I recently asked a similar question on the bowhunting board. I was told that the rubber smell really never goes away, but that the smell doesn' t leave a trail when walking and the rubber doesn' t pick up other smells like other materials do. I got about 5 or 6 responses from guys telling me that they have used rubber boots for years and they love them. They said they' ve never had a deer spook from their rubber boots, but the smell never really goes away.