Scentfree, is it all its cracked up to be?

N

N.H. Yankee

New member
I have a hunting partner who I have hunted with for 30 years, he never worries about scent and even uses irish spring soap, scented shampoo and sometimes forgets and puts on his Polo aftershave. never uses unscented laundry detergent either.
I on the other hand wash with scentfree hunting soap, wash all my gear with special scentfree UV free detergent and hand my stuff out for 2 weeks before season and I live in the remote country so exhaust fumes are not a factor.
my partner has had more deer within 50feet of him than I have ever seen period! The oddity is they have been does and never bucks with 1 exception. he also has a home that has water problems and his clothes smell of mildew and I wonder if this is helping disguise his other poor scent practices, yet in the truck all I can smell is Polo!!!

He also isn't real quiet or still on stand and I do my best statue impression. We are sometimes only 1-2 hundred yards apart and the deer gravitate to him. I do get a buck every year and he rarely gets a deer due to buck only season with a 1-2 day doe season. we have a deer population of about one per square mile so there are several days we see ziltch. I have to wonder if the curious nature of some deer are attracted to the unknown scent? I have even dug up dirt on my stand to get the smell of fresh dirt in the air to help cover any scent I may be putting out. I don't know if it is just the right place right time even as I am close by, though after 30 years of this I dought it, or curiosity. Any of you have similiar experiences? Maybe I need to buy some Polo!
 
I think scent free products have their place, but for most hunting situations that exist in the lower 48 they are probably not that necessary. Being in the right place at the right time and the ability to stay still, are the best things to guarantee success when hunting deer. Most areas that deer are hunted, are near where people live. Deer have been smelling humans their whole lives. In PA there are a lot of deer and a lot of hunters, so knowing where the deer travel when preassured is the best method for success. We have florescent orange requirements so sitting still is necessary. I have had deer within 10 feet of me during hunting seasons that were completely unaware of my presense. As soon as I made noise or obvious motion off they went. While hunting when deer were not in season, I have had buck go right by without any notice of me. I guess it depends on whether you think it will help. Your buddy has a stand closer to a travel route the deer in your area use when preassured. Even when there is little preassure deer tend to follow the same paths, you will be better served with preseason scouting and finding out where the deer that you hunt travel the most. In the AM paths that lead towards bedding ares are best, in the evening find trails that go to food. The middle of the day can be problematic unless it is the rut, then be where the does are. If there is preassure then find those escape routes and be there before they are. Good luck and bring home the venison.
 
My brother got some sent free stuff and it smelled like a pile of wet leaves, the deer here aren't really bothered by sent.
 
"...the deer gravitate to him..." They are curious and likely want to know who or what it is that smells like an Egyptian brothel and is making all the noise.
 
T. Oheir, I honestly think you are right, I am going to start wearing that new cologne (essence of brothel ) lol. I have gotten 3 state trophy deer and his biggest is 170lb and the other 5 under 110lbs. I think also it is immature deer that have more curiosity and it seems to be doe's. I have had 1 deer at arms length and his breath actually was hitting my face, he was a spike and it was first day of the season. I sat there for 2 minutes and finally said ( hello there ) he jumped 3 feet high and was gone lol. I see deer but not up close and personnal like he doe's. I think certain odors attrack them and others are like death in the air. Human odor isn't always a killer, I was hunting 2 years ago and it was a warm day, I hiked for 5 hours to find some sign and actually had to wring out my t-shirt. That afternoon at 5pm when the scent pool is at its worse I had a 6pt walk behind me at 70ft and he wasn't alarmed. I used a bleat call to stop him and dropped him with my 50cal Knight. I stunk so bad I almost didn't bother staying out, he had to smell me as a very light breeze was blowing in his direction. I think as I stated deer are like people, everyone is different and reacts different.
 
well i'm a believer...
last saturday bow season opened here in VA and I went out on a farm that i'v been hunting g-hogs on all summer. during the summer i literally walked within 10 feet of a 4 pointer, a six pointer, and countless does. on the first day of bow season i figured i didn't need to use all my scent-free stuff b/c i'd gotten so close to the deer all summer. well, at 6:50, the biggest buck i've ever seen in the woods strolled up about 50 yards away, walked behind some brush, picked up my scent, and bolted. put on the scent free stuff and walked right up on some does and a spike a couple days later...
go over to archerytalk.com and see how they feel about being scent-free...
 
Army surplus chemical suits work great. Nice and warm too! I keep my hunting gear in a plastic tub full of leaves and pine boughs. I also boil leaves in water and apple cider then put it in a little spray bottle.
 
Just get an old "Plastic Tote Bin" (they sell them at walmart for like $2) and stash your hutning clothes and gear in there, when packing them in grab a couple branches of pine needles or cedar and pack those inbetween the layers of clothing. Kills any "human" scents and leaves you pine fresh.
 
go with the surplus military suit from say the sportsmans guide and spend a few dollers and get leafy wear, the critters will walk right up on you, and as long as you don't make eye contact straight on, they wont have a clue what you are. I've used em for years in Az. You can't get better for the price.
 
NH I got a friend like yours (actually he is the one teaching me how to hunt and all :D). He told me that scent free colthing is a waste of money and that you dont need to spend it.

The guy wears non-camo pants, a really old camo (completly faded almost) jacket he has had for ages, and he uses scented soaps and he even smokes while he is waiting for animals :eek:

Since he kills the most deer and moose in the hunting group I will assume that his methods work. Last year 3 deer walked right up to his low (4 ft high) treestand and were right beside him when he was sleeping. He was shocked that they were hanging around and eating beside him that he hit one of the deer with his rifle butt. :cool: He got 2 of them inculding the one that he hit with the rifles butt so thats good :)

As for me I will never spend money on scent free colthing. He doesnt seem to need them to bag deer. And the funny thing is everyone else in the hunting group claims that without scent free stuff you cant get deer close enough and they wont admit that he doesnt use them and he fills the most tags every year :p

Dimitri
 
The biggest factor in hunting whitetail deer is noise and movement. You can use all the scent removal you want, but if you move around a lot and sound like an avalanche in the woods the deer will not come anywhere near you.
 
I think perhaps movement is the biggest factor, an odor is a curiosity but movement represents possible predatory danger. Odor in itself unless its the smeel of a known predator such as coyote, wolf, cougar I think deer are not as alarmed. The odor of man in itself may not equal danger as most human cantact is minimal for most of the year and predators that live in the deer woods are 24/7. Also even if the deer equates man to danger perhaps any odor that masks that of man will have a curiosity or masking effect. I will still hunt as scentfree as possible within $$$$ reason especially since where I hunt in N.H. we have about 1 deer per square mile and some hunters spend the whole 30 day gun season in the woods and don't even seen a deer! I will use everything I can to my advantage.
 
I think scent eliminators and cover scents have their place, but I don't think any of the items totally remove or hide the human odor. Personally, I think it depends on the individual deer. I was bowhunting last year, and had a doe smell me almost immediately. She was totally spooked the entire time, and wouldn't come any closer than 25-30 yards. Later on that same morning, I had a small buck walk within 9 yards of my stand, and he acted like he never smelled a thing. I think some deer are simply more skittish of unexplained or human scents, while some seem to just not care.

I also know guys who smoke while they hunt, and still kill deer. I guess it depends on how lucky you are! However, I have gotten in the habit of getting higher in trees, particularly with my climbers. I routinely climb to 20-25", and haven't really had any problems with deer smelling me lately.
 
Kind of apprehensive saying this, but I have noticed and so hasn't my hunting partner that there have been times when you must answer the call of nature and I don't mean peeing. I had the biggest archery buck of my life walk right up smelling the air. I had done my thing and started walking down the logging road after I got out of the bush where I, well you know. I hit a huge mass of blowdowns and had to turn around and pass by the scene of the crime. I saw movement and I then discovered an 8pt with his head down sniffing right where I, well once again you know. I stopped and waited as it was about 35 yards off the trail and waited while he checked things out. He stayed there for about 2 minutes and walked out onto the trail a mere 10 yards away! Today I just wish I could remember what the heck I ate the night before!!!! My hunting partner has had the same thing happen more than once also!
 
What a hoot!!!!

I told the hubster recently that the thing I need to do is forget the scent free thing and wear my White Linen perfume when hunting. Maybe I'm really on to something!!!!!!!

I expect the Irish Spring would be a good curiosity scent, and so may be the Polo. Thing with Polo is, it's going to spread better than those $8.00 per bottle deer scents...because it's on a 98.6 degree warmer.

If I get the nerve up to try White Linen, I'll let you know how it goes. Except that if you buy a bottle for yourselves, you'd better buy one for your wife too :p

Springmom
 
Spring mom,

Now thats some good ideas!

Personally since I havnt been hunting much I cant comment much on this but the only time out of the 5 weekends I been deer hunting the time I saw the deer was when I was wearing Old Spice! :eek:

Dimitri
 
+1 for sound and movement

I'm a bow hunter and a smoker. I've shot deer for the last 5 years and it always seems like I'm havin a smoke when I get them. Friend of mine firgures he'll take up smokin as he wears all the scentlock stuff and gets skunked. This year I took a 4x4 mule deer that was down wind while I was smokin'.
 

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I'm not much of a hunter but have been out a couple of times. The last time I went I was taking a break in a lawn chair next to pond and a deer came up within 40 feet of me and took a drink. All I did was stay still and quiet. He saw me and did not run. We just looked at each other for about 5-10 minutes then he took off.
 
First Priority - movement

Second - scent

I've watched deer and 'yotes bust me. Sickening feeling. I hate swirling wind.

I don't buy into the whole scent elimination idea however; watch the wind.

I'll say it again

WATCH THE WIND
 
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