Vanilla for scent block?

fitfighter81 · November 21, 2010, 01:22 PM

Had an old timer I know the other day tell me that they used to use Vanilla extract as a scent blocker. Anybody else ever heard of this? and does it actually work?

jimbob86 · November 21, 2010, 01:37 PM

I can't imagine the smell of vanilla would be a "normal" scent in the woods .... maybe not a scent of "danger, run away!", but not a normal one like skunk, mouldering leaves, or cow manure, which have all been used as effective cover scents.

The mouldering leaves is the easiest to use: gather up 1/2 a trash bag of newly fallen leaves (I use cottonwood, this being Nebraska) and put your outer layers (hat gloves, balaclava, coat, bibs and boots in the bag with the leaves a week before season starts. Store your outer gear in the bag when not in use. You will smell just like a pile of leaves.

fitfighter81 · November 21, 2010, 01:54 PM

Yea, I have used the leaves method myself, the vanilla one sounded a little bit strange to me.

Pahoo · November 21, 2010, 02:17 PM

jimbob86 + 1
Deer get use to what is in their neighborhood and anything that is not routine, is suspect. Surprisingly most of the time it makes little difference as they are also very courious about anything new. Yearlings and old Bucks react diferently or so I think they do ....

I put apples in a large garbage bag with my hunting clothes. I never bring the bag indoors and only dress in them when I get to my spot. Even when the apples get old, it doesn't matter. Sometimes I rub dirt or moss on my outer clothing when I get to my spot. There are some hunters who do not put much faith in scent blocker. Then again, there are those that do and have for many years. I know a guy that saves tarsal glands, freezes them and rubs himself with these, in the woods. Heck, I can even smell him ....

Be Safe !!!

egor20 · November 21, 2010, 02:41 PM

Never heard of using vanilla before and can't really see the use, but if it works for him then great. I simply hang up whatever clothes I'll be using in the stall of whatever horse I'll be riding for a week before the hunt. Confuses the hell out of the bambi's

fitfighter81 · November 21, 2010, 02:56 PM

My experience so far with scent blockers (at least in the Northern KY area where I hunt) has been that whether I use them or not, the deer don't seem to worry too much about it. I'm guessing becasue they live so close to population as it is that it's nothing new to them. I dropped a small buck last week that came right up to about 25yrds from me, smell didn't seem to bother him much.

Tomas · November 21, 2010, 03:25 PM

I don't think an ungulate would really care if it was B.O. or Chanel #5, it's not a normal scent. I'll stick to rolling in elk urine.

I found a bottle of cedar smelling stuff in my bag this year...not really sure where it came from. One of the 'mountain men' in camp saw me with it and laughed. It might work, he chuckled...if there were any cedars out here.

He may as well of said 'you dumb city boy!'.

Actually, he does say that.

ritepath · November 21, 2010, 04:04 PM

I remember reading about using vanilla back in the 80's but never tired it.

HoraceHogsnort · November 21, 2010, 05:41 PM

I've also read about anise oil being used to attract bears but I've never shot a bear in my 67 yrs. on the planet so I don't know squat about it!

shortwave · November 21, 2010, 05:51 PM

Never used vanilla extract as a cover scent but I have used regular vanilla in corn piles and such. You don't want to use extract if your putting it on something deer are going to eat. Deer don't care for the alcohol in it.

Peanut butter is not normal to our woods either but deer love it.

Loader9 · November 21, 2010, 05:53 PM

Used vanilla for decades now and it works too. I also wash clothing in baking soda to kill any of the perfumes from laundry detergents. I'd say the vanilla is good enough it let me several times walk up on deer close enough to touch them. Try it sometime, it'll surprise the heck of ya just how close you can get and how relaxed they are with you around.

hogdogs · November 21, 2010, 06:24 PM

Here are three threads...
http://thefiringline.com/forums/sear...archid=4824140

that I have participated it... Search for "vanilla" under hunt section and find many more...

I still haven't stayed long enuff to see it work...

Brent

Cowboy_mo · November 21, 2010, 09:32 PM

I have heard of the vanilla from oldtimers for years. Can't say firsthand if it works or not.

I enjoyed the notes about barn smells since I have to feed horses, clean stalls, etc. in my hunting clothes before hitting my stands. I can't say that I have ever been busted because of the odor.

I have also heard of the peanut butter mentioned above. Since MO is an "anti baiting" state I have always been afraid to try it but who knows.

The best one I ever heard was a 'friend of a friend' always buys some liquid C'mere deer and sprays himself down with that as a cover scent. Personally I hope it makes a better cover scent than a deer attractant. I sprayed the heck out of some round bales left in the field with it and neither the deer nor the pasture horses ever touched it.

Irish B · November 21, 2010, 09:38 PM

I've found that sheep’s blood works very effectively for scent blocking when i bear hunt. . .They come right up to me! I just can't convince fish and game that it's an old family scent block secret not a bait!

I can't imagine at all vanilla is anywhere near to a normal woodland scent unless you were hunting in a vanilla field. Vanilla has a very strong odor and I imagine it would be more unnatural than having no scent block at all.

.284 · November 22, 2010, 10:44 AM

Seems like I have heard of this but, like most have never tried it. I do the clean clothes in the bag filled with leaves and branches trick.

I have heard that Anise oil/extract is also used. I believe it is an ingredient in some of the synthetic products. Could be.....it smells as funky as a tarsal gland.

Scorch · November 22, 2010, 01:46 PM

Vanilla is one of the most powerful attractants available. Right up there with peanut butter, apples, or cheese. Is it failproof? No. But I have seen deer walk right into camp for Coca Cola (which has vanilla in it), seen deer pounce on a peanut butter sandwich thrown away by one of my hunting buddies, and I have seen deer do some really stupid things trying to get to apples. It also covers scent pretty well.

Morgoroth · November 22, 2010, 02:15 PM

Would the plastic bag with leaves thing work with pine straw?

We have a lot of pines all over where we hunt and it seems like that would blend better if there are more pines.

Also, where to you put the vanilla?
On your clothes or on your person?

YARDDOG(1) · November 22, 2010, 02:24 PM

Me and a buddy of mine was hunting one year and he said that he heard of a new cent that deer love, Yup vanilla extract. So the next weekend of to the woods we went, It was Bow season & he pourd some around his tree and
set the bottle down with top off

Well the time was ticking away and I heard a few deer blowing like crazy but
not running away, At least it sounded that way

I got down latter and went to the truck, Here came my buddy I ask what was he doing to the deer?

He stated the deer, A doe a a couple of yearlins were walking down a trail came across the open bottle & went crazy Blowing and running in circles.
He laughfed so hard he never even pulled the string on the bow.

I can only hear them Idid not see them, But It was a sight according to my
huntig buddy. Needless to say he never used that stuff again

Y/D

Pahoo · November 22, 2010, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Would the plastic bag with leaves thing work with pine straw?

Please assume that I know what you mean by pine straw. Years ago during our yearly hunts in Wisconsin, I hunted in an area that was heavy with Chistmas trees. At the head of my trail to my stand, I would stop and rub my clothing with pine bows that I crushed between my hands as well as dirt and moss. It worked very well to hide my scent. We also use to take those chlorophyl tablets. We needed to counteract the beer and turkey fries, flatulance from the previous evening, in town. .......

Be Safe !!!

.284 · November 22, 2010, 02:47 PM

Quote:

flatulance from the previous evening, in town. .......

You know sometimes the sound makes a pretty convincing grunt call but.......I think that particular deer's bad breath may cause some other problems.

robhof · November 22, 2010, 02:51 PM

Had a friend in Louisiana several yrs ago that didn't bathe for the duration of deer season, got pretty rank, we drove with the windows down on the coldest days, he always got his limit. One year he brought out a doe with powder burns on her chest and a large hole in her back. He said he got tired in the stand and climbed out and fell asleep against the tree, the doe woke him up by scraping her hoofs on his jacket, he rolled the gun

out of his lap and placed it against her chest and shot. Judging by the evidence we couldn't discount his story.

Pahoo · November 22, 2010, 03:18 PM

Quote:

You know sometimes the sound makes a pretty convincing grunt call but

Don't think Ill try that one for at my age, I'm liable to soil myself. Is soiled allowed to be posted? .....

Be Safe !!!

shortwave · November 22, 2010, 07:43 PM

Quote:

...I'm liable to soil myself...

Pahoo,
When you get our age there's a favorite saying,
"Never trust a flatulent "

.

Want to hear the strangest one I've heard lately?

Deer can't resist powdered, lemon-lime Gatorade mix sprinkled on the ground,stump, cornpile, etc.

I've had various degree's of success with vanilla, anise and peanut butter but I haven't tried that one yet.

Pahoo · November 22, 2010, 09:39 PM

Quote:

"Never trust a flatulent " .

Some lessons are learned the hard way. ....

I also understand that "Grape" cool-aid mix, on top of a stump, also works well.

Be Safe !!!

Morgoroth · November 23, 2010, 07:11 AM

I was think about this again and I remembered imitation vanilla is sometimes made from certain tree saps.

I don't know the whole process and there are different ways to do it, but it is interesting.

November 21, 2010, 01:22 PM	#1
fitfighter81 Member Join Date: April 28, 2008 Posts: 66	Vanilla for scent block? Had an old timer I know the other day tell me that they used to use Vanilla extract as a scent blocker. Anybody else ever heard of this? and does it actually work? __________________ "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." ---George Orwell on a BBC broadcast, April 4, 1942.

November 21, 2010, 01:54 PM	#3
fitfighter81 Member Join Date: April 28, 2008 Posts: 66	Yea, I have used the leaves method myself, the vanilla one sounded a little bit strange to me. __________________ "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." ---George Orwell on a BBC broadcast, April 4, 1942.

November 21, 2010, 02:17 PM	#4
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	jimbob86 + 1 Deer get use to what is in their neighborhood and anything that is not routine, is suspect. Surprisingly most of the time it makes little difference as they are also very courious about anything new. Yearlings and old Bucks react diferently or so I think they do .... I put apples in a large garbage bag with my hunting clothes. I never bring the bag indoors and only dress in them when I get to my spot. Even when the apples get old, it doesn't matter. Sometimes I rub dirt or moss on my outer clothing when I get to my spot. There are some hunters who do not put much faith in scent blocker. Then again, there are those that do and have for many years. I know a guy that saves tarsal glands, freezes them and rubs himself with these, in the woods. Heck, I can even smell him .... Be Safe !!! Last edited by Pahoo; November 22, 2010 at 11:16 AM.

November 21, 2010, 02:56 PM	#6
fitfighter81 Member Join Date: April 28, 2008 Posts: 66	My experience so far with scent blockers (at least in the Northern KY area where I hunt) has been that whether I use them or not, the deer don't seem to worry too much about it. I'm guessing becasue they live so close to population as it is that it's nothing new to them. I dropped a small buck last week that came right up to about 25yrds from me, smell didn't seem to bother him much. __________________ "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." ---George Orwell on a BBC broadcast, April 4, 1942.

November 21, 2010, 09:38 PM	#14
Irish B Senior Member Join Date: October 10, 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 359	I've found that sheep’s blood works very effectively for scent blocking when i bear hunt. . .They come right up to me! I just can't convince fish and game that it's an old family scent block secret not a bait! I can't imagine at all vanilla is anywhere near to a normal woodland scent unless you were hunting in a vanilla field. Vanilla has a very strong odor and I imagine it would be more unnatural than having no scent block at all. __________________ If a man hasn't found something worth dying for, he isn't fit to live

November 21, 2010, 01:37 PM	#2
jimbob86 Junior member Join Date: October 4, 2007 Location: All the way to NEBRASKA Posts: 8,722	I can't imagine the smell of vanilla would be a "normal" scent in the woods .... maybe not a scent of "danger, run away!", but not a normal one like skunk, mouldering leaves, or cow manure, which have all been used as effective cover scents. The mouldering leaves is the easiest to use: gather up 1/2 a trash bag of newly fallen leaves (I use cottonwood, this being Nebraska) and put your outer layers (hat gloves, balaclava, coat, bibs and boots in the bag with the leaves a week before season starts. Store your outer gear in the bag when not in use. You will smell just like a pile of leaves.

November 21, 2010, 02:41 PM	#5
egor20 Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 2010 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 1,824	Never heard of using vanilla before and can't really see the use, but if it works for him then great. I simply hang up whatever clothes I'll be using in the stall of whatever horse I'll be riding for a week before the hunt. Confuses the hell out of the bambi's __________________ Chief stall mucker and grain chef Country don't mean dumb. Steven King. The Stand

November 21, 2010, 03:25 PM	#7
Tomas Senior Member Join Date: May 9, 1999 Location: Blue State Posts: 441	I don't think an ungulate would really care if it was B.O. or Chanel #5, it's not a normal scent. I'll stick to rolling in elk urine. I found a bottle of cedar smelling stuff in my bag this year...not really sure where it came from. One of the 'mountain men' in camp saw me with it and laughed. It might work, he chuckled...if there were any cedars out here. He may as well of said 'you dumb city boy!'. Actually, he does say that.

November 21, 2010, 04:04 PM	#8
ritepath Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,419	I remember reading about using vanilla back in the 80's but never tired it.

November 21, 2010, 05:41 PM	#9
HoraceHogsnort Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Stanislaus Co., Mexifornia Posts: 615	I've also read about anise oil being used to attract bears but I've never shot a bear in my 67 yrs. on the planet so I don't know squat about it!

November 21, 2010, 05:51 PM	#10
shortwave Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 2007 Location: SOUTHEAST, OHIO Posts: 5,970	Never used vanilla extract as a cover scent but I have used regular vanilla in corn piles and such. You don't want to use extract if your putting it on something deer are going to eat. Deer don't care for the alcohol in it. Peanut butter is not normal to our woods either but deer love it.

November 21, 2010, 05:53 PM	#11
Loader9 Senior Member Join Date: July 29, 2008 Posts: 949	Used vanilla for decades now and it works too. I also wash clothing in baking soda to kill any of the perfumes from laundry detergents. I'd say the vanilla is good enough it let me several times walk up on deer close enough to touch them. Try it sometime, it'll surprise the heck of ya just how close you can get and how relaxed they are with you around.

November 21, 2010, 06:24 PM	#12
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	Here are three threads... http://thefiringline.com/forums/sear...archid=4824140 that I have participated it... Search for "vanilla" under hunt section and find many more... I still haven't stayed long enuff to see it work... Brent

November 21, 2010, 09:32 PM	#13
Cowboy_mo Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2010 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,039	I have heard of the vanilla from oldtimers for years. Can't say firsthand if it works or not. I enjoyed the notes about barn smells since I have to feed horses, clean stalls, etc. in my hunting clothes before hitting my stands. I can't say that I have ever been busted because of the odor. I have also heard of the peanut butter mentioned above. Since MO is an "anti baiting" state I have always been afraid to try it but who knows. The best one I ever heard was a 'friend of a friend' always buys some liquid C'mere deer and sprays himself down with that as a cover scent. Personally I hope it makes a better cover scent than a deer attractant. I sprayed the heck out of some round bales left in the field with it and neither the deer nor the pasture horses ever touched it.

November 22, 2010, 10:44 AM	#15
.284 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2009 Location: davison, michigan Posts: 665	Seems like I have heard of this but, like most have never tried it. I do the clean clothes in the bag filled with leaves and branches trick. I have heard that Anise oil/extract is also used. I believe it is an ingredient in some of the synthetic products. Could be.....it smells as funky as a tarsal gland. __________________ Guns have only two enemies, rust and politicians! Deer are amazing creatures....so please don't burn the sauteed onions and I'll pass on the steak sauce, thank you.

November 22, 2010, 01:46 PM	#16
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Vanilla is one of the most powerful attractants available. Right up there with peanut butter, apples, or cheese. Is it failproof? No. But I have seen deer walk right into camp for Coca Cola (which has vanilla in it), seen deer pounce on a peanut butter sandwich thrown away by one of my hunting buddies, and I have seen deer do some really stupid things trying to get to apples. It also covers scent pretty well. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

November 22, 2010, 02:15 PM	#17
Morgoroth Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2010 Posts: 198	Would the plastic bag with leaves thing work with pine straw? We have a lot of pines all over where we hunt and it seems like that would blend better if there are more pines. Also, where to you put the vanilla? On your clothes or on your person?

November 22, 2010, 02:24 PM	#18
YARDDOG(1) Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: GATOR COUNTRY HA HA HA! Posts: 721	Me and a buddy of mine was hunting one year and he said that he heard of a new cent that deer love, Yup vanilla extract. So the next weekend of to the woods we went, It was Bow season & he pourd some around his tree and set the bottle down with top off Well the time was ticking away and I heard a few deer blowing like crazy but not running away, At least it sounded that way I got down latter and went to the truck, Here came my buddy I ask what was he doing to the deer? He stated the deer, A doe a a couple of yearlins were walking down a trail came across the open bottle & went crazy Blowing and running in circles. He laughfed so hard he never even pulled the string on the bow. I can only hear them Idid not see them, But It was a sight according to my huntig buddy. Needless to say he never used that stuff again Y/D __________________ There's a GATOR in the bushes & She's Callin my name >Molly Hatchett<

November 22, 2010, 02:51 PM	#21
robhof Senior Member Join Date: September 16, 2007 Posts: 712	robhof Had a friend in Louisiana several yrs ago that didn't bathe for the duration of deer season, got pretty rank, we drove with the windows down on the coldest days, he always got his limit. One year he brought out a doe with powder burns on her chest and a large hole in her back. He said he got tired in the stand and climbed out and fell asleep against the tree, the doe woke him up by scraping her hoofs on his jacket, he rolled the gun out of his lap and placed it against her chest and shot. Judging by the evidence we couldn't discount his story.

November 23, 2010, 07:11 AM	#25
Morgoroth Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2010 Posts: 198	I was think about this again and I remembered imitation vanilla is sometimes made from certain tree saps. I don't know the whole process and there are different ways to do it, but it is interesting.