Scent - human or not?

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Schultzy
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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby Schultzy » Mon Dec 05, 2011 4:58 pm

Hodag Hunter wrote:I thought bear could smell better than deer? Can't remember where I read that????

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I've always thought that too but just based off of my own experiences.


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Schultzy
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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby Schultzy » Mon Dec 05, 2011 5:00 pm

I also agree with Stanley and Dans points they made. You can't cover a humans scent or mask It. It's either their or It Isn't.

Great Info Dan with the cat too. A predator they are, just like us.
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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby JV NC » Mon Dec 05, 2011 5:36 pm

I read a study on bears ( deer can smell better than bears )


I always (never hunted them) heard bears sense of smell was CONSIDERABLY better than a whitetail's???? I've even read their olfactory system is the best of ANY mammal.
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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby dan » Mon Dec 05, 2011 9:43 pm

I will have to check on bears sense of smell, I could be wrong, but I thought I read it was simalar to a dogs.
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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby JV NC » Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:06 pm

Heck....I could be wrong, too. It just stuck in my head (what I thought I read), though.

Either way....they're both GREAT :shock:

Reminds me of going to my buddy's land up in VA/WV. They have 2,400ac. up there.....and a rustic old house on one side of the mountain. They have running water....but no indoor toilet. Yep. Outhouse.

So, to combat the "aroma", he pours a bottle of Pine-Sol down the hole when he arrives. He asked me one year if it smelled good. I said.....it smells like somebody pooped a Christmas tree.

Deer smell everything.
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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby kenn1320 » Tue Dec 06, 2011 1:07 am

What about vultures? Don't they smell rotting flesh from a long ways off? I know this is a bit off topic, but does anybody have any knowledge of how those birds find food?
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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby Black Squirrel » Tue Dec 06, 2011 4:48 am

One time this fall while on the stand, the neighbor was combing corn in a field, on the opposite ridge I was sitting on. he was probably 1/3 of a mile away. I was down wind of him, and could smell the diesel exhust from the combine. It got me to thinking that a deer could probably smell the operator as well. I had a doe and two year and a half bucks up wind of me, and down wind of the combine. I was sitting over a water hole. These young deer should no concern, an older deer who knows. Just food for thought.
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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby GRUD » Wed Dec 07, 2011 7:07 am

Great thread. I have hunted hogs several times and think they can smell you like 7 miles away. Combined with their intelligence they can be tough.

One other thing about deer smelling humans, a hunter who gets excited as a deer is headed his way, has a chemistry change in his body. Adrenalin flows and I believe this is detectable by a deer, hence they know when you are a threat.

You have heard a dog can smell fear, I believe this is actually true and similar to what I described above.

Nerological studies of the brain show that all kinds of chemicals are released into our bodies with different emotions and thoughts. Example: laughter will release good stuff, fear releases adreanilin for fight or flight response, worry releases a whole different set.

My point is, you better have the wind because that deer will smell what you are thinking.

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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby addisonlee » Wed Dec 07, 2011 7:27 am

Very interesting topic here guys. Makes for a good read.
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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby jlh42581 » Wed Dec 07, 2011 8:23 am

I just saw on my local news this morning this kid who has a dog that can smell the sugar level in her blood. She has severe diabetes. The dog alerts caretaker(mom or teacher) when the childs blood should be checked. If a dog can figure that out and they dont smell as good as deer. It really made me cock my head for a second.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/0 ... 19830.html
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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby Beauford » Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:22 am

love this topic - and I don't want to smell like cow chit for the record
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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby dan » Sat Jun 22, 2013 11:13 pm

Mike wrote:This doesn't answer any specific questions but I do find it interesting that it seems native americans practiced scent control

From a paragraph entitled Ishi's method of hunting:

"Having decided these and other questions,
he prepared for the hunt. He would eat no
fish the day before the hunt, and smoke no
tobacco, for these odors are detected a great
way off. He rose early, bathed in the creek,
rubbed himself with the aromatic leaves of
yerba buena, washed out his mouth, drank
water, but ate no food. Dressed in a loin
cloth, but without shirt, leggings or moccasins,
he set out, bow and quiver at his side. He
said that clothing made too much noise in the
brush, and naturally one is more cautious in
his movements when reminded by his sensitive
hide that he is touching a sharp twig."

Full text at:
http://escholarship.org/uc/item/02r6j5s0



From my understanding native americans also did dances and carried lucky stones with them to have greater luck with killing deer... Just cause an indian long ago believed something, or did a ritual don't mean that is why he was a good killer. I am part Menomonee by the way :D
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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby Stanley » Sun Jun 23, 2013 9:01 am

magicman54494 wrote:
Singing Bridge wrote: There are so many variables that it makes it fun to hypothesize.

The preceding is strictly a matter of my opinion, and in no way reflects the ideologies of fellow Beasts.


I agree. I would also like to add that this is a unique site because everyone is allowed to voice their opinions without fights breaking out like on other sites. I don't always agree with everything but that doesn't make me right. We all experience different things in the woods and it's fun to learn from everyones experiences.

Great point We are all individuals so there should be some dissimilar ideas among us. I don't expect everyone to agree with me. One guy keeps his gun oiled and cased the other guy uses his gun for a canoe paddle. ;) :lol: Both have their idea on how a gun should be treated.
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: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby Dhurtubise » Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:37 am

This last couple days, some awesome older threads have been popping up. As a new member, I want to thank those who are bringing them back to life. Some of the best information being on the forefront of the page!

This was a great read.


Daniel.

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Re: Scent - human or not?

Unread postby JoeRE » Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:59 am

The scientific community seems to agree that the bear has the best sense of smell for land animals anyway. Polar bears have been documented to smell seals through several feet of sea ice and black bears can scent a road kill many miles upwind. Deer cannot smell nearly that good but they are far closer to bears than a human nose so its a decent comparison IMO.

I have had deer smell me at 300 yards. I also have had a couple deer walk right through my scent stream at 20 yards and not twitch. Not sure if there is that big of a variation in deer noses or the ones that were close to me were just dumb. I agree it is a learned trait but I also think all predators smell similar (not the same, just similar based on meat eating), so they don't necessarily need to have smelled a human before to be scared.

People with really bad B.O. take chlorophyll tablets to minimize it.


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