Personally, I believe in the scent free belief, but I also think that it can be gone overboard. I used to be a fanatic with it to the point where it was unconfortable to hunt. I have stepped back a little recently and want the whole thing to be an enjoyable experience. For example, I no longer wear my rubber boots throughout the season because it personally made me uncomfortable. Am I risking not seeing that big buck, maybe, but the risk is worth it for me cause now I can stay in the stand longer without thinking about how much my feet are sweating or how unconfortable they are.

Smoking is an addictive habit, one that can not be understood unless you are a smoker. I am not a smoker and never was and I am only starting to understand how addictive it is after seeing my wife trying to quit time after time. I feel for her, I really do.

So what I am saying is that each person needs to weigh the benefits versus the possible consequenses for you personally, and if you have to light up on the stand, then do it and don' t feel guilty about it.

I used to know some old timers that used to purposely blow pipe smoke on their hunting stuff before and during a hunt to disguise the human scent. Did it work? Who knows, but they did get some nice bucks.