Cover scents

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christian1
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Cover scents

Unread postby christian1 » Fri Sep 13, 2013 11:43 pm

Just to piggyback the other scent topic--does anyone use cover scent that helps? While we can't "hide" all of it, I do believe we can make our scent less obvious. Dogs roll in stuff all the time in order to attempt to cover their scent. Anyone using something that they think helps?

chris


BassBoysLLP
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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Fri Sep 13, 2013 11:51 pm

Nope. I do like to rake a shower and brush my teeth though.

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Brad
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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby Brad » Sat Sep 14, 2013 1:32 am

The only product I use for scent control is the free milkweed seeds. A deers nose can separate multiple smells all at the same time, there is no covering anything, a deer knows what you are. The deer may or may not react negatively but there is no hiding. Your scent.

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headgear
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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby headgear » Sat Sep 14, 2013 1:33 am

I don't bother, any mature deer will bust you outright. Young deer have ignored my scent anyway so there is no way to prove if its the scent or just a young/dumb deer.
dreaming bucks
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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby dreaming bucks » Sat Sep 14, 2013 1:38 am

I love this article that was in field and stream a while back...... to me, it says it all, if a dog can do this, a deer has a better nose yet.... click on the article, and then click on the magnifying glass to blow up where you can read it....

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14281&p=173746#p173746
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Stanley
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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby Stanley » Sat Sep 14, 2013 1:47 am

If you set up and hunt properly what good would a cover up scent do? We try and direct our human scent so it doesn't reach the bucks nose. You do this with a proper approach and wind direction. Once you understand how important this concept is you can throw away all the cover up scents, and concentrate on keeping your scent from reaching the bucks nose. Think of it like this a buck smells humans, like we smell a skunk. How much cover up scent would it take to cover up that skunk smell to a human?
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: Cover scents

Unread postby BuckyHunter13 » Sat Sep 14, 2013 2:27 am

Stanley wrote:If you set up and hunt properly what good would a cover up scent do? We try and direct our human scent so it doesn't reach the bucks nose. You do this with a proper approach and wind direction. Once you understand how important this concept is you can throw away all the cover up scents, and concentrate on keeping your scent from reaching the bucks nose. Think of it like this a buck smells humans, like we smell a skunk.[glow=red]How much cover up scent would it take to cover up that skunk smell to a human?[/glow]


Playing devil's advocate, and out of left field - Depends how similar it is to the 'skunk' smell. My girlfriend thinks she's smelling marijuana sometimes, when really it's a skunk. Or maybe vice versa. (Neither of us smoke, but never know with kids in the neighborhood I suppose.)

The real point being that maybe you can't 'cover' your scent, but perhaps you can put enough spin on it to buy an extra 30 seconds of confusion. I'd be more concerned about entry/exit routes or having a deer just off wind and catching a few mixed molecules. I have had a number of adult does follow my footsteps past my stand at 18 yards when using deer dander. 4-5 separate instances last year alone, usually 2.5-3.5 yr old deer turned a hard 90 degrees and walked on a rope nose to the ground from that stuff. Learned my lesson after putting it on my boots the first time and having a young deer walk to the base of my tree.

So again, play the wind and hunt smart, but deer dander seems subtle enough that you have little to lose by using it on occasion. At least that I can see.
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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby Brad » Sat Sep 14, 2013 3:05 am

I don't want to sound stubborn or set in my ways but scent control was the hardest thing for me to give up when finding this site. I thought I needed the products because everyone makes you think you do on any other forum. I went last year with zero scent control at all, just ministered the wind like no other, and I had the best year I've had with mature buck encounters. I think when you absolutely know you stink bad you leave nothing to chance as far as set up goes. Get rid of the crutch that's bringing you down and watch your success skyrocket.

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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby BuckyHunter13 » Sat Sep 14, 2013 3:27 am

And the previous step for me was that scent control made me more conscious of scent than when I was starting out. It was the first step of the learning curve, but to say "forget the wind" should perhaps be followed by "and the deer".
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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby MnHunter » Sat Sep 14, 2013 3:43 am

Play the wind and you shouldn't need a cover scent.

I do use basic scent control measures myself - But I do not go out of my way. I received a full Scent Lok suit for my birthday this year so I will be using that but before the suit I used every day camo and only hung my clothes outside a few days before I planned on hunting.
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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby MOBIGBUCKS » Sat Sep 14, 2013 3:55 am

I remember one of the first good bucks I shot back in the day using a cover scent....It was called "Rack-Coon" :lol: I really thought I was on to something and went around smelling like coon urine for a couple season! :lol: Years later, I realized deer can discern atleast 26 different smells at once. That fact alone is why I don't use cover scents or scent control. ;)
christian1
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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby christian1 » Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:24 am

I have a few responses that are worthy of some thought:

1. "Play the wind"---Yep, but who hasn't had a deer show up out of nowhere when you least expected it? Let's not be so naive to think that just because we have this buck bed thing figured out that we couldn't be surprised by a different deer.

2. The dog article---Dogs trained to find humans aren't deer. I see the point, but I doubt we know as much about any of this as we would like to think. Making assumptions seems futile. Since no one has actually smelled what deer smell like, how are we making these statements?

I don't have a horse in the race so I don't care either way. Seems that people fall on one side of the fence or the other. Looking for some solid facts to make a decision.

chris
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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby dan » Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:43 am

Most hunters don't understand the science behind a deers sense of smell... They compare it to there own and thats why they think they can fool it... Truth is, deer smell millions of times better than us and thats something that can't be compared in anyway to us. Like comparing a completely blind mans sight to ours...
Deer have an organ in there nose called a vomernasal organ that is capable of separating odors. They can literally smell multiple odors at once regardless of the scents strength. For example, we smell apple pie, a deer smells apples, brown suger, eggs, flour, etc...

You can't fool a deers nose, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you can start doing everything you can to keep your scent from reaching a deers nose... Don't fall into the sponsor advertising crap about scent control. Science prooves its false every time.
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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby xpauliber » Sat Sep 14, 2013 5:13 am

Brad wrote:I don't want to sound stubborn or set in my ways but scent control was the hardest thing for me to give up when finding this site. I thought I needed the products because everyone makes you think you do on any other forum. I went last year with zero scent control at all, just ministered the wind like no other, and I had the best year I've had with mature buck encounters. I think when you absolutely know you stink bad you leave nothing to chance as far as set up goes. Get rid of the crutch that's bringing you down and watch your success skyrocket.

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I have to agree 100% here. I also can't describe how liberating it is to get out and hunt and have fun! I was so paranoid about being "scent free" that I bought Elimitrax, I would wear different clothes in my truck to drive to my spot, then get out and completely change into my scentlok clothing. I even started taking tablets that they give patients in nursing homes to reduce the smell of urine and body odor AND I WAS STILL GETTING WINDED BY MATURE DEER!!!!

Last year, I completely gave up the notion that I could be scent free and I've been living free ever since. haha I guess I was just as hardcore as I am now, I was only directing my efforts in the wrong places. Now I worry about the wind, my entry/exits, and being mobile.
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Re: Cover scents

Unread postby MnHunter » Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:22 am

xpauliber wrote:
Brad wrote:I don't want to sound stubborn or set in my ways but scent control was the hardest thing for me to give up when finding this site. I thought I needed the products because everyone makes you think you do on any other forum. I went last year with zero scent control at all, just ministered the wind like no other, and I had the best year I've had with mature buck encounters. I think when you absolutely know you stink bad you leave nothing to chance as far as set up goes. Get rid of the crutch that's bringing you down and watch your success skyrocket.

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I have to agree 100% here. I also can't describe how liberating it is to get out and hunt and have fun! I was so paranoid about being "scent free" that I bought Elimitrax, I would wear different clothes in my truck to drive to my spot, then get out and completely change into my scentlok clothing. I even started taking tablets that they give patients in nursing homes to reduce the smell of urine and body odor AND I WAS STILL GETTING WINDED BY MATURE DEER!!!!

Last year, I completely gave up the notion that I could be scent free and I've been living free ever since. haha I guess I was just as hardcore as I am now, I was only directing my efforts in the wrong places. Now I worry about the wind, my entry/exits, and being mobile.


Such a great point.

You see it happen everywhere - The hunter is so focused on the finer aspects of taking an animal such as scent control, latest/greatest equipment, etc that it seems like its not actually about the hunt anymore.

Too often people are more focused on the material things than just being in the woods and enjoying a hunt.


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