Deerlearn to associate different levels of alarming scent molecules with danger as soon as they are born. Not only different odors and concentrations of alarming odor, different regions offer up many educating variables....Predation and hunting pressure being two of the greatest variables thatteaches these associations to the deer... Deer learn over time what kinds of human scents they are going to pick up when the eat in afarmers field at night or near a loggers machinery...or in your back yard. They learn to expect these smellsand hence wait till after dark if they associate those smells with danger.

Second they sure as heck know what odors they expect NOT to smell in and round their beds or secluded feeding areas. As you would in your own bedroom. Deer are consistently crossing the scent streams of predators and humans or at least predators in wilderness.

Predators are no different than us hunters in regards to givingoff protein based scent moleculesthat dissipate over time. Deer like other prey animals can detect levels....based on concentrations of molecules depositedas to how recent or close a predator is and what threat that equates too. Whether or not they need to flee, go on alert or sound off with a warning .....If they couldn't determine different levels of scent molecules...they would go into "flight or fight" response everytime they came across any sign of a dangerous odor. Then add in the variable of learned associations that a 1 year old deer has versus a 5.5 year old deer in the same hunting area.

Throw in the varying demeanors deer have... Lots of variables... like you guys talked about. The difference in deer behavior from region to region is dictated by the education they recieve as youngsters and what momma and papa are passing on for genes.

Cover scent or not we will never fool a bucks nose ifan offensive level of human scent is present..and again that's different for each and every deer in our own woods....if the human odor is great enough that the deer associates it with near danger ..that deer is going to blow out of there...if not..it may be on alert but move on through...Or the cover scent may suck them right in if they detect "no" human scent or a small amount enough to tolerate you. again dependent on each and every individual deer. Keeping human scent minimized can register to deer as you being fruther away and or have passed by much earlier when in reality your right there.. still its up to what the individual deer will tolerate..

Good luck.