Howler

I still think alot of it has to do with the fact that deer don't asoociate the source of human fluids to human. Instead, they quickly recognize the smell of human from our body odor!
Play the wind is still key, but body fluids just don't seem to alert deer as does body odor.

c_str

It's not uncommon for a buck, heavy in the rut and smelling a hot doe to become completely oblivious to just about anything, in my opinion.

However, I wouldn't plan on that,

Hoytail Hunter

Ibelieve you corroborate what I said in my post previous to this.

Thinking more about it now, I'm not so sure if smoking will harm your chances at harvesting deer anymore than if you weren't smoking because the smoke you exhale still contains the scent of your breath.

I guess bottom line is it doesn't matter what you do or don't do, you can still kill or not kill deer. I personally wash all my clothes in scent and dye free detergent and baking soda. I spray myMickey Mouseboots down with scent killer. I don't walk directly on deer trails. I don't smoke. I carry a piss bottle. I usually have an east and a west tree for a north/south funnel and vice versa for an east/west funnel. I only hunt a stand if the wind is right. And out of it all, I kill deer so I'll stick with it til it doesn't yieldharvest anymore.

Happy hunting.

farm hunter

People make a bigger issue out of smoking than should be - as far as deer are concerned. I quit a few years back - and hope if affords me a few extra years of deer hunting in the end!

Greg H said it - its about the wind.

I think I killed more deer when I smoked than the last few years when I have not! Honestly - when I smoked I was ALWAYS very aware of what the wind was REALLY doing. I think Now - sometimes - I think I know what the wind is doing - when I really do not.

FH

archer58

GregH,
That explains alot. To me anyway.Now I know why you don't use "you know what".

BigJ71

Classic stuff here....

That's pretty much my approach to it as well (without the smoking)I wash the night before as well and I use deodorant, minty toothpaste, nice smelling shampoo, the whole works. I know guys who won't shower for days while hunting...I just laugh and say "If the wind isn't right, the deer are either going to"wind" a good smelling human or a bad smelling human...either way they're going to smell you."

I'm a big proponent of stand selection based on wind direction and thermals as well. For instanceI'll hunt a lower stand in a hollow in the mornings when the thermals are rising that I would never get into for an evening hunt no matter what direction the wind is.

Good stuff Greg.......

thehairlessone

I dont agree with the smoking or coughing or that stuff but I pee all the time out of my stand and have deer walk right by without knowing. I cant even count how many times it has happened just this year.

rick

livbucks

I once had a colonistic emergency one day in the stand. Jumped out, ran down the trail about twenty yards was faced with messing up the leaves or my pants, one or the other. Well, I polluted the place pretty bad. Thought my hunting was ruined. Later that day a monster 11 point walked right over that spot and within 18 yards of my stand. I subsequently hit a branch and missed him. It wasn't the smells that cost me that buck.
There were also some cig. butts laying around my stand too..

I think it depends on the area you hunt more than anything. Wilderness deer are more sensitive to human intrusion.

Smoking isn't some character flaw...just a bad habit. No different than drinking coffee. I know people that are virtual saints who smoke, and some real low life criminals who never smoked. I think it's about time highbrow people quit looking down their nose at good guys that partake of a legal activity such as smoking. Do your "judging" by some other criteria.

Big Duane

okay, understand that to a deer, human scent is what you smell like on the OUTSIDE - your sweat, your hair oil smell, your skin, allt he deodorant and stuff we use .... your pee ? That a deer doesn't associate with humans IMO and I doubt they know cigarettes are smoked by humans either

huntingson

Marketing and the fact that you can convince the average bowhunter to buy ANYTHING as long as it is expensive and explains away a possible reason why he isn't as successful as he would like to be. There, I said it. Hammer away but we all know that it is true.

Here is a tip for scent control. Hunt down wind of the deer. Works every time.