The science of scent

[Doc]

I have to apologize in advance for the length of this post. However, as important as the topic is to deer hunting, there are a few questions that would be good for any hunter to seek answers to.

As hunters, we all understand the importance of scent in our success or failure in deer hunting. I dare say it might be the most important aspect of our hunt. And yet, almost everything of importance about scent is still unknown and/or unreported. We all consider ourselves to have some sort of expertise in deer hunting and yet when it comes to one of the most important  aspects of deer hunting, I dare say that we are all quite ignorant of the fundamentals of scent. Why is that???

There are a series of scent related questions that I frequently post on many different forums, and without exception, they always go unanswered. And now it is time to ask them again in hopes that someone has found a study or article that has the answers.

First, when we are sitting in our stand and that one errant breeze blows our scent right toward the trail we are watching (even if only for a few seconds), has the brush, twigs, goldenrod and other items along that trail been contaminated for some period of time by the scent molecules adhering to them? We know our foot prints can leave a scent trail that lasts for a long time. We know that when we brush against limbs and such, we leave scent behind that animals can smell some time later. So when you get that occasional back-breeze, is it contaminating the hunting site? And if so - for how long?

Second, how far in a dense thicket will scent travel? I guess we know that scent molecules stick to things as it travels along. What is the effect of dense brush on the distance that scent will travel vs. the same scent broadcast over an open field?

Third, what is the actual composition and chemical make-up of scent? How does it travel? Does it eventually thin out to a point where it disappears? If so, how quickly? Is it lighter or heavier than air? What makes it stick to things? How long does it stay stuck to things? Is it a solid or a gas? What the heck is it? We all spend a whole lot of time and money combatting scent and most of us don't even know what the heck it really is.

Fourth, what are all the effects of atmospheric conditions and weather variations on the movement and duration of scent. High winds, damp conditions, dead calm conditions, atmospheric pressure, rain, snow, how does all that effect the movement and concentration of scent? Has anyone ever seen a detailed documentation on the subject?

Fifth, has there ever been studies that try to answer some of these questions and actually reach a scientific understanding of the true nature of scent? If so, how come nobody publishes the results. Why do we have manufacturers of supposedly scent blocking clothing and yet no publicly available documentation of the physics and chemistry of scent? We have scent distributers who you would think should have some kind of intensive background in what scent is and how it all functions, and yet no real articles on the nature of their product as far as how it works. We have people that will tell us about how a buck can scent trail a doe hours after she has come and gone, and yet no one explains the mechanics of how that is possible. So many people making their living from scent products or scent suppression and yet they keep whatever information they have about scent a carefully guarded secret. I have sat in a tree-stand watching my breath on a cold morning all of a sudden take a bad turn toward the trail and wonder how much of that is sticking to the grasses and brush along the trail. How come I have never read anything anywhere that either says, don't worry about it, or hang it up, you might as well leave? How come I know that scent can be a hunt-killer, but I don't know the first thing about the nature of the scent itself.

So many question and so few answers. I just thought I would post a few mind-bending questions to think about on a very important hunting subject. By the way every one of these questions also apply to predator hunting as well.

 

[First-light]

Doc have to be honest did not read it all. Just like your post how smart are they. It all depends on the deer. My brother smokes in the deer stand he has killed so many bucks with a smoke in his mouth. This year I left my gear in the house most of the time. Never got busted except for that old Doe that saw me. I like to take a shower before I go out especially in the am. Other than that I'm sure deer do smell us but it's the old wise ones that pay attention. But then again there is always the rut! lol

[Doc]

10 hours ago, First-light said:

Doc have to be honest did not read it all. Just like your post how smart are they. It all depends on the deer. My brother smokes in the deer stand he has killed so many bucks with a smoke in his mouth. This year I left my gear in the house most of the time. Never got busted except for that old Doe that saw me. I like to take a shower before I go out especially in the am. Other than that I'm sure deer do smell us but it's the old wise ones that pay attention. But then again there is always the rut! lol

Yeah it got pretty long winded. I should have broke it up into 5 separate posts. It's just that each question is interrelated to each other.

Scent is such a big part of deer hunting, and the more we understand it, the better hunters we will be. But the explanations of it all seems to be lost in all the hunting info. Nobody even tries to explain any of it. At least not in any of the things that I have read.