Hiding your scent from deers

[Jonesjoys]

Deer could care less about human urine and scat. Over the years I have bathed in apple juice and tomato juice. I have bought all the latest products, like Nose Jammer, and I still get busted!

 

[bdb]

Deer down wind will smell you, nothing changes that.

 

[Jonesjoys]

Deer down wind will smell you, nothing changes that.

And when the Wind changes direction ? what changes then ? what do you do ?

 

[bdb]

Piss and moan and expect you won't see any deer with the swirling wind. Every now and then one walks up to you and takes an arrow anyway

 

[45collector]

And when the Wind changes direction ? what changes then ? what do you do ?

I assume you're talking still or stalk hunting? I don't bow hunt and I don't use tree stands but the whole point of being up high in a tree is to try to keep your scent out of the wind on the ground right? Besides having a better field of vision of course.

Generally my deer hunting is done with a small group of guys, setting up drives in well-known and scouted areas but occasionally I'll go solo and just slowly walk. If you're quite and 100% alert you have a better chance of seeing a deer without them seeing or smelling you first, if the wind is in your favor. I've seen guys hunting solo walking through the woods trying to be quiet but you can hear them from 100 yards away. Stepping on twigs, shuffling brush, coughing, etc... That is bad. Don't do that if you're going to walk the woods solo.

 

[bdb]

I don't bow hunt and I don't use tree stands but the whole point of being up high in a tree is to try to keep your scent out of the wind on the ground right? Besides having a better field of vision of course.

Being up higher helps somewhat with scent. If the thermals are dropping it doens't help you much. Getting up high is more (IMO) about getting out of their line of sight so you can get away with small movements like drawing a bow easier. Sometimes you actually see less from a tree if in thick cover due to being up in the canopy.

 

[whacko]

The "scent control" I laugh at the most is the scent blocker clothes. What a crock of shit.

Question.....if you fart in that suit.....can YOU smell it?

Hunting gear manufacturers will come up with just about anything to separate you from your hard earned cash.


My uncle was a big deer hunter in the 1980s......he always went solo with a shotgun wearing nothing but his jeans and a carhaart chore coat and some orange over it. He scouted a little before the season to find what he could for sign....but not too much scouting to mess with the patterns. His reliable tactic......walk slow and quiet towards any Laurel patches he could......wind on his face ....and bust a bedded buck. He was a pretty successful deer hunter back in his day.

Same uncle owns a large property in NH now......his son started hunting a few years back on the land. There were always plenty of deer around prior to the season. His son started hunting it hard.....scent sprays on his clothes ...... Scent blocker suit......doe estrus spray on trees......hanging scent cards on trees. 3 years in a row and he never even saw a deer. My uncle would just shake his head and laugh.

 

[whacko]

I assume you're talking still or stalk hunting? I don't bow hunt and I don't use tree stands but the whole point of being up high in a tree is to try to keep your scent out of the wind on the ground right? Besides having a better field of vision of course.

Generally my deer hunting is done with a small group of guys, setting up drives in well-known and scouted areas but occasionally I'll go solo and just slowly walk. If you're quite and 100% alert you have a better chance of seeing a deer without them seeing or smelling you first, if the wind is in your favor. I've seen guys hunting solo walking through the woods trying to be quiet but you can hear them from 100 yards away. Stepping on twigs, shuffling brush, coughing, etc... That is bad. Don't do that if you're going to walk the woods solo.

I'm with you. And hunt the same way. Deer on the move that are being driven don't give two shits about scent. Ive had healthy does walk within 5 feet of me on drives......of course after I filled my doe tag.

 

[45collector]

I'm with you. And hunt the same way. Deer on the move that are being driven don't give two shits about scent. Ive had healthy does walk within 5 feet of me on drives......of course after I filled my doe tag.

I know I've told this story here before, but my first day ever deer hunting went like this:

Meet up with two buddies mid morning, and go walking out on a big open marsh. After passing a large area of tall marsh grass and scrub pines (without bothering to go crashing through it), we reach the open water and stop for a while to rest. On the way back we pass the same tall grass area and I look up and see a young spike standing on the edge of the grass area just staring at me. I go "Hey look there's one.", raised my Remington and put 2 rounds of 00 buck into it.


Deer hunting just isn't that easy, but it was for me on my first day, and I've been hooked every since.

 

[larueminati]

Impossible

 

[HorizontalHunter]

Deer have more surface area in their nose than a dog so they have more olfactory sensory nerves. Deer also have a Jacobsen organ in their nose similar to a snakes so they can literally taste the air like a snake.

When there is a scent control product that you can spray on a pupparoni and hide it without spot finding it I will consider buying it. Until then I will keep picking milkweed and save my money.

The only way to beat a deer's nose is to pay attention to your scent cone and set up properly so you kill the deer before he hits your scent stream.

Bob

 

[whacko]

I know I've told this story here before, but my first day ever deer hunting went like this:

Meet up with two buddies mid morning, and go walking out on a big open marsh. After passing a large area of tall marsh grass and scrub pines (without bothering to go crashing through it), we reach the open water and stop for a while to rest. On the way back we pass the same tall grass area and I look up and see a young spike standing on the edge of the grass area just staring at me. I go "Hey look there's one.", raised my Remington and put 2 rounds of 00 buck into it.
View attachment 243880

Deer hunting just isn't that easy, but it was for me on my first day, and I've been hooked every since.

My wife took her first deer ever in her first 20 minutes of her first day deer hunting. The becoming an outdoor woman program hooked her up with a great guide that had been scouting for a bit and set her up 1 hour before legal shooting time 20 yards from a trail a number of deer had been using. She texted me about 5 minutes after sunrise and asked me if it was legal to shoot......I just replied "yup" .15 minutes later she called me hysterical......she shot a decent buck that walked right past her at 20 yards. She was hooked too. Sometimes it's just "right place right time".......and a good amount of luck on your side. That buck certainly did not smell her and she was sitting on the ground leaning against a tree and had been there for an hour.

Of course.....after that day she questioned why it takes me and my buddies multiple all day trips to get a deer in the freezer.

 

[tuna]

I've always wondered about roadkill skunk as a cover. I don't really mind the smell, I'm thinking it's gotta cover my human-ness. And it will keep my hunting partners gagging in the truck on the way home.

Win win

 

[45collector]

^ F***ing AWESOME.

That's one hell of a drop tine too! It'd be nice if every buck had that, makes it easier to drag their ass out of the woods. Hahaha.

 

[Jonesjoys]

I've always wondered about roadkill skunk as a cover. I don't really mind the smell, I'm thinking it's gotta cover my human-ness. And it will keep my hunting partners gagging in the truck on the way home.

Win win

i met this old guy and he said he used to be an acute smoker when he was young and the tobacco smell helped him mask his scent.

 

[whacko]

^ F***ing AWESOME.

That's one hell of a drop tine too! It'd be nice if every buck had that, makes it easier to drag their ass out of the woods. Hahaha.

The biologist at the check station told her the antler looked like it was broken when it was first growing and grew down due to the damage. Technically its not classified as a drop tine.....it's an "atypical" rack. It also had a mouth chock full of acorns when she killed him......she thought that was funny......she "interrupted" his breakfast!

She field dressed it herself with the guides step by step instructions and everything!

The becoming an outdoor woman program still uses her picture on their brochure! I met a couple of the guides the next week when I was hunting devens and they said they had never seen a woman so happy to kill a deer! If you guys have a lady that's interested in hunting deer......have them contact the bow program. They are amazing people.

Made a great European mount.

 

[whacko]

i met this old guy and he said he used to be an acute smoker when he was young and the tobacco smell helped him mask his scent.

 

[HorizontalHunter]

View attachment 243905
My wife took her first deer ever in her first 20 minutes of her first day deer hunting. The becoming an outdoor woman program hooked her up with a great guide that had been scouting for a bit and set her up 1 hour before legal shooting time 20 yards from a trail a number of deer had been using. She texted me about 5 minutes after sunrise and asked me if it was legal to shoot......I just replied "yup" .15 minutes later she called me hysterical......she shot a decent buck that walked right past her at 20 yards. She was hooked too. Sometimes it's just "right place right time".......and a good amount of luck on your side. That buck certainly did not smell her and she was sitting on the ground leaning against a tree and had been there for an hour.

Of course.....after that day she questioned why it takes me and my buddies multiple all day trips to get a deer in the freezer.

Awesome.

Bob

 

[ThePreBanMan]

Scent control does not work. Cover scents do not work.

Think if it like this. When you walk into a pizza show you smell pizza. A deer walks in and smells flour, water, yeast, pepperoni, cheese, etc... They detect each ingredient individually. So if you use deer urine as a cover scent, what they smell is a deer hunter who sprayed piss on himself. Whereas you may just smell the piss you put on yourself...

Play the wind. If the wind is swirling, then save that spot for another day. Go someplace else. Maybe one of the marginal spots you have for days you want to hunt but the wind isn't perfect for your good spots.

Additionally, learn how terrain impacts the wind. Hills and valleys can cause swirling, wind tunnels, etc. Water, open fields, or exposed ground create thermals which when calm can cause the direction to change as well creating the illusion of a swirl. Breaks in the tree canopy can cause localized swirling, etc.. No quick way to learn this stuff. It's just through hard knocks that you pick it up.

A deer's sense of smell is superior and you're not outright beating it. It's up to you to leverage your superior intellect. Woodsmanship...

 

[Dennis in MA]

Did someone say pizza???

FWIW, they do sell charcoal fart-underwear. Haven't tried it but. . . . . . maybe burying yourself in a big ass pile of charcoal would work. Or start smoking like that cute guy above.

 

[richc]

Attend a gun show. Spend time in the men's room. Stay close to the crowds.

Your scent will change dramatically...

 

[SpaceCritter]

I've always wondered about roadkill skunk as a cover. I don't really mind the smell, I'm thinking it's gotta cover my human-ness. And it will keep my hunting partners gagging in the truck on the way home.

Win win

I'm CONSTANTLY riding up onto deer on the bike. In fact, this morning it was a doe and a couple of fawns. And the way I smell in my gear, that skunk's a field of daisys.

Speaking of drop tines, despite having had several bear encounters (including mama and cub back in June - mama was not amused), the scariest critter encounter I've had was with a monster drop-tine buck on a ride at Quillinan Reservoir. HE was not amused I was in his woods, was quite a bit bigger than me, and started doing the dropping head and pawing ground thing.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

I guess there's a first time for everything, but I have never seen or even heard of a buck behaving like that before. They're usually big scaredy cats that get spooked by their own shadow. They may snort at you and stop theor front feet before they go running away. But really when's the last time anybody read about a deer attacking a human in the newspaper or on TV or anything like that? Your experience just seems very highly unusual.

 

[whacko]

I guess there's a first time for everything, but I have never seen or even heard of a buck behaving like that before. They're usually big scaredy cats that get spooked by their own shadow. They may snort at you and stop theor front feet before they go running away. But really when's the last time anybody read about a deer attacking a human in the newspaper or on TV or anything like that? Your experience just seems very highly unusual.

I agree thats odd behavior.

Ive seen alot of bucks in the woods.....every one of them was bounding away from me.....some with a bullet in em most without.

 

[one-eyed Jack]

After years of research my sons and grandkids just go into the woods and shoot the deer. My wall in the office is plastered with pictures as evidence. Come visit me in Littleton (at the FFL headquarters) sometime. Jack.

 

[enbloc]

deers?

 

[DispositionMatrix]

Scent control does not work. Cover scents do not work.

Think if it like this. When you walk into a pizza show you smell pizza. A deer walks in and smells flour, water, yeast, pepperoni, cheese, etc... They detect each ingredient individually. So if you use deer urine as a cover scent, what they smell is a deer hunter who sprayed piss on himself. Whereas you may just smell the piss you put on yourself...

Play the wind. If the wind is swirling, then save that spot for another day. Go someplace else. Maybe one of the marginal spots you have for days you want to hunt but the wind isn't perfect for your good spots.

Additionally, learn how terrain impacts the wind. Hills and valleys can cause swirling, wind tunnels, etc. Water, open fields, or exposed ground create thermals which when calm can cause the direction to change as well creating the illusion of a swirl. Breaks in the tree canopy can cause localized swirling, etc.. No quick way to learn this stuff. It's just through hard knocks that you pick it up.

A deer's sense of smell is superior and you're not outright beating it. It's up to you to leverage your superior intellect. Woodsmanship...

Obviously the solution is to urinate directly on the deer first.

 

[KBCraig]

But really when's the last time anybody read about a deer attacking a human in the newspaper or on TV or anything like that?

During rut? Regularly.

Several people were killed by deer in the region where I lived in northeast Texas. A couple of them were retirees out picking up cans on the side of the highway.

A buck in rut will challenge anything he perceives to be a threat.

You are way more likely to be killed by deer than by sharks, bears, and gators combined

 

[KBCraig]

"I got deer urine on my boots... I'm not sure why."

 

[HorizontalHunter]

Deer get stupid during the rut.