Scent smoker

[Brad]

I have seen this theory in use for a few years now and always just wrote off all the claims of how great it works the same as I do with all other scent control methods, deer not truly being in the scent stream etc. I was driving home from work one evening near where I hunt and I saw several farms and houses with the outdoor wood stoves and I noticed on that particular evening the smoke from the stoves was just hanging in the valleys for miles, as far as you could see, like a fog almost. That got me to thinking about the scent smoker theory again and I did some research. I was intrigued and but still more skeptical , as I had abandoned all forms of scent control 3 years ago and do nothing but play the wind.

The problem I ran into was not so much with bucks, but with non target deer busting me. On one particular hunt this year I was in the treesaddle and got winded from 3 different deer all in different directions, and none were downwind of where my scent was supposed to be going due to swirls. I read through pages and pages and thought well if nothing else, its free to try just by using sticks and leaves etc so using smoke as a marketing device isnt making the folks that sell it much money, as its only a bee smoker. I decided to try it, but to still hunt the exact same as I have been, and treating it like it wasnt there. I decided to do this like a mythbuster type thing where I am going at it with the attitude that it wont work and I want to prove it by using milkweed seeds and filming deer reactions. It cost me 20 bucks and 3 bucks for some hickory chips. I used it for the first time on Friday and it only took a few minutes to do my outer clothes and bow and stand.

I set up about 30-35 foot up in a tall cherry tree for my hunt expecting it to be slow until evening. The wind was out of the southwest. I checked it periodically with the milkweed seeds and it was pretty much staying the course and the thermals were working, most of the time the seeds would go straight up until they hit the predominant wind and then they would blow down the valley behind me, perfect for the set up. There were a few times where the wind carried the seeds up the hill and to the right and another where it was up and to the left. I do not know if this was because I was just below the thermal tunnel or if it was a vaccume effect based on topography. Anyway long story short I killed a nice buck that came from the direction the wind blew into a few times. I do not think it was when he came in as the wind was staying pretty much as forcasted. I went to go get my arrow and I found all kinds of my milkweed seeds littered on the ground by where i shot him so I thought that was odd.

Anyway I still do not think it works and will keep trying to dismiss it and all other scent control methods, but I thought it was interesting. I figure its a fun experiment that cant hurt because i already expect any deer to wind me thats downwind as I don't do any scent free showers or anything like that because I never had them help in the past. On the bad side I was hungry for deer jerky all day and I was always on alert for sasquatch coming in for some jerky!

[E72]

I've been using it since 2007 or so. I have had more positive reactions from downwind deer than negative and that beats the normal routine of trying to be "scent free ". Works well for me so I continue to use it . BTW I still try and shower with scent free soap and wash all clothes with baking soda , preseason . I just want to smell like smoke , not soap perfumes if I can help it . My take on it ; Hunting the right wind is always your best bet but I'm going to use smoke to help out when it's not. Good job on the buck ! Congrats !

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[JakeJD]

I've been using it since 2007 or so. I have had more positive reactions from downwind deer than negative and that beats the normal routine of trying to be "scent free ". Works well for me so I continue to use it .

I gave a Scent Smoker an honest effort for one season. My experiences did not warrant the additional effort and hassle:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10200&hilit=smoker

Regardless of whether the smoke kills enough bacteria to reduce body odor, a human still reaks of predator scent:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12373

[crankn101]

I haven't used smoke enough to form a rock solid opinion, but I can say I haven't had any negative responses so far.