Winding concern..........Help!

[Rickster]

Guys, congratulations on your successes so far....
.Myself, I've been out 4 times already, seen deer each time and my biggest problem is crosswinds (or gusts swirling suddenly) which winds deer within about 25 yards of my stand.
My treestand is set up downwind (if a NW wind is present) of deertrails just in from the inside corner of a soy field/woodlot..
My question- would it be worth buying a Scentlok type suit, or should I just hang on a bit (since wind direction is becoming N and NW very soon) and be careful with spraying my boots more often, maybe using doe or fox urine around my stand?

Thanks for any advice, love this web site,
Later,
Rickster

[Partikle]

Rickster,

Some guys love those scentlok suits and swear by them, others I know call them "sucker suits". All I can say is even if you spend your hard earned money on the suit, you still have to be super careful to keep the suit and the rest of your body/gear scent free. I go away hunting for a week at a time and don't have the luxury of a cloths dryer out in the bush to re-active a charcoal suit.

I think before you spend the money on a carbon suit, try everything you can to ensure your regular hunting clothing/gear is as scent free as possible, and then use some good cover scent and the wind to your advantage.

I think this year I will store all my outdoor clothing in the wood shed buried in some fresh cut cedar limbs each night between hunts.

Remember, lots of old timers were shooting big deer before the days of carbon suits, cover scents and camo clothing was around.

Nick

[Guest]

Thanks for the pointers, Nick. I'm still wet behind the ears (my first deer hunting season actually!) and I am soaking up as much info as I can. The buck fever combined with impatience for my first deer is a lethal combination!! I definitely should be more careful with protecting absolutely all equipment from the house, car, etc. and watching the wind more carefully. I appreciate any input, thanks again,
Rickster

[Butt]

Hey Rickster, I've been using coon urine and have had great success. The deer I shot opening evening came in down wind and walked right in to my shooting lane. A buddy of mine also uses coon urine and shot a nice 8 p.t.r that came in to him down wind and he hunts in a ground blind, shot him at 15 yards. Just a little word of advise, use very little it's very strong and if that wind switches you better have nose plugs

Good Huntin Butt.

[chris4570]

The wind has been anything but predictable lately. First this way then that way, then back, then around. I too am getting frustrated with the wind.

[Partikle]

Hey Butt,

Do you spray ALL your clothing or just your boots? I will stick with cedar or dirt smell on my coat and pants. The boys would not let me in the camp if I was covered in coon urine.

Nick

[Hi5]

Maybe part of your problem is how you are approaching your stand. I try not to step on the game trail as I approach my stand. No point in alerting the game that a human WAS there, even if the human stink level is not high enough to indicate he STILL is there.

Also. how high is your stand? Maybe you aren't high enough. I haven't had a huge amount of experience with stands, but I thought normally, scent carried by the warmer air which is coming off our body, would rise. Normally it should be carried off by any breeze and not interfere with game in normal shooting range.

[Butt]

I do not spray my clothes or boots with this coon urine, if I'm hunting out of a tree stand I spray the bottom of the tree and some branches at the height I am at. If I am hunting off the ground I spray on some brush down wind of my location.

Good Huntin Butt.

[pdislow]

i sometimes use about a square foot of the first inch or 2 of the forest floor (leaves/dirt) in a trash bag along with my coverals overnight i think it helps hide my smell and should smell somewhat like the freshly pawed ground of a scrape.

[boogap]

Maybe they are spotting you? Do you have good cover where your stand is?

[raydaughety]

Couldn't sleep last night so I got up and turned on the outdoor channel. I watched a guy harvest a nice but and praised his scent blocker suit claiming that if it hadn't been for the suit he would not have gotten the deer. The second scene was the same hunter in that suit had a 140 class buck heading towards him but stopped at about 75 yards, stuck his nose in the air, stompted his foot, storted and bolted. The "professional " hunter then gave a lecture on stand placement and playing the wind but never mentioned the failure of his suit. I take a shower, sprinkle baking soda all over, wear sweats and a tee shirt to my blind, then I change into my hunting clothes that have been in 2 large ziplock storage bags with pine straw. I also spray down with scent shield before dressing. I then put my sweats and tee shirt into the zip lock bag, sit back and wait. It's muzzle loader season here in N.C. I could have killed 9 does out of by doghouse blind last night ( 2 of them down wind ) The does still had fawns with them so I didn't shoot. The regular gun season comes in Saturday so I plan on being on the same powerline with by exomag and my .270 ( Insurance ). Hope this helps.

[Partikle]

Great Tips Ray,

Two questions

1. Where do you buy ziplock bags big enough to hold a hunting coat? Would Walmart sell them?

2. Pine Straw? Do you mean pine needles that are dried up and have fallen off the tree?

Thanks for the great tips.
Nick

[Guest]

Once again. I appreciate all input. Butt, the coon urine may well be worth a shot... As for being spotted raydaughety, in one of my stands- no way, too thick around me, the other, possibly (wood stand with only natural cover tied to it (unpainted- golden wood stands out a bit).. Height of treestands-15 ft.-next year I will find higher (safer trees if I can).
The other Ideas sound good too-baking soda etc...I use scent block spray, but it doesn't cover everything, of course.
I will get back to you guys ASAP.
Keep the faith, thanks again
LAter,
Rickster