Eye Contact with Animals

I cant really speak too much about western critters as most of my experience is with a rifle from a long ways off but in the eastern whitetail woods I believe this to be true. As a general note, when I get picked out in the tree by a doe I will relax, sit still, and close my eyes and this almost always works to calm them back down

^^ 100%

I was always taught to never look a deer in the eye, didn't matter if I was sitting on the ground or 15' up a hemlock
 
yup I believe its the prey pred issue I was glassing elk one day they were on another side of a canyon about 12 of them just grazing and walking slowly im hidden very well behind sage brush had my binoculars lock on the bull for a bit all of a sudden he looks up and locks in on me got nervous and picked up the pace and got out of their faster I think the two lens looked like big eyes looking his way
 
I don't believe there is any mystical sixth sense to it, it's just easier to identify a pair of eyes looking right at you when they are, in fact, looking right at you. I do avoid eye contact when in close with a deer or elk.
 
When you walk in the door from work, your dog greets you and looks you in the eye - not at your shoes, or your belt buckle.
When you tell him to sit and stay, he patiently watches you for the next command (if you're lucky) and stares a hole through your eyes, not your shirt or your hat.
When he wants to go with you in the truck, and you get that 'ooh pleeasse' look, he's pleading eye to eye with you, not at the truck or door.
They say when you meet a strange dog to stare him straight in the eyes.
You never look your horse in the eyes when approaching or trying to catch them (as stated above).
There is definitely some kind of connection going on with eye to eye contact there. I feel it would be the same with other critters.
I've had deer look up into the trees for me and sometimes you could say 'he looked right through me' but you can tell when you lock eyes, the gig is usually up. YMMV
 
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