How long will scent linger?

[WV Bowhunter]

I've read where a persons ground scent will last for days or weeks depending on conditions. However I've never understood how long scent a person leaves in the air will last. If my scent blows at a trail and lands on the ground or leaves, how long will a deer be able to smell it? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Is it even possible for airborne scent to last once it is no longer in the air?

[Jdw]

I hunted a stand early season last year. It was supposed to be a just offer wind, bhe wind ended up completely wrong for the stand. The milkweed would float straight towards where I thought the deer would come from.
I considered getting down but I stayed because I expected the deer to come in above me, and I was expecting the evening thermals to kick in.

The thermals overpowered the wind about 40 minutes before dark. About 20 minutes later 6 does came out right where the wind was taking my milkweed, (I am sure they were standing in a pile of it).

They were a bit uneasy when they first came out, but they settled down quickly and fed all over the area (that had been down wind a few minutes before ). I watched them until the last minute of legal light and killed one.

In hindsight I don't think they smelled anything. They are usually on edge a little when they first come to an opening.

[dan]

I have seen deer crossing my access trail to my stand that I used a few hours earlier spook 15 yards down wind of where I walked. So yes, airborn scent does land and stick, and has staying power.

[Jonny]

I believe a good rain will wash it away for the most part. Might leave traces but not enough to make it stand out to a deer. Have seen deer cross my entrance trail and not even flinch and others take off like you shot them

[Stanley]

Many factors effect this. What kind of ground you are walking on. How Much scent you leave behind. Lots of guys don't believe this but greasy dirty oily boots leave more scent behind than clean dry rubber boots. Damp wet ground holds scent longer than bone dry dirt. Wind washes scent away better than a light rain. I really don't think you can put a number on how long. I have many deer, does and bucks cross my scent every year and not be alarmed.

Now that said I leave much less scent behind than most hunters. I also don't burn a path to a stand. If I can have deer cross my path and not be alarmed and you can't, we are doing something way different. I always pay strict attention when a deer crosses my ground scent. I also hunt a lot of agriculture ground and rubber is a very common smell. This much I can tell you I have at least 90% of the bucks that cross my ground scent not be alarmed. I'm either very lucky, telling tales, or doing something that works.

[Horizontal Hunter]

Now that said I leave much less scent behind than most hunters. I also don't burn a path to a stand. If I can have deer cross my path and not be alarmed and you can't, we are doing something way different. I always pay strict attention when a deer crosses my ground scent. I also hunt a lot of agriculture ground and rubber is a very common smell. This much I can tell you I have at least 90% of the bucks that cross my ground scent not be alarmed. I'm either very lucky, telling tales, or doing something that works.

I know that you aren't telling tales and if you were that lucky you would have won PowerBall by now. So what are you doing that is different?

Thanks,

Bob

[WV Bowhunter]

Many factors effect this. What kind of ground you are walking on. How Much scent you leave behind. Lots of guys don't believe this but greasy dirty oily boots leave more scent behind than clean dry rubber boots. Damp wet ground holds scent longer than bone dry dirt. Wind washes scent away better than a light rain. I really don't think you can put a number on how long. I have many deer, does and bucks cross my scent every year and not be alarmed.

Now that said I leave much less scent behind than most hunters. I also don't burn a path to a stand. If I can have deer cross my path and not be alarmed and you can't, we are doing something way different. I always pay strict attention when a deer crosses my ground scent. I also hunt a lot of agriculture ground and rubber is a very common smell. This much I can tell you I have at least 90% of the bucks that cross my ground scent not be alarmed. I'm either very lucky, telling tales, or doing something that works.

I understand ground scent but am more curious about the scent stream from my stand to a location at 20 yards from my tree. Wind/milkweed lands in a spot, the wind changes or dies down right before dark, I'm wondering how long a deer would be able to smell me where that milkweed landed. Is it secs, mins, hours? I assume if there is a lot of moisture in the air or on the ground a deer could smell you for a longer period of time but wondering how long?

[Hawthorne]

3 days is about the norm for observing normal deer movement in trail cam areas. The first few days they come in sniffing around looking suspicious. After 3 days it was like I was never by the camera. This is mostly with does. Mature bucks are more rare and harder to get on camera. They don't show everyday anyhow.

[Vexie]

Interesting question, how I look at it is; I think concentration of scent and freshness make a huge difference in how a deer will react. By concentration, I mean, I think human scent is everywhere. How can it not be, billions of us on he planet, winds pushing our stink around. I think it's something deer live with everyday. But the concentration is what alarms them. If you're 20' up in a tree stand, your scent will get cast out into the wind, diffused over a larger area than if you were closer to the ground.

I also think freshness makes a big difference. If they smell your hot scent while you're up in the tree, I feel it takes less scent to alarm them.

For every deer I think the concentration and freshness is something that will affect them differently and possibly differently on different days. Says during hunting season when there is more pressure compared to out of season.

I know of no studies on any of this, just my gut feeling from watching deer over the years.

Not sure if any of this babble will help, but hopefully.

[Stanley]

Many factors effect this. What kind of ground you are walking on. How Much scent you leave behind. Lots of guys don't believe this but greasy dirty oily boots leave more scent behind than clean dry rubber boots. Damp wet ground holds scent longer than bone dry dirt. Wind washes scent away better than a light rain. I really don't think you can put a number on how long. I have many deer, does and bucks cross my scent every year and not be alarmed.

Now that said I leave much less scent behind than most hunters. I also don't burn a path to a stand. If I can have deer cross my path and not be alarmed and you can't, we are doing something way different. I always pay strict attention when a deer crosses my ground scent. I also hunt a lot of agriculture ground and rubber is a very common smell. This much I can tell you I have at least 90% of the bucks that cross my ground scent not be alarmed. I'm either very lucky, telling tales, or doing something that works.

I understand ground scent but am more curious about the scent stream from my stand to a location at 20 yards from my tree. Wind/milkweed lands in a spot, the wind changes or dies down right before dark, I'm wondering how long a deer would be able to smell me where that milkweed landed. Is it secs, mins, hours? I assume if there is a lot of moisture in the air or on the ground a deer could smell you for a longer period of time but wondering how long?

On a windy day milk weed can travel forever. It doesn't land close to the tree. On a calm day milk weed can go almost straight down.

[Stanley]

Now that said I leave much less scent behind than most hunters. I also don't burn a path to a stand. If I can have deer cross my path and not be alarmed and you can't, we are doing something way different. I always pay strict attention when a deer crosses my ground scent. I also hunt a lot of agriculture ground and rubber is a very common smell. This much I can tell you I have at least 90% of the bucks that cross my ground scent not be alarmed. I'm either very lucky, telling tales, or doing something that works.

I know that you aren't telling tales and if you were that lucky you would have won PowerBall by now. So what are you doing that is different?

Thanks,

Bob

Walking on the shortest vegetation possible. Bare dirt is good. Dry leaves are very good especially on a windy day. Knee high rubber boots that are stored out side in the elements. Never worn anywhere but where I hunt. I have many pairs and store them on the different properties I hunt. Boots don't leave with me.

[dan]

This much I can tell you I have at least 90% of the bucks that cross my ground scent not be alarmed. I'm either very lucky, telling tales, or doing something that works.

Me to stan, my reference was to the ones I have observed that do react...

[Rich M]

I mirror Stanley - rubber boots, walk thru short vegetation, don't touch anything you don't have to (some guys just have to touch stuff on the sides of the trail), etc. My first couple of years doing this resulted in few to no deer spooking off my scent, from fawns to a very large 8 pt I couldn't shoot cause a buddy was walking around 400 yards behind it.

This past year I had a doe scent me in ankle high grass and a spike scent me in pine needles - same rubber boots, etc. The only diff is that I didn't apply Evercalm to my boots this year.

Either the deer were more sensitive or I was leaving more scent - mighta stepped in something? Anyhoo - it has helped me to understand how we burn our spots and need clean entrance and exit routes.

[WV Bowhunter]

So you have had better results using evercalm? I've used it and had deer walk right over my ground scent, I've also had deer react negatively toward it. What I don't know was if it was some other scent on my boots or if it was the evercalm.

[dan]

Where ever you go deer smell you where there. Period. Reactions are what differs. I can tell you deer react much different to your scent walking down a hiking trail than they do in a bedding area. And each deer has a different tolerance.