I know you cant fool a deers nose and hunt the wind. But i like to think that a cover scent may "cut down on the intensity of human odor. I Used Fitzgeralds deer dander on and off last year. I didnt notice any difference in deers reaction. I also smoked my clothes alot in a fire, but got tired of smelling like ash all the time... any opinions on these or other cover scents? Coon,fox,vanilla ,pine, earth... chocolate? My dad usually smells like old spice aftershave and sees quite a few as well! :rolleyes:
Chuck, I like to use a good quality skunk scent 15-20 yards downwind of my stand, and a urine/gland based scent in/near my stand. I like James Valley Doe lure. It seems to work. Good luck.
heres what i do,keep clothes seperated after washing in scent free soap,i put in totes with hs dryer sheets(earth scent)...do not put clothes on till im in the woods,spray down with hs earth sent,and aproach my stands downwind..i try my best not to contaminate my area,but there is always a place that,they will all go by upwind,pinch area,bottleneck,ect.good luck and dont wear your boots till you get to where your going
I am also not in the carbon clothes camp, had em for a while....but i am thinking a carbon mask over your mouth might help,, or some clover gum to cover bacteria scent from your mouth..if i am correct didnt some indians stop eating meat for a while before hunts?...not that i am going to do that!
Ive been going with fresh vegetation that I pick up at my hunting site and its been working so so. Ive tried a lot of cover scents and some seem to attract unwanted attention. I even rub a handfull of wet dirt on my clothes when I get into the woods along with some pine needles that I rub together in my hands to break them up. This and clean clothing are the best that Ive been able to come up with and I have been seeing some better results the last few years.
So far as urine cover scents. I always follow the rule of using Fox if I am hunting from the ground and racoon if I am in a tree. Until I see a fox sitting 20' up in a tree I plan to stick with this plan. I have never had deer spook from using urine cover scents, but admittedly I have never had what I would consider positive results using doe-n-heat urine scents either. I tend to just hunt known doe traffic areas during the rut and save my money.
Here is my HONEST opinion.
"YOU" will stay in the woods longer if you feel confident with your conditions. If that means using deer dander or WHATEVER, then do it.
My Dad used to go out in working clothes smoking a million cigarettes. We who dont smoke know how incredibly bad and strong that smell is. But he was confident that it didnt matter, went out and saw/shot plenty of game.
If you only feel confident if your wearing 1000 dollars worth of "special" clothing and "special" scents....do it. You will be happier.
If you realize you dont need any of that stuff, and can hunt intelligently with confidence without it... do it and save some serious money.
But either way, you will not hunt as well or as long if you are not confident with your situation.
That is an inner battle for each person.
A placebo can be a miracle drug sometimes. I'm trying real hard not to spend money on sprays this year. Truth is I think I will really miss that dirt smell in my truck. Just smells like game time!
Rob
I personally think you are pissing in the wind trying to "cover" human scent. I believe it helps a bit to stay clean, wear clean clothes washed in plain detergent and don't fight the wind, you are going to lose. Higher or lower intensity of human scent does not spook game, any does and by the way, i.m.h.o. Hundreds of dollars spent on "scent-eliminating" clothing simply intensifies the validity of the P.T. Barnum theory.
My feeling on scents is I believe that there is nothing I can do to fool a deer's nose.
I use scent free products, and try to keep the wind in my face.
My feeling is that scents work either of two ways, either a deer smells them and is curious or they have learned to associate them with hunting season. Especially if you hunt high pressure areas. It's one reason I try to estimate where most hunters are going to go and then I try and stay as far away from them in the hardest cover I can find.
I would have to agree with Rob. I don't think it is necessity but there is just something about fresh earth scent after using it for years that makes it feel good. All I use is fresh earth and hunt the wind. Sometimes I use a little doe pee but I don't get crazy with the scent stuff.
I keep my clothes clean ( no scent soap ) and myself clean. I don't bother with anything else. If they can smell you a little or smell you a lot the result will always be the same. I don't worry about getting smoke smell on my clothes in camp. Work the wind and nothing else will matter. I tried no scent sprays, washes, etc.... if the deer is downwind they still smell you. Carbon clothing is a total joke. Your still breathing which is a huge source of scent production. Plus it quites working very quickly.
Well here's my honest opinion, I keep relatively clean and scent free but don't go over board. I believe it's relatively easy to fool a deers nose to think your far away off to not cause concern or give a second thought from while in a stand. Think about it there's not to many places that a deer can go without smelling some human scent. How strong that scent is the important key. My first line of defense is to use totally windproof clothing. Think about it if the wind is blowing through your clothes NO AMOUNT of scent killer is going to work. Sorry to say and I'll catch some heck but WOOL is not in my hunting closet. On a side note windproof clothing is warmer. Then I use a home brew scent killer that uses no baking soda and believe I can fool a deers nose while in stand 99% of the time. With all that said I don't believe you can walk into your stand without the deer knowing you've been there some more than others.
I wash my clothes with scent free detergent. Put them in a big zip lock. Cut some cedar limbs in there and hang up at the barn. If nothing else the cedar smells sooo good.
QuoteOriginally posted by Jim Wright:
I personally think you are pissing in the wind trying to "cover" human scent. I believe it helps a bit to stay clean, wear clean clothes washed in plain detergent and don't fight the wind, you are going to lose. Higher or lower intensity of human scent does not spook game, any does and by the way, i.m.h.o. Hundreds of dollars spent on "scent-eliminating" clothing simply intensifies the validity of the P.T. Barnum theory.
Amen!
Just an idea, but you could also just leave a pair of old clothes on your stand a week before hunting. Then they would expect to smell your scent and not be alarmed if they catch your scent while hunting.
I have stopped worrying about too much of the scent stuff.
I put on my regular deodorant and I may spritz my clothes with HS scent killer. But the price of these specialty "hunting" detergents is stupid. I think you'd be fine by picking up some dirt cheap unscented hypoallergenic laundry detergent powder to clean your clothes with and be fine.
I sit on the stand chewing mint bubblegum as well. I'm sure they smell it, but there are minty plants around the ranch too. I think they would be more alarmed with bad morning breath.
At home, where they can come from anywhere, I sit and hope for the best. When traveling, I sit where I EXPECT them to come from upwind. Not foolproof, but sure beats trying to fool a deer's nose.
I wash my clothes in that autumn smelling hunting clothes detetrgent they pretty much sell everywhere,, I soak the clothes and then hang dry.. then I pick a bunch of pine branches and put those in a Black contractors trash bag (my friends use plastic totes with lids reinforced with bungies,, but I keep my outer layer which is a leafy suit over the banches and just roll the bag up and leave in the back of my SUV..
I then field dress over my normal clothes with that hunting setup and it works perfect for me,, my closest deer last year I got at about 15 feet BUT I rarely at all hear SNORTS off down wind from me. I do hunt mostly urban deer which may help with this method working for me.
sometimes I cannot shower and do all this scent stuff flying to my hunting spot right from work,, so I go right in with my work clothes on,, I have maybe 10 stands out there and the #1 first thing I do before going in right from work is check the wind and based on that I'll know what stand I'm hunting,,, I have shot deer from the the ground wearing leather logging work boots and my work clothes and no camo or face covering at all,, I just stand next to the fattest tree trunk I can find and if a deer is coming I center my body directly in front and the deer don't seem to notice me because there is no human shape in the open..
with me 1/2 the reason I wear camo is to hide from other hunters because alot of those guys can't hunt and if they see you in there they will come in there when your not around and snoop around possibly steal your stand and then cut off that deer run further up from you,,, its very cut throat here in mass..
put about an ounce of vanilla extract in a quart of water in a spray bottle that you get at the farm /garden store for 99 cents. Spray yourself down before you go out .
Works as good as anything else . Sometimes I believe it helps but if a deer gets downwind you are not going to fool it................. Just like scent lok ........ or deer /fox/raccoon pee .................. and its more fun to walk around smelling like a vanilla wafer instead of the urinal at the local biker bar
the wind is free, use it.
Depending on your area, get use to the smoke smell. Southern MI where I hunt everyone has a fire or wood burning stoves going and they smell it all the time. Ive used it the last few seasons and have seen more deer than before with carbon clothes, washes and sprays. You also get the added bonus of the kid in all of us who like to play with fires.
I don't believe you can fool a deers nose much. Nothing you can do will "hide" your odor really, just add to it, like a lit match in an outhouse....still stinks like crap.
Having said that, paying attention to wind is No. 1, and keeping as clean and odor free helps. And I must confess to making up my own "concoctions" from local vegetation. Sage and Juniper works best for me and the areas I am hunting. It's simply fresh picked, chopped and mixed in with some water and made into a tea or sorts, strained and put into a spray bottle to add a bit of natural perfume to my stink!
Keeping clean, I think can help minimize the intensity of your odor, and where deer are used to smelling humans, can help you get by at times. Always worth a try anyway.
Believe it or not, the best cover scent I ever used was when I worked baiting lobster traps. Would head out hunting after a day of work and it was like the deer would search me out. Nobody could stand to be around the smell but it was killer for getting close. Missed a nice 8 pt because it came right in at me. lol.
QuoteOriginally posted by Beanbag:
Believe it or not, the best cover scent I ever used was when I worked baiting lobster traps. Would head out hunting after a day of work and it was like the deer would search me out. Nobody could stand to be around the smell but it was killer for getting close. Missed a nice 8 pt because it came right in at me. lol.
lol, that doesn't make any sense at all.
There is absolutely no substitute for having the wind in your face :) I shower with Sauve green apple shampoo. It doesn't really make any sense either, but I have done it for years and it works for me so I don't question it.
Lee,Tell me about it. That buck came in nose high like he was gonna get lucky. Go figure!
I don't know if anyone besides me still does it this way, but I wash my clothes in baking soda (no detergent) and hang to dry then pack in a plastic container with some fresh pine needles. I also bath and brush my teeth with baking soda before going out. I try to avoid sweating and will also crush some leaves or pine needles to rub on me once in the woods. I know it works to some degree because I've had deer aproach downwind. I'm positive they still smell me but at least they don't blow out.
there is no product on the market that can cover your scent 100%. i have been a sucker in the past and have bought carbon cloths and the new and best thing that hit the outdoor stores that week. some times they work and sometimes they dont. but when a deer stands directly down wind and the thermals are bad at that moment... i dont care what you got on or dont have on YOUR GONNA GET SMELLED! you can do things to help out... but not get rid of it. i belive i have alot of sucess in the woods b/c i am very wind conscious. i manage to get close to deer alot and i shoot alot. i dont alwayse hit where im looking at but i can get close and i do not get smelled alot. This is what works for me.
i have a google earth map of our property with all my stands and fields recorded on the map. i keep it in my truck and i keep a copy saved on my computer. i have every stand located with the best and worst wind directions for that spot. and i only hunt each stand when the wind is right. i slip in early and stay out late. if i have deer around my tree and its to dark to see i sit there till i think they are gone. i do not get down and dump them. i wash in scent free soap and scent free deoderan.i keep all my cloths and backpack in a plastic Tupperware container and i leave it in my truck during hunting season. i put pine needles and earth scent wafers in it. i spray my cloths and boots with scent killer spray... any brand. i wear rubber boots. i do not spray urin of any kind on me or my boots. personally i think its all a waist of money. i have bought tons of pees and stuf like that and have had it work a hand full of time. personally it think its a waist of money. the only thing i have had work is the Tinks scent sticks. and only for about 1 or 2 weeks out of the year when the rut is kicking in. i do not like to tamper with the deers natural environment. to me putting out scents can do more damage that good!
I'm kinda in the Izzy camp. Wash clothes scent free, hang dry, put in a plastic bin with native vegetation, put on clothes and boots at the woods, sometimes put mud on my clothes, wear rubber boots, and play the wind as best I can.
Obviously making some effort beats smelling like gasoline, hamburgers, or an old couch, but I don't use cover scents or carbon.
Oh, and a biggie, try to touch as little vegetation as possible on your way to and from your stands.
The worst year I ever had for getting busted was several years ago wearing a heavy carbon suit in a very dark camo pattern and using earth wafers. That dirt must not have smelled like our dirt and the deer spotted that monster racoon looking thing in the tree every time. :D
IMHO I have been hunting deer for 45 years. I went to deer camp with a bunch of old guys that never took a bath or ever worried about how they smelled and all these guys shot deer every year. Yes this was with guns back in the day. Now if you think hard about this question, unless you are in an area than has very little human traffic, where can a deer go that he/she isn't smelling human scent almost all the time. I know that in S mi there is pretty much no where a deer can go that they will not smell human scent,smoke,gas,oil,taco bell,wendy's, or any other man made scent. I am a smoker and when sitting in a tree I have no problem lighting up a smoke. I have even done it when several deer were in the area just to see what would happen and those deer didn't act like it was anything out of the ordinary. Now if you are in an area with very little human interference that is probaly a different story. That is jmho.
I am an ex smoker (thank god) but when I smoked I had to put out a cig several times to shoot a deer . I have many times lit up a smoke while I had deer within 50 yards that I had no interest in shooting with no ill results.
If the wind is in your favor you can smoke, fart ,belch , be drenched in gasoline or whatever and the deer wont care . If the deer get downwind all the cover scents , carbon cloths or anything else wont matter .
oh and yes sometimes deer are downwind when you wear your carbon stuff and dont smell you . For the record ,I have had deer downwind of me when I was smoking a cig and never smelled me . I believe to my core that the simple answer to this is that we as humans with our pathetic sense of smell do not understand wind currents and how our scent travels through the air . In simple terms ,the air currents are NOT taking our scent where we think it is taking it and the scent simply isnt reaching the spot where the deer is standing .
Anybody here ever hunt with a hound or a bird dog knows full well you are not going to fool a deers nose. Not going to happen.
All you can do is minimize your own smell...so the deer think you are further away than you really are.
I have great fun watching deer 20 yards away...put his nose in the air...smell me, you can tell they smell you, look around but think I'm much further away.
I think that is about as good as it is going to get. He is after all in shooting range!
However...if there is anything else he dosen't like...blob looking thing, movement, noise etc...they exit real darn fast.
I do exactly what Limbender does.
I know deer can smell how much change I have in my pocket, but I still think a lot of what happens out there hangs by a thread. (Not in my case in the early season... I could have worn a sausage vest and not done any worse.) But I just think there are so many situations when tiny things make a big difference. I don't know, maybe he thinks I'm farther away than I am. Or that I might have been here yesterday when I'm really here today. Or the wind is crossing and I have a slight edge. Or maybe it is just in my head and I think I have an edge so I press it and I'm expecting good luck, so I get it.
If you think about all the deer that live on the edge of heavely populated cities, think about all the things they smell? & yet there still there. If you've ever been down wind of someone smoking then you know how far smell can travel! So I think unless your hunting deep in a remote woods the deer are going to be somewhat conditioned to the smells of man? I also think alot of these sent control products are fast $! Yes I've had deer bust me & some that should have that didn't. Just hunt, if your lucky & in the right place at the right time you'll get your chances.
QuoteOriginally posted by LeeBishop:
QuoteOriginally posted by Beanbag:
Believe it or not, the best cover scent I ever used was when I worked baiting lobster traps. Would head out hunting after a day of work and it was like the deer would search me out. Nobody could stand to be around the smell but it was killer for getting close. Missed a nice 8 pt because it came right in at me. lol.
lol, that doesn't make any sense at all. [/b]
Lee, these are coastal deer Us and the deer here take our seafood seriously 8^)
I think that here in NJ we have it a little easier because depending on where one hunts it's usually going to be where deer come into contact with humans a lot. so the human scent depending on how strong it is doesn't alarm them as much, that being said I think the trick here is to just dull the human scent enough where by the time they realize the have been had, it's too late.
I use Dove soap for sensitive skin/unscented, I have done tests in the field with this soap over ten years now and am convinced that it works very well.
Though we all now know that the carbon clothes don't work, I am also convinced that they dull the human odor a bit and the deer seem to get fooled, I don't always wear them because I have found that one only needs it where needed, which is the head, mouth, hands. this is wear I always wear carbon, plus I use a spray scent killer on the outside of the garment as well, meaning I spray my carbon face mask and hat and gloves, if I don't wear the gloves (early season mostly) I spray my hands. I also use a mouth spray to kill the human odor from the mouth.
I have had five bucks under my tree at the same time, I only go up 10-18 feet depending on the leaves on the trees. this particular time I was at 16' up and I watched them for at least 15 minutes until they wondered off.
I have also been within feet of them on the ground with the wind at my back, and they haven't spooked, so I know this system works, but that is for me, don't forget, everyone chemistry is different and what works for me might not work for you, you have to try it and see for yourself.
Good luck !
I don't believe that you can fool a deer's nose either, but I do use spray cover scents and such, just because it makes me feel a little more confident :thumbsup: :campfire: :coffee:
This morning I entered my 36th bow season. I have tried....especially as a youngster...every cover scent concept known to man. In my opinion, nothing is a substitute for the wind in your face. If you are upwind of a deer, THEY WILL SMELL YOU.
You can, however, limit your stench. I wear clean, aired out clothing, that I dust with baking soda. I put baking soda in the container wear I store them. I try and rub aromatic local vegetation on my clothes when I'm out. I walk through mud, deer droppings, cow flops, anything to make my foot steps smell less human.
I watch the wind, and try to smell like NOTHING.
I have a friend that is a hog farmer. he thought that if he wore his rubber boots that he wore while doing his hog farm work, the deer would not smell or care when they hit his foot prints. I watched a doe crossing a bean stubble field, when it hit the spot where my friend walked its tail went up and it bolted. The wind was in my friend's favor the whole time. Later he said" did you see that? From now on i am wearing boots that are warmer and better for hiking."
The words "cover" and "scent" don't belong in the same sentence together. You can cut down on your human scent, but you can't cover it up.