What do you put in your wind checker bottle?

FirstFreedom

Moderator
Flour?

Corn Starch?

Baking Powder?

I have baking powder in mine. I'd imagine it's got less scent than these other two mentioned.....
 
All the tracking K9 handlers I know use chalk line dust in theirs.

It's very fine and a relitivly scentless or benign scent (jsut a fine mineral powder) that does not aparantly interfear with their K9 scenting at all.

Cheap and easy to get as well.
 
Flour.

Mine is simple white baking flour. There is always plenty around the house, it is a faint scent (nearly odorless), and should you run out, you can get it most anywhere.

The only downside is that you have to take a little more care when it's wet. It tends to form a big ball of sludge if moistened and even if dried out will not be useable again. I just use a cheap dropper-style plastic bottle with a screw on cap to avoid that.
 
I like your thinking Deerslayer. I put a piece of thread, on the end of my stabilizer, on my bow. When I hunt with gun I don't use anything.
 
i heard that campfire/wood ash works good / doesent freak out the animals if they smell it. i dunno how true that is though.
 
I suppose you don't want to squirt out a lot of something that smells funny, so I can see the point. Please ignore my first post.
 
Hey FF,

I wonder every time I see this post what do you use a "wind checker bottle" for? Not a Smart A question serious. Is it for varmints with small calibers at long ranges? or deer hunting? Bow? I have never thought of such a thing for deer but then I have never hunted off a tree stand or a bow and maybe you do. Just has me curious.
 
No just deer hunting, to see where the wind is coming from, if it's such a light wind that I cannot tell, and when the winds are swirling around in valleys and on hillsides. I then make a plan to circle around if necessary and then approach wind-in-face into the area where I think the deer will be. The string on the end of the bow stabilizer or on your gunstock or sling is a good idea too and simpler - but I just have many rifles, and don't have them all equiped with a string (though it would be a simple matter to tie a thread on of course). Yes I hunt with a bow and yes you have to get close and control you scent. But even with ML or rifle, I make all plans based on the wind more than anything else. There are many times when the wind is against you and you cannot tell by just looking at the leaves and such, because it's too light. I've tried the lick-the-finger thing, and that sometimes works, and it may tell me (it's either north, northwest, or northeast), but the powder will tell you precisely that it's out of the west-southwest, or swirling around down here in this spot.
 
Never saw need for one. Smoke off a Marlboro does fine job of identifying wind direction. Generally a lot better luck tho when waaaaaay up high. And amazingly better luck when downwind from the critters. :D
 
Greybeard,

Agree with the Marlboro.
Tossing the unfinished coffee from a thermos works too.
There is that "getting rid of coffee" bit that works with wind as well...

Zippo's are good....
 
And amazingly better luck when downwind from the critters.

Ya think? Although my buddy who smokes has shot a doe (borderline fawn) with his bow just after smoking a cigarette - I guess they wise up when they get older. Unfortunately I was unable to give him crap about his 40 lb deer since I had never gotten ANY deer yet back then, let alone with a bow.
 
FirstFreedom,

Some critters appreciate the smell of farm/ ranch trucks, cigarette/cigar/pipe tobacco, coffee...
They even expect the sight and smell of guns and gun lubes...
...neutral /earth tone colors, blue jeans and even white tennis shoes...

Critters figure something wrong with a person wearing camouflage, not smoking, sipping coffee or a Dr. Pepper, being quiet and all. :)
 
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