scenting conditions
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scenting conditions
i have ran bird dogs, coonhounds and beagles most of my life. there are days when they can smell game unreal and there are days when they cant smell a thing. have had great scenting conditions on frosty days and had poor scenting conditions on frosty days, same with rainy days. it has to affect a whitetails ability to smell also. i have seen these conditions go from bad to running game like they are tied to them in a matter of a hour. i dont know what causes this but have a theory. i think the air temp and ground temps vary so much that the scent seems to disipate. i wish i would have paid better attention to weather then. does any one know why this is?
- Stanley
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Re: scenting conditions
I like the way you think. I'm not sure but you may be on to something.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: scenting conditions
I sometimes wonder if deer or other animals have allergies too, like when we get stuffed up or a runny nose or something we can barely smell anything at all, I am sure that must happen to deer from time to time. I have also wondered if some deer just don't have the sense of smell, like my dad has no sense of smell whatsoever, and I think that might occasionally happen to deer every now and then.
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Re: scenting conditions
the only reason i posted my observations is to try to make people understand scent and scent control . guys always make believe that deer cant smell them with scent reduction products, when in fact they just dont get the fact that deer have days,and time of day that scent disapates. i pay attention to all animals that come in contact with where i walk in, coons,fox,coyotes. some days the react to my scent other days they dont smell me. i had a young buck one year come across my trail one morning and never gave any indication that he smelled me, the next morning when he came across my trail he acted like he ran into a electric fence. same deer just two different conditions. last year i watched 5 bucks trying to chase a doe, they ran all over the field trying to smell where she went,but were not able to sort the track out, had a mature buck standing ten yards from me, down wind on the trail i walked in on never give any sign that he smelled me while he watched these young bucks run around like fools.
- jlh42581
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Re: scenting conditions
from my days of running bird dogs I was a believer it had more to do with humidity than anything. dry winter air was never good for running the dog.
think about it like this though. you train your dog to travel into a cross wind so that he/she can smell other ground its not covering at that moment.
think about it like this though. you train your dog to travel into a cross wind so that he/she can smell other ground its not covering at that moment.
- HuntMeister
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Re: scenting conditions
Boy I wish I knew more about the scent game, IMHO this is the most important piece of the hunting puzzle.
I don't mean to get off subject here but, I have always wondered why deer seem to move about freely during the daytime when it is or has been lightly raining or misting? Is it because the rain has washed away all of the old scents that have accumulated over a period of days and now all of the smells are fresh and recent or is it because they can just smell so much better under these conditions? It seems to me that they lose out on their hearing advantage as I can now sneak up on them in these conditions. It also seems to me that maybe since the daylight conditions are overcast and or cloudy that they don't seem to see quite as well as again I seem to get away with more in the movement dept.
I absolutely love to hunt in light rain or misty conditions. Alot of guys I know will kill the alarm clock, pull the covers up and sleep in during these condition but not me.
I don't mean to get off subject here but, I have always wondered why deer seem to move about freely during the daytime when it is or has been lightly raining or misting? Is it because the rain has washed away all of the old scents that have accumulated over a period of days and now all of the smells are fresh and recent or is it because they can just smell so much better under these conditions? It seems to me that they lose out on their hearing advantage as I can now sneak up on them in these conditions. It also seems to me that maybe since the daylight conditions are overcast and or cloudy that they don't seem to see quite as well as again I seem to get away with more in the movement dept.
I absolutely love to hunt in light rain or misty conditions. Alot of guys I know will kill the alarm clock, pull the covers up and sleep in during these condition but not me.
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Re: scenting conditions
humidity has nothing to do with these conditions, have run my hounds on the hottest humid nights and it doesnt affect them. rainy conditions make the deer somewhat uncomfortable, and also makes them expend energy to stay warm . that is why you will see them on their feet feeding in the rain.
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Re: scenting conditions
Rainy misty days are fantastic during the rut because bucks have to move more and work harder to scent for a hot doe.... Great thread!!
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- jlh42581
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Re: scenting conditions
bonemonger wrote:humidity has nothing to do with these conditions, have run my hounds on the hottest humid nights and it doesnt affect them. rainy conditions make the deer somewhat uncomfortable, and also makes them expend energy to stay warm . that is why you will see them on their feet feeding in the rain.
You say it doesnt effect them. do you mean they do well, cause that was exactly my point. i bet they do better under those conditions than they do dry winter air. My dog did anyhow.
Deer see best at twilight so them not seeing as well on an overcast day is definitely not the case. Also, when it rains youll see if deer are in a scraping routine that they will hit those scrapes to freshen them. I have seen this even in summer.
- jlh42581
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Re: scenting conditions
appears that I am not the only person to run a bird dog that feels the same about humidity
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb. ... 1;t=106702
http://www.americanfalconry.com/pointing.html
lets also understand that humidity has nothing to do with it being really hot
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb. ... 1;t=106702
http://www.americanfalconry.com/pointing.html
lets also understand that humidity has nothing to do with it being really hot
- phade
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Re: scenting conditions
In pressured areas, I think mature bucks (and deer in general) learn real fast that there is less hunting pressure in rain. Face it, the casual hunter is not going to sit through a rainy day for the most part. Bucks learn this is a time they can move about during daylight without the overwhelming risk.
I also think rain confuses the senses to some degree, but I'm not fully sold on it allowing scent to be minimized or reduced (I'm talking the actual scent stream in the air...not what is left on the ground, woods, etc) - it certainly dispenses greater, but that's not necessarily a good thing.
A similar example would be turkeys in rain...they most often will head to a field...for bugs/food and also likely because they cannot hear as well in the woods, letting their eyesight manage safety in the open fields.
I also think rain confuses the senses to some degree, but I'm not fully sold on it allowing scent to be minimized or reduced (I'm talking the actual scent stream in the air...not what is left on the ground, woods, etc) - it certainly dispenses greater, but that's not necessarily a good thing.
A similar example would be turkeys in rain...they most often will head to a field...for bugs/food and also likely because they cannot hear as well in the woods, letting their eyesight manage safety in the open fields.
Last edited by phade on Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
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- Black Squirrel
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Re: scenting conditions
I am no expert, but I believe that high humidity allows deer to smell better. Deer are constanly licking their noses to keep them wet, so they can smell better. I assume there are alot of other factors that help or hinder a deer's ability to smell. I think like someone posted earlier; deer are all different, with different scenting abilities as well as different reactions to scents encounterd. Great topic.
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Re: scenting conditions
jlh42581 wrote:appears that I am not the only person to run a bird dog that feels the same about humidity
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb. ... 1;t=106702
http://www.americanfalconry.com/pointing.html
lets also understand that humidity has nothing to do with it being really hot
you dont seem to be able to understand what i am saying, there are days that are similar in conditions where scenting conditions vary, and its not related to humidty at all. i have run dogs 365 days a year and have seen days when the humidity is high and they cant smell and same conditions and they can. i have seen it change in a single day from good to bad or vice versa. when you have run the variety of dogs that i have in different conditions you might be able to understand what i am saying. in winter conditions i have seen scenting great one day at 0 degrees, on another day terrible till it warms up. these are the same thing deer face also and it affects their ablity to smell.
- jlh42581
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Re: scenting conditions
Youre the best, happy now? You come, ask for an opinion, I give you the opinion, with others that believe the same and you dont hear what you wanna hear... solid!
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Re: scenting conditions
jlh42581 wrote:Youre the best, happy now? You come, ask for an opinion, I give you the opinion, with others that believe the same and you dont hear what you wanna hear... solid!
i am sorry for that responce, i just think there is more to it than moisture or humidity, if all a deer had to do was lick his nose to smell then what i am trying to understand wouldnt occur. i know for a fact that deer are affected by these conditions the same as my dogs and believe that it has to do with the air temp and ground temps being different. i value everyones input ,its just somedays i dont have good people skills. Bob
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