Flintknapper
Member
Jason, I do believe efforts to be as scent free as possible will help.
I've been hunting for nearly 45 years now and developed a few habits I am dogmatic about. Scent control (to the extent it can be done) is one of those things. I'll tell you why in a moment....but first lets establish some important facts:
1. It is impossible to completely 'mask' human odor when dealing with any animal that has a large and well developed olfactory system I.E. (Deer, Elk, Bear, Canines, Hogs). These animals have the ability to 'differentiate' or pick out odors one from another. Most requiring only a few 'parts per million' for detection. So...'masking scents' are indeed a waste of money.
2. It doesn't matter what you smell like, IF you are downwind of your quarry. In the absence of any wind, you need to be mindful of 'thermals'. Thermals can both Rise and Settle. In warm weather your scent pool will rise, as the temperature gets colder it will 'settle' to the ground.
Now... back to why I feel it is important to minimize scent.
It is no secret that most large game animals will be 'alerted' when they encounter human scent. How the animal reacts will be based on its own experiences, but generally speaking they will regard scent in one of two ways:
1. A heavy (fresh/potent) scent means: A 'potential' threat. The human/animal/other is in close proximity NOW, or has recently passed by.
2. A faint (old/mild) scent means: Absence of threat....but possible need to verify. The human/animal/other is distant, or has passed by long ago.
The IDEAL situation is to be as scent free as possible AND be downwind of your quarry, but this isn't always achievable. Winds can be fickle, game can approach from an unexpected direction, etc. So it behooves us to use every strategy to our advantage.
As concerns Deer, (most places) they are accustomed to running across human scent. The scent itself if not necessarily a cause for alarm, but strength of scent IS!
Anyone that has hunted deer for any length of time (Mule Deer excluded) knows that a deer might not trust its sense of sight or hearing. But it will never disregard what its NOSE is telling it.
It is my opinion that you are increasing your odds of getting your deer by controlling your scent. Especially if you visit the same areas regularly. Even if you aren't 'busted' while actually hunting, you are certainly leaving scent behind each time you enter and leave the woods. Deer pick up on this...so again... being clean can help.
Hope you have a great season, best of luck and enjoy your time afield whether you bring home a deer or not.
Flint.
I've been hunting for nearly 45 years now and developed a few habits I am dogmatic about. Scent control (to the extent it can be done) is one of those things. I'll tell you why in a moment....but first lets establish some important facts:
1. It is impossible to completely 'mask' human odor when dealing with any animal that has a large and well developed olfactory system I.E. (Deer, Elk, Bear, Canines, Hogs). These animals have the ability to 'differentiate' or pick out odors one from another. Most requiring only a few 'parts per million' for detection. So...'masking scents' are indeed a waste of money.
2. It doesn't matter what you smell like, IF you are downwind of your quarry. In the absence of any wind, you need to be mindful of 'thermals'. Thermals can both Rise and Settle. In warm weather your scent pool will rise, as the temperature gets colder it will 'settle' to the ground.
Now... back to why I feel it is important to minimize scent.
It is no secret that most large game animals will be 'alerted' when they encounter human scent. How the animal reacts will be based on its own experiences, but generally speaking they will regard scent in one of two ways:
1. A heavy (fresh/potent) scent means: A 'potential' threat. The human/animal/other is in close proximity NOW, or has recently passed by.
2. A faint (old/mild) scent means: Absence of threat....but possible need to verify. The human/animal/other is distant, or has passed by long ago.
The IDEAL situation is to be as scent free as possible AND be downwind of your quarry, but this isn't always achievable. Winds can be fickle, game can approach from an unexpected direction, etc. So it behooves us to use every strategy to our advantage.
As concerns Deer, (most places) they are accustomed to running across human scent. The scent itself if not necessarily a cause for alarm, but strength of scent IS!
Anyone that has hunted deer for any length of time (Mule Deer excluded) knows that a deer might not trust its sense of sight or hearing. But it will never disregard what its NOSE is telling it.
It is my opinion that you are increasing your odds of getting your deer by controlling your scent. Especially if you visit the same areas regularly. Even if you aren't 'busted' while actually hunting, you are certainly leaving scent behind each time you enter and leave the woods. Deer pick up on this...so again... being clean can help.
Hope you have a great season, best of luck and enjoy your time afield whether you bring home a deer or not.
Flint.