Sense of smell?
 

Hey guys, I'm gonna start turkey hunting this year and I was just confirming that turkeys have a terrible sense of smell, correct?

So I don't have to take any scent precatutions what so ever? And would it be ok to spray myself down with bugspray?

RE: Sense of smell?
 

You are correct. Their sense of smell is none.

RE: Sense of smell?
 

If turkeys could smell we'd never kill one!

RE: Sense of smell?
 

Yep your right they can't smell very good but there eyesight and hearing are incredible.

RE: Sense of smell?
 

Ditto!!!

RE: Sense of smell?
 

you can be sprayed by a skunk and the turkeys wouldnt smell ya. bug spray is a great idea so you wont be caught swatting at mosquitos by the turkeys. also look into a thermacell, i know they are hyped up on tv as the best thing ever but they really are, turn it on and in 20 minutes.....NO MOSQUITOS!

RE: Sense of smell?
 

I agree that turkey hunting would be MUCH tougher if they could smell you...

I concur that the thermacell works GREAT...Most years the bugs aren't too bad here in southwestern NY, but last spring I hunted in Maine the first week of June, and the skeeters and blackflies were horrendous... I turned on the thermacell and in a brief few minutes they were gone....

RE: Sense of smell?
 

They cannot smell, but the other critters can....

Last season I was calling to two toms.We were in a wooded lot with massive pines and hardwoods mixed. My brother and I were sitting at the base of a huge oak tree. It was right after fly down time. I had heard a couple or three gobblers in the area. I eased onto this knob to begin calling. As we sat down I saw some birds out in front of me. We were sitting on a hillside. We also saw a small herd of deer feeding along the mixed woods.

The turkeys were paralell to us about 100 yds away. I had them both excited. I watched them strut back and forth at about 80-90 yds away. I got quiet to entice them to come in closer. They started my way slowly, fanning out every 10 steps or so. This was my brothers first attempt to see wild turkeys and the hunt. He was enthralled to watch them as much as I was.

We felt the wind shift to our backs. In a few seconds we both began hearing the all to familary sound of deer snorts. We could see them as they began running away from us White tails waving running right into the toms. They took flight. I immediately began a lone hen. Trying to either stop them or impress to them that things were ok over here. They flew by us about 20 feet up and about 15 yards away. Two nice toms. I continued to call and had a hen come within 10 feet of both of us. The way she was looking for that hen was almost the same look the the velociraptor in Jurrasic park had when he was looking for the kids. She would turn her head and peer her eyes right into the very depths of my soul. I wouldn't let her bluff me though. I knew one blink of an eye and it would have been over. She hopped up onto a fallen log looking around only to finally disappear in to the pines. We never did see the two toms again not that day anyway.

So... While the turkey can;t smell, outside influences can have adverse affects on your hunt.

RE: Sense of smell?
 

There are just some things you can't control! Last bow season i had a doe lined up at 15yds and as I began to draw it woke up the bird/squirrel or who knows what 3 feet above my head. BUSTED! I'm not going to wake up early and shower before going turkey hunting. I'd rather drink my coffee have a cigar and head for the woods. I find it refreshing not to have to worry about scent control.

RE: Sense of smell?
 

Exactly!! There eyesight makes up for their lack of smell. Forget the scent eliminator and invest in some good camo....with an facemask.

RE: Sense of smell?
 

Don't worry about scent control for turkeys. Thermacells and treating your clothes with permanone for ticks is the way to go in my opinion, although neither of those two spook deer either...

RE: Sense of smell?
 

I have read that if they could smell, they would be the ultimate animal to hunt...because we would probably never get one!

RE: Sense of smell?
 

I still wash my huntingclothes in scent free detergent regardless if it's deer season or not. A deer can ruin a turkey hunt. As for waking up a little early to shower with scent free soap, sometimes I do. I will usually do that the night before. I am not near as scent cautious while turkey hunting as I amdeer hunting though. If the mosquitoes are bad I will use my thermocell. If the ticks are bad, well then I'm going to use spray. The deer will just have to smell me. I wouldn't worry about it that much though. The odds of a deer ruining your hunt are slim. It hasn't happened to me, yet, but I still take some precautions.