Human Scent

[Gizmo285]

I have shot over 40 deer with shotgun. I think all the hype over cover scent and all the other hoopla are all BS. Just a scam to sell products. Sometimes, a lot of times, that Human scent gets you a deer because they snort trying to define the scent and otherwise you wouldn,t have even seen them at all. Just my opinion. .

[Gthphtm]

I agree the same as camo clothes for deer hunting,when we started deer hunting many years ago we wore woolrich red and black plad or orange head to toe.We got our bucks and does every year ( at that time party permits) for the does.We wore the same clothes small game hunting and always filled our bags.

[Localqdm]

I think downwind deer will smell you no matter what you wear or do, and will smell your tracks even with washed, scrubbed, and bagged 'scent free' boots.

Everyone has had an experience of a 'downwind' deer not scenting them, but honestly i think those experiences are actually cases of swirling wind, thermals, or structure affecting your stream, or the deer was young or didn't care (preoccupied).

just my .02.

Not doubting that those products don't help mask your scent, But those carbon suites, cover sprays, and stuff sure make someone a lot of $$$

[Localqdm]

Alsheimer has documented some pretty incredible eyewitness accounts of the whitetail's smelling abilities. If they can wiff a doe a 1/4 mile away they can smell my breath, b/o, and everything else if downwind.

Look up the mythbusters experiments with bloodhounds and scent 'control'. You can't beat these animals noses.

[WNYBuckHunter]

The bloodhound tests are not a good example, as no amount of scent spray, etc will completely get rid of your smell. If you think it does, you are putting too much trust into advertisements. Back to the hounds, they are animals trained specifically to follow and track scents. This is not the case with deer, they merely associate the presence of danger with different smells, and most likely, associate the vicinity of danger on the strength of the smell. If you can reduce your scent and make the deer believe that you are not close by, it may up your chances at not spooking that deer.

I use Dead Down Wind soap, laundry products and spray, and a couple of seasons ago had a deer bed downwind of my location and stay there. I then lit a cigarette (smoked at the time) and within 30 seconds of lighting that smoke, the deer jumped up, started sniffing up in the air and quickly left the area. That was not the only time Ive had deer bed downwind and close to my stand. Proof enough to me that the stuff works in some capacity.

[jusputtn]

I agree that the surest thing to do is play the wind, most economical too.

I do have one scent trick that I use occasionally though. A healthy dinner of broccoli, cabbage, some red meat and a few other secret ingredients.....well you get the picture. My ruse is to trick the deer into thinking that I've died and am no longer a threat to them.

[SteveB]

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.

[pawle76]

I had a guy that used to hunt in my camp that wore hunting close that his wife washed and then dried with downy fresh. I could smell that stuff 100 yards away so the deer in the next county could probably smell him. We still laugh about that in camp.

[Caveman]

I had a buddy who was a full blooded card carrying Seneca and he told me the old timers when he was a kid used to build a smoky fire and hang their clothes in the smoke for a few hours. An old tribal method passed down from the days before scents and game laws and even white men I suppose. Apparently wood smoke is a natural anti-bacterial and not an alarm scent to deer. I can't confirm personally but he said those old guys were some of the most consistently successful hunters he had seen.

[Fantail]

... A healthy dinner of broccoli, cabbage, some red meat and a few other secret ingredients.....well you get the picture. My ruse is to trick the deer into thinking that I've died and am no longer a threat to them.

The broccoli & cabbage would be enough for it's own scent production, I'd smell like death the next day alright.

[Doc]

I have to admit that there is not enough proof out there to cause me to invest in cover scents. It's just one of those things that are almost impossible to prove one way or another. It seems that there are lots of people hawking products that force you to rely on their word, or the effectiveness of their marketing campaign. The problem is that scent is not something you can see or measure.

[Cabin Fever]

I noticed that a lot of hunting shows are using and/or pimping this Ozonics ozone generator scent elimination system. http://www.ozonicshunting.com/ I see them hanging in their blinds and about head level in their treestands.

[Localqdm]

The bloodhound tests are not a good example, as no amount of scent spray, etc will completely get rid of your smell. If you think it does, you are putting too much trust into advertisements. Back to the hounds, they are animals trained specifically to follow and track scents. This is not the case with deer, they merely associate the presence of danger with different smells, and most likely, associate the vicinity of danger on the strength of the smell. If you can reduce your scent and make the deer believe that you are not close by, it may up your chances at not spooking that deer.

I use Dead Down Wind soap, laundry products and spray, and a couple of seasons ago had a deer bed downwind of my location and stay there. I then lit a cigarette (smoked at the time) and within 30 seconds of lighting that smoke, the deer jumped up, started sniffing up in the air and quickly left the area. That was not the only time Ive had deer bed downwind and close to my stand. Proof enough to me that the stuff works in some capacity.

The difference is the bloodhounds life isn't at stake and he still finds the person easily. A whitetail lives and dies by their nose. its proof to me.

but I agree w/you that those products may help some deer believe you are not as close or been walking there that recently.

Edited September 15, 2011 by Localqdm

[Single_shot]

My dad and I were hunting turkey one time,met up to have a coffee and shoot the bull a bit. We both smoke and as we sat there,having a coffee and a smoke and talking,a nice buck walked within 20yrds of us and checked us out,then walked away. I can remember other times hunting deer,that I had to put my smoke down to shoot the deer,or we met up and started a small fire to heat our grilled sandwiches up,and had deer up and close passing by while doing so. On the other hand,I have had deer come in when not smoking,sitting very still and well hidden,and had them bust me....the snorting and stomping then taking off. To me,there has to be more to it all than just the scent alone. Maybe they did'nt like the breakfast we cooked while our clothes were in the cabin?

[Fantail]

Perspective; sometimes I like a good haddock sandwich, other times I drive by the place cooking them and want to hurl. Few years ago out on a Fall Turkey hunt I was getting close to where I wanted to be, and then the coffee & breakfast caught up with me. There was no stopping it, barely had time to gear down. After business gearing back up some deer about 100 yards off downwind got a snoutfull and went absolutly balistic. Other times I can remember seeing deer sniff right where I drained and not seem to care.

[G-Man]

eliminating scent is impossiable...though you might want to try to eliminate as much as possible. this is done by taking a shower, using a soap that is unscented right??? Then go out and put out scent in the woods to attract them to you... Heres a though why not use berry or apple scented soap/shampoo, you get rid of your scent and put out some attractive scent at the same time!! its a lot cheaper than buying scents,carbon suits and the women dont seem to mind smelling apple or berry either!

Edited September 15, 2011 by G-Man

[WNYBuckHunter]

The difference is the bloodhounds life isn't at stake and he still finds the person easily. A whitetail lives and dies by their nose. its proof to me.

but I agree w/you that those products may help some deer believe you are not as close or been walking there that recently.

My point was that the bloodhound smelling you even using the scent spray only means that it doesnt totally eliminate all scent. It proves nothing as far as how deer react to your scent if you use the products.

[adirondackbushwhack]

I had a buddy who was a full blooded card carrying Seneca and he told me the old timers when he was a kid used to build a smoky fire and hang their clothes in the smoke for a few hours. An old tribal method passed down from the days before scents and game laws and even white men I suppose. Apparently wood smoke is a natural anti-bacterial and not an alarm scent to deer. I can't confirm personally but he said those old guys were some of the most consistently successful hunters he had seen.

Hemlock smoke works best. I just make a small fire when going into the woods and smoke myself with hemlock. It does help a great deal but nothing gets rid of all of my scent.

[nyslowhand]

I noticed that a lot of hunting shows are using and/or pimping this Ozonics ozone generator scent elimination system.

Saw those for the 1st time & LMAO!!! Gotta be kidding me!!!

How much more crap do we need to carry into the woods?

Aren't all the scent-free advertisements targeted at the shortest time invested & almost guaranteed hunt outdoorsman?

[Doc]

Saw those for the 1st time & LMAO!!! Gotta be kidding me!!!

How much more crap do we need to carry into the woods?

Aren't all the scent-free advertisements targeted at the shortest time invested & almost guaranteed hunt outdoorsman?

Eventually those Madison Avenue types will have us talked into buying some kind of "pod" that seals in our scent and has a remote controlled bow or gun mounted outside of it.... . I've got to say that I don't believe there is any limit as to what the hunting public will buy and some shyster will sell. We may be the most gullible consumers going, second only to fishermen.

[Nomad]

And yet my friends out west kill deer and elk on the ground with guns and bows,while living out of tents in the same clothes for days at a time. Oh wait I've done that too.....

One of my favorites is when you see guys wearing 4 layers and what they do is spray "scent killer" on the outside of the outer layer .

I wonder if the thing to do is put dirty smelly clothes in our hunting woods year round. Deer learned that human scent is a threat . Lets make them think its a normal smell. If you go where deer never smell man the reaction is not the same as where they learned to run from it.Also I know many folks who get deer in their yards a lot,I'm one. The deer don't run from me unless I get real close,I'm sure they smell me I know they see me .

I once posted here trail cam pics from my yard of deer feeding a couple feet away from my manikin that i dressed as a hunter.She was wearing my old hunting coat that I use as a work coat,don't wash it and store in the garage,also a baseball hat I wear a lot along with bino's and BB gun.

The deer are feeding feet away from it the first night I put it out....

[A Sportsman]

Hey guys,

I don't consider myself all that much into gadgetry and nick-nacks when it comes to hunting (gun or bow). But of all the various products that are marketed to us, scent killing items get a fair share of my $ each year. (for record, I don;t buy the suits, just detergent, spray, soap, deodorant, wipes, baking soda, etc.)

From when I first started hunting (not caring about scent), til now (paying a good bit of attention to it), I;ve noticed that I get "busted" a lot less. And when I do, it very often is after I've passed up a shot opportunity. To be fair, some of this must be attributable to the fact that I tend to select stand locations more based upon wind direction than ever before, and ALWAYS still hunt with a wind in my favor. To be honest, I probably see less deer now, but when I do, I am more often in good position.

But, I cringe when I think of all the good bucks (and keen does) that have winded me over the years. In my view, if you are looking for a big buck (and not just a deer) cutting down scent becomes more important. Also, as mentioned above, if you are hunting in a populated area, it becomes even more important. Deer in giant tracts of land that see less people seem to be less careful about it.

Also, the importance when bow hunting is much more significant than with the gun. I limit my bow shots by 25 yards. Of the deer that winded me over the years, many of them could have easilty been taken with a gun. But with a bow, I needed them not only to come closer, but also to be relatively calm and not "on alert".

I'm actually a little surprised more guys havn't chimed in here who take a similar stance on scent control....

[G-Man]

Well for at least 10,000 years the native americans got away with just playing the wind, had shoddy equipment but could get within 20 yards of their game consistantly. with no camo,no scent control, no wonder attractants....hmmm... marketing has brain washed almost everyone into thinking you need this.. Although they may cut down on scent its really just a quick fix for lack of knowledge/time to hunt the game we persue. Motion or lack there of is the key to hunting in my opinion..scent may let your game know your there but you need to stimulate 2 senses of a deer to get them to react... either see and hear, hear and smell, see and smell. A deer may alert when it smells an unfamiliar scent but what does it do look and swivel it s ears to detect what it is smelling.. Most of the time when your busted the deer smells you looks in your direcction and picks up movement then snorts and runs... perfect example put your hunting clothes on a scarecrow in the middle of a field where u see deer feed.. they will walk out sniff it and after watching it not move still enter the field because its Doesn't move!!! no movement/ no sound..no threat!! thats why aluminum foils spinners keep game out of your garden ..movement!!!

[WNYBuckHunter]

Well for at least 10,000 years the native americans got away with just playing the wind, had shoddy equipment but could get within 20 yards of their game consistantly. with no camo,no scent control, no wonder attractants....hmmm... marketing has brain washed almost everyone into thinking you need this.. Although they may cut down on scent its really just a quick fix for lack of knowledge/time to hunt the game we persue. Motion or lack there of is the key to hunting in my opinion..scent may let your game know your there but you need to stimulate 2 senses of a deer to get them to react... either see and hear, hear and smell, see and smell. A deer may alert when it smells an unfamiliar scent but what does it do look and swivel it s ears to detect what it is smelling.. Most of the time when your busted the deer smells you looks in your direcction and picks up movement then snorts and runs... perfect example put your hunting clothes on a scarecrow in the middle of a field where u see deer feed.. they will walk out sniff it and after watching it not move still enter the field because its Doesn't move!!! no movement/ no sound..no threat!! thats why aluminum foils spinners keep game out of your garden ..movement!!!

Theres no possible way you can compare how the Indians really hunted with the way we hunt today. They did things like start fires to drive the deer into bottlenecks, cliff edges, other barriers and even into bodies of water where they could not escape, and then they killed the ones they wanted to. They also ran them until they were exhausted and had to stop to cool down. They trapped them, baited them and did what they had to do to kill them in the easiest methods possible.They were killing deer to survive, not for sport.

[fasteddie]

I just might try bow hunting this season wearing a Blaze Orange Loin Cloth !