I have found that some of my hunting ventures are sometimes only a few hours. As such, the felt pads with the Thermacell dry up and I have butane left over with no fresh pads.
Two examples:
Three nights ago I was hunting from a ladder stand and three or four different deer came from downwind of me ( I think one came back a second time after I shot over her back :( ). They never "sniffed" the air with upturned nose as I have seen many deer do when they are trying to wind me.
Last night I had a racoon come very close to me from a downwind location and he/she never altered his/her steps and it just kept on its wandering path searching for grubs and stuff.
Both of those times I had butane left in my thermacell but no fresh pads. I was not bothered by bugs.
Here's why:
I have a can of Deep Woods Off I keep in my truck for when I go fishing. I used it to soak down a leftover pad and then placed it in my Thermacell. I then went into the woods in hopes of good results. Nary a bug bothered me.
Last evening I was low on butane and thought I might have enough to last the evening hunt. It ran out about 1/2 hour before dark. Not five minutes passed by and the mosquitos and flies came a calling.
I'm convinced this works and am fairly certain it causes no more odor problems than with regular thermacell pads.
Just a helpful tip that might get you thru a hunt until you have time to get resupplied with a refill pack from Thermacell.
I borrowed one to try and the thing I didn't like was how loud the push button ignited was to fire it up. Is this normal and if so do you usually fire it up before heading to stand?
I fire it up as I leave the truck. Last night I had about 1/4" of butane left in the canister and it lasted nearly three hours. I think a full canister is supposed to last about 12 hours. Pads, about 4.
thanks for the tip, I sure will give that a try
Have you ever had deer wind the thermacell? The past few nights we have had deer get within 40-50 yards and start blowing like crazy. But then I have had a doe at 8 yards and and 3 point @ 15 and didnt seem to mind. It is usally right before dark when the wind starts swirling. we were not moving around in the blind. I am clean, clothes are clean and bow /arrows are clean. I'm leaning toward the thermacell but would just like to hear some of y'alls experiences.
The three/four deer in the first post come in directly from downwind. I had seen those little floaty seeds like cattail seeds blow by and down as if were going right down the trail they came up. They could have not been more downwind.
I guess it depends on where you hunt and the deer. These had no clue I was there, or didn't care. I believe the former.
I have been refilling the butane canisters and rewetting the pads with permethrin with good results.
Some of the swampy areas I hunt you couldn't survive without a thermacell going.
I have not had any bad deer spooking experiences with it in the three or so years I have been using one.
I would like a quieter starter button too.I usually fire it up before I leave the truck so I don't have to be popping it in the stand.
In my experience using thermacells, different ones burn the fuel at different rates. Either way I have pads left over when all the fuel is spent. Most guys I know don't use the pad up, before swapping in a new one. Seems the hotter the unit burns the longer"whiter" I can run the pads and stay bug free.
Cool tip just the same.
Hey frank, are you just using the cans of butane to refill?
Also I haven't had deer spook from it. But, I would guessit is just a matter of time until they associate the smell with danger. In most cases though if they can smell the thermacell, they can smell you.
QuoteOriginally posted by southernarcher:
Hey frank, are you just using the cans of butane to refill?
Also I haven't had deer spook from it. But, I would guessit is just a matter of time until they associate the smell with danger. In most cases though if they can smell the thermacell, they can smell you.
I'm interested to know this also?
Bisch
I feel the odor from a thermacell doen't matter, how would you know if its the thermacell or you thats spooking them. I would think any foreign odor would put them on alert.
As far as the deer 40 or 50 yards away scenting you and blowing and the up close deer coming downwind and not reacting is due to the wind. If you have any wind, it may take quit a distance for your scent stream to get low enough for the deer to detect you. If they cross down wind close enough your scent is being blown right overthem. Just yesterday morning I killed a doe directly down wind of me at 13 yards.
Thanks for the tip. I often keep the pad in and keep using for several hunts until there is no color left. I never have a problem with it not working. Some also suggest putting the unfinished pad in a zip lock. Either way, Thermacell is awesome!
QuoteOriginally posted by German Dog:
I borrowed one to try and the thing I didn't like was how loud the push button ignited was to fire it up. Is this normal and if so do you usually fire it up before heading to stand?
This is my primary Thermacell complaint. Mine doesn't always seem to ignite the first time either. It is LOUD.
The deer I hunt in the deep south are use to smelling all kind of scents. Like oil, gas, chemicals, ect.
It is human body odor that alarms these deer. I dont worry about insect repellent scents and such,
Bisch,, pm sent
Great tip! Thanks for sharing it.
Where I hunt, in Northeast Arkansas, I have to use a Thermocell. It is the best skeeter stopper I have found. I hunt in the river bottoms and around a lake that I have to access by boat. Not to mention the thousands and thousands of acres of irrigated farm land that the bugs hatch in. I too ignite mine way before I get to the stand because of the loud snap of the ignition button. I can smell the odor so I am sure the deer can as well but it really does not seem to spook them in my opinion.
I would also like to know how to refill the fuel cells if anybody has the trick to it.
One thing I WISH my Thermacell was good for was them dayumed yellow flies!!
Thanks BUD!!!
QuoteOriginally posted by BrianH:
I feel the odor from a thermacell doen't matter, how would you know if its the thermacell or you thats spooking them. I would think any foreign odor would put them on alert.
As far as the deer 40 or 50 yards away scenting you and blowing and the up close deer coming downwind and not reacting is due to the wind. If you have any wind, it may take quit a distance for your scent stream to get low enough for the deer to detect you. If they cross down wind close enough your scent is being blown right overthem. Just yesterday morning I killed a doe directly down wind of me at 13 yards.
Brian, I have never had an issue when in a tree. I was hunting from the ground and very cautious about scent control; change seat cover after every hunt, wash steering wheel before driving to spot, wash hands with scentfree soap before touching any of my hunting equipment at spot, try to take baths in creek near hunting spot, scent killer on clothes and all equipment, spray the blind area and seat, etc, etc...
Maybe I missed something. :dunno: I guess I'll have to use it when skeeters are bad but going to try and not use it.
Great tip, I'm definately going to give it a try. I have also had a couple different hunting buddies tell me they soak the used pads with doe urine or doe in heat and fire it up and put it out in front of their stands on a stump or log and light it up and let the wind currents work. I haven't tried this yet but am going to try this fall when we get closer to the rut.
Caligator, Yeah after I posted that I went back and reread your post and noted that you were in a blind. Must have been just a weird wind current or something. I need to read more carefully before I post.
I hate the loud click of starting it also. I have found that if you turn it on and let it run a few seconds before clicking the button it will fire up on just one click. Better to get a little gas going first I guess.
i can definately smell mine, so i figured the deer can too. but either way, its half can of off, or thermacell, or blood transfusion. the last week they have been thick.
I'd like to know the butane refill trick also please.......
Refilling thermacell butane cartridges - http://youtu.be/8dvQeAjv3eg
Thanks for the other tips as well, love the thermacell!
Another tip is don't forget the back up cannister of butane! :banghead: You can tell how good it WAS working, before the butane runs out!
Good tip
I will try that. It always happens to me that way. TNX!
In south Louisiana before a trip, you check your Thermo before your weapons, LOL.
Re the click, had good success letting gas flow as Lowrider mentioned, plus always wrap it up with jacket, place inside jacket while wearing, or inside backpack, anything to muffle the click. I find the noise level acceptable like that.
Another thing, I drilled a hole at bottom and attached a lanyard, and usually tie off to tree, or stand, whatever, to keep from dropping. Also have used Velcro on Thermo and stand, keeps unit level as suggested.
Best tips I can give from my experience is to learn how to refill the canisters and break the pads in half or quarters depending on how long your hunt will be.
I just had an 8 point buck wind my Thermacell last Friday from about 25 yards. I hunt the same spot from the ground all the time and deer walk within 25 yards. Last Friday was the first time I tried the Thermacell and I believe deer can smell it. I have read where others have had similar problems so they switched to using the Fresh Earth scent Thermacell pads. So I bought some today and I'm going to give it a try. - Good luck everyone
I love the smell of thermacell in the morning, smells like victory!
Is the issue of deer scenting really the thermacell? The warm oder rises and at least carries it self away a little before descending cooled.
The thought that the deer would smell it before us is kind of lame. Use all the scent killer you want...I do too. They will still smell us first. Maybe they won't be alarmed...or if they figure you are still there, they will be.
bigjim
I don't think the deer are more afraid of your Thermacell than they are you.
Yeah, if a deer's smelled the Thermacell, it's smelled me too. I don't go all out with the scent control. I try to use the wind at all advantages. I've gotten to where I check the weather sites for prevailing wind direction to decide where to go and how to approach.
Some scents confuse them. Some downright set off the alarm.
Gonna be off the next few days after this evening. I'll try the refill tip guys and gals. Thanks for the heads up.
Bud
Some good tips. I didn't hunt with mine the tree days I got out this last week. Constant mosquito action in the evening, but at least I killed something in the hot humid weather.
I always run out of pads before the butane. I will have to try the pad and off trick and see how that works.
I like the idea of pads and scent also. May have to give that a try when the bugs are gone.
One thing I have done for a long time is to carry a little zip lock plastic bag like the ones you get small archery items in like strike plates and such. They are just a little larger than a pad. I put my partly used pads in them to keep them from drying out if I don't use them all the way up. I just tuck them back in the pocket with my unopened pads. I still have left over butane when doing this.
QuoteOriginally posted by southernarcher:
Hey frank, are you just using the cans of butane to refill?
Also I haven't had deer spook from it. But, I would guessit is just a matter of time until they associate the smell with danger. In most cases though if they can smell the thermacell, they can smell you.
Yes but you have to find the ones that still come with all the different tips so you can get the right one. The universal one most cans have now won't work.
I remember there being a Youtube video showing how to make a canister refillable.
The two I watched said to cut or file a small V groove in the refill canister spout/tube so it works with the empty to-be-refilled canister.
great backup thermacell tip, bud - thanx, gonna try it for sure!
A number of years ago when I first started using Permanone, I had deer trail me to my stand, sniffing every branch my clothes rubbed against. It proved fatal to several!!
Cool Tip!
I've been thinking of putting deer scents on a used thermacell pad and placing the lit unit at ground level to see how it works...
After the frost kills the ()%#&%)#(& mosquitos of course! :readit:
there is NO question they work. In the past you could buy the butane in the beauty section of stores as they were the same as used in some portable Con Air curling irons,and alot cheaper but they have been harder to find lately. On refilling them, like said above you have to have the right tip, notching it never seemed to work for me, but its a very easy , cheap way to refill, i have noticed the con air ones now have thermocell written on them as well...
Great info Bud!!!
That's a great tip. We use them most of the year on our pig hunts. Most times, once the bugs are gone, I turn it off. I've never seen a deer or hog spooked by one. I've clicked them on with hogs right there and not had them spook at the clicking sound. I haven't tried that on a deer yet. The acorns are falling like rain so they are used to all kinds of sounds, an acorn falling a on a dry palmetto frond is probably five times as loud.
One other thing, I always carry a can of Off for bloodtrailing, the Thermacells are all but worthless when you're moving.