Acquiring Hunting Knowledge

[taz3]

Seems how I'm a bit green to the sport and more so with Xbow hunting, I've been reading a lot of tips for bow hunting deer. A big thing I find that has some conflicting info is "Human scent", it seems from the hunting world it can be an issue, but there are tons of folks who have deer wonder in the backyards, where human scent should be abundant. I have come to realize the hearing is outstanding, any noise while recording and the deer can hone right in on where the noise has come from!

So my question to you seasoned hunters, is, how much of an issue will scent be? Is it the fact that the scent is out of the ordinary for the deer, to cause them to be more cautious?

One really good tip I read, was to use surrounding vegetation to bag your close the night before, so when you go out in the field, you'll smell like you belong.

[agingcrossbower]

Scent is just as important as their sight or sound. You can not fool their nose. Stay as clean as possible. Do not sweat if you can help it. And, use a cover scent that is common to the area. Apples by or in an apple orhard. Acorns in a hardwoods. I take a big plastic tote container and put earth waffers in with my hunting clothes and shut the lid. On the stand like I said whatever is in the area. Scent and deer scenting you screw up most hunting situations. Good hunting to you. Now get a bruiser.

[wayne]

IMHO the scent thing, is a personal thing, I don't feel you can be scent free, I'll play the wind & try to reduce my scent as mush as possible, more so the natural way now days, pine branches, wash camo in baking soda, etc. over the years I've tried alot of the no-scent products on the market at one time or another, for me I never really found they work better then natural stuff & playing the wind, over all.
Where you hunt I feel plays a role in what spooks deer, urban areas & working farms, I feel are different then areas that usually only see humans during hunting season when it comes to scent ( I've hunted a working farm years ago, right after changing oil in my truck wearing the same old sweaty cover-all & did not seem to spook the deer at all ). But in area I hunt today scent will spook the deer. In some areas where I fly fish where there's hardly any hunting, I've had deer walk by downwind, while driping with sweat & bug spray & they never spooked.
I guess IMHO it depends on the area your hunting, but I would always play the wind

[georgiaboy]

I try to stay as scent free as possible but there's no such thing as 100% scent free. Try to keep the wind in your favor & don't let your scent blow into their bedding area if you can help it.
Good luck!!

[Kelley]

Use unscented deodorant. Wash your clothes with non-scented washing powder. Hang clothes outside to dry after washing. Always wash hands with unscented soap before handling fresh washed or fresh dried clothes. Put clothes also a clean back pack or fanny pack in airtight containers(I add extra large Zip-Lock bags with ground leaves and dirt in a cloth bag that has also been washed in no-scent detergent).Shower with unscented soap just prior to hunt. Use no after shave or cologne. Spray yourself with 'Deer Dander' from head to foot (including cap & hair and soles of shoes. I have had deer follow the trail I used going to stand to find the unfamiliar deer that left the scent of the dander. As others have said "There is no way to get rid of all the human scent" but do the best you can. The last 15 years I hunted I averaged 6 deer a year with my crossbow. Most from a 15ft tree stand and a few from a ground blind made of local brush.
Kelley

[bugs]

Scent is a mixed issue. The wind matters more. I have gone many time scent free then been turkey hunting and had deer take my trail with no fear yet I had no scent cover. I have come to the conclusion like in any hunting situation .... the day, the wind, the temp, the place, the particular deer etc... all matter and all change so what works today can change tomorrow. I usually de-scent but have gone days after work without it just maybe having a quick spray and saw a deer. My clothes however are always washed in scent free soap or baking soda and hung on the line for days before being stored in a sealed plastic container

[Dash]

Don't take any advice from me regarding deer as I have never had the chance here. Also no tree stand hunting here, its all on the ground.
I generally try to play the wind. But I've never had an issue with scent with any other animal. Even when the animal was smelling my scent in the air it was usually too late for him.
To break up your shape and colour definately helps. With good leafy looking hat n camo Ive even had sucess sitting in open grassed areas. Just get comfortable so you don't have to move much, and try your best to pick the direction the game will come from. Range find a few objects in the area to save time,so you can make a quick judgement when your game appears .
The majority of my faiulures were due to me moving into position and the animal has seen my movement before I saw him. And the majority of my successes were because I was ready in position , still, facing correct direction, and saw him move first. The less you have to turn direction to aim and shoot, the higher chance of getting a successful shot off.

[CanuckBen]

X2 to what Kelley said.

There is simply no way that you can fool a big game animal such as Moose or Deer who rely SO much on their nose and ears.

IMO you must take every precaution you can – they are all variables that you can control. It’s the little details that will get you. Say you fill up your 4wheeler but spilled some and it ran down the fender and onto the footboard…well like it or not, you’ll either be rubbing one leg against it from getting on or off, or the sole of one of your boots will have some in it. No matter what you do, gasoline tends to stick around for a while!

Same goes for the two eggs and bacon breakfast…you’ll want to shower after and have your clothes in another room / outside where they won’t stink of it (though lets be honest, freshly cooked bacon smells great!)

The other variable that you can somewhat control is the wind. I say someone as it’s only something that you have to work around it. If you’re stalking a big game and you’ve got the wing in your back, there’s only one thing you want to do if you can and it’s to go around to it to ensure that it can’t pick up your scent, or at least as possible.

I really like my Scent-Lok gear. It’s very easy to clean (use scent-free soap – which they have some for HE machines too) and to re-charge them, you simply have to thrown them in the dryer (once they are dry) for 30mins or so and you’ll be good to go. Gloves, headgear, socks too. It may cost a little bit more, but unless you hunt 6months of the year, they will last you a long time.

If you decided to go with clothing that aren’t scent-free (none are 100% of course), you’ll want to blend in. Use some “Scent-Away” before getting into the woods. If there’s a lot of pine trees where you hunt, they make some great scents for that. There’s some that mimic the natural soil odour (natural leaves / dirt) too.

There a lot of products out there to help control those variables. I don’t have 30years of hunting behind my belt, so I like to put all the chances I can on my side!

[wabi]

I'm one of those who don't really buy into the scent-free, full camo necessity for hunting.
I sometimes wear a camo hooded sweatshirt if the weather is cool, but it's not a necessity in my mind. Don't worry about laundry detergent or dryer sheets as long as they aren't some strong smelling perfume scent.
Some deer are going to bust you and spook, some don't seem to mind a whiff of human scent.
Our season opened in late September this year, and by the end of October I had tagged all I wanted (3 deer) and filled the one antlered tag, so I quit deer hunting for the year. I did take my son out for "youth" gun season in November and he got his deer the first day we hunted.
I shot all my deer from my ladder stand and I did get "busted" one time by an an doe with triplets, but that was one of those days when the wind was swirling and she just happened to hit my scent at close range.
Stopped immediately, did the nose in the air routine, reversed course, and led the fawns the other direction. I wasn't upset, because I would have let them walk anyway, and it was a good lesson in survival for the fawns.

Last deer I shot was a "cowhorn" buck at about 15 yards after he walked past the tree my ladder stand is in. As usual, I had to put my cigar down to make the shot.

Note the clothing I'm wearing - my usual attire. I could actually post a few pics of me with kills in those same shirts. I have a few of those shirts (a sale item a few years ago - polar fleece at a heck of a good price, so I bought a good supply ) and my stand has a "skirt" on the shooting rail, so the pants don't matter anyway.



Bottom line - a little over 30 days of season and 10 or 12 hunts. Busted once, but saw a total of probably 20 to 30 deer within shooting range.
Killed all I needed for the winter's meat supply and didn't invest a dime in fancy clothes or scent masking gimmicks.

[Galgo]

One thing you may find is that there are some good basic practices to follow that will increase your chances but the great thing about hunting is that there are always exceptions to the rules and allot of times deer don't read our hunting manuals.

Sometimes they will zig when they should have zagged sometimes they will not bust you when they should have.

I agree with others though - everything you can do to tilt the board in your favour you should do.

The one day you decide to slack off you will pay for it. the one day you make a big mistake you will still get the kill - thats huntin.

[Ont_Excal]

I'm one of those who don't really buy into the scent-free, full camo necessity for hunting.
I sometimes wear a camo hooded sweatshirt if the weather is cool, but it's not a necessity in my mind. Don't worry about laundry detergent or dryer sheets as long as they aren't some strong smelling perfume scent.
Some deer are going to bust you and spook, some don't seem to mind a whiff of human scent.
Our season opened in late September this year, and by the end of October I had tagged all I wanted (3 deer) and filled the one antlered tag, so I quit deer hunting for the year. I did take my son out for "youth" gun season in November and he got his deer the first day we hunted.
I shot all my deer from my ladder stand and I did get "busted" one time by an an doe with triplets, but that was one of those days when the wind was swirling and she just happened to hit my scent at close range.
Stopped immediately, did the nose in the air routine, reversed course, and led the fawns the other direction. I wasn't upset, because I would have let them walk anyway, and it was a good lesson in survival for the fawns.

Last deer I shot was a "cowhorn" buck at about 15 yards after he walked past the tree my ladder stand is in. As usual, I had to put my cigar down to make the shot.

Note the clothing I'm wearing - my usual attire. I could actually post a few pics of me with kills in those same shirts. I have a few of those shirts (a sale item a few years ago - polar fleece at a heck of a good price, so I bought a good supply ) and my stand has a "skirt" on the shooting rail, so the pants don't matter anyway.



Bottom line - a little over 30 days of season and 10 or 12 hunts. Busted once, but saw a total of probably 20 to 30 deer within shooting range.
Killed all I needed for the winter's meat supply and didn't invest a dime in fancy clothes or scent masking gimmicks.

X2
When I first started out, Chuck Adams just came out with his first book.
He too wore a plaid shirt,jeans and a brown toque.
Sitting still for long periods of time is the key more than anything else.
Deer may be curious to noise and smell, but movement will trigger caution every time.

[Farmer]

Have killed a good number of deer at point blank range with muzzle loader and bow . For me being still --- no unneccesary movement and playing the wind are key to killing deer. While muzzle loader season is on I look like the Great Pumpkin and hunt from the ground ( sit in my Turkey lounger --- it is a very comfortable chair - so I do not figgit around --- I wake up and shoot the deer -- my son says my snoring may call them in as well ) So camoflage / scent killer suits are not the be all end all to take deer either .

[ninepointer]

Taz3,

Scent is of vital importance. Those backyard deer you have referred to have become somewhat accustomed to human presence, but if deer scent you in a hunting situation, most of the time the deer win.

As you see from the posts above, there are a variety of opinions on how a hunter should go to control scent. I'm a firm believer that 99.9% of scent control is about wind direction, not products.

[papa bear1]

All of the above information is spot on, pretty simple huh not at all confuseing, Now go out and enjoy yourself, and bag your deer, Once you get the 1 rst. one under your belt you'll be wiser, But if you don't get one don't despare, it will come Good luck to you

Dave

[taz3]

There is great info here, even with the differing opinions, everyone seems to agree each situation can be unique. It's cool to have all the opinions and shared knowledge, it gives me some insight to getting started and how different areas maybe hunted respectively. Sitting still, is rarely mentioned in most what I have read and although it maybe obvious for seasoned hunters, it could easily be overlooked as newbie!