kevin1

Mac ,
I'd say that you're pretty well invisible to that deer's nose already , just keep your boots clean and you should have no problems . Movement will bust you just as fast , work on that next .

Deaf huh ? I always wondered what it would be like to hunt without hearing the quarry , perhaps you could share some tales about it later ?

AJ52

If you know the exact stand(s) you will be hunting try this; Rake around stand as much as possible to bare earth. Do this twice just before(2-3 weeks) season starts.

This does 2 things;Cleans up all those crunchy twigs,debri and leafs that may get you "busted".

It puts the smell of fresh earth in the air all around the stand. Great natural cover scent! I have done this in past yrs and just recently raked around 3 key/hot stands I know I will be hunting. More work raking - but it don't cost anything and - it's natural.

finner

I use the Pete rickards earth scent that comes in the 1 1/4 oz squeeze bottle. Smells like real earth im a believer, and i think its one of the best natural cover scent you can buy.

whiskeysnoot

I have been using the wafers since they came out and the spray cover scent the last few years and believe in it completely.

WriterBob

I have always used the earth scent wafers but one thing I was doing I don't do anymore. I don't put the wafers in with my scent-lok clothing because scent-lok says it clogs up the suit making it useless.
I am also starting to wonder if that strong of an earth smell is natural? Maybe coon urine a couple drops near stand is better?
I have used wafers faithfully but have been rethinking the strong earth odor because unless it is a construction site there would not be that strong of odor in the natural woods and the deer's nose is sensitive to begin with. I have not been using them this year just my scent-lok coat and pants, haven't been winded yet.

macintosh

Kevin -

Keeping my boots clean is going to be a bit of a challenge! [:@] My wife always tells me that I have smelly feet! I always use foot powder for my other shoes, but hunting boots!? Not! I used the earth scent soap and spray and then throwing wafers in them before I put them in the bag, of course they were dry I put them in! Hopefully they'll be clean, for the heck of it, I'll spray earth scent onto my feet, socks AND they boots again before I put them on! Just to be sure! [:-]

I do have a tale to tell you about one of the hunts I went 2 years ago. But first let me respond to AJ52.

AJ52 - I should have thought of that! [:@] Too late, I do have a exact stand where I plan on going..it's right on the edge between the corn field and a small ravine that extends about 80 feet to the small creek and beautiful woods all around, trees! And all the leaves have fallen, it's been raining alot for the last couple of days, and everything is just wet out now. That'll help muffle the sounds as I walk in. But as I checked the forcast for the next couple of days before this weekend it's supposed to be dry and cool, highs of 45's and nights lows in 30's. So all the leaves MIGHT dry up and be loud. Like I said, I should have done the raking around my stand when I had the chance! [&o]

I'll just not move, planting my feet to the ground and not move my feet, just my upper body to look around. Oh boy, (SIGH) I know, my feet will just fall asleep!

Kevin -

Two years ago on the 2nd day of the 2 day hunt slug season opener, we (out of 6 people) had 4 tags filled and needed 2 more to fill it in. All day I'd been driving the woods for other older guys who posted and I've never posted once till the guys told me that it was my turn to post. So I was posted on the edge of another field similiar to my hunting stand, same kind of background, only steeper ravine... but it's a different one. With other 6 guys driving a long strip of woods with about 250 yards wide walking towards to me, I'd have all the deer running to me, see there's only one escape route, there's this very steep ravine and and I'm standing on the deer trail that's the only way out besides the field that's behind me. The 6th person is walking right outside of the woods and he'd be shooting the deer if it ever comes out of the side.

So all this happening, I was getting ready for action, expecting any deer, any second, I'm hearing nothing, just a bunch of birds flying out, a rabbit, you should have seen me I was like bobbing my head back and forth looking for movement. I could see the guys wearing orange walking getting closer and closer..nothing! No deer. Almost to the point the guys were like 30 yards and I could see clearly that there's nothing running. BUT, there was a 6 pointer buck had been standing on my right, no more than 10 feet away in this bush. God knows how long that buck had been standing there watching me! I didin't even see the deer walking up or hear him walking up..somehow he sneaked up to exit the route and realized that I was there. Might have been standing there for 5 minutes, 10 minutes..who knows. After realizing that there was no deer running, and the guys where pretty close by, I was getting up from my knees, looking over to the far right, that's when I saw this buck standing there! At the moment I made eye contact with that buck he bolted right to me, as I pulled the gun and tried to aim at him, thinking he was going to run me over, it all happened so fast, but the buck ran past me like 2 inches away from me, so fast that I didn't know it was possible for them to run so fast. I aimed at him the first 15 feet away from me, but his butt was showing, and I didn't want shoot, luckly for me he turned left to jump over the fence line, had a 2 second time frame to shoot before he's outta my sight, shot him when he was airborn, jumping over the fence. I knew I got him, ran over to the point where I couldn't see him anymore, saw that he only ran for another 10 yards before he went down!

See, I've seen deer running while I'm driving the woods. That's how I harvest my deer, that's my way of getting deer. I'm good at that. I usually stop every 2 minutes of walking and just look around for movement. I damn nearly walked over a doe when that doe didn't get up to run! Everything is happening, and my head is just back and forth to indentify the object so fast, it'll be a bird, coon, beaver, whatever made the movement. And to my other buddies. They take alot longer to indentify them, so I'm usually in the lead while the other guys are about 20 feet behind me. And I'd give out a hand single to tell them stop to look around and then preceed. I've gotten really good at that.

I see more, and I see better than hearing people can. Because I use my eyes more than I use my ears.

But ever since what happened to me 2 years ago made me realized that I want to hunt the "real" way. So it's going to be interesting for me to see how that goes.

macintosh

COUNTRYGUY

Iv'e even saftey pinned them to the back of my hat or mask. They work well for me.

kevin1

It sounds like you've got a good scent control program working for you Mac , and anyone who might be worrying about having too much scent on should read this story .

Other than suggesting more control over your movements I can't find anything else to comment on , I think you'll do just fine . Movement control is particularly important to a ground hunter , you're more exposed than someone hunting from height or a blind . A ghillie suit would be a good next purchase for you for spot and stalking , or maybe a pop-up blind for days when light rain is expected . Good luck and keep blazing trails for the rest of us to learn from .

Disabled my azz !

macintosh

Kevin -

Thanks for the tip! Sounds like a good idea about the ghillie suit...but don't know if that's legal during the slug season..wonder if they make blaze orange in mix with green? So there's no outline of your body shape? You know what I'm saying?

Ah...I'm pretty sure I've got my human scent covered. No worries. Only thing I'm worried about is the deer walking up to me without knowing at all till it's too late. I'll really have to keep my eyes OPEN and concentrate the movements.

Wonder if I can still brush the leaves away from my standing spot with my feet? I'll be heading in to the spot very early in the am..around 4 am. Think it's ok to brush away the leaves once I get there right away? Try to do it slow?

A question for ya'll. What kind of calls should I make in the first light? Buck rattle? Grunts? Doe Bleats? How often in between? Remember, I got this Phantom Whitetail call unit... here's the link to see the product. http://www.phantomcalls.com/calls/whitetail.htm It'll show what sounds it makes.

Never done this before, and want to do it right. Don't want to spook the deer if I do it too much or something...[]


Macintosh

kevin1

Mac ,
just get out there and do it , watch their reactions when yo call . Yes , clear the leaves when you first get there to reduce noise later . I like grunt calls throughout the day , with an occasional rattling session , or both . Midday I stick to social or doe grunts , evening I'll switch to buck grunts and estrous bleats . Get a pop-up or build a natural blind so you can movea little when you get tired or cramped .