Human Scents scares deer - old wives tale???

[Ferguson Outfitters]

After a night of beer, oysters, and chilli, my bowels loosened on the way to the stand and I cut loose. After I got my gear and drawers back up and proceeded to walk in the dark, I discovered I was 15 yards from my treestand. "Crap!", no pun intended. I killed a big buck running scrapes in the fog at day break almost on top of my leavings which I did cover like a cat.

The only scent I've found that discourages or spooks a deer is K9.

I have found "Nose Jammer" (used 3 years) and my old standby "trioxane" (my whole military career) to obliterate an animal's reasonable sense of smell. This can be counter productive if you are in Texas hunting over deer feeders. It confuses them and they might not come exactly to the feeder.

Whatever works for ya though.

[paulaboutform]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you said you were using the smoking scent sticks? Wel,l they do claim that the smoke produced leaves a thin oily film and that it negates an animal's olefactory senses. I have been told that by a manufacturer and did read it. Perhaps you should share your story with them as it appears your experience is backing up their claims. It would make sense. Chewing corn is loud. Sense of smell is temporarily defunct and not a very educated deer.

Paul

[galamb]

Paul, your response and the one from Hi5 both sound more than reasonable.

And I am not trying rewrite any scientific studies or change anyone's mind based on "their experience".

Over the past few years my way of hunting has changed somewhat. It's more about the hunt and less about actually taking something down. I spend far more time/effort bow hunting now, at least for deer - only used to hunt the rifle season. Likewise, for my moose and bear hunts I have "reduced my caliber" so that it is more incumbent on me actually getting close and only taking a near perfect shot (and passing if it's not perfect) than shooting at something 200 or 300 yards away and hoping that the "horsepower" will take it down.

I did a fair bit of observing last year when likewise, dozens of does frequented my stand. I watched their interactions, noted how they came in (was surprised that they took what appeared to be the "hard way" more often then the beaten down game trails) - basically after hunting for decades I started paying attention to the animals without shooting at them.

This year I decided that I would see "what they would tolerate". And yes, this was one deer - others may act significantly differently.

There is always debate about attractant scents as well. I use them, my hunting buddy does not. Maybe they DO scare away some animals, but I consistently see more (in shooting range) then he does - so "I believe". Maybe it jams their nose a bit - that could certainly explain it - or maybe as suggested, they equate "my scent" to an easy meal and if I just parachuted into a different stand the reaction would be different.

But this year, when they are "chowing down" I am going to continue to "push things" to see what they will let me get away with as far as noise and smells go - if I find out that I don't have to be afraid to breathe too heavy when a deer is 10 or 15 yards out, it will certainly make the hunt more enjoyable..

[racking up points]

Graham, you must have a ton of deer to hunt; so many that you're willing to risk ruining this hunt and others to experiment with how much noise/scent you can get away with!

[Carnivorous]

3 days of hunting over bait in Michigan this past weekend. I had only one mature doe come in to my shooting Lane and the wind shifted on me and she was gone.

Man I miss bow hunting in Ontario where I see multiple deer per day..lol

[Ferguson Outfitters]

I think the amount of game you see depends on where you are and if you have dog smell on you.

I typically see from five to 25 animals per day when I hunt so I too experiment like Graham. Sometimes this is more fun than hunting. I hunt in multiple states too.

I've learned many things, even the best camo is being nude.

Last saturday when I creeped back to my truck at sundown, there were Texas deer sniffing all around my truck bed where corn and blocks were.

[nchunterkw]

Where I hunt the wind is very tricky. It almost never is blowing in the direction the weatherman says, so even when I try to use this to figure out which stand to sit in, once I get there it's never optimal. Most times it's just continually shifting seemingly 360 degrees. Given this, I try to go "no scent", realizing that I may be only achieving "low scent". I find Graham's statement that he "does not believe" the scent eliminator products work. As an engineer, I tend to look at things very unemotionally and try to evaluate the data and claims of the manufacturer. Here are some thoughts:

Scent Control - these work to eliminate bacteria from your skin, and residual bacteria from skin cells left on your clothes and gear. Human odor comes from bacteria growth, which starts the minute you step out of the shower. So I don't think the question is if they work, they do, but so does soap...it just leaves behind a different smell. So I use non-scent soap. Same with laundry detergent. Many things will get clothes clean, but I choose to use one that won't leave any new odors behind. I also mostly hunt from the ground so my scent does not travel as far as when in a treestand. "Scent" is actually very small particles of stuff. They have weight and fall to the ground...slowly. So hunting from the ground means they hit the ground sooner. SO maybe that let's me get closer. I don't know. But I know that deer see movement from a long way off and that I spook more deer from movement than from my scent.

UV: Studies show deer can see into the UV spectrum. We cannot. Also a fact, many laundry detergents that have "whiteners and brighteners" use (and leave behind) stuff that reflects UV. Think of what a white T-shirt looks like under a black light. ("Black light is approaching the UV spectrum). It looks very bright, right? So if you have stuff on white clothes that reflects light near those wavelengths, the human eye will only pick up some but the shirt with them versus the one without them, will look a bit brighter (perceived as cleaner), so hopefully they sell more detergent. But a deer will see those 2 shirts quite differently. One will be very bright (UV) and the other will not. So I use a product called "UV Killer" and my experience since using it, is that I can get very very close to deer as long as I am still.

CAMO: I am also not one that buys into the latest pattern of the day, but rather use something "3D". Again, my experience is that something 3D is the only stuff that really breaks up your outline and let's you truly blend in.

[Buszone]

Well right now I'm using 100% DEET and a cheap cigar along with head net gloves and 2 layers of clothing ,, is still not working but I have killed 100's of skitters so this fall.. praying for some frost. My thoughts are in bow season wind and movement are everything then when gun comes in it really doesn't matter as there is enough human scent they are running from one guy to the next. I have shot a ton of deer while having a burner.

[galamb]

I have only hunted 3 days so far this season. I spent all day in the stand on Saturday (the opener). Was there before sunrise and stayed until just after sunset - so a solid 12 hour day in the stand (but it is a home built 4'X6' complete with peaked roof etc - I can get up and move around, lay down (did snooze for a bit).

The second and third time out (Sunday and Tuesday) I went in at 4:30 pm'ish and stayed until about 7 pm - so total about 17 hours.

In that time, I had the following come in to, past my stand (close enough to clearly identify) - a single buck (but as in my other post, the chance of recovery was too low for my ethics to allow me to take the shot), 8 does and 1 fawn (now may have been one or more of the same does on all three days), a black bear, five turkey, a ruffed grouse and a rabbit.

I don't have a doe tag, my bear tag was filled two weeks ago and while I could have taken the bird or the bunny I was "sitting for a buck" (which means I was too lazy to shoot, go down and retrieve it, get back into the stand and reload)

Maybe the does "know" I don't have a tag for them so are "teasing" - but figure I have to keep myself entertained

So yes, lot's of game around and as of today I still have 86 "hunting days" left in this current season. It may come back to bite me if all the deer shut down or go nocturnal. But the freezer is full of bear right now, so wouldn't starve if this is a "bambi-less" year

[Ferguson Outfitters]

I think some of us are truely Blessed with very liberal seasons and bag limits for native deer species. I have from 1 October - February 10th. For Hogs, Axis, and other non-native exotics, its year round. Some of us are Blessed with large numbers of animals to play with too.

Its arrogant to think one of God's animals can't smell your scent even if you were in a bio suit with a carbon filter for your nasty breath.

God hasn't made too many real-tree camo colored animals either.

Whatever works for ya, dats what its all about.

[hockeyfodder]

OMG, are you hunting at the zoo?

[Ferguson Outfitters]

I can't speak for others but most places I hunt does remind me of one of them drive-thru animal Safari.

Last season I had turkey at five yards looking at me like WTF while I was getting my cell camera out of my thigh cargo pocket. I took some pics and they walked off. It blew 40 years of thinking turkey were these superior keen creatures with extraordinary eyesight.

I think I have become one with nature.

[nchunterkw]

One day in Ohio during gun season (after Thanksgiving) I was out with my buddy at his old homestead overgrown "farm". Saw a bunch of turkeys below me about 50 yds. It was a momma and some young ones. I was regular hunting clothes and a blaze orange vest and hat sitting on a log to take a break. To my left was a dead fall that had broken off and the tree was sort of sticking out of the hill like a diving board facing downhill. It was about 3 yards away. Momma turkey worked her way up to me and climbed out on that perch to watch all the young ones work their way up past me then she hopped down and followed. I tried moving my hands and such and she either had no clue or didn't care.

[Timmypo1]

I've noticed that scent control is much more important in some situations than others. In some of the local urban properties I hunt, scent control is much less needed. You can get away with most anything from smoking, to eating a onion covered sandwich on stand. I also spend a lot of time on a preserve property where the only people allowed there are select few hunters and only for a few months a year. Lots of steep hills and valleys for scent to carry through. The deer there are impossible to fool when it comes to scent. You can do everything humanly possible and you'll still be listening to snorts and watching fleeing tails from any deer that walks within a couple hundred yards down wind if you. Very frustrating some times.

[Timmypo1]

Also remember that scent doesn't always carry the way you think it would. Just because the wind is blowing that direction doesn't mean your scent is making it to a deer.

As far as going to the bathroom around or from your stand, I feel from experience that it doesn't matter much. Most deer usually don't have enough experience to relate the specific smell of human excrement to people. I don't call people out for carrying a bottle of their own urine out of the woods with them, but you won't catch me doing it.