Dans hunt and scent control

[Mike]

I thought it was interesting reading that 5 bucks crossed your path and none reacted. To me this is an argument for scent control, I'll explain why (doesn't prove a thing but it makes me make some assumptions). I assume the reason they didn't react is because the amount of scent you left passing thru wasn't enough to alarm them at this time of year (probably because of the rut.) I assume a tracking dog coming thru would have smelled you and followed you up to the tree, that's why the dog analogy means little IMO. Also assume if you would have army crawled up the hill or barrell rolled with your shirt off I bet the bucks that crossed your path wouldn't have ignored it, so leaving lesser amounts of scent can lead to a more relaxed deer, and potentially a better hunt outcome.

I still don't think its the end all answer to anything, and isn't needed (depending on your hunting style/property) but can have some usefulness in the right situations.

Anyway, thought I would throw it out to think about.

[Stanley]

Some ask why some deer aren't alarmed by the smell of rubber boots. In ag country especially, deer come in contact with rubber smells every day of their lives and lots of it. So the smell of rubber boots can be unalarming to some deer. Also remember, if your pant legs are tucked into your boots you are not spewing scent onto the ground on every step. So a buck comes across a rubber smell on the ground he could easily have no reaction. I have observed this many times. Now the guy wearing rubber boots walks through tall grass, human scent is placed at nose level for the buck to smell, busted. I think Myles Keller experimented with an all rubber suit. It was too hot and caused extra sweating so scent containment was minimal at best.

[dan]

Mike, this was the same type of reaction I get in the non-rut time frame. Every now and then they react, some times they do, some times they don't... Where the scent is located seems to be more important. They react a lot harsher to scent near a bedding area, and often accept scent in areas where they somewhat expect it.
Don't let the "no reaction" comment make you think they did not notice the scent either, cause I am quite sure those bucks were going thru that funnel on a routine back to there bedding area, and you can guess where I was the next morning and not a one of them came back thru. Thats a pretty typical reaction for me when I am not close to bedding. However, I would of kind of expected at least one of them to come back thru the next morning, it might be that I spent even more time and scent tracking the one hit in the spine though...

[dreaming bucks]

I think this time of year, the scent thing is very unpredictable...... heck, when I was filling up my waterhole last weekend, I had a 2 or 3 year old 8 pointer stand and watch me fill them up from only 10 to 15 yards away, just sat there and watched me. I think they are just kind of stupid this time of year. I had another 9 pointer walk right on my entrance trail Sunday, he never even blinked..... They are just different animals right now, or at least, that's the way I see it.

[Buxnbaas]

I believe mostly in scent control, let me explain my position. Ive hunted about 15 years now in some of the greatest deer states around. I started here in se wisc, hunted 3 years in western ky, in pennyrile state forest, Land between the Lakes, Fort Cambell military base, and 160 acres of private hardwood ridges. Now Im back in se wisc again on 20+ acres of private, and I hunt a handful of areas of the Kettle Moraine SState Forest. In all my years of hunting without scent control clothing or boots, wearing only recycled camo from friends and relatives, and leather hiking boots, I saw less deer than I need one hand to count. That portion of the 15yrs is the first 9yrs. The very first hunt after buying cheap 20 dollar rubber boots from Farm nFleet I shot a deer. The very next hunt I shot a deer. ect ect. Opening day last year I got in my stand at 6:35am and shot a buck at 6:55am. Now I am not going to tell you I see deer every hunt. My property is unfortunately a travel route that is mostly used at night,and not every night due to the abundance of farmfeilds in the area. I do believe rubber boots matter, Im hung on Scentlock. I have the full coveralls, gloves and Ninja style headcover, but I can't say it has increased my sightings any.

So anyhow just my 2 cents. If you feel like you gotta spend some money, get good warm boots made of rubber, skip the scentlock, and take a scent free shower before you go. I doubt deer feel the same way about Old Spice body wash that you might :)

[adrenalin]

There are so many variables in all the scent control situations that people expierence it will be a never ending discusion. Ive had deer react both ways in an endless amount of situations. One thing I know is if I focus my efforts on my entry route having the least negative impact on my hunt and always making sure the wind is in my favor I am more sucessfull. Honestly the time money and effort involved in a product that will help out in a few select situations is not enough to gamble a hunt on in my opinion. The season goes by pretty fast and sometimes it takes a long time to get that opportunity you are waiting for its just not worth the risk. The longer you use your brain and skills to slip in stealth mode to your spot the better your results will be. Having the mind set that you MUST do everything right or game over will put more bucks on your wall. I think thats the difference between being a hunter and a predator.

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[dan]

There are so many variables in all the scent control situations that people expierence it will be a never ending discusion. Ive had deer react both ways in an endless amount of situations. One thing I know is if I focus my efforts on my entry route having the least negative impact on my hunt and always making sure the wind is in my favor I am more sucessfull. Honestly the time money and effort involved in a product that will help out in a few select situations is not enough to gamble a hunt on in my opinion. The season goes by pretty fast and sometimes it takes a long time to get that opportunity you are waiting for its just not worth the risk. The longer you use your brain and skills to slip in stealth mode to your spot the better your results will be. Having the mind set that you MUST do everything right or game over will put more bucks on your wall. I think thats the difference between being a hunter and a predator.

[ Post made via Android ]

Well said...

[dan]

I assume a tracking dog coming thru would have smelled you and followed you up to the tree, that's why the dog analogy means little IMO.

Reaction to scent by a dog is different to reaction to scent with a deer... However, since we know a deer can smell a lot better than a dog, knowing what situations a dog can smell you, locate you, track you, or smell you better, can certainly tell you if deer can or cannot smell you. And scientific tests that are done under controls that have the guy head to toe wrapped up in scent-loc, sprayed down in bacteria killing agents, wearing rubber boots, gloves, covering hair and mouth and always being found quicker tracking on his personal human scent, should be a huge eye opener for anyone who thinks scent control works... Not knocking anyone for trying, just saying the evidence don't stack up.

[Mike]

I agree the reaction to scent by a dog is different to reaction to scent with a deer, and that is a key point.

For me, the definition of scent control working is whether or not a deer reacts to scent, not whether or not it can smell it. Since dogs and deer react differently to scent, the dog trials only show whether the deer has the ability to smell something, not how they react, which is what is important when hunting. So the evidence doesn't apply to whats important.

If your definition of scent control is 100% no scent, then the trials mean something.

Fooling the nose of 5 bucks in one day is pretty significant knowing they all could smell something, so why didn't they react? I think its worth exploring why, there may some killer spots thought unhuntable that can be accessed by exploiting this if any info or tactics can be produced through examining it. Or the possibililty of hunting certain areas repeatedly, and are bridges really burned necessarily by going thru an area?

[dan]

Interesting way of looking at it Mike... I do attempt to try and achieve zero scent by wind and access, but sometimes thats impossible. Clean, or not clean, scent control, or no control, I have not seen much difference, and I have hunted with people, or at places where everyone uses scent control.
I am convinced, it has more to do with where the scent is laid down. If its in an area deer accept some human scent, if it crosses the trail rather than walking the same trail as the deer, etc...

As far as the dog goes, if he is finding the scent from the controlled person faster, and following it easier, to me, that says a deer will smell it easier... Reaction will vary from deer for many reasons. Some of my variables were rut, how far from the bedding area I was, and crossing the trails without lingering on them.
It would of been interesting to see how a doe reacted on the same scent, considering they are on more edge at this time of year.

It is interesting to note, that the bucks I seen "showed" no reaction, but none of them came back thru in similar circumstances the next morning.

[Brandon]

scent is weird.... i have a buddy who makes fun of me for "only going 20 feet" yet i NEVER get winded, and his fat gets winded every single time and he climbs 30 in his climber.

i cant remeber the last time I was winded, and I had numerous deer come down wind the other day... I atribute it to LUCK. but I have no idea why?

[Edcyclopedia]

I don't believe it's all about the human scent that effects the deer and / or dogs...

Ground disturbance (in general) can be a key factor - this tips their nose off and they will go into alarm trying to fing its source.

A human weighing 200 pounds disturbs the ground differently (uprooting dirt, vegetation, etc) than a mere squirrel (as a dramatic example).
The animal will find human scent if scattered around their presence, without a doubt, by default.
I also believe if the animal feels the scent is close enough it will send them into an alarm, likely peeling out of their skin and / or slither out trying to find safety.
Hence the importance of not burning your hunting spots out along with the neccessity of good entrance/exit routes...

They know somethings wrong or out of place - period! They are creatures of detail...

Some anaimals are trained better than others from birth by their matriarch and that's another big factor.

[Chasman]

My Muck boots were wet last week so I put on some leather lace ups boots thinking not a big deal if I play the wind. I kept wearing other boots a little warmer more support for long walks, thinking nothing of it. Well last night I walked through a picked cornfield directly to the tree I was going to set up in. Just get settled in a yearling comes out. Glad night was getting started already. She walked field edge and stopped when she hit where I walked. Froze up, her casual state went to looking and wondering where I was. This is the first time I hunted here all year! I don't think anyone else has either, private land. She started to follow my track into woodline for a bit cautious the entire time.

If a yearling does this, how are bucks ever shot?? I know for one my Muck boots are going back on.

[JoeRE]

I have noticed a significant difference in the few times I have worn leather boots versus my normal rubber boots and watched deer hit that trail. Rubber boots rarely spook the deer, but some do detect it, it just doesn't seem to effect their behavior.

I agree there are just way to many variables to zero in on how/what deer might react to just an entry trail.

Footwear where the footwear was worn before
how much tall grass/brush rubs against your body while passing
How much the rest of your body smells and what it smells like
Humidity and temperature and what you are walking on.
How familiar any given deer is with the area, and typical scents in the area, and how well that deer can smell and how 'wise' that deer is.
I think thats just the tip of the iceberg too.

I will say I have personally smelled the fabric softener in other hunters clothes before I even saw then on several occasions. If I can do that, every deer down wind of you for maybe 500 yards is laughing at you. On the other hand, this year I have reduced the scent on my body and clothes to a bare minimum. I use unscented shampoo, soap, lotion, deodorant, scent eliminating gum, wash my clothes every other hunt in baking soda, sterilize the inside of my rubber boots and my bow that I have been shooting all summer with sweaty hands, the whole 9 yards. I probably had about 20 deer in my scent stream in 16 bowhunts this year according to my journal, most of them noted my scent but less than half changed their direction of travel and only 2 or 3 snorted and blew out of there. That was a success to me. I am very careful about the wind too. Short of hunting in a plastic bubble you will never be able to ignore the wind in my opinion. For several years before that I had gone to no scent control, washing my clothes only when I thought they stunk etc and it was a rare deer that didn't turn inside out when it hit my scent stream.

That really doesn't mean that much though, its still the best practice to hunt the wind. Is what I did this year worth the hassle? I don't know, it was a pain and hunting is about enjoyment to me.

[Mike]

A strategy I have been using lately successfully does involve counting on crossing areas where there is a high possibility of something crossing my entry trail to get to a stand position that is wind safe and in the right spot to get a shot at a big buck. For years I would work up to the edge of areas where nothing would cross my entry and I would see a lot of bucks but not get them in range. Clean boots, body and entry trails have been very successful for me in these areas and situations.

Example from this year, I have a stand over a waterhole/feeding area where deer would come out to feed in the shadows 60 to 80 yards out, does would come in to drink but the bucks would generally hang out and come in to drink after shooting hours. I have moved from the safe edge out to spots in range of where the bucks appear in daylight, I have to pass by the water hole and walk through the plot a bit, or cross the field entirely depending on wind direction. You have to get picked up after dark generally by atv to avoid blowing the field out and giving away your stand position. This strategy has produced 4 mature bucks encounters in range and 1 just out of range this year alone, and this area has been hunted probably 15 times this season.