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How vital is scent control?

DJBrad

DJBrad

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I’ve been in and out of many spots this late summer and early fall. Most of the time I used sprays for my gear before I go in and don’t wash my gear unless I get it smelling sweaty. I sometimes will inadvertently cross deer highways which could be detrimental to seeing the deer again on that path. I’ve laid down apples and corn bait (they got the apples but mostly left the corn bait alone) and the deer keep coming through the same area.

In most of your experiences when dealing with deer do you go above and beyond this for scent control? When it comes to tree stands and wind/thermals movement there is a whole other set of principles. I’m going to intermix a ground blind, tree stand, and sit and stalk as well. I’ll be looking at wind movement on the days I go in and exercise great caution on how quiet and stealthily I move into my spots.

Basically, what do you guys do for scent control here during the early scouting and open NE deer seasons?
 
I play the wind but don’t worry to much about scent. I don’t spray clothes with scent killer. I do wear rubber boots which helps and walk into stands different ways
So it makes it harder for them to pattern me.
 
Rifle or bow? Rifle, I piss out my hooch door and get a deer every year. Bow, scent control is way more important, critical even.
 
Shotgun and Muzzleloader for me. I’m comfortable at within 100 yards for a vital point.
 
Wasn’t there a big todo with those scent blocking clothes in the last year or three? K-9 handlers will tell you they don’t work.
 
Can you beat a dogs nose? The drug cartels have yet to find a fool proof way. If it was as simple as spraying the dope with scent killer US Customs and Border Patrol would be out of business.

A deers nose has more surface area than a dogs nose AND also has a Jacobsen organ to allow a deer too “taste” scent as well.

I don’t think that you will beat a deers nose. Ever. At best you may be able to reduce the detection distance.....maybe... IMO.

I get some milkweed pods, dry them out, strip the husk and seeds, and put them in a pocket portable container and use those to see where my scent is going and set up accordingly.

I prefer hunting a just off wind so the deer think that the wind is in their favor but I will get a shot before the deer hits my scent cone.

I use regular un-scented laundry detergent all year round anyway but I still wash my hunting gear in UV killer the first time and thereafter scent free hunting soap. Not for the scent free part but because the hunting soaps don’t have UV brighteners in them.

Save your money. Don’t stress out. Enjoy your hunt.

JMO,

Bob
 
I think scent control is much over rated.

I've called bucks in within ten feet in front of me sitting in a chair with the wind at my back and a fresh piss spot three feet to my side. I could have jumped up and grabbed them they were that close.

I've not used scent control for almost twenty years and not had any problem getting a deer if they are out there.
 
Uzi2 said:
I think scent control is much over rated.

I've called bucks in within ten feet in front of me sitting in a chair with the wind at my back and a fresh piss spot three feet to my side. I could have jumped up and grabbed them they were that close.

I've not used scent control for almost twenty years and not had any problem getting a deer if they are out there.
Click to expand...
I absolutely agree.

All the stuff that some guys buy to block scent.........charcoal suits.....sprays.....detergents.....yet if they fart they can smell it themselves let alone the deer lol

Play the wind yes........Sprays and suits no.
 
whatluck said:
My grandpa went out in the field wearing his work jeans and a vest, no spray.
Click to expand...
My uncle did the same in the 80s. Jeans and flannel.


He
did play the wind though. He always entered laurel patches with the wind in his face. Got a buck every year until his MS got too bad to go out.
 
My neighbor cuts grass with his 2-stroke weed-whacker, and the deer come out of the woods to see what he is up to.

My Dad and his friends used to pack about 10-15 guys into a tiny deer camp, and eat, drink, and smoke for 2 weeks. They would not shower, just wash up with a facecloth. They'd probably smoke right before and maybe during hunting. They always came home with deer.

I don't think you really need to worry much about "scent stuff".
 
Well, plan is to ride tomorrow at Quillinan (a Naugatuck State Forest block that's hunted during the season), in my typical stinky-as-f*** state, so I'll report back what I see. Phone is in the pack when I ride, so I can't offer photos.
 
SpaceCritter said:
Well, plan is to ride tomorrow at Quillinan (a Naugatuck State Forest block that's hunted during the season), in my typical stinky-as-f*** state, so I'll report back what I see. Phone is in the pack when I ride, so I can't offer photos.
Click to expand...

Enjoy your ride. I used hunt both those blocks. The Archery season is open so be aware of that.

Bob
 
You're not beating a deer's nose. Don't even try. It's a waste of time, money and effort. They can pick up your breath at 100 yards - easy. Learn how deer use terrain to their advantage. How they use thermals in hill country, swamps, etc. They put themselves into specific locations for specific reasons. The leeward side of a hill for example... That way they can smell you from upwind (via the wind) and downwind (via the thermals).

It's almost like they can reason... It's uncanny. But you can use that to your advantage. Because it makes their behavior somewhat predictable.

Scent Lok is a gimmick. So are the sprays and whatnot. You will live and die by the wind, thermals, and terrain and it's impact on airflow.

There is probably no more hotly debated topic in the hunting community. You'll hear the "I was straight upwind and the deer didn't know I was there browski, ScentLok works!"

What those people neglect to consider is that some deer (young deer) don't care. Especially during the rut. But I can tell you with near-absolute certainty, that you'll NEVER see a mature buck or even a mature doe just lollygagging around your stand when they can smell you. And they WILL smell you if you don't know exactly where your scent stream is going and set up to keep it from the deer.

Think of it like this.... everything you can see with your eyes, a deer sees with its nose. But despite how good your eyes may be, you do have blind spots. So does a deer's nose. Put your effort into getting into those blind spots.

I wish I could have back all the loot I wasted on scent control...

Now let's talk about activated carbon, which is what those suites use. What the manufacturers don't tell you is that activated carbon does not discriminate in what it absorbes. As soon as it's exposed to the atmosphere it starts absorbing water vapor, nitrogen, oxygen, air pollutants, etc. The trace amounts of activated carbon in those suits are filled to capacity long before you even get to your stand. They also tell you to "recharge" it in the dryer. But they forget to mention that the temps required to free trapped molecules from activated carbon is higher than your dryer will go. So high, in fact, it would burn the clothing were it to be exposed to those temps. If your dryer got that hot it would burn your house down.

Do the research and you start to see what a gimmick it really is...
 
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I’ve been focusing a bit on ridges, winds, thermals, and corridors recently. It seems based on all your feedback and those many YT vids that it is the way to go. I’m gonna KISS on this and pick those types of spots, day of, with a piece of yarn on my muzzle and milkweed seeds in my pocket-sized container.
 
djbradles said:
I’ve been focusing a bit on ridges, winds, thermals, and corridors recently. It seems based on all your feedback and those many YT vids that it is the way to go. I’m gonna KISS on this and pick those types of spots, day of, with a piece of yarn on my muzzle and milkweed seeds in my pocket-sized container.
Click to expand...
What's a "thermal" and a "corridor"?
 
Understanding corridors =--->
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqX6a41pPhY


Thermals =---> To Beat a Buck’s Nose, Remember Thermals | QDMA

The next one should be funnels. Think of a tree with all the branches running back to the trunk. The branches are deer trails and the where they meet the trunk (corridor) are the funnels. Find 5 or six trails that meet a corridor at roughly the same place and you have a good spot to watch, provided there are scrapes and correct windage. Funnels will also be terrain dependent.

funnels =---> How To Find Deer Funnels - Colossal Whitetail
 

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