ORIGINAL: kevin1

Exactly how do you determine what smells an individual deer has learned to associate with danger ? How "scentless" are you to an animal that can smell nearly anything from up to a mile , and can analyze up to six different odors simultaneously ? What if a smell triggers their curiosity response instead ?

I used to smoke on stand , hunt with beer breath , dip , and a lot of other bad habits . I saw deer most of those times , frequently at close range with the wind in their favor . Some spooked , some didn't . There's no way to predict how a deer will react to an odor , or any realistic and consistant way to defend against odor spooking them other than having the wind in your face . Trying to be "scent free" is a turd hunt at best and completely unrealistic when you're hunting an animal that can smell you farting from over a mile , and probably hear it too .

Every shot opportunity that I've ever lost was due to:
A) Movement
B) Noise
In that order . I've probably missed some deer due to odor , but since I never saw them they weren't losses . Losses occur when the deer is close and detected but you don't get to shoot , in those cases the deer was better at the game we love than you were . Take your lumps and smile , I do .