How long does ground scent linger?

[oldrank]

Twice this week ive had bucks hit my ground scent 2-3 hrs after i walked through. Both reacted in a negative manor. What r your experiences with this n how long do you think the scent will spook deer after u walk through? In one instance i had on my nikes.. The other rubber boots.

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[BassBoysLLP]

Indefinitely. It just reduces to non alarming levels. This is typically on the order of days.

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[Hauntedwaters]

I had my first run in with ground scent this year. Had two does blow, one big buck turn and trot off, and one little doe take off on a dead sprint. The reactions were so alarming I think it was maybe coyote scat/scent. It was near a watering hole. Thankfully it rained the next day.

I wondered the same thing you did, however. Good topic.

[DaveT1963]

There are many factors that effect how long. But it definitely does disperse

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[oldrank]

Intetesting point on the rain haunted.. But heres another small detail i left out. When the buck hit my rubber boots trail it had been raining steady for 2 hrs straight n he still bugged out.

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[stash59]

Animals with extreme scenting ability smell things better when it's damp out. That's why lion hunters out west love tracking after it rains or snows.

Yes eventually rain washes the scent out but it must have still been present in a high enough concentration to alarm them.

I've seen bucks follow estrus doe trails 24 hours later.

[Peeps22]

I also think ots very deer specific on how much they react to ground scent. Ive seen it where a nice buck crossed my access trail and had his nose down the whole time and never even skipped a beat. That same day another buck came cruising through and locked up on my trail and high tailed it outa there without even thinking twice.

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[Hodag Hunter]

Animals with extreme scenting ability smell things better when it's damp out. That's why lion hunters out west love tracking after it rains or snows.

Yes eventually rain washes the scent out but it must have still been present in a high enough concentration to alarm them.

I've seen bucks follow estrus doe trails 24 hours later.

Takes a lot if rain to diminish scent enough for deer not to be alarmed if you are in their comfort zone. How much time and rain is at least multiple days.

Cadaver dogs scent check lakes and rivers looking for bodies. This is while in a boat with open water and over ice in the winter.

Don't be fooled that rain will wash scent away quickly, as stated above, moisture will magnify scent.

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[Stanley]

I'll take a good dry windy day over calm damp rainy days. Your scent will dissipate way faster on dry windy day compared to a misty day. On a dry windy day your scent is not falling straight down to the ground for one. Think of it like this drop some flour on a windy day and it is distributed over a big area. Drop some flour on a wet misty no wind day and that flour goes straight to the ground and sticks like paste. Now once stuck to the ground the wind cant blow it away either so boom.

[dan]

Probably at least a week... Longer in some cases. Rain and wind break it down faster. I believe thru observation that deer can tell how old the scent is and that scent reduction really don't help much, they still can age it. Just this season, I have had deer freak out on scent that mostly in water wearing rubber boots, then, another deer fed directly down wind of me for over an hour crossing my ground scent several times and I was wearing my work boots and clothes... They all react differently, and by exactly where the scent is located based on where they expect it.

[dan]

Animals with extreme scenting ability smell things better when it's damp out. That's why lion hunters out west love tracking after it rains or snows.

Yes eventually rain washes the scent out but it must have still been present in a high enough concentration to alarm them.

I've seen bucks follow estrus doe trails 24 hours later.

Takes a lot if rain to diminish scent enough for deer not to be alarmed if you are in their comfort zone. How much time and rain is at least multiple days.

Cadaver dogs scent check lakes and rivers looking for bodies. This is while in a boat with open water and over ice in the winter.

Don't be fooled that rain will wash scent away quickly, as stated above, moisture will magnify scent.

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Sprinkles and light rain certainly it takes a lot... But, after heavy rains I have never seen deer react negatively to my scent... I would imagine there are variables, but long or heavy rains have worked well for me to get away with going into bedding areas and scouting, setting cameras, etc. with positive results.

[Wapiti]

I'll take a good dry windy day over calm damp rainy days. Your scent will dissipate way faster on dry windy day compared to a misty day. On a dry windy day your scent is not falling straight down to the ground for one. Think of it like this drop some flour on a windy day and it is distributed over a big area. Drop some flour on a wet misty no wind day and that flour goes straight to the ground and sticks like paste. Now once stuck to the ground the wind cant blow it away either so boom.

I had trail cam footage last summer of a doe hitting my ground sent and going ballistic after I had set the cam the day before. Within an hour of me setting the cam we had a ripper thunderstorm roll through dropping 1" plus of rain. That doe still reacted to the ground sent...

I'd much rather have very dry, low humidity, windy days for washing away sent, as Stanley and others have pointed out.

[Dewey]

On more than one occasion I have walked in during heavy rain wearing hip boots and head to toe rain gear thinking my scent would be washed away. I was wrong. 4-5 hours later when reaching my trail deer will still completely go on alert on my scent. I never believed in a free hunt or scout theory if it rains after witnessing this so many times. If anything the moisture makes your scent even more powerful like others have said.

[Stanley]

Deer can definitely age scent. Not too often do you see bucks go the the wrong way on an older hot doe trail. Even if they do it doesn't take long to correct and reverse travel. I have seen this may times over the years.

[ridgerunner8]

I once went to a Gene Wensel seminar and He said , if sit down here on the ground a deer will smell You at that spot for a week !