Old- time Cover Scents

[Northcountryman]

I read that an old Indian trick was to use wood smoke as a cover scent for deer hunting ; evidently , they would really smoke up their clothes prior to a hunt and would enjoy considerable success . 
Additionally, I’ve  read that Pine Sol was used by some old timers . 
 

Anyone ever heard of and/ or used either of these and , if so, do you think it was effective?

Thanks  

[Zem18]

Sounds weird but I've started a small fire on a rock in the Catskills at my camp and the smoke drifts in the direction of the wind and I've had doe and fawns come in close to investigate the smell. Never a buck though.

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[GreeneHunter]

I've heard of people pouring apple juice all around their Tree Stand prior to climbing up , it sure would cover any hunter's scent !

[Farflung]

some folks when hunting dairy farms walk through fresh cow "patties". Was told by one guy years ago that he hung his hunting coveralls in the barn. 

I've used skunk scent on a cotton ball. (do not get on gun, slightly corrosive). Wife put a stop to  that practice. 

I've thought about Porcupine dung. For tree stand use, as porkys are clumsy, noisy and hang out in trees?

[wolc123]

31 minutes ago, GreeneHunter said:

I've heard of people pouring apple juice all around their Tree Stand prior to climbing up , it sure would cover any hunter's scent !

I have had several come in from downwind, as I was sipping hot apple cider from my thermos cup.   That includes one 182 pound field-dressed 3.5 year old buck that must have liked the smell so much that he came in to it on two consecutive weeks. 

[suburbanfarmer]

2 hours ago, Northcountryman said:

I read that an old Indian trick was to use wood smoke as a cover scent for deer hunting ; evidently , they would really smoke up their clothes prior to a hunt and would enjoy considerable success . 
Additionally, I’ve  read that Pine Sol was used by some old timers . 
 

Anyone ever heard of and/ or used either of these and , if so, do you think it was effective?

Thanks  

Smoke has been used and many bow hunter consistently do that in areas where the deer are used to wood burning smell.

Imagine walking in an area that has never had any wood burning stoves or smoke smell. I am sure the deer will turn inside out.

Best to always play the wind and minimize scent.

[DirtTime]

A pack of non filter smokes and black coffee. Lotta deer have fallen to that combo.

[grampy]

59 minutes ago, DirtTime said:

A pack of non filter smokes and black coffee. Lotta deer have fallen to that combo.

Can't begin to tell ya, how many times I've had to put down my smoke to kill a deer. But I highly advise not using that method for obvious reasons.

[Northcountryman]

I think there’s definitely something to this lol; I’ve also heard peanut butter and vanilla ? 

[DirtTime]

29 minutes ago, grampy said:

Can't begin to tell ya, how many times I've had to put down my smoke to kill a deer. But I highly advise not using that method for obvious reasons.

Can't say I endorse it either, but it seems to work. I guess one could just light the ciggy and let it burn without actually smoking it.

 

[cas]

We used to know a guy who would hang his hunting coat in the barn with the cows. I guess the deer were used to the smell. Him too.

[GreeneHunter]

13 hours ago, grampy said:

Can't begin to tell ya, how many times I've had to put down my smoke to kill a deer. But I highly advise not using that method for obvious reasons.

I did the same thing for many years , I quit about 8 years ago and do not miss it !

[DirtTime]

I read about a lot of people pizzen on scrapes to make a buck think he's got competition. Get some adult diapers and just let everything flow?

[phade]

Deer have an organ we do not; the Jacobson's organ. Because of that we have trouble relating to what a whitetail can or cannot smell and how effective they truly are at it. It essentially allows them to process MANY smells at one time and individually process them in fractions of a second. A shark for example can do this, which many people are familiar with the saying that they can "smell a drop of blood in a million gallons of water." Same scenario with deer. Thus if you use a cover scent, the deer smells the cover scent and your scent.

Where things like smoke come into play is the impact it has on either dulling or over-loading that organ. I don't there is conclusive detail either way but that is the likely thought process behind it. As a result, I don't think it's worth my time spend on it. Practice smart/reasonable scent control measures, use them, and spend that saved time on other result-producing efforts. I'd rather walk an extra mile in a loop to get to the right spot than rely on smoking / ozone, nose jammer to "cover" my scent stream and take the straight shot to the stand blowing scent into the bedding.

[phade]

Just now, DirtTime said:

I read about a lot of people pizzen on scrapes to make a buck think he's got competition. Get some adult diapers and just let everything flow?

That works. Again, no idea why other than people seem to think that after a short time, the human element is gone and deer smell the ammonia and other traits that are similar to "pee" in general. But, it works. Crazy.

[Northcountryman]

29 minutes ago, phade said:

Deer have an organ we do not; the Jacobson's organ. Because of that we have trouble relating to what a whitetail can or cannot smell and how effective they truly are at it. It essentially allows them to process MANY smells at one time and individually process them in fractions of a second. A shark for example can do this, which many people are familiar with the saying that they can "smell a drop of blood in a million gallons of water." Same scenario with deer. Thus if you use a cover scent, the deer smells the cover scent and your scent.

Where things like smoke come into play is the impact it has on either dulling or over-loading that organ. I don't there is conclusive detail either way but that is the likely thought process behind it. As a result, I don't think it's worth my time spend on it. Practice smart/reasonable scent control measures, use them, and spend that saved time on other result-producing efforts. I'd rather walk an extra mile in a loop to get to the right spot than rely on smoking / ozone, nose jammer to "cover" my scent stream and take the straight shot to the stand blowing scent into the bedding.

Maybe you’re right , but , I think there’s something to this;  I agree that playing The wind is prudent , however , certain cover scents - if effective -may also  Serve a purpose . My thinking is that the cover scent masks human odor enough to confuse the deer so that it doesn’t raise a red flag . Some , here , have also mentioned that , in order for the scent to be effective , it should make sense or “fit” as a natural background scent And I agree with that. For example , if your hunting in Florida , would you use wood smoke as a cover scent ? Probably wouldn’t make sense right ? But , in upstate NY absolutely!! 

[NYBowhunter]

I never play the wind on my mountain,  if I played the wind I would be changing my stands every 1/2hr. I do however pay attention to how I enter and  exit my stands, will skirt bedding areas, will hunt certain stands only in am or pm due to bedding/feeding patterns. I pee off my stands all day long and does not bother deer. If I have a mock scrape I will save my pee in a bottle and when I get off stand I will freshen up the scrape. I shower sometimes twice a day for the am and pm hunts and I don't use any soap, not even the non scent soaps, just plain water.There are lots of pine standings by me so I will also pack my clothing in totes with pine branches . I have been very successful with the above approach and works for me so why change.

Edited December 28, 2020 by NYBowhunter

[phade]

No right or wrong; I just don't believe that a deer's nose and the related processes are that easily fooled. Deer have dispositions like any other animal or major living being; some tolerate things some don't. Fooling them? I just don't believe it. They can smell time, just like a dog. Ever wonder why a dog often will wait at the window for the owner to come home at just about the right time of day? It's because they can smell time - scent concentration of the owner reaches a specific diminished level and they connect that to his or her arrival. Deer can do the same - ever see deer duck in cover a few minutes before someone takes their daily walk with the dog down a specific trail? When an animal can do that - you're not fooling them easily or often enough IMO. Again, just my opinion. Sometimes things works for people and if they believe it does and it continues with success, then by all means use it. 

Ozone has some merit not because of the deer but because it kills scent molecules before reaching the deer. That's not a cover scent purpose. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

20 hours ago, Northcountryman said:

I read that an old Indian trick was to use wood smoke as a cover scent for deer hunting ; evidently , they would really smoke up their clothes prior to a hunt and would enjoy considerable success . 
Additionally, I’ve  read that Pine Sol was used by some old timers . 
 

Anyone ever heard of and/ or used either of these and , if so, do you think it was effective?

Thanks  

I have heard of using pine oil. I think that pine oil is used in pine sol so that may be the link. 

[wildcat junkie]

15 hours ago, DirtTime said:

A pack of non filter smokes and black coffee. Lotta deer have fallen to that combo.

 

14 hours ago, grampy said:

Can't begin to tell ya, how many times I've had to put down my smoke to kill a deer. But I highly advise not using that method for obvious reasons.

I have found the added movement involved has often gotten me "busted".

[Versatile_Hunter]

1 hour ago, phade said:

Deer have an organ we do not; the Jacobson's organ. Because of that we have trouble relating to what a whitetail can or cannot smell and how effective they truly are at it. It essentially allows them to process MANY smells at one time and individually process them in fractions of a second. A shark for example can do this, which many people are familiar with the saying that they can "smell a drop of blood in a million gallons of water." Same scenario with deer. Thus if you use a cover scent, the deer smells the cover scent and your scent.

Where things like smoke come into play is the impact it has on either dulling or over-loading that organ. I don't there is conclusive detail either way but that is the likely thought process behind it. As a result, I don't think it's worth my time spend on it. Practice smart/reasonable scent control measures, use them, and spend that saved time on other result-producing efforts. I'd rather walk an extra mile in a loop to get to the right spot than rely on smoking / ozone, nose jammer to "cover" my scent stream and take the straight shot to the stand blowing scent into the bedding.

That’s their vomeronasal organ and it’s specialized to pick up non-volatile odorants. This means that the deer’s nose would have to come in direct contact with with the scent source. And though the Jacobson’s organ may not actually contribute to the deer’s ability to pick out your wind scent, they obviously do have a profound sense of smell. 

[phade]

1 minute ago, Versatile_Hunter said:

That’s their vomeronasal organ and it’s specialized to pick up non-volatile odorants. This means that the deer’s nose would have to come in direct contact with with the scent source. And though the Jacobson’s organ may not actually contribute to the deer’s ability to pick out your wind scent, they obviously do have a profound sense of smell. 

Whatever the science is behind it - if they could be fooled at any major degree, there'd be alot more use of that technique within mainstream hunting and it'd stick long-term. True game changers become prevalent/predominant - think treestands for example.

[Jeremy K]

2 hours ago, phade said:

Deer have an organ we do not; the Jacobson's organ. Because of that we have trouble relating to what a whitetail can or cannot smell and how effective they truly are at it. It essentially allows them to process MANY smells at one time and individually process them in fractions of a second. A shark for example can do this, which many people are familiar with the saying that they can "smell a drop of blood in a million gallons of water." Same scenario with deer. Thus if you use a cover scent, the deer smells the cover scent and your scent.

Where things like smoke come into play is the impact it has on either dulling or over-loading that organ. I don't there is conclusive detail either way but that is the likely thought process behind it. As a result, I don't think it's worth my time spend on it. Practice smart/reasonable scent control measures, use them, and spend that saved time on other result-producing efforts. I'd rather walk an extra mile in a loop to get to the right spot than rely on smoking / ozone, nose jammer to "cover" my scent stream and take the straight shot to the stand blowing scent into the bedding.

Exactly ,we smell cake ,they smell each individual  ingredient. 

[GreeneHunter]

18 minutes ago, phade said:

Whatever the science is behind it - if they could be fooled at any major degree, there'd be alot more use of that technique within mainstream hunting and it'd stick long-term. True game changers become prevalent/predominant - think treestands for example.

X2 ..... I climb into my Tree Stand during season at 6:15 am (or thereabouts) and sit there and I actually think I'm hunting ! I used to still hunt for hours / miles on end .... that was Hunting !

[DirtTime]

Just bathe in apple juice. It can't be any more expensive then some of the other crap out there.

 

 

If you're hunting near a cow pasture just walk through every 'pile'. If you can stand the smell of yourself I'm sure it will cover any human scent. Warning for this one, I'm not responsible for any wives/girlfriends/boyfriends/husbands or sheep that kick you out of the house smelling like a cow pattie.