Are we going about this all wrong?
 

I've always been very meticulous about scent control.....but I've been busted more times than ever this year. I recently read a post somewhere on one of the hunting forums where a fellow claims he makes no attempt at scent control...and wants to smell as bad as he possibly can....claiming that the deer can't figure out what he is. He kills a lot of deer. There's a fellow I work with that you cannot stand to get near him...he smells that bad. I've often wondered how he kills so many deer smelling as bad as he does. My dad hunted during the 50's 60's 70's staying at camp for days at a time never taking a bath, and killed deer. With the scent control business being so huge nowadays...with all the scent elimination sprays and specialty clothing being pushed on us....maybe the deer have learned to recognize what a clean hunter smells like? Maybe I should experiment with this idea, but just can't seem to bring myself to do it. Anybody else know of any Stinkers out there that kill plenty of deer?

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

I think you are analyzing this too much. :eek: Keep doing the scent control because you know damn well that is the best chance to kill a big buck.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

I make an attempt to not smell like sweat or soap and stuff like that. Once I come back from a hunt I leave my outer clothes hanging in the garage.

So the way I figure it has to pick up some type of smell from being in there for sometimes days. I so wash the clothes I wear under my cover alls and jacket because when I sweat those cloths absorb the sweat. I don't really worry about it too much though.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

The sprays available today should make you smell like 'nothing" by neutralizing your odors or changing them to something that is unrecognizable to deer. Most guys that believe that they should not wash their clothes etc, usually play the wind religiously. You can smell like a whore on 5th avenue as long as you stay down wind of a whitetail's nose. My theory is the less you smell like anything the better off you are. It's too early evolution wise, for deer to have been ingrained or programmed with what a clean hunter smells like. This take hundreds if not thousands of years to occur.

Stay down wind, get as clean as you can before going in the woods after them and get above their noses whenever possible. The more things you do right the more mature deer you will kill. I think if you read the books and articles interviewing guys that regularly kill 150 class and better bucks, one commonality you will see emerge is how meticulous they are about hygiene in the woods. How many stinky guys do you know that regularly kill big bucks? Anybody can get lucky, and deer do some stupid stuff during the rut.

Hunt the wind, even if you are using odor neutralizing sprays.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

I think scent control is a waste of time and money. IMHO.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

I think the most important things are to take a shower before you go hunt and use unscented soap, dress out at the hunting area, and wash clothes frequently. It's not that hard to do those few things, but I don't go overboard. People who kill a lot of deer and don't use scent control of any kind are probably keenly aware of the wind direction. You can smell like a church lady and if the wind is in your favor, a deer will never smell you. If he gets directly downwind, and the conditions are wrong, he will smell you every time, no matter what you do. Scent control only improves you chances by a percentage.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

Im not very concerned w/ scent ,while on stand ,cause I think its impossible to eliminate anyway. I do however, try to minimize the amount of scent I leave behind ,on the way to my stand. I dont wear my clothes in the house or car, and I dont touch branches.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

I read a while back that a deer is thought to have a nose that is 8 times as sensitive as a bloodhound. I think you are better served to hunt the wind and let the scent proof selling money makers think of something else to do.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

IMO if the deer is down wind of you you're gonna get busted!! I've had deer right under my stand and they didn't smell me because the wind was in my favor.
I also had deer come out where I did expect them to and they were down wind of me and busted me.
I'm not a believer in cover up but I do use scent eliminator.
So to answer the question,YES I believe scent control is important.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

play the wind and save your money on the scent control cloths. i have a buddy that smokes nasty azz cigars in the woods and kills alot of big deer.they must be coming over to see what the smell is. not for me i work the wind angle

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

I honestly don't think most hunters understand how well the deer's sense of smell is. Biologist say it is uncomprehensible for humans to realize this. Most hunters say a deer's sense of smell is extremely good and they respect it. I do as well but "extremely well' is putting it mildly. IMO, no matter how well you tried to be scent free, if you are not downwind - you are busted. Deer will tolerate many scents in the woods but the smell of man will trigger a response every single time.

As previouly mentioned about touching branches, this is the biggest mistake hunters make. Leaving your nasty, oily, humanscent on branches, leaves etc. is the worse thing you can do. Wearing gloves, even thin gloves in warmer weather will go a long way. Plus, while most hunters try to be scent free, they constantly leave their scent on their clothing when getting ready to enter the woods. This is especially true with boots. Not wearing gloves will again leave your scent each step you walk.

So, how do you get to shoot an animal that is this good? Like everyone says keeping your scent away from his nose. Hunting downwind always, as well as high above him so you scent may not be detected. No hunter can ever be scent free! If you feel that using spray on scent eliminators helps you, go for it. I never do because I honestly don't think it works. Just because you may think you're more scent free, doesn't mean the deer do. That doesn't mean you should carry foreign odors (gasoline, smoke, camp smells, aftershave, etc) with you in the woods.

I read a hunting article years ago that said shooting a deer was easy. All you have to do is put the sights on his vitals and shoot. The article went on to say the hardest part was putting yourself in position to put the sights on his vitals. If the deer does not hear you, see you or smell you, he does not realize he is being hunted. It's easy to not be seen or heard but more difficult not to be smelled. Forget about all those commercial scent free products, use common sense, always hunt downwind or high above the forest floor and you will be able to put the sights on his vitals.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

Just rub yourself down in cow crap. They are use to that smell.:DJust kiddin

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

It doesn't matter what you wear or what you wash with, you will never "fool" a whitetail's nose. An animal with more scent receptors than a dog will smell you if the wind is in their favor no matter what you do. Get above the wind or have it in your face.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

I know a lot of stinky hunters, they just stay downwind :)

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

Well this guy sat for 2 hours smoking cig after cig. (note, the one behind his ear)
He got up to leave but sat back down to have one more cig...

As he was putting his butt out, he heard a snap of a branch
and this nice 9 pointer stopped 35 yards from him long enough to get a shot.

A good wind in your favor has gotten a few deer dead through out the test of time!!!:)
I have a few more stories like this one and it makes me wonder why I try so hard sometimes???
I will say, that I would rather be lucky, than good, any day of the week!

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

Have you ever watched a dog roll in something really stinky like poop or another dead animal? The major theory why dogs will roll in smelly material is based on the relationship of domesticated canines to wolves. Wolves will often roll in decomposing carcasses or the feces of plant eating animals or herbivores. This would mask their own scent and enable them to sneak up on their prey without detection.


It may or may not work but I believe in scent control because I've been busted so many times when I didn't take the time to use it.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

Thx for the comments guys. I would like to elaborate more on what I was getting at. I wish I could recall the forum & topic that the fellow who posted he didn't use any form of scent control and wanted to smell bad was...but I can't. This guy is a bowhunter, does most of his hunting on the ground, and kills deer that come in from down-wind. He posted pics of some mighty fine mature bucks he's killed. Also, I failed to mention another bow-hunter I know that camps during the whole 6 week season where I bow hunt. He kills quite a few deer. And doesn't really practice scent control (no showers where he camps). Smokes like a chimney too. From all this I decided to do a search on human body odor, and saved a bunch of material on the subject...just haven't read it yet. Anyway... strong BO may not be quite the same as normal human odor. It is a chemical conversion by bacteria into another form. Makes me wonder if our efforts are eliminating the ultimate cover scent! But for the time being I will continue to practice scent control and play the wind.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

Baybuzzard, I hear what your saying I too feel the same way. Hearing these sloppy hunters stories how they stumble out into the woods an hour or two after first light, bathing with regular soap, smoking before or during hunting, making all kinds of noise getting into their climbers, and the list goes on. And these guys bag deer time after time, mostly based on luck. One of the worst, just this year a guy on the same jobsite came in braggin about this big buck he shot, he was washing dishes and seen him out the window at his feeder and salt lick, so he snuck out in flip flops and shorts regular clothes and shot him in his yard 20 yards with bow. Meanwhile, I am pretty concious with scent, bath in dead down wind, use scent lock, rubber boots,and still got busted 2x heading into my morning hunting spots. It can get pretty frustrating when you go through the extra hassle and you hear that deer blow. But I will continue to do the same cause it will increase the chances of fooling a deers nose but never 100%. There is always some scent they will pick up on.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

I dont worry about it, and am aboev average for the number of deer I harvest in my area.

Most deer these days are accustomed to human smells.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

Baybuzzard, in my opinion the guy you are referring to being stinky as possible and having deer come in down wind and killing big deer might just be lying.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

You can't always rely on the wind. Most of the time the wind is variable anyway. This is just one reason why I control my scent. Better to be safe than sorry. I'm a firm believer in scent control, and just to add, it's not that expensive at all to be scent free for a hunting season. The stuff is not expensive. It never hurts to be extra cautious. I've killed many, many deer that were down wind of me. I don't believe I would have killed them if it weren't for me controlling my scent. This includes controlling my breath as best as possible. Everyone is going to get busted, but scent control, IMO, can lower the odds. Can you be 100% scent free? No way, but every little advantage helps.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

you dont have to spend a fortune to eliminate most human odor, all you want to do is blend in with what ever your hunting area has. all my hunting areas have lots of cedar trees . so i keep my clothing in cedar,just cut a 2in cedar branch into small slices keep with your clothes. i hunt farms so on the way in dont mind stepping in cow manure. i also carry a small spray bottle of odorlock to help on the warm days. as it gets cold and i go from bow hunting to gun hunting i worry alittle less about being busted. fool the doe's ,so they can walk by and you will kill the buck. a few years ago it kept count on the amount of deer i let walk by my stand,in 3 weeks i had 112 deer within 40 yards of my stand. not a one snorted at me coming or going from all directions . i killed 3 nice bucks from that stand.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

I use the ivory soap approach and play the wind.
My buddy uses a scent sprayand then lights up a cigarette.
We both do fine - go figure.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

I agree with the majority, you have to play the wind! Every now and then a deer might be curious about a particular scent like tobacco and a hunter will get a lucky shot! But the scent of a human is impossible to be eleminated. A good cover scent helps, but is not completly foolproof, especially at closer ranges and the wrong wind direction!
I do believe in eleminating and covering as much human scent as possible. But again, I think that you will be more successful covering scent than eleminating it!
Lastly, I think that all the carbon suits and other high-dollar scent elemination stuff is a big waste of money! If it costs more than a box of Arm & Hammer, you're paying too much! Baking Soda is as good as it gets!

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

Scent control is virtualy unheard of in Australia...and we hunt by stalking up to our prey on the ground.
Yesterday..dressed in filthy camo..and having just finished moving furniture all day in 38 degree celsius heat..not to mention not having showered..I lay on the ground and called a Fallow buck right up to me...wind was swirling around...He came in to within 20 yards..and stayed there for at least 15 mins..ive got over 100 pics to prove it...I wouldnt waste money on scent control myself...










If scent control works like they say..Id better get some...and a saddle..lol

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

special,
If you did do that then congrats to you, but thats not gonna work with a whitetail. You better practice some sort of scent control and you better play the wind to even have a chance.

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

I hunt public land and these deer are used to seeing/smelling humans to an extent. Deer have what I like to call a comfort zone. I believe itapplies to seeing people as well as smelling them. If a deer sees you (where I hunt at least)at let's just say 50 yrds, and he/shebelieves that you are unaware of it's presence, that deer will stand there and watch you pass. If that same deer realizes that you see it, that deer is out of there quickly! Their comfort zone was violated. They do know the difference as to what presents a threat, and what doesn't.
I believe the same type of thing applies to odor. They will tolerate X amount of human odor, but if they get a concentrated amount at too close a range they will break camp with a quickness because again, their comfort zone has been violated.! Just my opinion.;)

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

It's way overplayed. Marketing, marketing, marketing. Howelse wouldyou sell a $20 pair of pants for $95?

RE: Are we going about this all wrong?
 

Come hunt in my woods, then try totell me that.:D