How far away can deer smell you??

[rudy78]

The other scent topic reminded me of a ? I had & I didn't want to hijack that thread so I started this one.
How far away do you think a deer can smell you in these given circumstances, dry normal conditions in the woods with:
-no wind
-light wind 5-15
-windy 15-25
-how much farther do you think on rainy/moiste days compared to dry
-how much farther in open compared to woods

The reason I ask is that this year when we were gun hunting one night sitting on a field we had some does feeding across the field about 225-250 yards out & as soon as they hit our scent they stopped & went back into the woods. There was probably a 15ish mph wind that night. I realize it was an open field so it could travel farther but got me thinking how far away they can smell me in the woods.

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[Spysar]

That's a question that won't be answered until deer talk. However there are gonna be conditions that they can smell better than others.

Dry air is supposedly harder to smell in than moist air.

I'm certain we all get winded WAY more than we'll ever know. They will smell you and just leave, without blowing or a single sign they were ever there.

[dan]

Good question... Like spy said, I don't think anyone can give true answers, but we can discuss observations, and studys...
I have had deer wind me close and far, and there is definatly differing reactions. It seems to me that they appear to know where you are based on the wind current. I see far less panic reactions at longer distances.

One cool observation I would like to share... I was hunting in South Western Iowa opening weekend of bow season about 6 or 7 years ago and was walking down a railroad track that divided the property I was intending to hunt. A guy on a 4 wheeler came thru the woods and went right thru a bedding area and deer were running at me from the woods and were crossing the railroad tracks to get to the other side. It was windy, and the wind was blowing straight down the tracks. I saw a couple bucks, so I crouched down and prepared in case a shot presented itself. The deer were running full out, not trotting or sneaking. Most of them passed by up-wind of me with no reaction. But a few came by downwind of me and it was amazing to see deer running full out act like they hit a brick wall when they hit my scent stream, they spun around and ran back towards the 4 wheeler and slipped around him. I had never seen that before, but aparently they can even smell you when they are stressed and running.

The other thing I would like to share is something I read in a research paper documenting a study on bears. The researcher noted that one of the bears fresh out of hibernation hit a cross wind and turned sharply into the direction of the wind and went straight 10 miles to a road kill where he fed... I did some searching and found others who claimed simalar reports, but 2 to 5 miles. Based on that, I don't think there is a set distance. If your scent is in the wind stream there going to smell it. I do think there might be a break down or something in the scent which tells them your are close or far though.

[cornfedkiller]

I would guess as long as your scent molecules are traveling that far, they can smell you. Deer only need a few molecules of your scent to detect you.

What I meant by the first sentence above, is if you can float a piece of milkweed silk that far, Id say they can smell you - and I would guess your scent molecules travel though to air similar to milkweed. If you are out in the open, with the thermals right so they arent puling your scent downward, and a 15 mile per hr wind, 250 yards doesnt surprise me one bit.

[Zap]

Farthest I have seen a deer get my scent and react top it.....350 yards.
Good breeze that day.

[JV NC]

I know I've been winded @ 200yds.. I see it happen a couple times per season in one spot.

I've never paid attention to atmospheric conditions when it occurs. There's nothing in the world I could do about it.

[Black Squirrel]

Charlie Alshiemer, has said he has seen wild bucks from a quarter mile away react to does in heat in his deer pens. That being said, where I hunt in farmland, with houses scattered all around, the deer must be smelling humans most of the time. They must be able to distinguish threat or not, some how. There are times while hunting, that I can hear children playing or dogs barking, while watching deer. They seem to pay little attention, now I have no way of knowing if they can smell them, but they can obviously hear them.

[tim]

i dont know the answer to your question but i can say this, my sniffer sucks and at times i can smell things from a long ways off, so ill bet a deer can smell a very long ways off since this is how they survive.

[headgear]

Charlie Alshiemer, has said he has seen wild bucks from a quarter mile away react to does in heat in his deer pens. That being said, where I hunt in farmland, with houses scattered all around, the deer must be smelling humans most of the time. They must be able to distinguish threat or not, some how. There are times while hunting, that I can hear children playing or dogs barking, while watching deer. They seem to pay little attention, now I have no way of knowing if they can smell them, but they can obviously hear them.

I saw that one too, I suspect a quarter mile would be a minimum distance they can smell you. They can probably smell much further but I doubt they get too worked up about a hunter a half mile away so we might never see a reaction.

[Milk Weed Seed]

Charlie Alshiemer, has said he has seen wild bucks from a quarter mile away react to does in heat in his deer pens. That being said, where I hunt in farmland, with houses scattered all around, the deer must be smelling humans most of the time. They must be able to distinguish threat or not, some how. There are times while hunting, that I can hear children playing or dogs barking, while watching deer. They seem to pay little attention, now I have no way of knowing if they can smell them, but they can obviously hear them.

I would think they know which smells come from those houses. But a hunter in the woods between the houses is unusual and that's what gets their attention. I used to have a awesome spot in the suburbs, if you sat dead nuts in between the houses they would be about 100 yards from you in evey direction. The deer would walk the woods right behind these houses while people where outside and it didn't bother them, BUT if they got my scent GAME OVER..... Learned a west wind was the only wind to hunt there.... Killed a dump truck load of deer out of there

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[dan]

Charlie Alshiemer, has said he has seen wild bucks from a quarter mile away react to does in heat in his deer pens. That being said, where I hunt in farmland, with houses scattered all around, the deer must be smelling humans most of the time. They must be able to distinguish threat or not, some how. There are times while hunting, that I can hear children playing or dogs barking, while watching deer. They seem to pay little attention, now I have no way of knowing if they can smell them, but they can obviously hear them.

I would think they know which smells come from those houses. But a hunter in the woods between the houses is unusual and that's what gets their attention. I used to have a awesome spot in the suburbs, if you sat dead nuts in between the houses they would be about 100 yards from you in evey direction. The deer would walk the woods right behind these houses while people where outside and it didn't bother them, BUT if they got my scent GAME OVER..... Learned a west wind was the only wind to hunt there.... Killed a dump truck load of deer out of there

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Exactly... I have watched deer while people moved around in yards and all was well. But the minute the person entered the woods in the direction of the deer they would get nervous regardless of wether or not they could see the person.
It appears as if they can tell where your located by scent alone.
Ever get busted by a swirling wind ? The deer don't look downwind, they look straight in your general direction even though your upwind.

[addisonlee]

Interesting conversation and topic. I'd agree with the majority of observations everyone has posted here.

Although I've had fawn deer walk right up to my stand/blind with the wind in their face. Is that an exception?

[Milk Weed Seed]

Most likely the thermals we pulling your scent away from the fawns. Or the air current was different down below you.

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[KLEMZ]

I could smell the forest fire in the Boundry Waters last summer, I live over 500 miles from there! I'm sure deer are equipped to detect us from miles away if the scent molecules are carried to the deer.

Humans navigate with a 3D picture of our world via sight
Bats navigate with a 3D picture of their world via sound
I would assume deer have a 3D picture in their brain based on what they are smelling. I cannot remember a deer ever winding me and then mistakenly come towards me. Their nose/brain can process this info in ways we can only speculate.

From a hunting stand point, I think the closer they are to you when they smell you, the more exact a fix they have on your location. Personally, I try to be at least 400yrds away if i have to travel upwind of where i think deer are located. But thats not based on science, I'm just hoping the air currents don't acually make it to them, or that it's far enough they don't feel threatened. What else can you do?

[headgear]

Although I've had fawn deer walk right up to my stand/blind with the wind in their face. Is that an exception?

Young deer can be pretty dumb, I have had plenty of deer downwind of me with no scent control, they either don't pay any attention or obviously wind me and not care. Mostly fawns, and young bucks/does. On public land a 2.5 buck gets pretty freaked out but that might not be the case everywhere.