I dunno, i think most deer (bucks included) are pretty curious in the early season. After a few weeks of seeing all of these people in their back yard, they begin to spook and are a bit more weary of everyting. Later in the season, i think scent controll becomes more of a concern.

I have occasionally smoked cigars and chewed tobacco in the woods and i've had some young bucks wander in from downwind... nothing to brag home about but i usually hunt public land and i've never even seen anything over an 8 pointer in the area that i hunt. I'm sure there's some big boys out there, but i've never seen them?

I do usually practice all the usual scent elimination techniques... sprays and soaps and the like. Always keep my camo and even my stands and blinds clean.

No scent is definatly better than forign scents. If you setup your stand on path, and the deer can smell a change in the air, they may or may not keep using the path. If they don't smell anything different... odds much better that they will follow their usual routines and wander down that path.