Scent Killers

[Shan]

Hi everyone!
Pretty new to the forum. I've been reading a lot and learning a ton about traditional bowhunting so thank you for all the discussion.
I'm going to school here in Maryland and was given the opportunity to go out hunting last week on Veteran's day. Took my 60# PSE Sequoia longbow.
Got situated on the ground (leaning against a tree) at about 0500 and saw a buck at 0645. he worked his way into 35 yards and i was getting ready to draw on him. He stopped right at about 30yds behind a tree, put his nose to the air, and then turn tailed and ran. I guess he thought i stunk. how depressing.
Anyways my question is, What scent killers, cover scents, scent-lock clothing,scent killing detergent, shampoo, conditioner, soap, or any other sort of thing do you use to put the drop on a whitetail?
I've hunted mostly upland game and am new to trad hunting and big game hunting alike. Thank you very much for any tips you can give regarding scent control.

[Kip l Hoffman]

The sad but awful truth is that you not only stink, there is precious little you can do about it.  This is not to say don't try, but expect to get busted alot of the time.  I do wear the scent eliminating clothing, coat, pants and cap.  I think it  helps.  The best preventive is to get in a tree or in an area where the wind currents are going to sweep your scent up and away.  This could be next to the creek bank or next to the cliff on the edge of the creek.  If you have a choice try to position yourself where there is a natural funnel in the landscape.  For example, a break in the tree line or a place where there is a draw that goes up through the ridge.  If there is a gully in the pasture the air will flow up it just like it was in a pipe.  If you are in the woods and there is ground cover up to 3-4 feet tall all around and yet you can see an area where the ground is bare, check it out as this is enough to  make an air funnel.    There is much more to hunting the wind then just knowing it is out of the southwest.  I keep a small feather tied to the tip of my bow with sewing thread and really keep an eye on it.  Use your wind puffer powder religiously.  If you and your spouse can tolerate it, when you find fresh deer or any other animal dropings or fresh urine smear it on your hat.

[erierik]

I use hickory smoke,has always worked for me.They even offer a commercial smoker now I see.I just burn some hardwood chips,blow on it and wala,douse yourself in the smoke.I think it kills some of your scent and deer in my area are use to burning leaves and woodburners.I still always try to keep wind in my face of course.

[Stumpkiller]

What scent killers, cover scents, scent-lock clothing,scent killing detergent, shampoo, conditioner, soap, or any other sort of thing do you use to put the drop on a whitetail?

None of that .  I don't use much deodorant . . . ever.  No cologne, cake shaving soap and no aftershave.  I keep clean and don't need to cover the "perfume of society."

When hunting I just keep conscious of the wind and figure any deer downwind of me has my number, so I work into he wind.

[Shan]

Mr.Hoffman, thats some good info thanks! And erierik the smoke solution sounds pretty simple and effective. Kinda like methods that the Native Americans used (the original bowhunters).

"I don't use much deodorant . . . ever"

haha stumpkiller i hope that only applies to hunting season. Thats very true though all these artificial scents have really permeated our daily lives and are so unnatural in the outdoor setting.

[Shan]

Also it seems like the easiest way to get my scent "up and away" would be to utilize a tree stand instead of hunting on the ground. thanks again

[TommyRay]

I have tried cover scents, rubber rain suits which are major hot in warm weather, scent killing detergent, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, and taking of chlorphyl tablets. Do it all, then put yourself in position for wind to be in your favor. To do that you need some wind checkers of some sort, powder bottle works great, also feather on lite line add to tip of bow, pieces of cotton, or seed pods found in the field also work well. Wind, check it often, with as little movement as possible.

[OkKeith]

Shan,

Hunting with the wind in your face is the best bet. That being said, anything you can do to lessen your body smell can help. I do use the commercialy available body and hair wash (the green stuff).

I don't use the scent blocker type suits simply because they are just too expensive for me.

One thing I know for a certianty you can do to help with keeping deer from spooking at your scent, is to keep your hunting boots VERY clean. I never wear mine for anything other than hunting. No oil or gas on them from the service station, no food smells (or slop overs) from the kitchen or other odd smells from the garage. I keep them in a plastic tub (from Walmart, Dollar Store or any other similar store- 5 or 8 bucks). Before I start walking in I spray them down until "drip-off" with scent killer spray and then spritz the soles with doe urine. I do this so I don't leave a trail of "human stink" straight to me.

Good luck with your hunting.

OkKeith

[Shan]

OkKeith and TommyRay thanks. That trick with the boots seems like a widely overlooked issue but is important nonetheless. All of this is helping out a lot.

[Blaino]

i always wear rubber boots and keep the wind in my face. i also use the green stuff everyday.  the fact is that no matter what you do if a deer is down wind of you he WILL smell you.

[59Alaskan]

Had a fun one this past weekend.  Rubber boots on, scent spray, clothes tucked in to boots and smoked clothes were all in play.

Wind in my favor to where I thought the deer would be.  When I walked in I have really no choice but to cross their path.  I did so in a place where I thought they'd come the other way so I'd have my shot before they hit where I crossed.

They came in the other way.  As soon as the lead doe hit where I crossed their path she froze.  She looked for me, but never found me.  She did not blow.  She turned the group of 4 quietly around and got out of town.

Other times I have had them walk all over my trails.

You have to use the wind and get out enough to catch a lucky break.

[KSdan]

I hunt tree-stands pretty exclusively- new sets every time.  With that said- I have RARELY EVER beat a mature deer's nose when they are downwind.  In fact, I am not sure I can think of a time.  Wind does not stream in a straight line- think of water.  It eddies, swirls, moves around the trees, all sorts of stuff. Thermals add further complexity.  It may have a prevailing direction, but that is far from a straight eye-shot line.  The only time I think I may have beat a deer downwind was simply because the wind swirled or eddied in my favor at the precise moment.  Further to the challenging puzzle is figuring a way to get in to a stand  where deer won't cross your path- again with rubber boots, scent killer on them, never wear them in the vehicle, etc. etc. I have rarely beat a mature deer's nose.

Welcome to the supreme challenge!

Good hunting
Dan in KS

[YORNOC]

NEVER listen to the adds that say "forget the wind, just hunt". All these guys here are active hunters from all over. Listen to them, they know what works.
  When I stopped spending tons of money on new technical clothing and scent control systems, game scents, game calls..(with no increase in my deer sightings), I started hunting smarter, getting closer, scouting more, and paying VERY close attention to wind. I keep clean, use baking soda to wash my gear, no scented soaps, I DO use unscented deodorant!
I see more deer now in my life than ever before in my "buy, buy, buy days.
Skill will get you deer( with a bit of luck of course) buying products will not. People who claim deer walked right up to them while wearing a carbon suit probably had the thermals in their favor carrying the scent upward. There are also stupid deer, but they either learn very quickly or fill the freezer. They are usually young.

[beetlebailey1977]

I shower the scent free soap and use the scent free deodorant.  I wash my hunting clothes in Scent free detergent, and dry them in the dryer with the earth dryer sheets or hang them outside.  Then I store them in big ziploc bags til I use them.  I dont get dressed til I am outside to go hunting.  No climbing in truck after getting dressed.  I keep my Rubber boots stored in a tote and spray them down with scent eliminating spray.  But you have to hunt with the wind no matter what.  You will get busted.  Everything you can do to lessen your scent is good.

[Shan]

And to think that I hadn't even given scent control a thought. I had thought that maybe all this talk about how powerful a deer's nose is was just hype on the outdoor channel.
Then, when i saw this beautiful stocky 4x4 buck stop dead in his tracks, put his nose to the air, and run away i knew there had to had to be something to it. He was at THRITY FIVE yards. the wind seemed to be not blowing at all (but it must have) and he didn't cross my entrance path.
Needless to say I'll be taking these words to heart.
-wind swirls like water in a stream
-rubber boots
-entrance
-face to the wind
-"never forget the wind"

Thanks to all for the continued help on my quest to get a deer with traditional gear.

[toddster]

I have used alot of stuff.  I that like everyone here that playing the wind is the most important part.  Washing you clothes in baking soda is a plus and works.  I also like the dead down wind wash and uv killer.  The rest of it is way over rated in my opinion for the money they want.  Had a buddy buy a high tech scent eliminator outfit, shot a nice deer and we tracked it through thick briar, guess what, got tore up.

[rolltidehunter]

i do the same as beetle bailey 1977

shower the scent free soap and use the scent free deodorant. I wash my hunting clothes in Scent free detergent, and dry them in the dryer with the earth dryer sheets or hang them outside. Then I store them in big ziploc bags til I use them. I dont get dressed til I am outside to go hunting. No climbing in truck after getting dressed. I keep my Rubber boots stored in a tote and spray them down with scent eliminating spray. But you have to hunt with the wind no matter what. You will get busted. Everything you can do to lessen your scent is good.

[Shan]

thanks to everyone for their advice and experiences. Just as an afterthought, does anybody actually stalk whitetails or is it a tree stand monopoly?

[Stumpkiller]

A deer will often stop and check you out if it detects motion or you just look out of place (and sometimes stamp a foot to get you to give yourself up).  It will get spooked and may trot off it it hears a noise you made . . like drawing an aluminum arrow back on a flipper rest.  May even stop or come back eventually.  But if it smells you it is gone.  Period.  They NEVER doubt their own noses.  However, if they are already antsy any noise or motion may put them to flight.

And it is not just the smells from your clothing.  You slough off skin cells constantly, waft phemerones, exhale.  You can not make yourself scent invisible to a deer or a dog.  So, work with the wind and, as an alternative, get up above them in a stand.  

I have been "made" hours after taking a tree stand when a deer crosses my trail in.  Coyotes even more so.

And then there are the deer that walk right up to you from downwind.  Deer sometimes screw up, too.  In fact - I count on those guys.  I know for a fact some deer are wise enough to have you figured but have the where-with-all to sit tight and let you pass.  Those are the truly smart ones.  The older bucks and does in areas that get regular hunting pressure.  The ones that will occasionally button-hook around behind where you have passed.

Could there be a more perfect creature to bowhunt than whitetail?

I have stalked up on a whitetail . . . rarely.  Have killed them in their beds.  If you cover 100 yards in half an hour you're moving at about the proper pace.  The deer in my avatar was arrowed as I sat down on a blowdown to rest after a still-hunt at about 11:30 AM.  He walked up to me and I arrowed him at 11 yards with not a bit of cover between us.  (He ran 35 yards and collapsed with two pierced lungs and a torn diaphragm - the perfect bowhunt).  I tried for several years to take one on the ground and that was my first success.  I can still visualize that shot.

I never gun hunt from a tree-stand and have killed over 30 deer from ranges of 5 yards to 120 yards . . . most at about 25 yards while sitting on a stump or ground level tree-seat.  (And for the last 20 years with a traditional flintlock or percussion muzzleloader).  The trick there is to be quiet, patient and put in a lot of time where the deer are.  Again, I pay great attention to the wind direction.

Tree stands are easier (IMHO) for two reasons.  Your smell is less of a factor and your movement is out of their general attention.

[droptine82]

This is the first year I havent bought new scentlok and I am paying for it.  I have been busted several times and usually dont have much of a problem.  I know lots of people badmouth it but in my experiences I have seen it work more often than not.  Combine it with good rubber boots and good scent hygene and hunt the wind.  Then if he does come down wind you have a better chance.  But always remember that there is no way to contain all of your scent in a practical hunting situation.  Best of luck!