From Work to Play

[magicman54494]

is there a serious belief around here that a shower doesn't eliminate some of the scent??

I never remember anyone saying that a shower doesn't eliminate some of your odor.

. . What I'm saying is there are ways to mitigate the aroma between strong and less strong.

Less strong just doesn't work in hunting mature bucks IMO.

What you have is a whole smorgisboard of stink - so if their not afraid of one smell, maybe it's one of the many others. Take a shower, eliminate the effect of a few of those and maybe you'll be less detectable... Just saying. Go into it with that mentality and it just may raise your confidence and help you stay on your game.

Then why don't you worry about the scent that your hunting clothes pick up in a public shower area and in your car?
Everyone has their own believes when it comes to scent and hunting. I believe that if you believe in scent control you should go all out and do everything possible to totally eliminate every scent or it makes no sense. In your example you traded your sweat and aftershave for every scented product used in the shower area by everyone else. What about the towel you use to dry off with? Is it yours? Was it washed in nice smelling detergent? Was it dried with smelly dryer sheets? In the end you should do what you think works for you. If you think a shower makes a difference in the end result then you should shower.

[dan]

1st off... I don't believe deer are afraid of perfume, gasoline, or other foreign odors. If they were they would not walk right up to machinery, trucks, ATV's and backyards... I do believe they take notice to those scents because they are different. They may even be cautious to those scents. But its the human scent that spooks them, or dog, yote, wolf, or other predator.
I have watched a few experiments with scent eliminating products and clothes and have yet to see one single experiment that shows any advantage to scent control. At least not in down wind scent control.
There is a video posted in another topic of a guy who showers down and wears full scent loc. A blood hound runs right down his trail strait to him.
Try this, take your shower have your wife hold your dog in the house, look at the dog and say "come on boy, wanna go for a walk?
Go out the door whistling for him to come with while your wife holds him back... Run a straight line cross wind 100 yards from the house stop and yell for the dog one more time, then turn and run into the wind 50 yards and then turn and run 50 yards towards the house stop and hide. Drop a couple fluffys and make sure your scent stream is staying at ground level and not rising, have your wife release the dog.
I have done it... He will follow your scent trail and will stop mid stride directly where your fluffy crossed your ground scent and the dog will turn and run straight to you. That is unless your dog is retarded.
You cannot beat there nose. Dirty or clean, they will smell you and know approximately how far away you are.
I am not saying cleaner ain't better... I am saying it might make a difference in one in 1000 deer... I am saying you will get more opportunities by spending the extra time hunting than what you would gain by deer not smelling you.

[dan]

The worse thing about scent control is it gives people false confidence that they can cheat the wind, those people do damage to there hunting cause of those beliefs.

[Mountain Man]

The worse thing about scent control is it gives people false confidence that they can cheat the wind, those people do damage to there hunting cause of those beliefs.

You mean like the slogan "Forget the wind. Just hunt."

[dan]

The worse thing about scent control is it gives people false confidence that they can cheat the wind, those people do damage to there hunting cause of those beliefs.

You mean like the slogan "Forget the wind. Just hunt."

Thats exactly what I mean!

[Singing Bridge]

If I'm going to hunt one of those "overlooked" buck bedding areas that isn't too far back, I much prefer to shower after work before I hunt. I feel better about myself and enjoy the hunt more, I also believe I'm more alert because of it. It has nothing to do with whether or not the buck will smell me. The exception to this is if I honestly believe that extra fifteen minutes is going to impact my hunt that day, maybe it's too close to dark.

If I'm going to bust cedar swamp for a mile to get on stand a shower seems pointless.

[magicman54494]

1st off... I don't believe deer are afraid of perfume, gasoline, or other foreign odors. If they were they would not walk right up to machinery, trucks, ATV's and backyards... I do believe they take notice to those scents because they are different. They may even be cautious to those scents. But its the human scent that spooks them, or dog, yote, wolf, or other predator.

I believe that it's the past experience associated with the scent that dictates the reaction. Deer are not naturally scared of people or dogs. Deer can be tamed and I even have gotten within a few feet of wild deer who are used to being near people. Fawns are very curious and investigate all new scents. A deer's reaction to scent is learned.

[WiBowhuntress]

PS: Bowhuntress, are they hiring by you?

[dan]

Interesting concept Magicman... But if true, why do deer in remote areas with major predators freak out worse on rare human scent than deer in the pounded public marshes by my home?
I think fawns are stupid and don't fear much of anything but there is a certain smell a predator gives off ( people being included ) that deer learn to fear... Deer that are hunted.

[lungbuster]

Beating this issue to death........I don't think you will ever fool a deer, elk, bear or any other animals nose without being in an airtight bubble, but if showering and scent "control" gives you confidence then more power to you. I have gone down the whole scent blocker road and I don't even use spray anymore, it just never made any difference to the number of deer I saw or did not see in stand (this was while i did not smoke), so i figured why waste the time and money on gimmicks when I can just use the wind to my advantage and be more successful.

[GRUD]

I've tried the scent control like many others and it didnt seem to make much difference. That deer is still going to smell you if the wind is wrong. I have much more confidence, and hunting is a lot more fun just using the wind. Granted, I always watch how I walk in and never walk anywhere that a deer will cross my entry path before I can shoot him. It is a great feeling to see that deer coming and know he cannot smell you because you've got the wind. I've killed my three biggest deer with no scent control at all except the wind. And I always see the scenario played out on these TV shows where the hunter is completely dressed in stench lock or whatever showered sprayed etc. hunting unpressered deer, and the deer catches his wind.

A couple years back I was hunting Grant co Wis, and blew a fuel line while driving up and all of my gear stank like diesel. No problem, I smelled like a tractor but I had the wind, killed two great bucks.

The wind is my friend, it is free, it allows me to not shower, eat whatever I like on stand, have bad breath, fart as much as I want, urinate out of my stand (downwind of course), stay up late around the campfire, and still kill that deer.

[magicman54494]

Interesting concept Magicman... But if true, why do deer in remote areas with major predators freak out worse on rare human scent than deer in the pounded public marshes by my home?
I think fawns are stupid and don't fear much of anything but there is a certain smell a predator gives off ( people being included ) that deer learn to fear... Deer that are hunted.

[quote="magicman54494]
I believe that it's the past experience associated with the scent that dictates the reaction. Deer are not naturally scared of people or dogs. Deer can be tamed and I even have gotten within a few feet of wild deer who are used to being near people. Fawns are very curious and investigate all new scents. A deer's reaction to scent is learned.[/quote]

[virginiashadow]

I used to go from work to the woods before my current job (12 hour shifts don't allow me to hunt after work now). I would change out all my clothes by literally stripping down and putting on my hunting clothes. For some reason I have confidence in rubbing moss growing on trees on my hunting clothes on my hats, underarms, and groin. That was my orginal cover scent, moss. I still rub it on some days, I just like the smell and it is nostalgic.

[Arrowbender]

Many good points being made.
My experience has taught me that wind is king.
I also follow a strict cleanliness regime. I use carbon and silver lined clothing, not for downwind deer but for trail crossing deer (always try to only tread where they won't but they don't always get the script)and those deer that wonder my area after hours.
I can only assume that a deers nose works on a "parts per million" type detection. If the hunters body is scrubbed clean of a days worth of dead skin cells and he puts on a freshly laundered carbon filter, with rubber boots and clean gloves; that hunter will leave behind less "PPM" of human scent than the "dirty guy".
Now if your hunting heavy pressured tracts it is probably less noticable because you never know what has stunk up the area prior to you arrival/ departure. I can only relate what I have experienced. You CAN control the amount of scent left behind.
Eliminate your scent? Nope !
Get it to a point of tolerance? I think so.
Can you over hunt a small tract ? For sure, but I can sure stretch it out.

[Sam Ubl]

Okay Magic and Dan, I'm going to try your suggestion, but if I notice I'm getting winded more than I ever had in the past, I'm blaming it on you

Seriously, I'm taking in what you guys are saying - it's not exactly the easiest thing in the world to try and change the opinion or ways of a mans approach to his hunting world that's been practiced for 17 years... BUT, I digress, I will try to open up to the idea that you just can't beat the wind. That said, I WILL be less confident trying something new, but then again, how do you think I learned musky bite top water in 90 feet of water?? Worthy argument/conversation - thanks boys, I'll see what I learn, after all, that's the point, right?