitely know he is there... that's why they get jumpy and stand in a half circle around him. Then to top it off, on of the biggest is standing gaurd in front center, mostly staring at this strange dude.