Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Knawbone on July 10, 2013, 08:27:00 PM
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I could have entitled this thread " Methods for scent control", but I don't want anyone turned off from this thread by those words. I get the feeling that to some of us those two words conger up feelings of un- traditional or gimmicks from the market place. But let's have a respectful inquiry on the subject and maybe we can all benefit from it.
First off, let me ask you this question: If every animal you hunted could not smell you, how much more successful a bow hunter do you think you would be?
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I take a chlorophyll supplement starting a month before season. My wife says she can tell a difference in my body odor when I sweat. Texas and October equals some sweat.
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I'd be very deadly if nothing smelled me. As I've mentioned before on here, building a smudge fire with green pine branches has worked for me (but it only works for a couple hours). I know you have some tactics and I look forward to hearing them.
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Originally posted by Knawbone:
First off, let me ask you this question: If every animal you hunted could not smell you, how much more successful a bow hunter do you think you would be?
A LOT MORE! scent is my worst enemy where I hunt. Our deer are very spooky due to lots of hunting pressure. If they get the slightest wiff of human scent they are gone.
Almost all of my hunting clothes have some form of scent control built into them. I wear under armor long johns if it is cold enough with scent control in them. I usually wear a pair of some off brand fleece pants and a long denim shirt. Over my shirt goes my russell jacket which has scent shield in it and is rain proof. During the early season in early October it can be pretty warm down here though so sometimes I just wear some denim camo pants and a thin camo long sleeve. I also use some type of the scent shield or other brand spray. The most important thing though is when I am at my camp which thankfully has hot running water I take a shower every morning before going to my stand. I believe the shower with non scented soap helps the absolute most.
Now do I really believe all the claims the scent products make about being 99% effective and everything Heck No, but if it helps even a little and reduces my scent by 5% I'll take it. Playing the wind is still and most likely always will be the most effective way to control one's scent though. That's why I still watch the wind and let it be the number one factor when deciding which area and what stand I want to hunt.
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Now the question arises, " can we totally eliminate our scent? " The answer is of course not. Can we minimize it, mask it, or block it? Yes we can. So before I start explaining the methods I have developed, I think it needs to be stated that my hunting woods, and your hunting woods may be, and depending on where you live, are different and may call for differing methods. Also if you live where deer or ungulates are relatively unpressured some or all of these methods, or precautions may be deemed unneccesary. It's your call!
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To be continued, have to go for now.
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I can't afford all the high tec stuff that is reported to control scent.
I shower daily. Wash and line-air dry all my clothing, put in rubber tubs and dress in the dark at the truck in the field at my hunting site.
My boots never are worn anywhere but in the field- on and off at the truck, sprayed with the scent killer products and rolled down to air out. I even change felt insoles and dry them daily and use 2 sets of boots.
Most of our hunt areas are pretty devoid of humans 10 months of the year. First whiff of man is when hunting starts and the game is ON!
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I just hunt with the wind...... :)
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Some of my best areas are the swirlingest places on earth, I swear! The only thing constant is about a couple of them is that the wind will shift back and forth all morning. Not near as bad in the evenings. Unfortunately that's when the people start riding their quads around also. Mornings are pretty quiet. Shot some real nice bucks their, but have a 50% chance of being busted too.
Glenn
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Not arguing, but the moment you touch anything, exhale air, step out of the shower - you and anything you touch smells like a human (even your shower towel smells- why do you need to wash it?). Further, while certain animals may be exposed to human scent from farmers or suburbia- every human being smells different and the location of that scent gives warning. Go into an area where a farmer has been working or some suburban family lives; deer are hanging around as they know the routine and local odors. Now you show up! They know.
So. . . Work the wind/thermals. Never wear shoes/boots in your vehicle. Walk where deer will not cross your path if possible, if not- at least don't let foliage brush you as you approach your stand (I use pruners as I approach). Hunt different stand sites every sit if possible (why I hunt portable- setting a new stand off my back at every sit.)
Scent does not blow straight line through the woods. Watch a river/creek. . . there are many ebbs and flows, swirls and eddies. I am suspicious of any claim that a deer came in from directly down wind- it may "feel" that way, but I suspect the scent stream just did not reach their nose.
My 2c
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I swet more than a lawn sprinkler. I hunt with the wind.
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I just hunt, time in the woods comes at a premium for me so when I get time I just hunt, ksDan is right on with the river comment!, if a deer smells me oh well but by not really caring anymore I don't see any more or any less deer than I used to when I was a lunatic about it in fact i had more mature bucks in on me last year than i ever have! and I hunt in Michigan and Ohio THE most pressured areas in the country, just go hunting and don't stress yourself out, but that's just my philosophy to each their own!
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When you don't have enough roughage your body will trap toxins and you will stink. High fiber, acidophilus, yogurt, cut out the processed foods and lower your red meat intake. But most importantly, hunt the wind.
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I wash my clothes in scent free soap and use scent killing personal hygiene products. I'm also thinking about trying a chlorophyll supplement this season to see if I notice a difference. I also spray my boots and everything down with scent killing spray before I enter the woods. Even after all that I still hunt the wind because you can't beat their noses.
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Deer around here will walk up into my yard-they know our scents. They know I walk the woods-but I've never been 100% skunked on seeing them in my walks. That said, I chew spruce gum or drink juniper tea for my breath, but I have a lot of issues with sweating (most of my meds make me sweat profusely now.) Anyone got a good answer for that?
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I've heard the skunk scent, two part stuff you mix together is about as bullet proof as it gets according to my buddy, I'd rather miss an opportunity to get a shot than smell like that though. My dad told me they used to deodorize skunk pelts with a smudge fire made with a wet slice of alfalfa hay on top an existing fire, that might work like was said above with the pine boughs, don't know how long it would last though.
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mix a little elk droppings or deer pellets in with your pipe tobacco... works wonders. :readit:
i wouldn't recommend it in your chew can. That will ruin your appetite, and give you heart burn too.
hunt the wind.... walk slow, and drink a plenty of water....
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Originally posted by Kirkll:
mix a little elk droppings or deer pellets in with your pipe tobacco... works wonders. :readit:
i wouldn't recommend it in your chew can. That will ruin your appetite, and give you heart burn too.
hunt the wind.... walk slow, and drink a plenty of water....
Wow, glad you put the chew disclaimer in there, I thought I had an epiphany for a second! I do step in every pile of fresh elk or moo cow poo I come across while hunting, don't know if it works or not, but seems like a good idea, lol!
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I've been taking chlorophyl supplement for years, even continuing it in the off season. Since using it, I've noticed deer hitting my scent stream notice it but just sniff, turn and calmly walk away instead of blowing and bounding away like they did before.
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I have a long haired dog that sheds year round and lives inside and out. I'm soaked with sweat by the time I get up the first hill from the house. I hunt drainage's and ridges where the air currents go in all directions.
So, I just hunt with a good fair feeling, like I gave em a head start...no remorse when I get lucky.
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Some of the very best woodsmen I know are trappers. I often wear rubber hip boots and rubber gloves to my stand. I launder my clothes in baking soda, and line dry, and keep them stored separate. I shower with regular unscented soap. The rest of my time is spent checking the weather/wind forecast and planning accordingly. The last thing is everytime I get settled into a stand I use a puff bottle to see how my scent is going to disperse. It shows the area where "you're gonna have to make the shot before he gets to this point".
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I shower and wash everything with the scent killing soaps, dress when I get there, spit out my chew and put in a piece of apple flavored gum, and lastly, a couple squirts of fox urine on my ghillie suit.
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I use enzymatic soap on my clothes and body. Hunting clothes get washed/dried and stored in trash bags with earth scent wafers. My hunting boots only get used in the woods, also stored in bags with wafers. I spray scent killer inside them prior to wearing and right after wearing. I used unscented antiperspirant. Brush teeth and gargle real good with natural mint products. I've heard bad breath can give you away. I also spray doe piss on the soles of my boots before heading on the trail. Last season I encountered two bucks by doing that and doubling back on my trail.
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Hunting success isn't just about smell you have to work at being the whole package. Turkeys can't smell but they can still humiliate you!
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nine. . just make sure you don't mix up the boot spray and the gargle and you should be alright !
I used to worry like hell about everything. Not as much any more. Hunt the wind.
I HAVE had several innteresting encounters over the years. Wearing a ghillie suit over a set of light waders (I use them to access the back area I mostly hunt). Normally once I cross the water, I change and put on knee high boots. Sometimes, when I am taking a couple hours off work and running out for the last bit of day, I just wear the waders.
I have had deer, including a buck with his head to the trail, walking right up to me and spook just before bumping into me (I was facing the wrong way). When he spooked, he jumped a dozen or so yards away and watched me. Obviously didn't smell me.
The ghillie fairly stunk of cow elk wafer so that likely helped.
ChuckC
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My system for scent control, if you want to call it that, is not much different than whats been stated by others here. I wash my cloths in sport wash, and then hang them outside away from human and unnatural odors. I keep two pairs of light weight, uninsulated rubber boots of nee high length. I wash them with sports wash by hand and dry them outside also. By having two pair of boots, I can keep one pair clean. By clean, I mean as scent free as I can possibly get them where my human scent is concerned. After washing I sprinkle baking soda liberally inside my boots once they are dry and well aired out. I allow no less than two week hang time for cloths and keep my boots outside year round. If during the season, I do happen to get cloths or boots sweaty, they once again get the one two punch for scent elimination. Any of my other equipment such as back packs or safety straps get the same treatment. All of my gear other than bow and arrows go's in my well ventilated 8x9 scent free outbuilding, which is located well away from human activity. Once placed in the building, they remain there until it is deemed ness. to clean them again. Most everything stays in the building year round.
More later.... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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dang
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Dial scent free soap when showering and baking soda to wash my clothing in. Be careful of the wind direction and thermals.
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I definitely feel the type of food you eat has a lot to do with the amount of odor a person puts out. Drink lots of water and stay away from strong smelling food during the season. Baking soda to me seems to help a lot with boots and clothing. I like the idea of using clay on the clothing like the article in Traditional Bowhunter tells about. I think that would help a lot with scent too. There's nothing better than being downwind of your game though :thumbsup:
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Originally posted by NOMAD88:
I definitely feel the type of food you eat has a lot to do with the amount of odor a person puts out. Drink lots of water and stay away from strong smelling food during the season. Baking soda to me seems to help a lot with boots and clothing. I like the idea of using clay on the clothing like the article in Traditional Bowhunter tells about. I think that would help a lot with scent too. There's nothing better than being downwind of your game though :thumbsup:
Yup 'wind control' is more important than 'scent control' for sure.
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I use the chloraphyl capsules but there was a post of a product that controlled your breath as well I am going to look into it as well
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There is no such thing as scent control. if you want to hunt something that wont smell you, go over to a bird dog or duck hunting chat room. Otherwise, use the wind in your favor and GOOD LUCK!!!
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No chile for dinner the night before a hunt. Or sauer kraut or wings or burritos and never chinese. :rolleyes:
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the old timer told me long ago, "a world of opportunities awaits upwind. but nothing waits downwind."
Bill
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Hunting down wind is of coarse the #1 thing to do to avoid a deers nose. But we all know that is only possible 50% of the time at best, unless you have steady winds and are positive the deer will come from up wind. Where I hunt the winds are normally swapping and swirling. I like to hunt mature bucks and to do that I need every advantage I can get on his nose. Usually this means hunting from a tree stand and having a good Idea from which way the buck is coming and the wind. Thermals also have to be taken into account.
All that aside, let's talk about the ways to, and the importance of lowering our scent. I know dang well there have been deer, bucks especially, that I never would have killed had I not taken the precautions
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opps, hit the add reply button by accident
I do. One big thing that is important is to change into your hunting cloths upon reaching your stand. I always shower with scentless soap and dry with a scentless towel. I then put on scentless cloths and immediately head out the door. When I get to my cloths shed, I strip down and change into the scentless cloths I will wear to walk to my stand. I spray my boots with scent killer before starting to my stand. The cloths I will hunt in go in a scentless backpack and I change into these upon reaching my stand.
break time.....
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That don't make no scents at all.
ChuckC
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The Idea here is to stay as scent free as possible. If you put on smelly cloths after your shower then you have defeated the purpose. I keep cloths just for this purpose and then dress into clean cloths that I wear to walk to my stand site. Dress as lightly as possible, you don't want to freeze, but you don't want to get to warm as that will produce body odor.You probably think I'm over doing it, but it works for me. By changing cloths 3 times, I'm not transfering smells from house to walking cloths and I'm not transfering body odor that has built up in my walking cloths to my hunting cloths. Keep all cloths separate and in there own scentless bags so as not to transfer smells onto the backpack.
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Upon nearing my stand site, and after choosing the best approach to it, I now change into my hunting cloths.I once again dress as lightly as the weather will allow. 50 to 100 yds. from my stand is when I change into my hunting cloths. the idea here is to get to the stand leaving as little ground scent as possible. If a buck crosses this path in route to my stand, he may smell me, but with the level of scent so low, he most likely will think it an old track and of no great concern.The main part of my system here is what I wear for an outer garment. You want something that will CONTAIN your scent, and not allow it to become air or wind driven. My chose for this is my DRY PLUS rain suit from Cabela's. It has a rubberized lining with watertight zippers,draw strings, and a hood. Once I put it on and spray myself down with my scent killer I'm ready to approach and climb into my stand. I have now left very little ground scent, and the wind can't blow THREW my cloths and become air born scent.
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The next part of the formula is how to limit breath odor.......
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There is no such thing as scent control.
Sorry, but yes there is. Just not many willing to take the necessary steps to make it work for them.
Eric
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Interesting thread! I work at it as well, but there's a lot of tourists strolling on the trails behind my house, and the deer don't get hunted there because of that-not that you can't hunt them there! Just no one thinks to do it. They're used to humans but they don't let them get too close. However, I read an interesting article on animals being able to sense the slight but varying electromagnetic discharge that all things emit, and an attempt to block that by wearing underwear built along the lines of a Faraday cage. Some researcher in Oregon was testing the idea, and it seemed to work.
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Thanks for that info, Angus, could very well be something to that.
Your absolutely right Westbrook, I killed a buck after he walked by me last year. He strolled passed me at a mere 5 ft. away. I put an arrow threw him after he got by me at 7 yrd. Although the wind was dead calm that evening, I'm sure he would have smelled me had I not lowered my scent level. What else was reassuring is the fact that he came up the same path I did.Well worth the little effort it takes to practice scent control. One of the most rewarding bow hunts I have ever had. I was scouting at the time when the opportunity presented itself.
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A friend suggested going to your chosen area, gathering brush,foliage or whatnot, even some dirt and storing your clothes in a bag with these. Clothes take on the scent of the surrounding area.
Sounds plausible.
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I could be wrong about this, but over the years here, I keep looking to see what states folks live in who are major proponents of "just hunt the wind". my informal attention to home states seems to me, always areas with major public land..! Or they've posted previously that they have extensive acreage on which to hunt. Excellent!
There is no more sound advice than hunt the wind!
Now, having agreed to that, what about hunting in small "patch-work" parcels surrounded by "Posted!" land? Hmmm?
I have ONE way into the land I hunt... it's in a valley with ONE thick ridge..prevailing wind is from our parking area (dictated by landowner) and up toward the one ridge... IF...I try to circle around, I'm rim-rocked (so to speak) by posted ground and have to navigate a lot of thick brush...and the deer travel is from the posted to where we hunt! Noisy to say the least...and rubbing against brush leaves more scent!
The ridge to my right, down-wind, is bordered by houses and the ridge itself is POSTED tight!
Second, these areas I have to hunt (and seems have been for much of my hunting career) are largely "travel corridors". We've learned to get in EARLY and set up the best we can on cross or downwind of travel paths.
Yet, surprise of surprises! at least HALF the deer wander in down wind into our scent stream.
I try to do everything I can to control scent... I can NOT alleviate all my scent--true enough...but I CAN reduce the concentration of my scent to allow prey animals to believe I am a lot---LOT farther away than RIGHT THERE with my bow!
hunt the wind is good, sound advice, but c'mon, guys, not all of us have hundreds or thousands of acres to hunt!
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Best thing I have done is go to the ground. Has made me waaay more conscious of the wind on setup and approach. I also don't sweat up the area hanging a stand and I can adjust immediately for wind changes or time of day, etc. It is also more of a relaxing(for me) way to hunt and that seems to affect my decisions in a positive way. Which produces less stress type scent and overall good mojo! :D
Rob
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All good points Rob, I also hunt from ground blinds and also still hunt, which is my favorite way to hunt. As far as tree stands go, I set them up prior to season or just before a day of heavy rain. My stands are set up for mature bucks and therefore set up with all precaution. I hunt these stands very sparingly and only when I think the time is right. Usually during the chase phase of the rut or just before.
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That's exactly my situation Doc, I only go to extremes, where SC is concerned, on my own land which is only 75 acres. It has to be very low impact stealthy hunting or I might as well not hunt it at all. I also have 3000 acres of state land around me with a different set of hunting circumstances. There, I hunt more from the ground and use less concern for scent control. Often just.... hunting the wind more or less.
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Watch a blood hound work. . . it can distinguish one deer from another just by smelling a track. It can even pass by a gut pile to stay on the actual trail of a targeted deer. It can decipher one particular person from another in a WalMart parking lot 10 days after the person walked there. I watched a Secret Service dog combing an entire highrise hotel floor sensing gun powder, only to find the powder in a rifle cartridge case on the top drawer inside one of our desks. Even a cow can smell electricity charges!
I am just not convinced you can ever beat a mature deer's nose. You may have an immature rut crazed buck. Maybe even a young doe. A mature deer may be distracted/or risky in the rut. There may be varied wind currents that are covering you. But to say that a mature deer can't smell you when thousands of dead skin cells drop at every step, 30-40,000 drop off you every hour. In addition, your body secretes hundreds of chemicals/odors through hundreds of thousands of pores/orifices on your body continually.
I submit, you can avoid it, but you can NOT beat a deer's nose.
My 2C from Kansas! :)
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" Forget scent control because there is nothing you can do about your breath!" right? Wrong again. Here again no one is claiming you can eliminate odors emitting from your mouth 100%. You can lower it to such a level that you can be very close to deer without them detecting it to such an extent that they become alarmed. Here again we are lowering our odors to a level that the deer upon smelling us, thinks we are much further away than we are.
I don't think I need to list all the things you can do to minimize your breath odor, but watch what you eat and use chlorophyll to lower your body odor. Juicing grasses works well and is also very healthy for you. Tablets as others have stated are supposed to work well. If nothing else, at leased brush your teeth with baking soda. I always chew grass and hemlock stems while on stand.
I don't always use a full face mask, but I cover my nose and mouth with a cover I made and spray this with scent killer. It works!
Again, it's the conglomeration of preventive steps that make this system work.
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I think your basing your opinion on the strength of a bloodhounds nose Dan. You may very well be right. But there is no arguing the importance of scent control which is what this thread is about. Your more than welcome to add any of your methods for scent control, but lets please try to keep it along those lines. Thanks
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A good friend of mine for many years is the guy that developed the "Buck Fever Synthetic" products. He would "eat, sleep and think" deer 24/7. He knew you couldn't eliminate your scent, but he also knew/learned that you could control and reduce it to a very low and non-alarming level. He had the deer to prove it too.
Eric
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Masking or covering your scent is a form of scent control. I don't normally use masking scents like Skunk essence, fox urine, ect. Food type scents like vanilla, apple, corn, acorn, I never use because other than the acorn, are unnatural to the surroundings I hunt. I prefer to smell like nothing at all for lack of a better term. The clothes I hunt in are numerous and varied. After a hunt I air those clothes out and wear a different set the next hunt.
I will however add natural smells to my clothes for certain hunting situations.If I plan to hunt were there are hemlocks, then I'll keep a clean plastic tote filled with hemlock branches for the clothes I intend to hunt in. And likewise one with leaves and acorns for hunting in hardwoods.Being an old trapper, I like to keep things natural and relative to the surroundings I hunt in. For instance, I don't want to smell like a hemlock tree were there are none. Or a red fox 18 ft above ground while tree stand hunting.
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On my place, I think the game has me patterned about as well as I have them patterned. I think the trick is picking the right stand for a given set of wind conditions. My opinion is that if the wind is not right there is nothing you can do to overcome the problem. The crux of the issue is whether or not today they come in up wind or down wind. With that being said, I still use attractant/cover scents quite often. No harm in trying to hedge your bet.
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Originally posted by Knawbone:
I think your basing your opinion on the strength of a bloodhounds nose Dan. You may very well be right. But there is no arguing the importance of scent control which is what this thread is about. Your more than welcome to add any of your methods for scent control, but lets please try to keep it along those lines. Thanks
Good point. Sorry. Did not mean to hijack it. The successful mature deer hunters I know come at it different. Hate to see young guys spend time and money.
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Originally posted by Knawbone:
I think your basing your opinion on the strength of a bloodhounds nose Dan. You may very well be right. But there is no arguing the importance of scent control which is what this thread is about. Your more than welcome to add any of your methods for scent control, but lets please try to keep it along those lines. Thanks
Actually, I think that an argument can be made against the importance of scent control. I hunted for years on pressured public land in the northeast, using all of the techniques for scent control mentioned above. I got to witness deer getting spooky and going the other way when "scent free" clothing had brushed against a sapling and deer following the tracks of my "scent free" boots until finally getting spooked and going the other way. Do whatever works for you, and I wish you success. I have had just as much or more success since I started not practicing any scent control. Yes, I know there are tons of stories about deer coming in from downwind, just no evidence that they wouldn't have if scent control measure weren't taken. I am not saying it can't occasionally matter, just not very often. The german shepherd that I had when before I got married tracked me to my treestand despite all of my precautions more than once after my wife left it out of the house. I reckon a deer would have had no trouble either. I think scent control gives us the sense that we are doing something that helps, and it makes us feel better rather than having a real impact. Even with the best scent control, there are undoubtedly many deer that you are spooking and just never knowing it. I have decided to take that same time and energy and get into the woods. Maybe save all of the money of scent control products and go on a hunting trip somewhere.
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KSDAN, PDK25, Thank you both for your input and experience on this subject. One thing I see that confuses respondents to this thread is the relationship between two different types of scent. The scent one leaves while walking on the ground and touching or brushing up against things is what I call ground lain scent. Scent you leave on the ground can not be avoided and should not be confused with wind blown scent. Two totally different issues that too often get thrown together and confused as one thing when discussing SC. What can be ( almost ) totally eliminated is wind blown scent. I also know mature hunters ( I'm one of them ) that do practice scent control and are very successful. I have been a hunter and trapper for 40 yrs. Trapping canines requires strict attention to scent control in various forms if you want to be successful, especially where trap shy animals are concerned. Many of us spend hundreds of dollars on bows and equipment, yet say a mere 20 or 30.00 for scent control products is a wast of money. That's about all I spend per year. Well worth it to me. As far as time, I enjoy the extra 15 min. a day it takes to practice SC, again well worth it to me, It has become somewhat of an art to me, much the same as trapping has. I have been a very successful deer hunter over the years mostly because of the knowledge I have gained threw woodcraft and the quarry I seek..... not because of scent control. But the hunting situation on my 75 acre hilly hardwood land, has called for different strategy. This land is were I practice my scent control and has payed off for me. Five Bucks with stick and string in five years running isn't to bad. Like I say, it works for me and therefore wish to share what I have learned with my fellow trad hunters. I also like to just go out and hunt and not bother with scent control, and I do that and enjoy it. But were my land is concerned I will continue to practice a different approach. to tell you the truth I really don't find it that hard to fool a deers nose where WIND BLOWN scent is concerned. You do have to pay close attention to details to be successful at it. Once you develope a routine, it's fairly simple.
I know there are other TG members that use the same methods I use. They are successful hunters as well and I hope that they chime in and give me some support. Thanks again guys, it's all for the love of hunting.
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Everyone practices scent control.If you do no more than hunt the wind....that is scent control.Any time we take an action to keep an animal from smelling us.....that is scent control.
The process go's from there to a virtual science.I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, or a paticular game animals nose.What I do know is that hunters need to remember that the scent you leave on the ground is a completely different set of circumstances than wind driven scent.
There are many factors that need to be kept in mind when determining what and what may not be pertinent to the equation.For instance, when contemplating ground lain scent, take this senerio for an example:
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Your bird hunting with your bird dog, or rabbit hunting. The dog starts to birdie,but then becomes confused and wanders back and forth trying to follow the week scent of a bird to the increasingly stronger, fresher scent of the bird.The dog starts to yip and becomes increasingly more excited.Finally, the dog go's on point and you know the bird is there or close.Now assimilate that event to a Deer smelling your track.Do you realize why the dog had problems following the scent trail?
Analogy: Now a wise old Buck is headed toward your stand. The ground is dry and you have lowered your scent by let's say 50%. Does that buck think your a danger, or from his years of experience subconciously think it's an old track and not an immediate threat? I don't know the exact answer to that question.My years as a bird dog hunter and a trapper have taught me that nothing is cut and dry where scent control is concerned.Moisture content of the air and foliage, and on the ground is a big,big factor to consider. Just one equation!
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not understanding that last concept. From my point of view the things that make scent are the same, whether they fall to the ground and gather, or are dispersed via wind. Both are actually happening all the time.
ChuckC
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Always think about where, when, and how you can hunt a particular area.Think scent all the time.Be conscious of where you walk and what you touch.I use a walking stick I made with a few dowels sticking out of it for pushing brush, weeds, and limbs back and out from contacting them.When I near a tree stand or ground blind I normally have a set path and often utilize fallen trees,large logs, and boulders to walk on. Not places Mr Whitetail is likely to travel or use his nose.
to be continued.........
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Chuck, The difference comes into play when hunting from a tree stand as I do where I practice these SC concepts. I may leave a scent trail to the tree, but the scent I emit from the tree ( which rides on the air currents) can be virtually eliminated by trapping it under my wind proof clothing. By keeping my scent level at a minimum and encapsulating it in my hunting suit, I can and do fool the nose of Deer. I'm not saying or claiming the animal doesn't smell me, but I do believe they at least are fooled into thinking I am much further away than I obviously am. Iv' had too any Deer come from directly down wind too many times to believe otherwise. Does it work 100% of the time? No, but it works more often than I would have thought possible.
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Ive played the deer game for over 20 yrs with a stickbow. I've tried a lot of different tactics. Everyone has a theory, how and what they smell.
Shower with a regular unscented soap, sport wash undergarments, use plastic bags/ tubs, and hunt he wind.
The less I think about this scent stuff, the more I enjoy the hunt. I wear almost all wool, and down for clothes. That's it. Natural tends to be better at being scent free.
Did I mention hunt the wind?
PS: never use garbage bags for clothes or meat, they have chemicals to help decompose them and will ruin meat and mess up clothes...
I'd say I enjoy plenty of success doing this. Use common sense, don't walk where the animals will be...it's learning to be the human predator. It takes mistakes and learning from them.
It's not always human scent that gets you busted. I've seen deer track me across frost covered grass, they just smell the vegetation smell from the frost layer being broken, and follow it unalarmed. Dogs and deer share this amazing ability to track in different ways.
I think you can go through great lengths to control scent, bottom line though, don't touch the weeds and brush, wear rubber soled boots, and play the wind right. Nothing else works IMO. Choose stands based on the wind first and foremost.
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Problem is, all of us can also quote numerous times of deer and other critters coming up from down wind and not scenting us or at least not acting as if it bothers them. . without all of the super precautions.
Kinda hard to know anything for certain without some way to test it.
ChuckC
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Chuck, This is true,there is no way to be 100% sure, and if you read back to some of my previous statements on this thread, I most enjoy simple basic scent prevention and just hunting the wind. I do however practice scent control to a high level on my own land. I am finding it a great benefit. Let me ask you, does it not make sense to lower the amount of scent you are producing from your body? I, with no question, have and find it fun and productive. And yes sometimes animals come from downwind, but the air currents carrying your scent went somewhere other than to the animals nose. I personally prefer to leave nothing to chance when hunting mature bucks. Also the reason I'm sharing all this, is because I was ask to by a couple of our TG members. I knew I would face a lot of skeptical viewpoints,and that's ok, It's not for everyone and we can all agree to disagree. I do however hope that some will find some useful info among my writings here.
Thank you for your posts
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Small ravens and drainages can be used to reach areas with little worry of being detected! How many of us have set up a tree stand or ground blind just off the side of a creek bed? Where possible, traveling up a creek bed threw water to reach such stands can be a dynamite set up. Not much of a scent trail for bucky to detect with that set up. I wonder how many of us scout out great Deer terrain, even picking two spots from which to hunt it. One for a north wind and one for an east, yet we fail to think about or do any preparation to get there undetectable by a Deers nose. Try to think things threw when it comes to scent, It only makes Scents
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Once took along a bag full of milkweed pods. Let a few go in a creek bottom which are notorious for swirling winds...
I watched that fluffy thing with a seed drift off to my left, drift right smack toward a limb, then at the last second it would veer off... watched till I couldn't see it anymore...
20 minutes later...here it comes BACK right to my tree like some freaky ghost! :eek:
Then it went the other way... and half hour later..came back again.
Also watched one released from my tree stand float along and it looked like it would slam into a hillside uphill and downwind of me...but nope...it maintained the same elevation (15') that my stand was, all the way up that hill and over the top.
Makes me wonder if scent might be able to stay aloft further than we think???
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For what it's worth, I greatly appreciate this thread. Thank you for sharing your methods Knawbone! When it comes to scent control, there are a whole slew of theories out there, but my personal opinion is that sweat and the odor it causes is far more alarming to a deer than the scent of a human who is relaxed, at ease, and not perspiring. People make animals out to be superstitious mind readers who can divine our thoughts and intentions, but maybe it is our sweaty predator smell that lets the deer know we are hunting them? :dunno:
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It certainly does Doc. And other times it drops like a rock. Thermals can be your best fiend or your worst enemy. You can Map these thermals and the wind structure of any piece of land as the patterns will repeat themselves. Takes time and effort the more hilly and fragmented it is.A must know for obvious reasons. Good post Doc.
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One thing that works great to keep from burning out stands or areas is to hunt where scent blows into a dead zone where they don't go. On the edge of a river, lake, barren field, whatever. I'll do this when the wind is bad to hunt good areas or to maintain good hunting undetected and these fringe areas have payed off because....HUNT THE WIND
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Thank you very much Malachi, I just believe that to be the best Deer hunter one can be, one should never limit ones self from exploring God's great creations. Man is the ultimate predator because he can think. Explore every avenue and facet of hunting and never settle for the status coup.Most importantly, enjoy it! :thumbsup:
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I guess I'm different. I wash my clothes in whatever the wife uses. I put them on before I leave the house or camp. I bathe in dial soap. I use old spice deodorant. I brush my teeth with crest or whatever was on sale when my wife went to Walmart. I don't spray anything or use any product for scent control. I work on my land or camp between hunts in my hunting clothes. I sit by campfires, cook and pump gas in my hunting clothes. I average 5 deer a year with a stick bow. I have killed a couple good ones. The only thing I do for scent control is hunt the wind. I don't think you are wrong for trying to control scent. I'm just too lazy to try it.
Bonner
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Overspined, Good point on the dead zone, I also like hunting when it's really windy and whipping around. That's also makes for tough scent detection by the Deer. I hear a lot of JUST HUNT THE WIND, but honestly, who doesn't hunt the wind. Sometimes that's just not enough. I seek my quarry by ALL means, never satisfied by average effort.
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Totally different hunting situation here Mr. Bonner. I'm assuming it's pretty flat terrain where you hunt. Flat land and steady winds must be a blessing. If I'm wrong, please excuse me, but if I could hunt in Texas, well I'll leave it there. Let me ask you this. Have you ever hunted in hills of W. Virginia, Penns., or NY. Where the deer are as highly presured as they come and the winds are seldom constant and often swirling. Just hunt the wind is not a fit all..... sorry. But I'm glad it works for you and your honesty for being lazy.
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Please folks, no more HUNT THE WIND POSTS, EVERY ONE WHO IS ANY ONE, HUNTS THE WIND. IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING MORE TO ADD , PLEASE DON'T POST
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I'm going to jump in here and say where I hunt I try to hunt the wind as much as possible but like others have posted deer are not always predictable in their paths or the wind shifts unexpectedly. In these situations I feel(it makes me more confident) that using scent control products and precautions increases the odds that a deer will miss judge my location or the threat level that I present. If this makes me sit longer or concentrate on my surroundings better than it helps me be more successful. Otherwise I just as well go home. I know I get busted by deer I see and deer I never knew were there but many times a deer will come in near enough to smell me but not really spook and I "feel" that the precautions I took to be as scent free as possible make this possible. For me it is worth it. What can it hurt.
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Knawbone, I hunt some in TX but the majority of my hunting these days is on my own place in MS. It's in the hills just above the MIssissippi and Yazoo rivers and it is very hilly. The deer in MS do bust me from time to time as do they in TX. In the hills I sometimes hear snorts from alarmed deer 2-3 ridges over and 200-400yds away. But it is always downwind. My level of success in MS is no different than it is in the TX brush country or in the TX hill country. If they are downwind they smell me if they are not they don't.
Bonner
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Oh and BTW the deer in MS are as pressurized as anywhere I have ever seen or heard about. Everyone I know there hunts as its a way of life. The season is 4 months long and the deer are relentlessly hunted from Oct1 to Jan 31. It's all about the wind.
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I'm not sure all the precautions/products really do all that much. I tried extreme measures for years and found them no more effective than using your noggin. I just think you can't beat their nose when it comes down to it. You can get lucky.
Last yr I shot a five yr old buck that I knew would likely pass downwind if he/one came by. I wear no scent lock, only shower before hunting. I hunted from dark to 4:30 straight, with one stand location change before he passed me down wind and hooked around where he met my arrow. All I did was get as close as possible to the trail, and got higher than usual in the tree in HOPES my scent would blow over the deer. It worked, he even stopped at an obstruction directly downwind at 18 yds. Using your experience and taking risks is part of the fun.
Keeping scent from ever reaching the animal, no matter how dulled down you think you can get it, is still the key to going undetected. Years ago I tried doubling up on scent lock garments in addition to all other precautions and it was NO better.
In the upper peninsula of MI, I know of old timers that would attract deer by starting a very small fire in the woodlands and sit there warming up. I think smoke may be underrated as a cover scent/attractant, yet I've never experimented with it. Native Americans used to smoke themselves for cover scent.
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Overspined, I agree totally on the height issue. My pull up rope is 24" and if possible I climb until my bow is off the ground. They are less likely to smell or see me at that height. I do most of my hunting from climbers and I rarely hunt the same tree twice. I go in and come out of my stands so that the wind doesn't blow my scent to where I expect the deer to be. I agree you can't fool their nose. I concentrate on knowing where they are and where they are going and why.
Bonner
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Dan and Overspined, Thank you for sharing your experience and insight on scent control. If you have read my writings here, you know that I, as well as everyone, knows that the best way to hunt Deer is down wind of them. My personal findings have convinced me beyond any reasonable dought, that even some scent output reduction is better than none.We will just have to agree to respectfully disagree. Dan, If you hunt in Ms, I know you hunt pressured Deer. You better get yourself a good scent control plan so you can kill even more Deer! :biglaugh:
PS. I don't wear scent lock products and never will.
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Overspined, I have and do use wood smoke as a mask scent, and I believe the natural carbon content put off by the wood also neutralizes odors. When I camp and hunt, smoking my self and my clothes is the only method of scent control I use for the most part. Iv' watched deer stand and sniff the air while looking for the source of the smell. Haven't seen one out and out spook, but it seems to make them cautious at times when the source is so pinpoint and not from an area they normally smell
it. I do need to experiment with it's possibilities more than I have.
Good post
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Troutguide, I believe you to be correct. You will get closer to Deer more often and it can give you that split second you need if nothing else.
Thanks for posting
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I wash my hunting clothes baking soda ,shower with unsented soap.I only wear my hunting boots in the woods, also pull off pieces of cedar brush and other local vegetation and rub it on my clothes. I aways keep wind feather tied to my bow.
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I hunt with the wind in my face. I wash before I go too stand . When at camp, my clothes are hanging in a balsom tree away from camp and camp smells. If the weather is wet,the clothes go into a tote with balsom lims . My hunting clothes never goes threw the dryer .
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Ok now we are getting somewhere. So sitting by a campfire is a good thing from an SC prospective!? Excellent! What about having an adult beverage while sitting around said campfire? Its my version of breath camouflage. I only do this at night after the hunt though BTW. Just sayin....
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Dan, I'm getting somewhere, camp fire good, beer breath bad.
Dan, you really need to read this whole thread if you haven't!
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I have read every word David. Very interesting and entertaining.
Bonner
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Michigan has the most deer hunters, millions of tiny parcels of private land amongst public land, and a season from mid Sept to Jan1 now. They don't get much more pressure than that. All weapons are good to go now too. I have had really good success going out of state to get after the big ones. It's easy compared to MI to get opportunities at mature animals.
Smoke scent can almost be considered neutral. Forest fires, campers, wood stoves, and so on make it a reasonable cover scent, it's common, and unalarming. Maybe avoid mixing it with bacon scent from the same fire! I prefer no scent, but would opt for smoke vs the 100000 scents on the market.
Once I used a drag line ( I realize not for cover scent) and watched a deer act like it ran into a wall nose first as he "hit" it. He actually made about 3 attempts to cross that scent line before deciding otherwise. Deer can react unpredictably to scents.
I also watched a deer follow a scent drag for 400 yds across a dirt field on a windy day, without ever putting his nose to the ground. I'm telling you their noses are really quite good. A friend was there and witnessed it. We dragged it by riding a bike about an hour before he followed it. We reeled that one right in! My point, wow they can smell.
Once I attempted to place my climber in a tree too big around. I decided on another tree close by. I watched a deer smell where I had touched and hugged the tree with wool. He literally tried to climb the tree to suck up as much scent as he could, back feet scraping the bark for grip to climb higher for more scent! He then bedded 6 paces from my tree for the afternoon.
I don't have much experience with scents/cover scents. I just try to stay clean and downwind. Overall, I quit using them when I decided they hindered my hunts more than helped. I can't imagine a synthetic dirt scent or whatever really smells like the real thing to a deer...I'll never know. I would guess attempts at scent elimination would be best, although I'm unsure how effective extreme measures would be.
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When I`m pig hunting I of course take a bath before going but hunt the wind. The wind swirls badly here so I try to hunt in the wind as best as I can but don`t worry that much about it till I spot pigs then I move with the wind and try to get to the pigs quick.On deer again I shower with baking soda. My clothes are washed in baking soda as well. I put my rubber boots on when I`m out of the truck or after I`ve stepped from the porch. I always spray them down with HS scent away spray. I`ve had a bunch of deer come by that crossed my walk in trail since using this stuff. It works in my opinion to help de -scent rubber boots. If I brush against stuff with my clothes though I am busted.again from a stand I setup for the wind.My stand hunting is mostly done over feed trees and I climb very close to them if not in the feed tree itself.Most of the places I hunt deer can come from anywhere so setting over the tree I feel purty good. If I am hunting a crossing or funnel where deer are gonna come from one or two ways it makes it much easier. Once I`ve hunted a funnel a few times the wind usually behaves the same unless there is some kind of front so I know what to do in most wind conditions.
Personally I believe you cannot eliminate your scent. You can stay clean as possible mostly for the walk in and climb as high as you feel comfortable. If you are hunting a trail from the ground you can move if you need to.
Several of the small bottoms I hunt will hold a wind direction till about 30 minutes before dark and then will reverse when the sun gets lower than the trees and the quick temp drop happens. you`ll sit thinking this is gonna be good then at prime time when the deer are headed to the oak you are sitting on you get busted. From experience I`ve learned to set in a crosswind or sit with a bad wind knowing that at feeding time the wind will reverse and be right. Happens right most of the time.I prefer to sit in the swamp bottom crossings and funnels in the morning so the sun will draw the scent up and I hunt the Oak ridges or Islands in the evening.
Main thing is spend as much time in the stand as you can and some of the time ....you wont get busted.RC
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Eat a large rare onion every morning before you hunt and you'll sweat the smell for days! My Dad's old timer technique for scent control for moose and elk hunting.
I wear merino wool and real watch how I set up.
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Thanks for your input Overspined and Rc, I agree you can not totally eliminate your scent, and like so many I don't go to any extremes on scent control other than on my own land. I have however learned that you can LOWER your scent level using great care in procedure. I have been using my land as a test lab so to speak. Without definitive proof, I do believe you can fool a deers nose WHERE WIND BLOWN SCENT IS CONCERNED. Scent you leave by touching the ground with your feet, or touching anything with any part of your body is or can be a totally different issue.
Basically I try to create this scenario: Hypothetical, You have a one piece rubber suit made and seal up your body odor( think of a wet suit,) You wash away or/and spray a quality scent eliminator on your boots and wet suit and go hunting. Rubber gloves and rubber head cover sealed tight around the face also. The only unsealed exposed skin is around the eyes of your face. This skin is also treated.
Now, with a careful approach to a tree stand, and low ground and air moisture, do you still not think you could fool a deers nose? Even if that deer is down wind?
In essence, this is what I have done. I'm being busted way, way, less. Iv' even had deer surround my stand with a dropping thermal and didn't get busted. Believe it or not! Even with that event, I'm not saying the deer did not smell me, but they did not spook.
RC, HS scent away is also what I use, and I am going to try the new Carbon synergy product.
Again, Don't get me wrong guys, I love to just go out and play the wind, but Iv' had a lot of fun experimenting and practicing scent control on my land.
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I'm with TXag.....dang!
No wetsuit for me. I just don't hate em that bad.
Bonner
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Like so many others, I feel it matters little what we do to reduce odor. We stink up the woods no matter how careful we are. Hunting the wind is the only effective way to defeat a deer's sense of smell.
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Besides holding your breath for 3 or 4 hrs. has anybody figured a way to deal with breath odor?
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I spoke with a friend about this today. He made a couple good points as well. Leaving stands in the dark, going in in the AM...it's easy to push deer right off your property without spooking them. They just watch you and learn to move out. Then guess who kills them? The neighbors in early gun season because you unknowingly pushed them off your property.
Over the years I've learned to do as stated earlier, move around a lot, use common sense scent precautions, and keep out of your best stand sites until Oct 30 ish. My favorite days are Oct 30,31, then Nov 7-9. Then I just hunt the wind as the animals are on the move.
After years of trying different things, if you're after big ones patience is key before getting right into them. I've never hunted a state where gun season opens really late, but I've heard the bow hunting can remain really good right through Nov.
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Good points Overspined, That's why I go in late and come out early, I only start hunting it toward the late seek phase of the rut. My trail camera tells me when their there and all pictures of mature bucks are taken between sunset and 7:00. The only time I can catch a mature buck on my land during day light is when they are looking for a hot doe or with a hot doe. There is only about a fifteen day window for me to catch a good buck on my land. the rest of the season finds me back on the state land closer to bedding areas. I generally only hunt this 500 acre parcel of solid forest from the ground. I use makeshift ground blinds and hunt the deer in front of my nose with little regard for sc. I like to hunt light and comfortable and wear light weight wools or fleece.
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Well, to the degree that the hunter can do anything to better his chances against the keen nose of the whitetail, or other sharp nosed quarry, remains pondered by some and fixated by others. Always an interesting subject that I hope everyone has enjoyed ( probably at my expense) and perhaps learned from. I very much appreciate the respectful responses and thoughtful posts once again. Personally, somewhere between my zeal for the sport and the realities of it, there's an answer!
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Thank you for this thread!
It holds a treasure chest full of knowledge even though it might be contrasting.
I have been able to get a lot out of this and I am sure it will give many food for thought at the very least.
I learned a long time ago, if you can come away with one good point/idea then it was worth it and this thread has many of those!
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Oh and BTW the deer in MS are as pressurized as anywhere I have ever seen or heard about.
Pressurized?
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Originally posted by Knawbone:
Basically I try to create this scenario: Hypothetical, You have a one piece rubber suit made and seal up your body odor( think of a wet suit,) You wash away or/and spray a quality scent eliminator on your boots and wet suit and go hunting. Rubber gloves and rubber head cover sealed tight around the face also. The only unsealed exposed skin is around the eyes of your face. This skin is also treated.
Except the majority of scent comes out of your mouth. I suppose if you wore some type of filtered respirator you might improve things, but then it's so much easier, and in the end surer, to just hunt the wind.
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I look at scent control and hunting like visualizing a hunter sitting out in the woods covered from head to toe with scent control products, but all the time there's a steady stream of fumes pouring out of his mouth and nose from the most smelly, stinking part of his body.
Kinda like putting a big plastic bag over a smoldering stump and then punch a hole in it and see the smoke pouring out the hole.
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What is thought of the products for reducing human odors, like chlorophyll and that funny named anti-sweat deodorant stuff. Starts with an "L" I think. Really, do they work?
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To me sent control is part of the fun of preparing for the hunt. i relaize no matter what you do if a deer gets downwind u are busted. i do wash my cloths in baking powder and store them in a air tight container. i try not to smell like bacon in the mornings! and i play the wind
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Overspined, those products are sold on marketing, not research. There is no way to prove that any scent product, cover, attractant,eliminator, reducer, disperser etc. etc. works or does not work. Its a matter of faith. If you believe it works, buy it. if not dont.
I choose to play the wind, rely on good woodsmanship, knowledge of the terrain, quarry, food sources, bedding areas, funnels etc.
On my own land I spend a lot of time, Diesel and money on foodplots, creating edge cover and generally making my land more attractive habitat than my neighbor's land. I spend my time and money creating the perfect situation and location that puts the odds in my favor. I guess I get more enjoynent out of that than worrying about my personal odor or lack there of.
It all comes down to enjoyment, some enjoy trying to control every aspect of how they smell. thats cool. I just prefer to leave the camp with my clothes and boots on. thats all.
Bonner
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I use scent when I get the chance and think it may work in a certain situation..like grinding my boot soles into deer droppings, cow pies, etc. when I come upon them, to help mask my trail leading into a stand site. I soak leather tassels I cut up in lure and use them on occasions.
I like to have things to dabble with, just spend my money on other stuff besides products to eliminate or cover my body odor while on stand.
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For those wondering about bad breath, you can always breath through your nose. Bad breath comes from what is in your mouth, not your lungs. Chewing grasses would clean your mouth pretty effectively, reducing the smell that comes from your breath. Personally, I don't believe for a moment that bad breath is the biggest source of scent on a human body.
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I wasn't talking about halitosis or "bad breath". I was talking about the act of breathing and regular exhaled breath. Per Google.. "The process that moves air in and out of the lungs, delivers oxygen to where it is needed in the body and removes carbon dioxide. The air we exhale is roughly composed of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, water and other gases."
I've read or seen where animals smell the breath of their young to identify them.
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Wow, still some really good posts going on here.
What about the collective scent we leave in the woods? We all know Deer start changing their life styles when they start smelling, seeing, hearing humans increase activities in their domains. Should we not curb our scent and otherwise lower the negative impacts we create by having no regard for S.c. My thinking has generally always been one leaning toward stealth if at all possible. I think some measure of S.C. is prudent toward a less pressured deer over all. Here again, maybe I'm wrong, but common sence tells me i'm not.
What say you??????
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Wolfshead, Thank you sir
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That time of year again for us to think about woodcraft and all it entails.Some of us don't think scent control should be part of that equation and some of us do. I started thinking about SC long before I knew the terms. One day it dawned on me: Why do dogs roll in stinky things like dead animals? Could it be an instinct to cover it's own scent? I believe it is. And I'm willing to bet Coyote and Wolves do the same thing, although Iv' never seen them do it. Would they do this for no reason? Or does this behavior have merit?
Maybe I'm like the dog, rolling in a futile mess,but scent control in all it's various forms ( to me ) should be a part of the woodsman's crafts.
No respecting trad hunter should ever want to replace woodcraft for anything that would defeat our purpose or deminish our brand of sport. That is, never has been, and never will be my purpose here on TG or anywhere else!
In the beginning of this thread I asked a question: How successful a trad hunter do you think you would be, if your quarry could not smell you at all? More importantly, would we want that as true sportsman, even if it were possible? That answer has to be a diffinitive ........NO! Yet as the dog rolls in carrion, so too must I use my instincts. (intuition)
Please feel free to add your methods, experience,and successes with your scent control practices.
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There is one thing that I hate and that is when a deer snorts at me...I feel as if my skills as a hunter and a man have been assaulted!
Anyway, a Deer has seven different glands and they use them to communicate. I believe that a deer knows from experience one hunter from another.
So, because I believe this I don't use cover scents that you would buy in the Store. My theory is that old farmer Joe (who is stinky and smelly never took a shower before hunting and petted his dog right before he stepped into his truck to go hunting) steps out of his trucks and sprays himself down with cover scent that he got at Walmart until he is dripping wet and then walks into the woods. I believe that a deer will smell old stinky farmer joe and the cover scent...so the next time that Farmer Joe neighbor Farmer John goes to great length to shower air dry his cloths etc. He sprays himself down in cover scent he walks into the woods the deer smell the cover scent and associate that smell to what is usually with these cover scents....human odor....
I am not saying this theory is plausible....if you can persuade me other wise than I will change my thinking.
I go to great length to be scent free....I know that you cannot be scent free but why go out there just so you can let every deer and its cousing know that you are there.....The deer that is 200 yrds down below you that smells you might of crossed right where your stand was the next night.....So, I believe that more I can keep my scent down the less likely more deer will smell me.
I use a product called Nullo...It is an chloraphly tablet...and it does work...went a couple days with out shower to see if it did work...Works great...and I do most of the stuff that everyone else has mentioned...except for cover scents that you can buy.
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I use ScentBuster dust on everything that goes in the woods with me. Sprinkle it on everything in my totes. www.scentbuster.com (http://www.scentbuster.com) I also use there scent mask to cover up mouth scent.
Think about it this way. The more scent free you are, the further the deer is gonna think you are away. Deer in high pressured areas are smelling people all the time. Theres gonna be different levels in the mind of a deer and how much they will tolerate before they change there route or pick you up. So keep the deer thinking your further away than what you really are. Very important for us traditional hunters.
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Any one ever try one of those ozone machines or a scentmaster box?
Just curious.
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CSA, I understand your theory, although I believe that a situation like that is just that.....situational. From what Iv' seen most guys don't use enough scent eliminator or don't use it properly, in which case your theory could be plausible.Still and all Iv' never had any problems spooking deer because I used too much SE. I don't normally use the earth scent however but rather the scentless. I believe it takes a combination of scent control methods to be successful and to keep the deer from patterning smells. Thanks for your view on the subject.
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Berner9, couldn't agree with you more. Not only can deer pinpoint sound, but smells as well.Luckily for us, most hunters don't use enough personal scent elimination. The deer can tell by the strength of the human odor, just how far away the hunter is. By lowering your scent level, you can fool their nose into thinking your further away than they think. And that's the whole idea of SC.
Good post, thanks
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scbowhntr, The ozone stuff is too non traditional for me. Scent control to me is a learned skill and involves a lot more than flipping a switch. So no, I haven't tried any ozone machines and never will.I want my hunting successes to come by way of woodcraft....... not machines! That's my view.
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Originally posted by Charlie Lamb:
Those who ignore attempting to reduce scent signature and chant "just hunt the wind" are overlooking an element of hunting that can have profound impact on deer hunting success.
Made a difference for me just last night. :readit:
I hope Charlie doesn't mind that I copied this post from another thread. Thanks for your honest view on the subject Mr. Lamb :thumbsup:
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Just read the whole thread and thought I would chime in. In preface , I ve killed my share and utilize a lot of the techniques mentioned. I ve learned over the years that scent control helps and I do use the soap and make my own baking soda spray. I like keeping my clothes in bags of leaves but dont always. Most of my clothes hang outside during the season which makes my wife mad about my "staging area" outside our front door. I feel "scent control clothing " is overpriced scam. I use wool and Kuiu and cotton. the wind swirls a lot here . I dont hunt the wind . I take it into consideration and try to be crosswind/downwind......but i know it swirls almost every where here . I hunt good trees and take my chances with the procedures I use.
I got into my stand 1/2 hour before shooting light this fri . 10 minutes later a deer blew about 20 yds away . Couldnt see it . I thought " i got caught today ,I must stink" . But maybe I moved , maybe it read my mind. I did not have my foil hat on to hind my brainwaves. 2 hours later I killed a mature doe that came from the same direction and circled my tree. So , you have to just hunt ,I agree.... but edge it in your favor with scent control. But dont let it drive you crazy . Your gonna get caught sometimes....and sometimes you are invisible and will kill a deer. And that makes it great !
As far as other ideas.... I heard of a guy that raised deer and other livestock and kept his hunting coat in the pen with the animals. His hunting partners hating driving in his truck to their stands cause he stunk....but was successful .
a few other thoughts: A K9 trainer/policeman friend said most scent comes from your head, so i take a little more effort on sc for my hats and head. also many years ago I used to take practice shots once in my treestand.....til a 4pt smelled my arrow in the leaf I picked out and ran away !
The purpose of this thread and my ramblings is to provoke thought and maybe learn a little, especially for hunters that dont have as much time in the woods. Could have killed a lot more then with what I know now....as we all could.
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Kuch, Thank you for your input and experiences with scent control. I think in part anyway, some trad bow hunters that don't live in such wind broken terrain such as WV, don't realize our hunting dilemma where wind and wind currents shift so frequently. It seems hunters that live and hunt in hilly or mountainous regions understand and have a better grasp for the value and need for sc.
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David, great thread . Sc helps , no doubt. can you kill a deer without it? sure , but you'll kill more with certain procedures help
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Iv' been wanting to add a few things about how I prepare my hunting cloths. Also a few dos and dont's for those interested.
Washing: I don't like to use a washing machine, and unless your going to hang your clothes outside for a good spell, I suggest you don't either. Dryers are an even bigger no no. These machines are loaded with scent and you are contaminating your hunting cloths by using them. Just one reason why some say scent control doesn't work.
I prefer to wash my cloths by soaking them in a large tub of cold water with Sport Wash and baking soda. If they are just bought items then you really need to wash the bajeepers out of them.
Drying: Again, unless you have no other way to dry your clothes, don't use a clothes dryer. Wash and hang outside if at all possible. I live in the country side, so I wash, ring and hang my clothes in the trees behind my house. The clothes are well away from house smells like dryer exhaust, car exhaust, pet smells, or anything the deer I hunt would find offensive to their natural surroundings.
My favorite method: I like to take my hand washed clothes and hang them out in my hemlock trees on clean (scent free) plastic clothes hangers. Early fall is ( for temperature reasons) the best time to do this, and just before a good rain is the best. I don't rinse the clothes in clean water, but instead let them get rinsed by the rain. Continue to let them hang and dry by the wind and air.
A little Tip: Keep your hands clean whenever you handle your clothes. Or use clean rubber gloves. Wash your hands with a good scent killer.
storage: Once cleaned, dryed and aired out, store your clothes where they will stay dry and free of foreign odors. I use a metal storage building with doors kept open and a panel taken off the back to allow air to travel threw. I also cover the floor with fresh fallen leaves thick enough to impart some natural smell.I also use clean plastic totes with tops, filled with leaves or hemlock boughs for the same reason.
More later.......
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couple other thoughts: I spray my bow ,safety harness ,and portable climber regularly with the homemade mix(H2O2,baking soda, soap and distilled H2o) those articles often get overlooked during the the season. Especially after gutting a deer and pics.....hands stink and I handle all my equipment....so wash it after.
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I'm going against my previous thought that urine doesn't spook a wise deer. Last night I climbed down, dug a hole with my boot, and peed in the hole before recovering it. A button buck stood over that spot in the process of eating acorns. 15 minutes later a big, mature doe was just about to get the shaft when she abruptly stopped and stared at the base of my tree. She didn't freak out, but it altered her course of travel. Back to carrying a bottle I guess.
Overall scent control has been going well. A handful of sassafras leaves crushed up and wiped on the clothes goes a long way.
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Later in the season with dropping temps of below freezing, drying clothes outside becomes difficult or impossible. I try to keep enough hunting clothes washed ahead in light of this, but sometimes you just have to use a clothes dryer. This is how I prepare my dryer: I spray the inside of the dryer with scent killer and run the dryer for a while. While that's going on, I have an old pillow case that I fill with wet leaves, acorns, hemlock needles,pine cones and/or needles, and tie it up good and tight with string.I spray my wet clothes with scent killer and throw them and the pillow case in the dryer and set it on a low to medium heat setting.Put clothes in a clean basket or container and immediately hang up outside. Allow these clothes to air as long as possible.
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Not only are scentless hunting clothes important, but how and what you wear is just as important for a complete scent reducing system to work.
The head: Other than your feet, the head is a key scent disperser. Most of the air born scent you generate is produced by your head. Not only do you want to keep it covered, like the rest of your body, you want to cover it with something (material) that the wind and air cannot blow threw or penetrate.I use an appropriate size plastic bag (not garbage bags) to cover my head and neck. With a gaiter and trappers hat over it, it seals the scent in and keeps the wind from picking up scent molicules from head and neck.Whatever you use, the key is not letting that scent escape your body.
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Feet: As with as anything else on your body, the feet and the footwear you use for bow hunting is of extreme importance. I wash my feet and apply scent killing deodorant along with clean socks for every hunt.I also sprinkle the inside of my boots with baking soda or carbon powder.I often carry the boots I want to hunt in to my stand. Remember, keeping cool is the first rule. Try not to let your feet and legs get hot while walking to your stand. If you get a little warm, all is not lost, wipe your feet down with a good scent killer, change into clean socks, and put on those other boots you carried up the hill!
I like rubber boots, but they have to be well seasoned. New rubber boots are-in my opinion, much too smelly to be of any use.
Keep your boots clean of odor by washing them and allowing them to dry and air
You should have at least two pair, that way, you can keep a clean pair for the next hunt.
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David, nice tricks for the dryer. Where do you get carbon powder?
I prefer "regular leather hunting" boots over rubber boots beacuse of pure comfort when walking. I only use the boots for hunting and repeat the scent contolr and wash them throughout the season.
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Chad, How do you wash your leather boots? You can get carbon powder at- Carbonsynergy.net 855-356-4868 I believe they are a sponsor here.
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I spray inside and out and scrub soles with sc stuff. I have not had problems with my ground scent. Anecdotes yes, but had enough deer follow my trail with no visible signs of smelling my trail. I also try to approach stand from a non-trail direction but not always feasible.....again why sc is warranted. My feet dont sweat terrible and dont especially stink to me , so I think my methods seem to be Ok . i have tried rubber boots but the damn things are uncomfortable for me , seem to make me sweat then freeze me in stand and dont seem to hold up...I've torn/cut a few. maybe haven't done an extenive search to find the "perfect rubber boot " for me.
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This is a tough one, especially for me. I do all the usual stuff like keep my cloths clean and in airtight containers. I air them outside at night, and try to wash with scent free soaps etc. I used to take it a few steps further. I haven't done this in a while, but I used to go off meat of any kind starting a few weeks ahead of the season, and maintain a meat free diet through the season. THAT IS HARD TO DO!!! I also used to do the sweat lodge type cleansing, which probably did more than my diet. I can say I saw and killed more deer then than I do now.
I just can't do that anymore, except the sweat lodge thing.
These days I just do the cloths thing, sweat out in a sauna, and use the wind.
I believe ancient ancestors used to do a similar sweet lodge purification prior to big hunts, but have heard nothing to substantiate a meat free diet. That was just something I heard of. Eat like a predator, smell like a predator concept I guess. Kinda ridiculous to kill for food while not eating the food your going after. That sets up it's own thought loop.
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I am into scent control quite a bit having hunted very high-pressure small parcels of land my whole life other than the occasional time of hunting somewhere outside my area. I got into it when I was a very young hunter, and have seen the benefits way too many times to stop. I saw changes as soon as I started being more careful with my clothing, wearing rubber boots and avoiding strong smells I can smell myself. I also started seeing and killing more deer than others hunting the same area. I had read some articles on it in some hunting magazine back in the 70’s. This was before the internet, cable tv, scent control clothing, and all the stuff on the market now. It was before I had ever seen a compound bow.
I do a lot with clothing and have some scent-loc type stuff, but mostly because I got them on clearance or used and liked everything about them. I figure the scent control will not hurt if it works, but I don’t depend on it. I keep everything as sealed and scent free as possible. Us the air tight containers, wash with the soaps, use the spray, rubber boots, dress in the field, pack in top layers, trim stuff so I don't touch it, and so on. It takes a little time and prep, but cost is not that big a deal.
I hunt the wind as best as I can. I approach stands with the least possible impact. But, I often have one access point to a property and limited ways to get through it. If I always waited for the best wind and approach to a stand, I would hunt about 3 days a year. Having more small parcels to hunt does help make best choices, but sometime I have to hunt where I can when you can. If I don’t take care of my scent, I will not be seeing much for long.
When I have a spot I can get to with very little impact on deer due to where I walk and wind direction, I will cut back a bit on my scent control. Last hunts in a spot for the year before gun season opens often finds me not bothering with being too careful as long as I am hunting the wind. If I had a big track of land with lots of options for where to hunt and how to get there, I would do less, but still try and not stink up the area unnecessarily. You can walk right into a great spot and screw it up before you get a chance to hunt it if you are reckless with scent.
I think scent control matters a lot in the areas I hunt. It is not total eliminate of scent I am after. It is fooling them into thinking you are a safe distance away or that you passed through a long time ago. That makes a huge difference. In less pressured area I think even trace smells send animals a long way off. They tolerate very little if any human scent. I guess it matters little if you bother much with scent control and hunt different spots all the time in those kinds of areas.
Deer smell people all the time in high-pressure populated areas. Where I hunt, they smell someone most days with hunters all around our perimeter. Animals figure out how much smell is trouble and develop some tolerance. They sniff everyone out in the dark to see what they are doing. They then change travel paths to work around everyone and stay away from hot zones, blinds and stands in daylight. As long as they have areas they feel are reasonably safe, they will move in day light at least a little. The lower the concentration of smell in an area the less likely they will be to spook or stop using it. I have shot deer that smelled me, but were not alarmed thinking I was a long way off or had passed a while back.
I see exactly what happens when other people hunt the same land I do and hunt the wind only. I have had them make comments about my process thinking I am crazy to bother with that stuff. The result is the place shuts down, and we all see nothing after they hunt a couple days. They are hunting the wind, but leaving too much scent behind. I have to work like crazy to kill something and they get zip. They see the deer where I hunt so move in there the next year. No deer to be found. I move to where they used to hunt and see deer. On my own hunting the same place without others with me, I see deer keep moving through the season. They are more cautious due to the pressure around the area and my traces of scent, but I see them still moving in daylight if I am carful.
Two years ago I had a search party looking for a deer come searching through the small properly I hunted after work. They went through the area touching stuff walking around in the cover. I did not see another deer the rest of the season there. It doesn’t take much to trash a small area for a long time in pressured areas.
I have forgotten to spray my boots off or walked ground with human activity smells on a driveway or yard area and had deer pick right up on my track and track me to my stand and spook. I have done all the right things and had them notice I had passed sometimes, but not be alarmed about it. They pick up something and track me a little, but figure it is old scent and relax. I have seen it many times.
Last week I had coon walk up to the base of my tree and pick up my scent where I sat my bow on the ground. He was scared and circled very cautious. Then he calmed down and walked out on the trail I walked in on with no concern whatsoever. I think he smelled me on the trail, but much less scent than at the base of my tree so figured he was heeding away from any threat. The same thing happened this week with a house cat. It walked in on my trail fine and then right away noticed where I had set my bow on the ground. It almost jumped with surprise. Sniffed around, looked around, and walked off.
I have pulled off a head cover while watching a deer I was not going to shoot and had them explode out of there because it was a little downwind with some light swirling of air in the area. The scent level came up and that spelled trouble. The same for opening a top layer to cool off. I have seen it too many times no to firmly believe that there is a tolerance deer in populated high pressure areas have for human scent. Stay in the acceptable level and you are good to go, but put out a little more scent and they are gone.
The best one ever was one time I had deer feeding in field corner. I was about 75 yd down the tree line with some flooded timber behind me with the wind hitting square to the tree line in my face. I did not think they were down wind at all with no chance to smell me. This spot, wind and deer location happens a lot. I have hunted the spot for over 30 years, and I was just hunting it yesterday so I know how the spot works out in the same conditions with deer in the same place. I don’t get busted. This time I had a cough going, and was having hard time muffling it. I decided to slip in a cough drop I had sealed in a plastic zip lock in my pack. I pulled it out of the bag, opened it and just as I got it in my mouth her nose went in the air, she looked my way, and exploded out of there. I could see a long way and there was no one in the area but me. Obviously, the air currents in the trees and pond area were drifting to her, but not enough for her to notice or care until I hit her with a strong smell. All those smelly chemicals we are around and put on our bodies have the exact same impact. I think they can be worse than small amount of human odor because they are so strong and travel so far without diluting. Put a bunch of that stuff on you, add some cooking smells, the dog, and you without a bath recently, and you can really smell up an area when you are there and long after you are gone.
I believe that those who think scent control is a waste of time either have not done it, or have not done it to a level to see what a difference it makes in populated areas. And, I do think the populated areas are a different thing than more remote areas. I suspect that the success of scent control is harder to realize where human scent is more out of place. Just like loud noises, motor vehicles and so on. I watch deer feed calmly as I listen to kids fighting, doors slamming, the quad going down the trail on the net property and so on. Makes me crazy to listening to it all, but the deer don't even seem to notice.
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Tod,Thank you for that great write up.It is a great testament to the benefits and attributes of scent control. I greatly appreciate the contribution to this thread and the clarity it brings to the subject. :campfire:
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I think Bill Winke did a sealed up rubber scent suit. Not sure if he still does one and how it evolved. I know a guy that will do about anything legal to kill a big buck. He got one, and I think was miserable wearing it.
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Todd, I have thought of the wet suit idea in theory, but that's a little too nontraditional for me. :biglaugh:
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I try to keep clean first and foremost.
In the woods, I only hunt into the wind.
I try to use that dirt spray when hunting from the truck or smoke when not hunting from the truck. I haven't a clue if it works but it's cheap and easy so why not?
I layer clean clothing so that I don't get hot and sweat.
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We hunt hogs here in Florida year round(on private land),scent control can be a major issue in the warmer months.
There is basically no way to eliminate odor for summer afternoon hunts. Just walking to the stand will have most guys sweating profusely.
What I recommend to hunters is to wear a shirt they will sweat through on the way in and then switch to a clean shirt to wear on stand(I put my sweaty one in a zip-lock in my backpack).
I can tell you that, for hogs at least, cover/elimination scent sprays really work especially on boots. I also spray my hat down really well.
Hogs, being rooters, often have their noses to the ground and will easily pick up where someone has walked and blow out of there. Spraying down rubber boots(which is what we recommend over leather) makes a HUGE difference.
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One other thing, we do a lot of our hunting over feeders. Sometimes I will put a hunter in a stand that has the wind blowing right at the feeder(which seems counter-intuitive). What I am concerned about is where the human scent is blowing as it relates to the hogs APPROACH not where they are going to end up.
In other words, if the hogs nearly always come from the west, an east wind would be bad. But if it's a south wind that's blowing right at the feeder it doesn't matter because the scent is blowing right over the feeder(and hogs). That sometimes confuses hunters(I can see why), but trust me, it works. We've gone 7 for 8 on our last 8 hunts with several guys killing multiple pigs.
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Thanks for sharing your perspectives and professional expertise with your scent control applications Jim. There appears to be a growing consensus that SC sprays work well on rubber boots.I'm wondering if it's because rubber is un-penetrable and therefore doesn't suck up odors like more porous surfaces such as clothing and skin, ect. What scent molecules are on the surface of the rubber is therefore easily neutralized by the spray.
I believe that that theory shows SC sprays do work when used within a sphere of their effectiveness. In other words........don't expect them to kill three day old body odor emulating form your very porous wool hunting jacket!
There is a definite learning curve to the proper use and application of sc products and techniques.
Simply spraying one's self with scent eliminator doesn't cut it!
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Yup great thread here guys.
I am struggling with keeping my scent under control in these earlier weeks of the season here in SC.
I keep getting busted.
I can't wear the clothes I need to wear because it's too hot and can't get to the stand without breaking a sweat.
I guess I wait till it cools off :thumbsup:
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clean contractor sized trash bag,,,put all clothes, sweaters and jackets inside and layer handfuls of fresh fallen leaves (even long grasses) inside along with fresh pine needles that are rough rolled in the hand to release the scent. you'll smell like the woods in your area..
clothes look a bit weird coming out but it works and then every week refresh with new handfuls of leaves.
spin the bag so the top seals shut, put in truck or car laying on that top so it stays shut whenever done using.
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Nomad, you should walk in like your pa in law. He enters his stands in boots and skivies and dresses at his stand.
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All these soaps, sprays, tablets, scent block clothing, silver infused this and that are unnecessary and do not work. :bigsmyl: Don't get busted now even downwind.
It is not controversial because it just works PERIOD.
www.scentsmoker.com (http://www.scentsmoker.com)
Paul
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By the way, I saw a guy have plastic gaiters to reduce scent. Big stiff deals that looked like what vets put over dogs to keep them from scratching. Hilarious.
It was rut and I told him he had the whole concept wrong. Better to dig into the laundry- pull out 2 pair of his wife's dirty undies and slip one over each boot. :scared:
Not amused was he :saywhat:
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Originally posted by Legolas:
All these soaps,sprays, tablets, scent block clothing, silver infused this and that is unnecessary and does not work. :bigsmyl: Don't get busted now even downwind.
It is not controversial because it just works PERIOD.
www.scentsmoker.com (http://www.scentsmoker.com)
Paul
so what do you need to light that thing on fire and then have someone wave it all around you before you go afield? doesn't it burn your eyes?
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JD,
Yep and you suddently want to take a nap and quit making honey.
I take a small ladder and drape all my clothes,pack,& harness over it and smoke the whole mess. Why do I always think of smoked fish and saltines when I hunt?
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Legolas, I use smoke too, and it does work, but I have been patterned by deer when used repeatedly hunting the same group of deer. My scent control system works for me and I don't get patterned. Your entitled to your own opinion, but don't state things as fact just because you haven't been successful using them. Methods have their place. Scent elimination products work very well if YOU KNOW HOW to use them............ Most hunters don't. I kill Deer using them every year!
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Legolas, No one on the 10 pages of this thread has purported using any type of marketed scent control clothing.You may want to re-read the thread. :readit:
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Knawbone,
Sorry but the tread title is "Methods for lowering your level of scent output and other such stuff".
Did not understand I had to restrict my discussion to what has previously been posted.
I apologize for my defiant manner and just wanted to acquaint guys to this method that works very well. I agree other methods may work if done properly.As I said I have used many of them and if downwind they still may not work.
That is all I was implying.
Sorry to offend.
Paul
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Legolas, I apologize as well as I may have slightly over reacted to your posts. I had and have no problem with the method or product and am interested in it's possibilities.I guess it's just "the final word"...... "this is it and that's that" type of talk that sets me off. It was kind of like saying my methods are mute, irreverent,and the whole thread and it's contents are sub par.That all any one has to do, is what you do, and the rest of this thread is rubbish, out of date and worthless.
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Knawbone
Its been a great read and thanks for posting and the discussions.
We are blessed here sharing so much and learning more than we ever could before the advent of this form of communication and meeting so many trad brothers.
I look forward to more topics with you!
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Hey fellas! Good to see you both making things right. My two cents here; smoke is very effective when used infrequently, and judiciously. I view it as my wildcard. I only pull it out when I know I can win with a little push. As Knawbone said, the association of a human with smoke will get you busted. But that association is not automatic, and only abusing the trick will create it.
***as an aside, It sure is cool to be 20 yards upwind of an unspooked elk!
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Legolas, Thank you for your kind words. I must remember that the written word alone lacks the finer details of communication, such as facial expression and cadence of voice.I thank you for your contribution to the thread and I'm sure we would have a good time together with a cup of coffee in our hands or a trad bow. Sorry once again for any miss understanding on my part.
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bttt for a stinky guy haha
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Using scent control so far this year.....
Hunting from the ground in a makeshift goldenrod blind: I was hunting 20 yrds from an actively visited apple tree. A young Doe walked up to within 10 yrds of me. I watched her smelling the air. She didn't spook but simply veered and walked away. Wind was calm.
While hunting a deer trail in thick vegetation near a creek: Two coyotes crossed my trail in, 7 yrds from me. They made no indication that they smelled me. To thick for a shot.
Last Wed. while stand hunting my property: Spike horn circled completely around my stand. He never smelled me. I shot him at 18yrds.
This evening Oct. 27th while still hunting on state land: Saw 4 deer, two of them directly down wind of me. One of the two came within 25 yrds of me. The deer never smelled me. It was getting a little dark and the deer was unidentifiable. I let it walk.
Been out hunting 8 times for two to four hours at a time: Iv' seen deer during 5 of those hunts.
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Just read through this post lots of good info. What the hunting the wind crowd don't seen to get is that scent control has more to it than just staying down wind. Everytime you walk to your stand you are leaving scent that stays and accumulates long after you leave. That is the primary reason I use a lot of scent reduction strategies. For instance I never climb a tree without wearing deoderized gloves now.... why? ??? Because trail cameras prove deer would check out my tree when I didn't. Like I said on the other posts every little bit helps. Now if you are not targeting a particular mature deer and are happy with whatever walks in range then it may not be important. But if you are targeting an animal that has survived several hunting season every little bit helps
btw.... most of us still hunt the wind as well
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If you don't think SC products Work I got one for you to try. Google lavolin. Get the foot cream in the small green container. Paul Brunner turned me on to this year's so he called it pit stop. It will Completely clear up foot odor in a week. I use it on my feet, back of knees, groin and pits. Stuffs works. My socks use to reek after a day of sweating in rubber boots........ not no more. Try it abd see for yourself
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Just read through this post lots of good info. What the hunting the wind crowd don't seen to get is that scent control has more to it than just staying upwind. Everytime you walk to your stand you are leaving scent that stays and accumulates long after you leave. That is the primary reason I use a lot of scent reduction strategies. For instance I never climb a tree without wearing deoderized gloves now.... why? ??? Because trail cameras prove deer would check out my tree when I didn't. Like I said on the other posts every little bit helps. Now if you are not targeting a particular mature deer and are happy with whatever walks in range then it may not be important. But if you are targeting an animal that has survived several hunting season every little bit helps
btw.... most of us still hunt the wind as well
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I would have to say after reading all of this thread that the deer in my woods must be really stupid because I manage to fill my tags every year and donot get all woundup about sent control. I do take a shower and watch the wind but that's about all I do. They come from up wind, cross wind, and down wind. Sometimes I get busted but not often so either I'm doing it right or these deer are just dumb.
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degabe, Just depends on what you want, young easy to kill deer or mature deer with a few seasons under their hooves. Apples and oranges.......apples and oranges!
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Here are some things to think about, most of my experience has been with dogs but I suspect deer are even more sensitive.
Dogs can find drugs/explosives in waterproof containers inside a gas tank or sealed coffee can. I don't know that anyone has been able to cover a scent.
We had two pointers slip their collar during a controlled burn. They were found on point (quail) in smoke so thick I couldn't see the ground. Smoke for sure adds a scent but does not cover it for dogs.
Deer are curious animals, I think we mistake their curiosity as attrction or inability to scent us.
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Dave. . we get it. We just don't feel the need to push it beyond our own level of concern. That's all.
ChuckC
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Anyone near central NC that wants to try their odor eliminator, cover scent etc. give me a call. We'll spray down or cover up a quail and put a dog down wind.
PS
Many a old timer swore the dogs were smelling the birds breath along with the bird. How else could they tell weather or not to point or pick up a dead bird. I believe them, I've seen dogs point a live covey while fetching a dead bird in their mouth. I don't know of anything short of a rebreather (scuba equipment)that can eliminate breath.
Not even the best bird dog I've ever seen could scent a bird while standing upwind of the scent cone. I think I'll stick to hunting into the breeze.
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I think I am more lucky than clever when it comes to scent control and planning for wind direction and thermals, but I can vouch for my brother's strategy, which is built around smoking a few Camel Lights and a drinking big Thermal jug of coffee while on his stand.
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Originally posted by ChuckC:
Dave. . we get it. We just don't feel the need to push it beyond our own level of concern. That's all.
ChuckC
Sorry - My intent was to post this for guys/gals that are interested about scent control - not sure what was so alluring for folks that don't care - plenty of other topics/posts to read?
Seriously - if someone doesn't think scent control matters and doesn't want to take the time to actually read what folks are saying (no one said they could hide odor from a bird dog or animal 100%) then why come on here and try to "re-educate" those of us that make the effort? I wasn't looking for validation of if it is worth the effort - I know it is.
I have raised tracking dogs so trust me I know how good their noses are. I can guarantee you that you can reduce the scent left behind and make it far harder for them to pick up your scent - if at all. Good god - watch the news, that dude up north evaded the best damn tracking dogs in the country for over 6 weeks - according to some of you here those dogs could have smelled him if he was shrink wrapped in plastic, saturated in coffee grounds, and left the planet 6 months ago for Pluto. The truth is those dogs NEVER were able to pick up his scent or track him down.
No one said not to use the wind - just because we use scent contril methods does not mean we forget to use the wind......
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Dave, this post is "alluring", and I want to read it. and I get it. But I don't feel the need to do all of those things. I do OK. The "hunting the wind crowd" gets a lot of stuff, but we chose to do what we want. Doesn't make you wrong and doesn't make me wrong. We are in it for different things. There is, however, a difference between "getting it" and feeling the need to "do it" just because I am told that is the only, or the best, or the most meaningful way.
Keep talking about technique, please, I want to hear it, but I do get it. .
ChuckC