Downwind hunter scenario

[ninepointer]

Here's my scenario. We have 2 farm country stands (Stand A & Stand B). Stand B is 100 yards downwind of Stand A. Both stands are manned.

Last year we actually shot a deer (a spike, not a mature buck) out of Stand B. The hunter in Stand B was 15 yards downwind of the deer and naturally was not detected. However, the deer was seemingly unconcerned with the hunter in Stand A who was 100 yards upwind and who the deer surely smelled.

I'm not convinced that a mature buck or a north woods deer would let himself get killed this way, but in the case of the spike we killed, it would appear that 100 yard distance from the scent source gave a false sense of security to our farm country spike.

What are your experiences? Is the hunter in Stand B at a significant disadvantage because the scent of another hunter 100 yards distant is wafting by?

[Hester0305]

Scent control and wind direction is a big deal to me. The problem with wind direction where I hunt though is that it changes a lot. You can't beat a deers nose but you can do everything you can to try to. I don't like hunting that close to another hunter unless I know they use the same scent control measures as I do. A big mature doe to me is smarter than most bucks and are a lot more weary of something not being just right especially if she has her fawn with her.

It also can be different with scent control as where you hunt. If you hunt in the city around houses close by with a bow or xbow where the deer are used to going through peoples yards and smelling people and everything around them from what I've seen the deer aren't as spooked if they wind you or smell where you just walked in. I hope this helps

[Raymond]

X2
Raymond

[evaughan]

It happens. periodically a deer will come in straight into the wind. Who knows why, perhaps being in a stand has the scent going over him, perhaps his hormones have the better of his common sense. The worst part of it is, we generally don't spend much time keeping an eye on the downwind side of the stand. I've learned this lesson the hard way, the biggest deer I've ever seen came straight into my scent from behind while I was preoccupied with watching the upwind side of the stand.