Info on Cover Scents Wanted

[fitzzie]

Hi...new guy to the group...have done a little deer hunting on the ground here in west central Iowa...Harrison Co., but would like to improve my "odds" and technique...I'm kind of a newbie to deer huntin'.

What I would like to know is...do cover-up scents work and what are the better ones to get? Also, do these scentless detergents to wash your clothes with do the job and help keep the critters from smelling you? I know you can hang them outside for a few days/weeks and that can help, but what about the detergents and the soaps I see in the catalogs/stores...is it just a gimmick or do people actually use them successfully?

Seems like I read someplace that the deer can actually smell your breath too...be kinda hard to hold your breath while huntin' tho...

Of course, I know the best thing is to never be downwind from the deer, but that is kinda hard to do all the time... I've been winded several times lately...

I'm just wondering what you guys/gals do to keep from getting "smelled"?

Thanks!

[whyohe]

i use sent killer. it works really good for me. when i wash my hunting cloths i try to use a scent free detergent. t be truth full i rarely was my hunting camos (my outer layer). the only time i wash them is when i get blood or some thing like that on them. any natural smell picked up on them from the area i hunt i like to leave on them. works for me i get deer walking up to me even in a swirling wind wich is common in my area.

[deadeye]

i see the problem,you always want to be down wind if possible ;D save your money on cover scents,their noses are just too good to be fooled,find different routes "down wind" to your area as they will pattern you also.baking soda & water for clothes,& or some of these uv laundry soaps are good,good luck on your huntings as you are not the only one that has witnessed the "white flag"

[fitzzie]

Yup...thanks for the info... dah...I meant to say stay "downwind" from the deer...I may be new, but I got that figured out, even if I can't say it right...hee hee...

I've only shot two deer, both with a 14" scoped Contender in .357 Maximum. A lot of the firearms(shotgun especially) hunters around here hunt in a group and drive the deer past the shooters...usually out of places they hunt every year. I like to just go out and find a spot and sit and wait, maybe set up a little blind with some camo netting along an obviously-used deer trail. The DNR here has food plots(small corn fields that are not picked) on the public hunting land... so it ain't real hard to find a spot. There is a lot of public hunting land, thousands of acres actually, up in the hills simply because it is too steep and rough to farm.

Anyway, thanks...I'll try your suggestions. Got a Sav 10ML last year and am starting to figure shootin' a muzzy out now a little bit...thanks, in large part, to learning stuff off the Savage list.

[DW]

My buddy and I are both firm believers in Scent Lok clothing, including headcover.
We both use Scent Killer spray (probably nothing more than baking soda and water) to spray on our hands, neck and face. I douse the inside of my hat pretty good since hair is supposed to be one of the biggest odor carriers. One of the writers for N A WT shaved his armpits during hunting season. ;D We also lightly mist the outside of our hunting clothes down before we leave the truck.

Don't wear your hunting clothes in your vehicle, including boots. Carry your clothes in a tote, cargo or duffel bag and put your outerwear on at your hunting spot. This is a PITA when it is raining.

If you have to get gasoline, take care of this the night before.
Take your time walking to your ambush spot, try not to work up a sweat.
I always washed my gear in baking soda but the wife put a stop to that, she gets pretty annoyed when she is trying to cook something and the baking soda is gone. . I use one of the commercial brand clothes wash now.

[fitzzie]

Thanks DW... good info.

[ozark]

Human scent alerts whitetail and blacktail deer. I have never hunted the mulies. It doesn't cause deer to flee in panic but they begin an earnest effort to confirm things with either hearing or vision. Scent confirmed by another of their means of detecting danger is enough to cause flight. Sighting your image has to be confirmed by your movement, scent or noise to cause flight. It has been my experience that they are always alert to danger but need to determine location before taking evasive action. Eliminating your scent completely seems to be almost impossible but it can be lessened. Even if you could become completely scent free it would be necessary for the hunter to somehow appear to be nonthreatening. Most deer see humans on a daily basis and continue to follow their normal routine if the human doesn't appear to be in a predator mood. You can get close to deer by simply strolling along engaged in work or travel but if you become alert and start acting like a sneaking cat their instinct to flee from danger goes into gear. My point is that decreasing our scent does not make us a good deer hunter. The good deer hunter knows the defense mechanisms of deer and uses that knowledge to bring hunting successes, Ozark

[youp50]

I have observed many things come and go over the few years I have been hunting. Some seemingly very good ideas that never take off. And some that do and fizzle. Then there are those like the scent free, cover scent, and attractant scent products.

Years ago the go to product for hand/kidney warmers was a naptha burning pocket heater called 'Jon-e' I have some decoy scent from those days, a rubber topped eyedropper that applied scent to a wick hung on the heater. The idea being hot scent is better.

The latest rage seems to be scent free. Some of these products must work, for they are still around. IMO deer hunters are a gullible lot prone to buying stuff in the attempt to tilt the odds in their favor.

I have a tendency to wander about, emitting gas from either end as I feel the need, I do not spend money on scent free wash, clothes etc. I manage to kill a buck or two and have a great time. There are others that alter diet, use under wear with enough carbon in them to grill a turkey, use uv and scent killer wash and spray, need attractant scents etc. They also manage to kill some deer and have a great time.

There are some attractants that DO work. The trick is to figure out which ones work for you, where you hunt. And then hope they do not go they way of Remington's Elektonics ignition. I find that a sharp knife and road kill does offer some of the best attractant NOT on the market.

You are on the right path by watching the wind. Some deer are gifts from God, take them and be thankful.

[wilmsmeyer]

Amen to what deadeye said.

If you want to gain the advantage, hunt as if you were covered in stink...cause you are...and so am I. Save your money and buy excellent garnments that keep you warm and dry. Buy good equipment and never challenge a deers nose. They stay alive because of their nose.

Real world hunting (not commercials during "big buck" hunts on TV) is not much different then it was 50 years ago. You are trying to kill a big buck (or a little doe) and your quarry is trying to survive the day. Your success will give you pleasure....your quarrys success will ensure one more day alive. It's really that simple.

For us bowhunters especially....don't bank your hunt on clothing, scents or other commercially produced products. Use your head and do not challenge a smart deers nose. He will win.

When you do make mistakes with the wind, a thermal in the morning may help you and trick you into thinking you were un-smellable. Don't be fooled...you just got lucky. Mature deer in hunted woods are completely different then the TV shows.

[rossman40]

Your not going to totally eliminate your scent with all the fancy stuff, your just trying to minimize it so the deer will think your farther away and not a threat. I know a group of guys that are dead serious bow hunters. One step farther then DW. They go to the trouble of deodorizing the interior of their truck, they keep their scentlock gear in big ziplock bags and change before they enter the woods. Once they come out of the woods the gear goes right back in the bags and only use it a few times before baking it to regenerate the charcoal. These guys only go for trophies and a mature buck doesn't get to be mature by not trusting his nose. That is why you see deer moving upwind specially when on the run.

I have to agree with Wilmsmeyer and Youp, location downwind is still the best thing. I do try to minimize my odor "footprint" with all my gear and me much like Whyohe and Deadeye. I use scent free detergent and body stuff, the clothes detergent is also UV killer. What gets me is guys that go buy all the scentlock stuff and then go out in the woods with a gun reaking of Hoppes #9. The deer is going to smell something that doesn't belong. I was told that a deer can smell an acorn under 6" of snow, if that is true anything you try it will smell. Fox urine might be a cover scent but the deer is going to think that a new fox has came into the woods maybe wearing your old underwear.

Reminds me of a joke,, This blind guy applies for a job at a lumber yard, goes into the owners office for an interview. The owner asks what can he do, the blind guy says he can sort wood by just smelling it. The owner doesn't believe it so he gives him 10 different samples and the blind guy gets everyone of them right. The owner doesn't really want to hire him and thinks maybe he can trick him. He tells the blind guy that he has one more sample but it is big so he'll just put his face up next to it. The owner motions for his secretary to come in and puts the blind guys face right up to her crotch. The blind guy takes a good sniff and thinks for a moment and ask if he could have another sniff. This time the owner puts his face near her rear. The blind guy gets a good sniff a thinks for a minute, He says it was confusing but it could only be one thing, the bathroom door off a tuna boat.

[RAF]

Scents and scent eliminators. HMMM. Some swear by them. Other think they're a waste of time and money. Me. I never use them. I hunt from permanent blinds I've built. All are close to building and corals that are in use. Human activity and scent is always present. Deer in that area seen to acept it and get on with life. I've been know to enjoy a few cubans in my blind. When nature calls, I answer . Deer keep coming by me. If I move and they notice they're gone. In my situation movement is more critical than scent. Having said all that I'm sure that there are places where there isn't much or any human activity and then scent becomes crutial. In that case get down wind.

[mcee67]

Just a follow up to those who wash their hunting clothes. I always do at LEAST one load in the wash WITHOUT anything in it other than scent killer or something similar. IMO i think it makes a big difference , you definitely need to get rid of your "everyday laundry detergent soap smell" before sticking your hunting clothes in it. If you go to your washer right now and stick your head in it, take a whiff and you will know what I am talking about! It probably smells like perfume. Just think how much better your scent killer will work on your clothes if your washer has been cycled thru it at least once before adding your clothes.
Another thing that I NEVER do after washing my clothes, I NEVER EVER use the dryer. I know they make scented earth scent sheets and a couple of others, but the same theory applies. You stick your "normal everyday clothes" in it after a wash, so all that perfume (if thats a word ) smell just lingers in there until the next load. Your clothes will smell like earth scent, and whatever scent you used last on your regular clothes. I just hang everything, whether its inside or outside.

[ozark]

I would estimate that a normal deer has the scenting ability of a normal dog. A good test would be to deodorize yourself the best you possibly can and let someone hold your dog for ten minutes while you walk a distance turn into the woods and sit yourself down by a tree. After ten minutes have the dog released and it is my bet that it will simply trail you accurately to your position. It has been proven that there are two types of scent that we leave. One is that left by our feet as leaving a track. The other is a band of scent that we, and other animals leave. This band drifts with a breeze or wind and can be detected for up to 100 yards by some animals. I have witnessed dogs after deer using the band scent for progress. They drift along the edge of the band and know when they drift out and without slowing up drift back until they detect the scent. Usually giving voice when they detect it. These dogs run with their noses well off the ground as opposed to a tracking dog. I am sure that deer picks up this band of scent and becomes alerted that a human is near. Deer like to travel with their nose into the wind or breeze. I have always hunted with my nose toward the breeze or the wind knowing that my scent is being pushed back where I have been rather than toward where I am going. I have killed a few deer in their beds without them being aware I was in their area but that is not the usual. They have their eyes and ears working for them also. Just something for beginners to think about. Ozark.

[fitzzie]

Well...I certainly appreciate everyone's comments and good advice.

I think the advice about the scents left in the washer and dryer are good...I wondered about that too...that has to be true.

Also, certainly your gun emits a powerful scent, either of gun solvent/oil or burnt powder, if you have fowled the barrel, as I always do...

Ozark...yep, I know what you mean by watching my beagle chase rabbits in the weeds...she trails them nose-up at times, just a little bit downwind of their actual path because the scent trail is shifting with the wind...sometimes a minute or so after the rabbit has come thru... She also has no trouble finding me in the woods by scent after chasing a rabbit around for a while...she does it by running across the wind's flow until she catches my scent, then she turns upwind and arrives at my feet looking at me like "fool, why didn't you shoot that rabbit?".

I think one of the things that makes it hard to escape a deer's nose here where I hunt is that the winds shift around a bit and are channeled by the little hills and hollows where I typically hunt...in the Loess Hills in western Ia. It seems like the only place the wind blows steadily in one direction is at the very top of the ridges, and down in the creekbeds and lower pastures/valleys it is often shifting around and gets "mixed up" quite a bit, making it hard to anticipate the wind direction and flow... I have been busted a few times because of this... Had deer walk by me where I couldn't see them in the brush, and then they would smell me and take off before I could put the crosshairs on them...but, maybe it's just my inability to make a good ambush and anticipate the shift in the winds or its potential to change...

Again, thanks for the comments and good huntin' knowledge you freely give...

fitz

[wilmsmeyer]

I will admit that I am one lucky chap:

My bowhunting partner and I have 27 stands out this year. We have a lot of land available (1500+ acres of varying terrain) The areas around us get pounded hard. This will be the 3rd weekend in a row of trimming and tuning up our stands. Next 2 weekends will be posting perimeter.

To say that playing the wind is paramount is an understatement. That's why we have so many stands...and approaches. There are 2 spots where we have stands less then 100 yds apart but the approach is from totally 2 different directions.

I will testify that it is almost impossible to hunt a stand with the wrong wind or wrong appraoch without getting busted by mature deer. They live in these woods and detect when you have been there....and when you are there. I will say right now that 1/2 of our bow stands will never be hunted this year because of a "better" choice on a certain day. But....they all have a wind and a reason for being where they are and they all could pay off. If not this week maybe next week, If not this year then next year.

Having choices is good. When you only have a few stands I guess you have to rely of the possibility that some magic scent eliminatot may help. But don't bank on it.