whitetail tips
12-08-2011, 04:53 AM
#3
Spike
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: green bay, wi (hunt in peshtigo, wi)
Posts: 59
scent control is pretty high up there for me, watching the wind and not smelling like an ape. Wind being probably the most important, because even with all the scent away clothes wash, body wash, shampoo, and spray. I still got winded once this year because a deer came out of the direction i didn't expect straight from down wind. All I got, was to hear a deer blow and hear it running off straight behind me.
12-08-2011, 05:08 AM
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 213
Enter your stand in absolute darkness at least an hour away from the first gray of dawn. Stay 40 minutes after legal light so as not to disturb moving deer and screw-up their movement pattern.
If they can't see you, they're just confused unless they wind you. Once they identify your noise/smell as danger, the pattern is disrupted.
If they can't see you, they're just confused unless they wind you. Once they identify your noise/smell as danger, the pattern is disrupted.
12-08-2011, 05:34 AM
#5
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: central Wisconsin
Posts: 479
We walk in so that were in our stands an hour before opening to let things settle down. We also walk in (and out) as a group, dropping off as we go by each stand so as not to disturb the land any more then necessary. It works.
If you're not out in the wide open west and in an area with lot's of hunters, don't walk around. You'll disrupt their hunting and not see anything. If you are in a large area without many hunters and have to walk do it slowly. One of the guys on our land was bowhunting and saw a buck bedded down 100 yards away. The wind was right but the buck kept looking in his direction. He took FIVE hours to cover that distance with the buck watching his direction and got to within 17 yards. His arrow hit the shoulder blade and didn't penetrate and the deer ran off. He saw the deer pull the arrow out with his teeth and followed it for 7 hours. Not hardly any blood and no lungs so he stopped looking. He saw it galloping around 2 days later looking like it had no injuries.
Opening day of rifle season it walked by his stand and he got it. Here is why he spent 7 hours tracking it. 20" inside spread.
If you're not out in the wide open west and in an area with lot's of hunters, don't walk around. You'll disrupt their hunting and not see anything. If you are in a large area without many hunters and have to walk do it slowly. One of the guys on our land was bowhunting and saw a buck bedded down 100 yards away. The wind was right but the buck kept looking in his direction. He took FIVE hours to cover that distance with the buck watching his direction and got to within 17 yards. His arrow hit the shoulder blade and didn't penetrate and the deer ran off. He saw the deer pull the arrow out with his teeth and followed it for 7 hours. Not hardly any blood and no lungs so he stopped looking. He saw it galloping around 2 days later looking like it had no injuries.
Opening day of rifle season it walked by his stand and he got it. Here is why he spent 7 hours tracking it. 20" inside spread.
12-08-2011, 10:05 AM
#7
Spike
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 83
I was fortunate to learn a bunch of skills from an OL' time hunter. One of the most important things that I can recall him saying to me (ALL THE TIME) was..... " You might be able to fool their eyes, you might be able to fool their ears, but you will have a heck of a time fooling their nose." With that being said, playing the wind and using it's direction to your advantage coupled with good scent elimination/ control practices is a very important habit to consider when hunting Whitetails. Although ( at least from what I believe or have experienced in the woods for my self) Total scent elimination is "near" impossible. Even with some of the best and more modern technology for sprays and clothing accessories. You can wash all your hunting clothes in detergent that eliminates scent, you can take a shower with scent blocking shampoo and soap, you can spray all your clothes and boots down again at your truck before you go into the woods. But one thing is certain, you are probably going to sweat ( at some level or another ) on your way to the stand, and even sitting in your stand through out the day. You will NEVER be totally scent free! With this in mind, I STILL practice the use of scent elimination and control and make my own scent soaps, shampoos, detergent. I even make my own cover scents as well. I still believe it is better to try to limit our scent as much as we can and hunt with the wind in our favor (as much as we can help it) I just think that we spend a ton of money each season on sprays and scents that totally don't mask all of our scent that I have adopted to making "most" of my own ( and they work quite well ) I still do buy certain products that I have always liked from the sporting good supply. I don't make all of my sprays or scents. Just try to save as much money as i can here and there.
