P_T_

Last Saturday night I went up in my stand. It was a hot day so I got pretty sweaty on the way in. I climbed up in my stand at around 4:00pm. I had sat there for approximately two hours, smoking cigs about every half hour. Put a cig out just before 6:00 pm when I see two does walk in from my front left. The from behind me and to the right come the triplets, Tender, Tenderer, and Tenderest as my Father-In-Law has named them. Anyway, no scent elimination, no scent covers, and smoking. The five of them stood about 15 to 20 yards away from me for over a half hour. I'm beginning to wonder about the necessity of scent cover.

kevin1

Not all deer associate human odors such as sweat and cigs with danger , and don't dumb deer taste the best ?

buckeye

Ok, seeing 5 deer with no scent control is no great feat in my book. Especially since 3 of them were fawns.

They most likely came in from an up or cross wind position. Start using good scent control and you will be writing posts about the bucks you had down wind that didn't bust you instead of the fawns

By the way you don't litter your butts do you?

P_T_

Nah, the butts go in an old soda bottle that is stuck between two branches.

As for the big buck, well, in my experience which is limited to real life but quite extensive in reading and so forth, the presence of two does and fawns is more impressive than the presence of a buck. Does are generallly more protective and timid than bucks. At least that's the general consensus that I've read. I could be wrong.

wideone

Interesting. It seems like some days I can do everything possible for scent elimination and still get busted and next day running late with no scent control and never hear a snort. I do think that when I am very careful, which is 90% of the time, I have a better chance of staying undetected.

RomanWild

Did you ever notice that the only people that dispute the need for scent control are smokers?

rush creek

I believe in scent control but you can go over board and make it more of a job than fun. Don't get me wrong I still wash my clothing in scent control soap and store them, I wear rubber boots and clean them every couple of weeks, take a shower in hunter soap, spray down equipment w/ scent elimination spray, never wear my hunting cloths in my vehicle either. I truely am beginning to think that the most important thing is to always play the wind and keep the scent left on walking in and out to a mimimum ( rubber boots ), if dear are down wind of you they will pick you off almost every time. If they don't it is because the thermols are right and your scent is staying in the air and going over thedeers heads. Just my 2 scents worth.

HAZCON7

I'm a smoker and I don't dispute it - I'm a firm believer in scent control. I didn't follow scent control the first years I hunted and I never saw deer - save the occasional accidental run in.

Now I practice thorough scent control and see deer nearly every time out!

buckeye

Just compare the amount of big bucks you have had in range compared to does and fawns in range and then draw your own conclusions

Ajax

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.