Hunter or hunted?

[theoldarcher]

I was reading the post by crazyfarmer about the 14 year old that shot that great looking buck and something caught my attention. This is a quote from crazyfarmers post.

“He had no scent lock or the high dollar gismo's that most use. Just a pair of coveralls and a shotgun.”

That sentence struck a nerve with me. Sometimes I wonder if we are the hunters or the hunted. Manufactures and Sport show host alike are always pushing to buy this product or saying “I use this product because their is none better.” It seems that we hunters are the target more than the deer are.

I have hunted for 33 years and have fallen into the advertisement trap on more than one occasion. However as of recent years I simply don’t go out and buy things just because everyone is saying that “without this I couldn’t have taken this giant with it.” I buy only what gear I need to effectively hunt where I am going.

I am not proud of the fact, but I am a smoker and have been sense I was 17 years old. Not a day goes by that I am hunting that I fail to smoke while I am on the stand or in the blind. I always carry a bottle with a little water in it to dump my ashes and throw my butts away, but I have on many occasions had to lay the cigarette down in order to shoot a deer. I found out the hard way not to hold it in my mouth and shoot at the same time. But still, this goes against all the things that you’re supposed to do while hunting deer.

I have played the wind more than relying on someone’s products to make sure the deer don’t know I’m there. So here is my question. Do you use the scent loc products or other scent controlling products while hunting and do you really think that it makes that big of a difference?

[bdog]

Play your cards right and MOST of the time you will win, I have to agree with you about all the gadgets, try looking for the deer that just snorted at you from 20 yards away, what kind of camo is he wearing? It's not the high dollar stuff we wear and you can't see them.

[Grizzly Adam]

My own practice is simple, and cheap:

I wear camo, but nothing special or expensive, and I wear it out, too.

I wash with unscented soap, and use unscented deodorant.

That's it.

Really. That's all I've ever done.

I kill plenty of deer.

[Kenton]

I think that is a very good question. I wear scent-loc products but I don't stop there. Everything I take into the woods might as well be quarentined. I keep everything in scent proof bags; all my gear, boots, socks, I have underwear I only use for hunting, even the towels I use after showering are kept "safe". I wash my binocs, and even my grunt tube. I do everything I possibly can and I can difinitively proclaim IT WORKS.........FOR ME. This is the system that works for me, but I never would have figured it out if I didn't try a whole bunch of different things.

A good example: recently I broke my bow holder (I shoot a vert and use a screw-in holder). I had to buy a replacement quickly because I didn't keep a back-up. Now, the one I broke was the only one I've ever had and it worked flawlessly. It was easy to screw-in, quiet, and just seemed to be exactly what I wanted. This new one is horrible. Its one of the noisiest peices of equipment I've ever used and is the complete antithesis of the old one.

I tell you all that to tell you this: NOW I KNOW. I didn't know before, and now I know there is a difference. Can a bow holder make an actuall difference in a hunt? Beats me, but I notice it. Do scent-loc products actually keep scent in? I dunno, but for me it works.

[Grizzly Adam]

... but for me it works.

Exactly.

That, my Buckeye friend, is the name of the game.

As the mountain men said, if that "floats your stick" ... then that's what you should do!

[Cossack]

Confidence, that's the mane of the game. Do whatever you think works.
I even have a lucky knife; it's always been with me whenever I've shot a deer. ( Of course it's always with me whenever I'm hunting. )

[wabi]

I think the level of disguise necessary depends on what the deer encounter in their normal daily activities.

I don't spend much on camo because in my experience about any camo pattern is similar in effectiveness, and often a "camo" pattern printed on the garments isn't even necessary.

I've shot 2 deer so far this fall.
Deer #1 was from my ground blind and I was wearing a lightweight black "polarfleece" jacket over my shirt. (deer can't see my pants so I wear comfortable jeans)
Deer #2 was from my ladder stand (the stand has a camo "skirt" on the shooting rail, so again my pants can't be seen) and I was wearing a brown "polarfleece" (you guessed it - I love "polarfleece" ) shirt with lighter lines making a sort of checkerboard pattern.
In both of those settings is was "blended in" to my surroundings - similar colors and a non-reflective fabric.

I don't worry about expensive laundering detergents, I wash my hunting clothes in baking soda. I store them in my shop (an old blacksmith shop with a dirt floor and a woodstove for heat when I need it)

Where I hunt there is a small subdivision at one end of the property. The deer smell woodsmoke and hear and smell people and pets and all the sounds and odors associated with them daily.

I do smoke cigars, and to shoot both of the deer this year I had to lay my cigar down to make the shot. We could probably get into an argument on it, but I believe the deer (at least where I hunt) are not alarmed by smoke. The cigar smoke may actually serve as a cover scent for me! 90% of the deer I've shot over the years have come in while I was smoking! I've read about a very successful deer hunter (sorry, can't remember his name or the name of his book) that had old steel barrels at his favorite locations so he could build a wood fire and stay warm while hunting.

If I were hunting an area where it was more of a wilderness setting I might change tactics, but for me the the "urbanized" setting makes a lot of the scent free/noise free methods unnecessary. I don't use scented bath soap, I don't use scented laundry detergent, and I don't make any more noise than necessary. I do wear rubber boots most of the time and I try to play the wind direction to my advantage.
Most of those blinds and stands are shared by other hunters that have permission on that property and the ones that use all the latest camo patterns and scent-free products seem to have very similar success or failure - we all get "busted" at times!

I shoot almost all my deer at under 20 yards, and I have not had to go through a winter without venison for many years, so it must be working for me!
The ones I kill may be the stupid ones, but I can't detect a bit of difference in the taste of the meat!

[gogo]

Cossack has it right confidence is the name of the game. I brought it up before even though im in camo from head to toe the deer dont care. Wind is what it is all about, play the wind right and everything should work out. Everything else is for the hunter not the deer.

[sumner4991]

I wear the camo now-a-days, mainly because of it's ability to keep me comfortable. However, for many, many years, I hunted just like this 14 year old. Blue jeans and a cotton flannel shirt(plaid no less).

I have tried the scents, bombs and such . . .not impressed. I'll stick to the old fashioned way.

[Grizzly Adam]

I will say this about camo and concealment ... just my opinion from years of experience bowhunting on the ground:

I think wearing a headnet and gloves makes a big difference in whether, or how quickly, deer spot you in a set-up.

I don't think patterns are as big a deal as people make them out to be, but I do think it's wise to cover up your face and hands.

I also believe that deer take note of blaze orange ... I'm not saying they see it as orange, but I'm saying they notice it and can learn to associate it with danger ... and I guarantee you that bear do!

[PA_DeerHunter]

Great question!!!

Over the years I have found that my biggest 3 bucks (and I've a number of them) were taken on those days when I didn't take exceptional care. My first deer ever taken was when I was brand new to deer hunting. I went out with camo clothing, but didn't wash it in any Hunter's Specialty soap (didn't exist yet), and I had Old Spice deodorant on. The buck walked up within 20 yards of me on opening day and I dropped him with my .243.

The second buck came as I rushed straight to the field from work. No going home to clean up, and my camo hadn't been cleaned in several hunts (stinky by deer standards). Climbed a tree and within 5 minutes an eight point came under the tree. In fact, I had forgotten my camo pants and had to make do with blue jeans. Nailed him!

And the third biggie came after a long day in the tree stand and I had to relieve myself without a pee bottle on hand. So...straight off the stand from 20 feet up, I put my scent down. I figured I'd see nothing as a result....but hey, when ya' gotta go, ya' gotta go! Oddly enough, a giant bodied 8 point came in to tend a scrape 30 yards from my tree, with an atypical breeze blowing right toward him at the moment. Certainly he had to catch a whiff? But nothing alerted him. Zip....arrow right into him.

I have a very good friend who rarely washes his camo, who wears his construction clothes and boots straight from work. And he sees more deer and shoots more deer than I do. Go figure!

This isn't to counter all the wisdom of playing the wind and going out scent free, but not sure how my own experiences comports to this wisdom.

[hiking]

I use to work with horses all day and hunt on horse farm in the evening. never paid attention to the wind, it didn't matter we smelled like the enviroment we were in, they were the best deer hunting days for me.

but since then, things have changed, I do wear cameo (nothing fancy) and do pay attention to wind direction. I don't go overboard on scent control and do use a cover scent. 4 years ago I had spilled a bottle of trail end on my hunting jacket (it did smell) while up in a tree stand, I spotted a buck with 2 doe about 150 yds away, directley down wind from me. that buck (a mature 10 pointer) left the doe and came right to me, I shot him 10 yrd from my tree stand. they are all diffrent (like us) and don't all react the same.

[w8cop]

I have been bow hunting for over 30 years.I have killed many deer from a tree stand,but have now switched to a ground blind and crossbow.The ground blind really helps containing scent,and you can move around more than in a tree stand.Scent and movement are the two biggest factors in getting busted by deer. All the "toys" that are sold can help,but if you stink,make noise, or move too much,bow hunting is not the sport for you.Just my 2 cents worth.

[roland]

I have shot most of my deer while smoking, have to put the smoke down to shoot. I hunt with a buddy that used to always put deer scent on the legs of his coveralls until on night he had 7 coyotes follow him and circle him until he got to his truck. It scared him and he dosn't do that any more.

[bucont]

I think the level of disguise necessary depends on what the deer encounter in their normal daily activities.

I don't spend much on camo because in my experience about any camo pattern is similar in effectiveness, and often a "camo" pattern printed on the garments isn't even necessary.

I've shot 2 deer so far this fall.
Deer #1 was from my ground blind and I was wearing a lightweight black "polarfleece" jacket over my shirt. (deer can't see my pants so I wear comfortable jeans)
Deer #2 was from my ladder stand (the stand has a camo "skirt" on the shooting rail, so again my pants can't be seen) and I was wearing a brown "polarfleece" (you guessed it - I love "polarfleece" ) shirt with lighter lines making a sort of checkerboard pattern.
In both of those settings is was "blended in" to my surroundings - similar colors and a non-reflective fabric.

I don't worry about expensive laundering detergents, I wash my hunting clothes in baking soda. I store them in my shop (an old blacksmith shop with a dirt floor and a woodstove for heat when I need it)

Where I hunt there is a small subdivision at one end of the property. The deer smell woodsmoke and hear and smell people and pets and all the sounds and odors associated with them daily.

I do smoke cigars, and to shoot both of the deer this year I had to lay my cigar down to make the shot. We could probably get into an argument on it, but I believe the deer (at least where I hunt) are not alarmed by smoke. The cigar smoke may actually serve as a cover scent for me! 90% of the deer I've shot over the years have come in while I was smoking! I've read about a very successful deer hunter (sorry, can't remember his name or the name of his book) that had old steel barrels at his favorite locations so he could build a wood fire and stay warm while hunting.

If I were hunting an area where it was more of a wilderness setting I might change tactics, but for me the the "urbanized" setting makes a lot of the scent free/noise free methods unnecessary. I don't use scented bath soap, I don't use scented laundry detergent, and I don't make any more noise than necessary. I do wear rubber boots most of the time and I try to play the wind direction to my advantage.
Most of those blinds and stands are shared by other hunters that have permission on that property and the ones that use all the latest camo patterns and scent-free products seem to have very similar success or failure - we all get "busted" at times!

I shoot almost all my deer at under 20 yards, and I have not had to go through a winter without venison for many years, so it must be working for me!
The ones I kill may be the stupid ones, but I can't detect a bit of difference in the taste of the meat!

X2 - accept for the cigar, I do not smoke.

I have tried buck bomb, $9 shot into the air a disappeared. I have been using an old bottle of scent-away spray I found out in garage. I've shot deer with and wthout it.
I do think you should used anything you feel gives you an advantage. If it is a buck bomb, tag it, scent loc, grunt tubes or what ever it is.