being busted

bonzel22 · 11-19-2007, 09:59 AM

Ok, hunted this last weekend for that buck. Heard some deer coming my way, two doe. once they showed themselves first one seemed like she knew i was there. let me know by stomping and snorting, not sure if she smelt or saw me. hunting from the ground that day. I have scentlok timber adv. and scentlok mask to match. what was the problem?

mobow · 11-19-2007, 10:01 AM

They were either downwind of you, or they smelled where you walked in.....Either that or they saw the blind and it made them nervous.

Scentlok is not a cure all.....It helps limit the odor, but it won't eliminate it completely.

bonzel22 · 11-19-2007, 10:04 AM

yeah, maybe use the scentlok with a spray down before each outting. Yes they did come in right where I setup the day before. I wish I could bag this buck so I wouldnt have to worry about him anymore

mobow · 11-19-2007, 10:08 AM

My scent control borders on obsessive compulsive....I don't handle my clothes w/ my bare hands.....I use sprays, soaps....it's almost like work keeping myself and my gear as scent free as possible. I have hada few deer downwind of me this year that didn't spook, but they're still gonna smell you.

Beezer · 11-19-2007, 05:20 PM

I spray down with Dead Downwind before I go out and have yet to havea deer act like it smelled me. I also try to use the wind in my favor, but that isn't always possible. I changed my stand location of my climber to put it closer to a cornpile Friday night and Sat. night had two does and two fawns walk in from behind me right to the cornpile. I went out Sunday morning and changed it to the area above their trail, than sat in it Sunday night. Same thing happened. They changed their trail and came out a little farther back, but they just walked right by me like I wasn't there. This is the same group that snuck up behind me before and were feeding right under my stand behind me. I got busted when I turned to see what was making the scratching noise, thought it was a squirrel. I've used other stuff but DDW seems to work great for me and that includes coming in late from work, picking my clothes up off the chair and walking out the door with no other scent control prep.

KansasBBD · 11-19-2007, 06:25 PM

i have yet to have a deer wind we this year except for this last weekend. I believe it was because of the fact that i took a "grow em right" book with me to the stand and it had been exposed to a great deal of human odor previously. I also had a dip in so that probably didnt help much either but i didnt think the deer would be moving much at that time woops! the good thing was that it didnt fully spook him he just walk behind me( down wind of me) and stopped suddenly and jumped a little then walked off in the other direction. No big deal because a very nice 8 point came in right behind him( right after he beat the crud out of another smaller buck that i got to see AWESOME sight i might add)

jtl60047 · 11-20-2007, 07:04 AM

Don't Move - There is "busted" and there is "BUSTED"

If they are downwind -you do not, and most likely will not have a shot without "Teaching" them that there are "Big Scary Things" in the trees or on the ground.

When I first started bowhunting I did not sit very still and I could barely contain the excitement when I saw a deer. Any quick to medium movement(s) will get you noticed after a deer has smelled something new and train them to look up into the trees and watch the trees for us - the hunters. This is not a natural thing for deer to do but a "learned" behavior. I'd move a try to get lined up for a shot even when I'd been wheezed at...

Last night I had a doe and her yearling "spud-buck" walk a windbreak that I am hunting. She is kind of a resident deer on the property that I hunt - so I decided to pass on her and observe ... She proceded to move in behind me (downwind). I watched her work a scrape that I did not even know was there, she pawed and peed the spot, and then she began to walk tword me from downwind (****). I saw her raise her head and sniff a few times...

She got to a point that I could not see her without moving more than just my head, so I could not see what was going on, but I could hear her, so I sat tight. The dreaded wheeze snort and some stomping. She wheezed some more and stomped more, but I did not move a muscle. She was frustrated. She smelled something new and could not see what the smell was. I still did not move. Eventually she moved off and I began to watch some other deer off down the field.

A bit later I heard some pawing sounds from the scrape that was behind me/downwind. I turned my head and she was back with her little buck! By not moving and exposing myself, she must have figured that the new smell was not dangerous. She began to trace her steps back upwind of me down the tree line.

Shortly after, a HUGE buck (thick 10 pt.)that I have seen on the property before began to follow her exact path with purpouse - grunting as he walked. He moved right by both of my shooting lanes on my off-side and went looking for the doe. I tried to doe bleat - but could not get him turned around.

For me, last night was a successful hunt. I learned more about the property that I am on (new scrape), learned something about doe behavior and learned that I'd better get 1 or 2 more lanes cut on that off-side.

Gundeck · 11-20-2007, 08:20 AM

I agree. I think that movement is more crucial than scent in many ways. The deer will ALWAYS smell you to some degree, but if they don't see you, they learn to ignore it.

Dr Andy · 11-20-2007, 09:50 AM

Not moving is the key. When they stomp and snort they're trying to elicit a response from you (movement). If you don't move you're just a blob that is not dangerous to them.

TommyGunn · 11-20-2007, 10:52 AM

i hang my stuff outside the nite before. i dont do all the scentless stuff. i just huntdown wind, walk in from downwind, and climb high up in the tree so the scent goes up