Cover scent

[noob52]

Stupid question, but here goes.

I have permission to hunt my in laws 200 acre farm upstate. Would leaving my hunting clothes in the barn be a good idea?

My thinking is that the deer are used to smelling cow sh*t, and therefore it is better to smell like the barn, then like a human.

Any thoughts?

[First-light]

I think it's a crap shoot! As long as there is no tractors and such blowing smoke I think your fine. I know one thing, when I hunt near a cow farm I always walk in the cow poop in the field prior to getting to my stand. Deer are used to that for sure.

[Paula]

I know one family that all the clothes stay out in barn. i wouldn't only because your putting cold stuff on

[pawle76]

I think it's a crap shoot! As long as there is no tractors and such blowing smoke I think your fine. I know one thing, when I hunt near a cow farm I always walk in the cow poop in the field prior to getting to my stand. Deer are used to that for sure.

I read an article a long time ago about this hunter who was doing some repair work on his tractor and in doing so he was covered in diesel fuel. He said when he was finishing up the work he noticed this huge buck had come in real close sniffing the air and eventually him. Being it was hunting season he picked up a handgun he kept near him while he worked and shot it. Not that I would reccomend spraying yourself down with diesel fuel but it is interesting.

[burmjohn]

I think growalot had a story about the her barn and yotes following here from what I remember last year... I have to find the thread.

[burmjohn]

Wew I have a good memory, here is the thread:

[hunter49]

Thats what the old timers did years ago & it seemed to work , best cover scent going!

[WNYBuckHunter]

It probably wont hurt anything, the deer are used to smelling the cows. Tractors wont hurt either, ask a farmer how often they see deer nearby while they are plowing and harvesting fields.

[SteveB]

My post from the other scent thread:

You can reduce your scent - wait a week between showers and see if your inefficient human nose can tell the difference . Possibly reduce it enough to where you are seen as less of a threat. What cannot be done is to hide/cover your scent from a deer with another scent.

If smelling like a barn or the animal pee or crap of your choice gives you more confidence, by all means use it. But it does not and cannot hide you from a deer - they simply smell you and the other scent/scents.

[wdswtr]

Seems like every year when Im out cuttng firewood and skidding out logs I have deer come in to investgate. A few weeks ago I had this doe follow me around all day and I mean within 50 to 60 yards everytime I looked she was right there. I have had a few loggers tell me the same thing. Curious I guess but the sounds and smells dont seem to bother them when we are working its when we are hunting they hide lol.

[Doc]

Seems like every year when Im out cuttng firewood and skidding out logs I have deer come in to investgate. A few weeks ago I had this doe follow me around all day and I mean within 50 to 60 yards everytime I looked she was right there. I have had a few loggers tell me the same thing. Curious I guess but the sounds and smells dont seem to bother them when we are working its when we are hunting they hide lol.

I think deer become conditioned to associate the sound of chainsaws with food in areas where logging is being conducted. I have heard the same stories from our local loggers.

I also think they learn, or have a sense about what kinds of activity indicate danger. I have seen deer simply move off a ways when an ATV rides by and watch until the ATV passes. But stop that ATV and watch what that deer does. Suddenly it is perceived as a serious threat. The loggers that are busy working may be having the same effect.

[Cabin Fever]

The past few days have been very enlightening for me, regarding chainsaws, human intrusion, and the reaction of deer. I've been out cutting firewood the past few days. I wanted to get it wrapped up by this weekend to give the deer plenty of time to "settle down" before season. YEAH, RIGHT! Yesterday I walked out of the woods to re-fuel the chainsaw and there was a big doe browsing ~75 yards from where I was cutting! She never gave me a second look! I was later walking by a patch of woods where I had been cutting a lot for the past 3 days. There was a doe and fawn feeding in the winter rye patch ~30 yards from where I had been cutting! To top it off, they were walking towards the woods where I was cutting earlier that day ~100 yards away! I went back to camp to get some water and there was another doe feeding in a clover patch ~100 yards in the opposite direction from where I was cutting! A couple of days ago, I had been running the chainsaw all day. I stepped out into the lane and saw a turkey ~75 yards away pecking along the lane, with no concern!

I am really amazed and wouldn't have whole heartedly believed it, if it hadn't have happened to me. I am in an area with ag fields and apple orchards. There is quite a bit of human activity in the orchards throughout the year with spraying, mowing, tree trimming, checking on trees, harvesting, etc... I guess they are just accustomed to human activity.

[growalot]

Bye the way....the goat barn clothes worked great up until the yote incident ,,,,my billy stinks up everything around from late August till January and the does go in heat in late Aug....deer buck just hang around the goats pasture

The chain saw thing ...I think I mentioned some where here that while hunting one fall I kept hearing a chain saw starting and stopping on a neighbors property...every 20mins. give or take...was driving me nuts........it was some one hunting ...using it as a call...lol

Me... I step in goat droppings or deer droppings....some times stop by an apple tree or I put a couple of apples/overripe pears in a mesh bag and stomp them to mush ...then walk to my stand....that has worked pretty well over the years to mask my boots and lay a scent trail ( disclaimer...best done after bees are not an issue...experience..lol)

[fasteddie]

When I hunt my SIL's property , I step in fresh horse manure before walking to a stand .

Note : Climb up and down the Ladder Stand using the sides of the ladder instead of the rungs !