If you use NO scent control at all, raise your hand please.
- Thread starter Unlicensed Dremel
- Start date
I hunt with Frankenmauser and Crankylove, I use the wind more than anything. I honestly think we have better luck sometimes by letting the critters hear/smell us coming from a ways off. By the time we get close they are either expecting us and are not real spooked, or are literally paying no attention because they've decided we aren't an immediate threat. I've walked up a trail with the wind at my back while smoking and come within ten yards of deer and elk more than once and just had them stand there and look.
Gunplummer
New member
I think a lot of guys use scent control just to extend the season. It is just more stuff you can play with before the season starts. I was a heavy smoker at one time, and that is when I decided that a deer's sense of smell is highly over rated. I had three deer step over the log I was sitting on during the first day of gun season. I had a lit cigarette and a steaming cup of coffee sitting on the log. The one deer even stopped and took a crap while standing over the log. Wind direction is everything. People worry about it more during bow season, but the more leaves that are up, the less your scent travels. Scent control stuff is not for me, but if it makes you feel better have at it.
Brotherbadger
New member
And really, isn't that the whole point? I make sure to have fun, no matter how many deer i see.
bamaranger
New member
wind
If you bow hunt deer, you better be scent conscious. Otherwise your shot opportunities are going to be pretty sparse.
I no longer fool with cover scents, nor do I use any attractants. I do hang my hunting clothes outside all season long. And if I sweat them up, they get a wash with baking soda, and I'll wash them now and again as our 3-1/2 month season rolls along. Rubber boots to the stand, and I do not wear the boots around publicly, restaurants, gas stations etc. They stay in the back of the Bronco, and get pulled on when I arrive.
I never hunt a tree ( climbing stand) or put up stand w/o considering the wind.
Ever. I like an approach into the wind, with all deer expected from upwind if possible. I like a cross wind ideally, ie, I approach into the wind, but the deer move perpendicular to me, into the wind, or quartering the wind, on a bench, ridge, saddle, etc. I see deer move with the wind at their back, occasionally, usually does and yearlings, but I do not believe a mature buck will move far with a tail wind, opting for another route that day.
Oh yeah....archery deer....15Oct.
If you bow hunt deer, you better be scent conscious. Otherwise your shot opportunities are going to be pretty sparse.
I no longer fool with cover scents, nor do I use any attractants. I do hang my hunting clothes outside all season long. And if I sweat them up, they get a wash with baking soda, and I'll wash them now and again as our 3-1/2 month season rolls along. Rubber boots to the stand, and I do not wear the boots around publicly, restaurants, gas stations etc. They stay in the back of the Bronco, and get pulled on when I arrive.
I never hunt a tree ( climbing stand) or put up stand w/o considering the wind.
Ever. I like an approach into the wind, with all deer expected from upwind if possible. I like a cross wind ideally, ie, I approach into the wind, but the deer move perpendicular to me, into the wind, or quartering the wind, on a bench, ridge, saddle, etc. I see deer move with the wind at their back, occasionally, usually does and yearlings, but I do not believe a mature buck will move far with a tail wind, opting for another route that day.
Oh yeah....archery deer....15Oct.
bamaranger
New member
descriptors
Missed that, okay, you asked.
Really would rather not give a score, but I have killed more deer with a bow than a firearm. Our season runs for over 3 months, limit 2 deer a day, and I'll get 40-50 hunts in a year. I'd say I bow hunt deer 75% of the time. When our deer numbers were way up, I'd get 10-12 shots or more a year, and take between 2-4 deer a season. My best season I took 5. I'd see anywhere between 40-60 deer from the tree. I've got a P&Y class buck to my credit, and another that is likely in the 145-50 range that has not been scored (rifle kill on him). Much of my hunting is done on public land, though I am in a lease, but find it more crowded than the state land these days. I've got a myriad of stand options with a climber, which normally goes up and down each hunt and back to the truck. For the tough spots, I'll leave a stand about arms length high to save toting it for a week or so if I'm big on the spot.
Typically, the first time in and up is the hunt that results in a kill. Like maybe 75% of the time....or more.
Much has changed, deer numbers down, and I'm lucky to get a couple of shots a season, and have not killed more than 1 deer with a bow a season, in a couple of years. Last year, for the first time in 25 years, I did not bow kill a deer. I did not even draw on one.
I've slowed down a bit too. Bamaboy has had to help drag the last two out!!
Missed that, okay, you asked.
Really would rather not give a score, but I have killed more deer with a bow than a firearm. Our season runs for over 3 months, limit 2 deer a day, and I'll get 40-50 hunts in a year. I'd say I bow hunt deer 75% of the time. When our deer numbers were way up, I'd get 10-12 shots or more a year, and take between 2-4 deer a season. My best season I took 5. I'd see anywhere between 40-60 deer from the tree. I've got a P&Y class buck to my credit, and another that is likely in the 145-50 range that has not been scored (rifle kill on him). Much of my hunting is done on public land, though I am in a lease, but find it more crowded than the state land these days. I've got a myriad of stand options with a climber, which normally goes up and down each hunt and back to the truck. For the tough spots, I'll leave a stand about arms length high to save toting it for a week or so if I'm big on the spot.
Typically, the first time in and up is the hunt that results in a kill. Like maybe 75% of the time....or more.
Much has changed, deer numbers down, and I'm lucky to get a couple of shots a season, and have not killed more than 1 deer with a bow a season, in a couple of years. Last year, for the first time in 25 years, I did not bow kill a deer. I did not even draw on one.
I've slowed down a bit too. Bamaboy has had to help drag the last two out!!
Never have used any of the "marketed" cover-up chemicals and I clip along at over a 90% rate of filling elk tags, higher for deer and Pronghorn. While elk hunting, I had a forkhorn mule deer buck step over my legs while he was walking through the pines.
My hunting clothes get washed with no-scent detergent and then spend some time in the sun. If I am hunting big bucks or bulls, I go vegetarian for a week before the hunt and lay off deodorant and scented shampoo. No chemicals for water repellant, just Gore-Tex.
My hunting clothes get washed with no-scent detergent and then spend some time in the sun. If I am hunting big bucks or bulls, I go vegetarian for a week before the hunt and lay off deodorant and scented shampoo. No chemicals for water repellant, just Gore-Tex.
Unlicensed Dremel
Moderator
Ya know, I've thought about this, and I'm actually quite surprised that they haveN'T yet developed a keener scent ability through natural selection by now. I mean, many birds can smell well, I do believe, and lots of predators have been going after turkeys for a few tens of thousands of years, if not a few hundreds of thousands, so..... but yeah, I'm with you on thanking all that is holy that they cannot! Give it time though - maybe 10 generations from now, our progeny will have a helluva time hunting them!
Course, I also often wonder why any fish will still bite a hook after tens of thousands of years of humans hooking them.
The poll results are quite nice and somewhat surprising - 12 people (18%) said they they use NO scent control - I really want to hear from everyone who voted that way, as to how you use the wind, what you do when the wind is swirling (just stay home or give it a go anyway), and what your harvest rates are like. This is what I was trying to get at...I have a hunch that it's somewhat over-rated (plus I'd love to have an excuse to be even lazier than I already am).
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
I've always been in awe of the folks who get to hunt where animals always (or even mostly) come from one direction.
I've talked about it several times on this forum. I simply can not "hunt the wind".
For one thing, I don't know about other places but in Central NY you're lucky if the wind is coming from any quadrant for several hours, say nothing of one direction. More often than not, the directions it DOESN'T come from in some hour span is smaller than the directions it DOES come from.
For two, and possibly related, I've seen one place in my entire life (no exaggeration) where the deer can even be argued to come from "one" direction. Even there, it's really more "one of the eastern quadrants" than any single direction.
If you hunt where I do and you don't do SOMETHING to smell less like a person, you will not shoot many deer.
I've talked about it several times on this forum. I simply can not "hunt the wind".
For one thing, I don't know about other places but in Central NY you're lucky if the wind is coming from any quadrant for several hours, say nothing of one direction. More often than not, the directions it DOESN'T come from in some hour span is smaller than the directions it DOES come from.
For two, and possibly related, I've seen one place in my entire life (no exaggeration) where the deer can even be argued to come from "one" direction. Even there, it's really more "one of the eastern quadrants" than any single direction.
If you hunt where I do and you don't do SOMETHING to smell less like a person, you will not shoot many deer.
I checked moderately.
My hunting clothes hang in the barn. I don't shower with scented soaps. Have been known to carry a cut in half apple with the on the way to the stand if I'm hunting close to the orchard. And have had great success during our bow/rut season using #307 Trails Blend on a drag rag going to the stand which also doubles as a cover scent on stand as I'll hang the rag about 20yds upwind from my tree stand.
Have watched does come in the rag trail, nose on ground, right up to the hanging rag that must have been very close to, or in estrus cause minutes later Mr Buck either comes in on the same trail with his nose on the ground or appears from downwind.
Again, doesn't work everyday but I've killed enough bucks this way to warrant continued use of this method.
But like Brian eluded to, the wind changes directions in these foothills so much that playing the wind is almost impossible. I usually just go by the old thermocline theory and hunt high in the morning and low in the evening.
My hunting clothes hang in the barn. I don't shower with scented soaps. Have been known to carry a cut in half apple with the on the way to the stand if I'm hunting close to the orchard. And have had great success during our bow/rut season using #307 Trails Blend on a drag rag going to the stand which also doubles as a cover scent on stand as I'll hang the rag about 20yds upwind from my tree stand.
Have watched does come in the rag trail, nose on ground, right up to the hanging rag that must have been very close to, or in estrus cause minutes later Mr Buck either comes in on the same trail with his nose on the ground or appears from downwind.
Again, doesn't work everyday but I've killed enough bucks this way to warrant continued use of this method.
But like Brian eluded to, the wind changes directions in these foothills so much that playing the wind is almost impossible. I usually just go by the old thermocline theory and hunt high in the morning and low in the evening.
buck460XVR
New member
My Grandpa taught me back when I first started to hunt deer, "you get up in the morning and you put yourself down at night". He was referring to where to stand when hunting hills, where the wind swirls and thermals in the morning and evening are much more of a sure thing than prevailing winds. While it doesn't always work, it works most of the time. Same goes for stayin off deer trails on the way in and out. When hunting from a tree stand, when it cools at night, warm air rises and your scent, bein' on warm air tends to rise just a tad, and the plume generally stays on a even plane at that height downwind if not influenced by thermals. Thermals can also work when sitting on the edge of a field on a sunny day as the warm field will make your scent rise over the deer in the field, even if there is a mild wind blowing towards them. This also sucks the air from behind you in the cooler woods and keeps your scent from deer behind you. Then there is the hangin' of your cloths in the barn or horse stable. Or puttin' in a bag with pine boughs. In areas where folks heat with wood, hangin' your clothes next to the wood stove or in the woodshed can help. Kinda like steppin' in cow pies or horse muffins on the way to stand. These are all passive methods of scent control that cost nuttin'. Does move into the wind, seems bucks quarter with the wind. Deer will generally bed where they can look downwind while still smell anything behind them. Exception is when the wind changes during the day. One reason you see deer moving in the middle of the day is because the wind changed and they feel the need to change their position. While a change in wind may bust you, it also means you will see more deer. If you listen to the weather and it says the wind will change later in the day, plan your stand for the change. None of this is what I really consider "serious scent control". Just common sense and tricks of the trade. If one wants to get picky, using the wind is scent control.
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
buck460XVR said:
Sadly, I seemed to be always rushed (again) last year and never got a chance but the most apparently effective scent cover I've ever tried was to smoke my clothes and gear with cedar chips in a bee smoker. I only did it religiously one year but I saw more deer than normal and shot the biggest buck (by far) in my entire life. The two years since have been too rushed and I've been unable. That's the downside, it takes time to do it right. I'm going to make the time this year.
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Your spot on in everything you said in your post buck460XVR.
Sounds like Pappy was a wise, old school, common sense hunter.
We heat with an outdoor boiler and the smoke doesn't bother the deer at all. They're up in the yard all the time under the fruit tree's. Far as the cow patties goes...walking from the barn to the stand leaves me walking through the holding pen for the cattle. Although I don't go out of my way to find it, I never sweat stepping in a pile on my way through.
IMO, bottom line is, there seems to be smells deer in particular areas are used to. These smells not only do not alarm deer but can be calming to them. Smells they aren't used to are alarming. I think sounds are the same way. Naturally, heating wit wood, I spent a lot of time in my hunting area cutting with a chainsaw and using a splitter. I've had deer pass by me no more then 40yds while cutting. One time was cutting here in the yard on one side of the house, ran out of gas and walked up to the garage for gas and on the other side of the house in the yard under a persimmon tree stood three does. They stopped, looked at me and went back to eating.
What was really neat is about 30mins. later, I went in to eat, looked out the window and a small 8pt'er was chasing them all over the yard.
Sounds like Pappy was a wise, old school, common sense hunter.
We heat with an outdoor boiler and the smoke doesn't bother the deer at all. They're up in the yard all the time under the fruit tree's. Far as the cow patties goes...walking from the barn to the stand leaves me walking through the holding pen for the cattle. Although I don't go out of my way to find it, I never sweat stepping in a pile on my way through.
IMO, bottom line is, there seems to be smells deer in particular areas are used to. These smells not only do not alarm deer but can be calming to them. Smells they aren't used to are alarming. I think sounds are the same way. Naturally, heating wit wood, I spent a lot of time in my hunting area cutting with a chainsaw and using a splitter. I've had deer pass by me no more then 40yds while cutting. One time was cutting here in the yard on one side of the house, ran out of gas and walked up to the garage for gas and on the other side of the house in the yard under a persimmon tree stood three does. They stopped, looked at me and went back to eating.
What was really neat is about 30mins. later, I went in to eat, looked out the window and a small 8pt'er was chasing them all over the yard.
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
I'm mostly a walking hunter, so I pretty much work upwind. If in a tree stand, I pick one where the likely appearance of Bambi will be upwind from my tree. So far, I've eaten a bunch of deer meat. 
Funny story about cover scent and such.
About 20 years ago, we had a relative who came every year to bowhunt. This time he discovered his wife had used scented dryer sheets on his camo clothes. He was sure his hunt was ruined so I helped him out. The kids had a couple of billy goats that helped maintain our yard. I took the camo out and rubbed those billy goats top to bottom, front to back. When I put the guy in his stand, it was less than 15 minutes before the first deer approached from directly down wind and literally wouldn't leave. Within an hour he'd shot a buck and a doe filling his tags for the season.
His comments "I'd have waited for a bigger buck but that goat smell was beginning to make me gag".
I use scent control when bowhunting and hunt the wind during rifle season or simply stay far enough away so animals don't smell me.
About 20 years ago, we had a relative who came every year to bowhunt. This time he discovered his wife had used scented dryer sheets on his camo clothes. He was sure his hunt was ruined so I helped him out. The kids had a couple of billy goats that helped maintain our yard. I took the camo out and rubbed those billy goats top to bottom, front to back. When I put the guy in his stand, it was less than 15 minutes before the first deer approached from directly down wind and literally wouldn't leave. Within an hour he'd shot a buck and a doe filling his tags for the season.
His comments "I'd have waited for a bigger buck but that goat smell was beginning to make me gag".
I use scent control when bowhunting and hunt the wind during rifle season or simply stay far enough away so animals don't smell me.