Scent Control - Am I crazy

[MI-Dan]

There was an earlier thread regarding scent control. Excellent replies BTW.

Rather than trying to reduce scent, what if you tried to overwhelm your scent with smoke i.e. hang your hunting clothes downwind of a campfire. I'm sure deer are use to wood burners and fires.

What's the flaw in my logic?:confused:

[turkey track]

In southern Michigan, I don't know if it would work. However, I know my friend's grandpa used to hang his hunting clothes downwind of his wood burner, and the deer never seemed to notice him. It should be noted that this was in the Northern Lower Penninsula, later in the season, and he hunted within 100yds. of his house.

[radiohead]

My favorite form of scent control is to be downwind of the Deer :)

[bioactive]

My favorite form of scent control is to be downwind of the Deer :)

Wind is a funny thing. On opening morning this year I was sitting on my ladder stand in a giant oak tree. It was gusty, and when the wind gusted through my area the leaves shot off towards the east. About 10 seconds later, I would hear the wind rushing again but this time it was about 100 yards to my south and the leaves were blowing off the tree due west!

I watched this for quite a while and realized that it was getting turned by a hill and tree line and actually eddying backwards towards an area of thick woods. This was my first time hunting this spot so I am glad the conditions were just right so I could figure out this wind pattern

I recently heard Neil Douherty give a talk on this issue. He has made wind maps of his property and he shows slides of the amazing twists and turns created by wind as it moves over the terrain. A buck who wanted to check my area out in that tree could simply move to my southwest, and wait for the wind to turn back into his location, carrying my scent with it. He would then know my approximate location.

Partly because of head to toe scent control, I was able to avoid the detection of 13 does and fawns, and one buck, all of whom came within 20 yards of me to eat acorns, and all of whom came from that southwest direction, with two exceptions, that came from due south. I have to assume all the adults knew the wind patterns and checked it out before entering my space. I suspect that if I were not using scent reduction techniques, I may have seen fewer or none. Because really, even though the wind was coming from the west, they were coming upwind from the west because of the current eddy. None came from upwind of the prevailing wind (from the east), because the ground was a much more open fen area.

[codybear]

There was an earlier thread regarding scent control. Excellent replies BTW.

Rather than trying to reduce scent, what if you tried to overwhelm your scent with smoke i.e. hang your hunting clothes downwind of a campfire. I'm sure deer are use to wood burners and fires.

What's the flaw in my logic?:confused:


Here's my take on scent and it comes from alot of experience, not only from hunting, but also from monitoring my food plots 8 hours a day 5-7 days a week.

Deer decipher and determine the danger of scent by its intensity. The closer the source for the scent, the more intense it is... If the source is close and intense, they either become cautious or avoid the area all together.. If the scent is far away, the scent molecules aren't as strong and they are less dense. Deer know that so if the source is far away, it rarely bothers them... That why a deer eating in a field isnt bothered by the fumes of the car, even if they are down wind.

Deer can also associate danger by the amount of noise made by the source. They do that because they learned that predators don't make noise and sneak up on their pray... For example, I cant sit in my yard and play volley ball with my family, yell and scream and the deer will stay in the food plot like they could care less.. BUT, if I'm out there by myself, and I don't make any noise, they associate me as a predator and leave real fast.. That's why when I'm out scouting or hunting I don't try to be real quite anymore.. How many times have you made noise walking to your stand during the rut and with-in minutes or even seconds a buck shows up? That's because what-ever noise they hear cant be a predator so there's a real good chance its a Doe so they come to check it out... That's why deer don't seem to be bothered by a tractor either. Obviously if the tractor gets close they will spook but they come right back because they know it wasn't a predator.

[bioactive]

That's why deer don't seem to be bothered by a tractor either. Obviously if the tractor gets close they will spook but they come right back because they know it wasn't a predator.

I had a farmer friend years ago tell me they think a tractor is just a big noisy animal that eats lots of food and never shoots at them:lol::lol::lol:

[Cain]

i smoke when i hunt everytime i go.. see deer everytime and they dont seem to care about it.. 2 different smoke scents to be exact ;)

[Buck Duck Goose]

I am experimenting with the Scent Smoker this year. I have always done the scent free thing, but heard about this product and thought I would give it a try. So far it seems to work fairly well.

BDG

[MI-Dan]

Here's my take on scent and it comes from alot of experience, not only from hunting, but also from monitoring my food plots 8 hours a day 5-7 days a week.

Deer decipher and determine the danger of scent by its intensity. The closer the source for the scent, the more intense it is... If the source is close and intense, they either become cautious or avoid the area all together.. If the scent is far away, the scent molecules aren't as strong and they are less dense. Deer know that so if the source is far away, it rarely bothers them... That why a deer eating in a field isnt bothered by the fumes of the car, even if they are down wind.


I agree with that Codybear, but for a deer to gauge a distance, he needs to know two things A) The amount of scent the danger puts out B) how much it dissipates based on the winds speed. If he smells smoke, is it a small campfire 200 yards away or a bonfire over a mile away? Plus, he needs to associate that smell with danger.

I wonder if a deers nose can pick out the human scent molecules with smoke mixed in or would the smoke mask it enough. If seen fox urine advertised for (what I assume) is a cover scent. But I've always thought that kind of stuff would alert the deer and force him to determine 'whats that smell and is it going to kill me'.

Maybe I'll try it out one of these days.

[tommy-n]

Actually the fox scent has a calming effect on deer because they know the fox has keen sence of his own.

[Pez Gallo]

Have not tried it, but I know the Indians(native americans) used smoke as cover scent. I am sure if they did it then it must have been effective, as they knew more about there game then any modern day biologist.:Dlol

[Sparky23]

Good luck with that. Go into stateland or southern private and I dont think that it will work very well. If they are up wind they are up wind and prolly wont wind you. Downwind and you smell like smoke, well I wouldnt imagine they would like that to much. I'd stay with the scent free and hunt high, over 20ft. I have seen just in the last 2 days, over 40 deer, 7 or 8 being bucks, close to 100 deer on season and havent been winded....that I saw. Alot of the deer yesterday were actign weird and out of pattern they did the oppositte of what they normally do at night, and were all downwind, never had a clue could have short 80% of over 20 deer. JUst my 2 cents hunt high and dont stink:) plus scent lock.

[Banditto]

You can fool the immature deer by doing that, but a trophy buck never...

so would you blow the buck of a lifetime on poor preparation?

[oldrank]

I believe trying to be totally scentless is the way to go....I believe that anything that stinks is a tip off for the deer that something may not be right......

[November Sunrise]

Some of the guys on ohiosportsman.com swear by the scent smoker system:

http://scentsmoker.com/

There are a bunch of threads over there on this topic. Here's a new one:

http://www.ohiosportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22735

[Clear Cut]

I have been wanting to try this (smoke/scent smoker), but I am too much of a chicken after being a scent control fanatic for so long.

[Ramhunter]

What you are talking about is basically using smoke odor as a "cover scent" One observation on the effectiveness of cover scents leads me to strongly doubt their utility. A few years ago in the Yukon on a sheep hunt, I mentioned cover scents to my guide who had never heard of them. He laughed and related a story of a hunter he had guided on a grizzly hunt. They were observing a grizzly from a distance of about 200 yards with the wind in their face. The bear was feeding on an old rotting moose gut pile that was putrid and about two weeks old. Suddenly the wind shifted and they felt it on the back of their neck. Instantly the bear jerked his head up with rotting entrails hanging from his mouth, turned and ran like hell!

That bear was able to detect human odor from 200 yards away with a snoot full of one of the strongest "cover scents" I could imagine. I suspect that when deer smell someone with cover scents he smells the stench of a human mixed in with the odor of fox urine, or dirt or whatever. I also read an article by Chuck Adams who has a lot of experience with scents. He also characterized the theory behind cover scents as "baloney". Adams did feel, however, that attractant scents did appear to work on occasion.

Your best bet is to stay as scent free as possible and stay down wind!

[Clear Cut]

I agree cover scents are baloney. Most, if not all, animals are able to separate scents from one another. What intrigues me is the bacteria killing/reducing properties of the smoke itself. Adding it to a human scent reducing routine could prove very, very effective.

[MI-Dan]

Adding it to a human scent reducing routine could prove very, very effective.

I was also thinking it may help in addition to scent reduction and smart wind decisions. With Ramhunter's story about the bear, I'm thinking you'll never be totally 'invisible', but as someone mentioned earlier, they may wind you but think you're farther away then you actually are.

I followed the 'November Sunrise' links and apparently I'm not the 1st to think of this (dangit). A couple of those Ohio boys swear by it.

[WhitetailCountryboy]

if you asked me 1-10 how scent cautious are you id have to go with a 15.....and some say its BS and thats fine everyone is in-titled to there own opinion.... but what iv been doing seems to work for a good few years now....I have deer come from straight down wind of me and not even aware of me being there... just like anything else in life... if ya pay attention and are aware of the small things.... the pay off in the end is just that much sweeter...

GoodLuck to all and besafe this fall/winter & shoot straight

EV

[bioactive]

I was also thinking it may help in addition to scent reduction and smart wind decisions. With Ramhunter's story about the bear, I'm thinking you'll never be totally 'invisible', but as someone mentioned earlier, they may wind you but think you're farther away then you actually are.

I followed the 'November Sunrise' links and apparently I'm not the 1st to think of this (dangit). A couple of those Ohio boys swear by it.

Not the first. In fact, the folks at "Wildlife Research Center" have written it up in a manual that is included with some of their scent control products. Here's the link (see diagram on page 8): http://www.wildlife.com/Portals/wildlife/bookandarticles/scentfreesecretsbook07.pdf

[November Sunrise]

Not the first. In fact, the folks at "Wildlife Research Center" have written it up in a manual that is included with some of their scent control products. Here's the link (see diagram on page 8): http://www.wildlife.com/Portals/wildlife/bookandarticles/scentfreesecretsbook07.pdf

That manual seems almost entirely based on an emphasis on scent reduction/elimination.

This concept of intentionally introducing a smoke smell onto clothing seems to be the direct opposite of current conventional thinking.

[brock ratcliff]

It is a very unconventional method, and with that you get unconventional results, i.e, deer do not detect you via scent.

There is much more to the system than just a cover scent. The smoke from hard woods is very high in Lignin. Lignin is very high in Phenolic compounds which are antimicrobials.

Before any one gets upset thinking I am here to simply sell something, let me state that this technique is free to try. You can simply build a fire with hard woods, such as Oak, Hickory, Cherry, Apple, Alder, and have the exact same results as long as you get a good saturation of smoke on your clothing, gear and person.

Good luck to you all.
Brock

[November Sunrise]

It is a very unconventional method, and with that you get unconventional results, i.e, deer do not detect you via scent.

There is much more to the system than just a cover scent. The smoke from hard woods is very high in Lignin. Lignin is very high in Phenolic compounds which are antimicrobials.

Before any one gets upset thinking I am here to simply sell something, let me state that this technique is free to try. You can simply build a fire with hard woods, such as Oak, Hickory, Cherry, Apple, Alder, and have the exact same results as long as you get a good saturation of smoke on your clothing, gear and person.

Good luck to you all.
Brock

Welcome to the Michigan site Brock.

If I remember correctly from seeing your posts over on the Ohio site I'm thinking that you're the owner of the scentsmoker system?

What's your recommendation in terms of how frequently someone uses the smoker? Is it necessary to use at the beginning of every hunt? I'm wondering about the hassle factor, in terms of not having something else to attend to every time at the truck before heading out.

[brock ratcliff]

I am that guy.:D

I use the smoker each and every time I head to the woods. Is it necessary? I don't know. It is a simple thing after you have done it a few times and it only takes ten minutes from start to finish....tops. I have so much faith in it that I do not want to go without it. I figure it is ten minutes I cannot afford to skip. But, I have gone out in the afternoon after having smoked up in the morning with no ill-effects.

On our website, you will see a guy with a huge whitetail, I think the smoker is shown in the photo as well. He is a friend of mine. He came up to hunt with me a couple of seasons ago. He arrived late, and I had over slept. I rushed around, grabbed my gear, and said "let's go"! He calmly whipped out a box of doughnuts and said, slow down, let's get smoked. We did. It was just getting light when we arrived and made our way to our stands......prime time and we were still on the ground! He was only in his stand for 20 minutes when the deer came through, 12 yds downwind, and he killed it. That was ten minutes that I am glad we spent smoking up. It really is that effective, and worth the effort, and I am glad the one time I felt too rushed, a level headed friend straightened my out.

[Skinner of Mull]

I'm now in my second season using the smoker and have only received positive results.

You can't over think this concept because it is too simple. It works. Everyone I know who has tried it all agrees that it is the best tool in their arsenal.

[MULLSKINNER]

i'm into my 3rd season of smoking.. the first year i just used my cooker smoker ...worked great but it was a hassle ..a buddie of mine gave me a bee smoker ...a lot less hassle ...since then i bought a smoker from the boyz at scentsmoker.com for my dad and picked up another for a spare for the truck ...i have never been busted to date while smok'n up !! i'm loan'n one to my boss to use in colorado on a elk trip in nov. i'm sure he will buy one for deer when he get's back ... he is kinda wishy washy right now .....:lol::lol:

[bigsablemike]

i smoke when i hunt everytime i go.. see deer everytime and they dont seem to care about it.. 2 different smoke scents to be exact ;)



x - 2

[bigsablemike]

I agree with that Codybear, but for a deer to gauge a distance, he needs to know two things A) The amount of scent the danger puts out B) how much it dissipates based on the winds speed. If he smells smoke, is it a small campfire 200 yards away or a bonfire over a mile away? Plus, he needs to associate that smell with danger.

I wonder if a deers nose can pick out the human scent molecules with smoke mixed in or would the smoke mask it enough. If seen fox urine advertised for (what I assume) is a cover scent. But I've always thought that kind of stuff would alert the deer and force him to determine 'whats that smell and is it going to kill me'.

Maybe I'll try it out one of these days.


my experience with fox urine is that it does help cover your scent.
i literally had a doe about two feet away downwind(on the ground) she was sniffing so hard i could hear her.she walked away past me.never spooked at all.back in the beginng of my bowhunting i sprayed my boots,offered my brother and he turned it down.i sat in a blowdown he kept walking.a doe comes by passes over my trail,hit his and went on alert,turned around and went back the way she came.ive watched numerous deer cross my path and never even pause.