I just had a wild thought today.
Is it the human scent that alerts prey animals, or is it the scent of a predator in general? In other words, I wonder if eating meat causes us to have a distinct scent that a vegan wouldn't have.
I don't have the knowledge or resources to study/research such an idea, but thought if throw it out there to see what your thoughts are.
Would you go vegan before hunting if your scent was no longer a factor? If that even worked, I wonder how long you would have go vegan to replace your scent signature. A day? A month? A decade?
Would vegan be sufficient, or would you have to have a vegan diet of only local flaura?
Not sure vegan would change much. My thought is bacteria on skin producing gas, decaying skin cells, chemicals we use and sebaceous secretions are all involved to give hunters away.
NO! I hunt to kill (and eat) Meat.
I'm sure changing your diet would change your scent but I do not believe it would change it enough to make deer less afraid of you.
The only reason for me to go vegan is if I cant kill anything. But I wouldn't change my diet to change my scent..... I would just play the wind.....
Besides, thats what all that expensive scent eliminator stuff is for :laughing:
I think you would still have HUMAN SCENT it would just be slightly different...but not sure. It is said the native americans would go to sweat lodge and change their diet before a hunt but never saw much of this to confirm or say whether was isolated or widespread.
Play the wind and wont matter... I am a omnivore...a predator...I am going to eat meat.
During the season I drink tinks 69.on ice. Seems to work. Lol lol.
I have read that meat may alter the human scent, but I still think that animals would recognize the smell as human. As Brock said, "hunt the wind."
It's just an abstract thought guys, don't take it too seriously.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about becoming vegan, I'm talking about a short term diet change in order to give yourself an advantage. Maybe it wouldn't.
My main pondering is whether it is "humans" that offend deer, or "predators" that offend deer.
Surely, pigs, turkey, mice, etc. produce gas, sweat, have bacteria. So is it that deer recognize each animal's smell and file's that animal into "scary" and "not scary" or is there a general smell that all carnivores have that tip them off, whether or not they know what animal in particular it is associated with.
Do they not avoid other prey animals because their scent isn't offensive, or because they know what scent belongs to what animal and they know which one's are predators?
I guess my main curiosity is how animals work more than whether or not I can use that knowledge to my advantage.
Obviously, playing the wind is key, but some places make that difficult when the wind is different depending which side of the ridge you're on and if you're at the top or bottom. Or if you have to cross a trail to get to your area, I've heard the human scent may as well be a brick wall on that trail and deer will pull a U turn ASAP.
Remember, I'm not looking for advice, I'm just thinking out loud, and I was hoping you all could join the conversation.
QuoteOriginally posted by Brock:
I think you would still have HUMAN SCENT it would just be slightly different...but not sure. It is said the native americans would go to sweat lodge and change their diet before a hunt but never saw much of this to confirm or say whether was isolated or widespread.
Interesting, I had never heard of that. Maybe there is some validity to my thought, or maybe some Indians had the same thought, but not being able to prove their theory, they just played it safe?
Years ago, I mean YEARS ago I read an article in 'field and stream' called "scent of a carnivore". It dealt with this topic. I don't remember the author of it seeing how I read it in the mid '80's when I was in high school.
Anyhow,from what I remember from it was that the indigenous personnel that were in the midwest ( native Americans) would go vegetarian and do the sweat lodges before a big hunt.
I don't recall how many days before, but really emphasized the sweat lodge.
I don't know if this helps any, just thought I'd share. ...
Good luck and God bless,
Rodd
Not sure if I'd go vegan, but, I refuse to role in manure like some wild predators do to hide their scent-though, it would be a lot cheaper than Scent Eliminator products!!!!
I have read that Native Americans would refrain from eating meat for a couple of weeks leading up to a big hunt.
Agree, stay down wind and it won't matter. But, here's another thought. When we go into full-on predator mode - meaning we aim to kill the deer we are looking at, they know. Whether it's scent or ESP or basic animal survival, they know. I've had deer at 3-4 feet away, down wind of me, and they didn't care. I think the reason is that I was relaxed and I knew - therefore they knew - I wasn't going to try and kill them. So, does being more relaxed help? I dunno, need more experiences to determine that.
Humans ARE Preditors.
The reason that natives refrained for meat before hunting was....they'd run out!
QuoteOriginally posted by Pete McMiller:
So, does being more relaxed help? I dunno, need more experiences to determine that.
Another interesting thought. Perhaps there is some other sensory that we put off when we are hunting/nervous/tense. Or maybe you were in a no hunting area, so they are used to seeing people?
QuoteOriginally posted by calgarychef:
The reason that natives refrained for meat before hunting was....they'd run out!
Haha, well there's always that...
hahahaha Calgarychef. Touche'
QuoteOriginally posted by Brock:
It is said the native americans would go to sweat lodge and change their diet before a hunt but never saw much of this to confirm or say whether was isolated or widespread.
I remember reading this as well.. If memory serves I think Saxton Pope wrote about it from Ishi's experience.
And to answer the question, I couldn't give up meat if my life depended on it :D
I prefer to use the scent off local foliage and soil to cover my scent. Seems to work well enough for me.
I read the same article in the 80's,and tried it one of my first seasons hunting. Switched out for a month. don't know if it worked or not. Never saw a deer downwind. On a non scent predatory human thought, I have permission to hunt turkeys at a house that is plagued by them. Destroy the gardens, won't leave even when the owners throw stones. I showed up to set up a blind after school, in my "teacher uniform" and the turkeys took off. No camo, no bow. Just stepped out of the truck and the birds left. I need to think about hunting less I guess. The turkey seemed t know I was not there for tea.
I'm in the opinion that you have to play the wind. Because anything that was not grown or birthed in the woods is a foreign odor , no matter how many salads you eat or what you put on your not natural to there home. I'm a trapper and over the years I've learned over the years , you got to be where they want to be. It does not matter what you do your not gone kill human scent. If an animal can pick up a foreign scent in a tank of gas, they can pick up our scent regardless. You just to be in a place where they really want to be.
Animals are creatures of habit and season changes. as hunting season approaches, seasoned animals are naturally more aware. For months on end there is no human scent in the woods, then all of a sudden its everywhere.... They KNOW its hunting season...
Play the wind and forget about covering your scent. it ain't worth all the effort and money spent IMO.
Hey, that's thinking outside the box, that's great! Your diet has to affect you smell, right? Fred Asbell mentioned taking chlorophyll tablets, he thinks it helps, but still hunts the wind. Thanks
Well RR, When I eat my camp chili, it, most certainly affects my smell ! Leastwise, that's what the survivors all say.
ChuckC
There's human scent all over the orchards I hunt . The coyotes will sit and watch you when I do not have a weapon but if I do they will take off. Seam to know the farm workers from the hunter. Need to go and ask my dog about this stuff. Read that article also when I was a kid.