John Eberhart Interview

[BBH1980]

Just saw on Facebook that Dead Down Wind has an advertisement that has their products with a dead turkey. This was the caption.

"Spring Turkey is just around the corner & @DeadDownWind has just what you need to up the odds."

I laughed for a good 5 min.

Well ya know them turkeys smell ya real good and all....you gotta be kidding me....

[BBH1980]

That’s a great analysis! Love to see that with a google earth pic. The way you hunted it pre-Beast and post- Beast (or plan to hunt).

A couple places I have hunted pre and post Beast, I started just going into certain areas that I hadn’t scouted before and hunting it just based on the ...”well according to Dan, the bucks should move through this area based on this prevailing wind etc...” and lo and behold I started seeing more bucks. I think that’s the first step.

The second step, for me, is locating for me, shooter bucks and figuring out how to kill them before they detect that I’m hunting them. This has been more difficult, especially being primarily a weekend hunter. I find that, except for late season that patterns change before I can nail them down. Late season is easier but it doesn’t always get cold enough around here in season, to drive the bucks to daylight travel before the season is over.

That buck is walking straight down off that point into the field he's been watching all day and feeding on acorns 40 yards into the field til dark. We have watched him do it from a distance. There's an oak there. . Behind the oak is a block of thick cedar. I think I can sneak just inside the cedar edge within 40 yards of that oak in a ghilly suite. I should be far enough away to avoid thermals as it's only a 10-15 foot ridge and he's only there on a north or west wind which carries my scent away from him. I'd say the biggest changes are knowing where those buck are gonna be based on wind and being really careful with my accesses. Another thing is it's perfect for observation posts. So I will be doing that all summer from a safe distance and even during the season in a stand that has potential but not quite a kill tree. I'm no longer worried about burning a hunt doing this. I'll move in when the time is right based on what I observe.

[wolfie729]

I watched the most recent interview with John Eberhart. It was about an hour long and was pretty decent. Here is the problem, I have been on board 100% with the general consensus on the beast mentality on scent control that it is not effective. After listening to how well he has done in a state like Michigan and the way he explained activated carbon it has got me wondering what my stance is. Has anyone else experienced this? Is anyone else here participating in the kind of scent control practices as John who can shed some light or folks who have tried it and arent impressed?

Here is my take I have tried it both ways. Deer sightings have been increased when I stopped scent control. Why? Because I started paying attention to the wind and my exit and entrances. Just think of it this way, the beast is giving you free head knowledge and one is selling you a product.

[SC_z7]

Here is my take I have tried it both ways. Deer sightings have been increased when I stopped scent control. Why? Because I started paying attention to the wind and my exit and entrances. Just think of it this way, the beast is giving you free head knowledge and one is selling you a product.

100% agree. The beast is knowledge that puts you on deer. Scent control, even if somewhat effective, doesn't matter a bit if the deer are somewhere else. Being new to the beast, I didn't pick up any of this until into the season this year so boot on the ground scouting was limited to in-season. Combined with prior knowledge of hunting the property for 20 years, deploying some of the beast tactics greatly increased my sightings this year with zero equipment or scent control changes.

I have mixed opinions on John's methods mostly because (as of others have stated) of how hard he pushes his scent control regimen as the "only" way. I have no doubt his regiment has led him to be winded less often, human scent pollutes the air and "the solution to pollution is dilution". So if you minimize the scent you carry with you, you will reduce your odds of being winded. For most of us its about trade-offs.

I know I don't unlimited time (nor the patience) to spend that much effort on scent control that may improve my odds slightly. The time i do have is better spent getting into the right spot carefully/quietly. That has a far greater impact on success %.

[Edcyclopedia]

Just saw on Facebook that Dead Down Wind has an advertisement that has their products with a dead turkey. This was the caption.

"Spring Turkey is just around the corner & @DeadDownWind has just what you need to up the odds."

I laughed for a good 5 min.

Well ya know them turkeys smell ya real good and all....you gotta be kidding me....

Gobble gobble gobble (Turkey translation)
Your. Effin. Right.

[DaveT1963]

Disclaimer: I do not use scent control products or scent lok suits

I think many of you are under estimating and over simplifying John's approach to hunting. He and Dan are not that far off on a lot of things. John absolutely preaches entry/exit, quieting gear, scouting more than hunting, first time sits, hunting close to bedding areas/thick stuff, year round practice, etc. While they (Dan and John) have their own particulars - if you talk to both of them for any length of time you would find they have far more in common than you may originally think. I respect both guys and have learned from both.

[BBH1980]

Disclaimer: I do not use scent control products or scent lok suits

I think many of you are under estimating and over simplifying John's approach to hunting. He and Dan are not that far off on a lot of things. John absolutely preaches entry/exit, quieting gear, scouting more than hunting, first time sits, hunting close to bedding areas/thick stuff, year round practice, etc. While they (Dan and John) have their own particulars - if you talk to both of them for any length of time you would find they have far more in common than you may originally think. I respect both guys and have learned from both.

I agree with this totally!

[wolfie729]

Here is my take I have tried it both ways. Deer sightings have been increased when I stopped scent control. Why? Because I started paying attention to the wind and my exit and entrances. Just think of it this way, the beast is giving you free head knowledge and one is selling you a product.

100% agree. The beast is knowledge that puts you on deer. Scent control, even if somewhat effective, doesn't matter a bit if the deer are somewhere else. Being new to the beast, I didn't pick up any of this until into the season this year so boot on the ground scouting was limited to in-season. Combined with prior knowledge of hunting the property for 20 years, deploying some of the beast tactics greatly increased my sightings this year with zero equipment or scent control changes.

I have mixed opinions on John's methods mostly because (as of others have stated) of how hard he pushes his scent control regimen as the "only" way. I have no doubt his regiment has led him to be winded less often, human scent pollutes the air and "the solution to pollution is dilution". So if you minimize the scent you carry with you, you will reduce your odds of being winded. For most of us its about trade-offs.

I know I don't unlimited time (nor the patience) to spend that much effort on scent control that may improve my odds slightly. The time i do have is better spent getting into the right spot carefully/quietly. That has a far greater impact on success %.

Agreed. Its all location location location!

[hambone]

Just saw on Facebook that Dead Down Wind has an advertisement that has their products with a dead turkey. This was the caption.

"Spring Turkey is just around the corner & @DeadDownWind has just what you need to up the odds."

I laughed for a good 5 min.

If turkeys had a nose like deer, I ain't sure they'd be killable. The DDW ad isprobably the result of some suit sitting around making decisions on things he knows nothing about. Or... If not for the excitement of potential sales in the slow time a year, I imagine a higher up would've nipped that in the bud before it came to publication.

[may21581]

I was reading some older hunting magazines I had found from the late 80's and 90's and in some of them were advertisements for the old carbon sprays and antibacterial odor eliminators. It kinda got me thinking when all this stuff came about and when it really started being pushed on hunters? Does anyone have some info on who, what, when, and obviously (we know the why part already) this new trend developed?

[BBH1980]

I was reading some older hunting magazines I had found from the late 80's and 90's and in some of them were advertisements for the old carbon sprays and antibacterial odor eliminators. It kinda got me thinking when all this stuff came about and when it really started being pushed on hunters? Does anyone have some info on who, what, when, and obviously (we know the why part already) this new trend developed?

Ok this isn't really a new thing. Active carbon is actually pretty amazing stuff. It is incredibly absorbent, it's used in chemical warfare protection suites in the military, given to patients who ingested poison and used to filter water. It's a scientific fact it absorbs scent also but the issue lies in the fact that once it's filled with scent molecules or toxins it's useless. Again scientific fact ... The only way to reactivate it is to heat it to like 1400 degrees I think is the round about number. No you can't do it in your house hold dryer. Also carbon isn't a vacuum scentlok still contains gaps in the carbon and the clothes are obviously porous so scent is gonna get through. I also personally don't believe carbon can keep up with the amount of scent we release quick enough. Even if you could regenerate it in a dryer. That's why it fails the fart test even when brand new. So it's not really new stuff.

[BBH1980]

I was reading some older hunting magazines I had found from the late 80's and 90's and in some of them were advertisements for the old carbon sprays and antibacterial odor eliminators. It kinda got me thinking when all this stuff came about and when it really started being pushed on hunters? Does anyone have some info on who, what, when, and obviously (we know the why part already) this new trend developed?

Just to add... You can't cover everything in this stuff. Even if you could cover your body you still have your climbing stick straps and anything else that's gonna reek of human odor. Tree stand cushion seat. Stuff like that. You'll never get rid of it. A deers nose is more incredible than carbon lol

[may21581]

I was reading some older hunting magazines I had found from the late 80's and 90's and in some of them were advertisements for the old carbon sprays and antibacterial odor eliminators. It kinda got me thinking when all this stuff came about and when it really started being pushed on hunters? Does anyone have some info on who, what, when, and obviously (we know the why part already) this new trend developed?

Just to add... You can't cover everything in this stuff. Even if you could cover your body you still have your climbing stick straps and anything else that's gonna reek of human odor. Tree stand cushion seat. Stuff like that. You'll never get rid of it. A deers nose is more incredible than carbon lol

To keep it short the question was when they started pushing and marketing to the hunting groups? I'm aware of the whole carbon science.

[headgear]

Disclaimer: I do not use scent control products or scent lok suits

I think many of you are under estimating and over simplifying John's approach to hunting. He and Dan are not that far off on a lot of things. John absolutely preaches entry/exit, quieting gear, scouting more than hunting, first time sits, hunting close to bedding areas/thick stuff, year round practice, etc. While they (Dan and John) have their own particulars - if you talk to both of them for any length of time you would find they have far more in common than you may originally think. I respect both guys and have learned from both.

I have wrote many similar posts before, they are far more similar than they are different. I will give a bigger nod to Dan's higher focus on bedding as it gives all of us a better understands of how mature deer live and survive. I have several Eberhardt books as well and followed him for many years before I found Dan, zero mature bucks sighted or shot with a bow using only Eberhart tactics. Several kills and numerous encounters with Dan's, so while I agree they are very similar I think the attention to different details and tactics pays off in a much bigger way with THE BEAST.

[DaveT1963]

Disclaimer: I do not use scent control products or scent lok suits

I think many of you are under estimating and over simplifying John's approach to hunting. He and Dan are not that far off on a lot of things. John absolutely preaches entry/exit, quieting gear, scouting more than hunting, first time sits, hunting close to bedding areas/thick stuff, year round practice, etc. While they (Dan and John) have their own particulars - if you talk to both of them for any length of time you would find they have far more in common than you may originally think. I respect both guys and have learned from both.

I have wrote many similar posts before, they are far more similar than they are different. I will give a bigger nod to Dan's higher focus on bedding as it gives all of us a better understands of how mature deer live and survive. I have several Eberhardt books as well and followed him for many years before I found Dan, zero mature bucks sighted or shot with a bow using only Eberhart tactics. Several kills and numerous encounters with Dan's, so while I agree they are very similar I think the attention to different details and tactics pays off in a much bigger way with THE BEAST.

No doubt - Dan goes into far more/better detail on locating buck bedding (and to be fair John goes into more detail on prepping stand sites). But both really are doing the same thing in early season. Finding their current food source (whether it is corn, apples or acorns) and then getting set up close to bedding and intercepting them between food and bedding. They just go about it a little different. I respect both guys, and I have learned a lot from both.