Hiding Human scent

[craddleshooter]

Looking to try out a new deer scent cover this upcoming season. What is the best one that has worked for you over the years?

[Mobuck]

Pure(right off the goat) rutting billy goat scent works fantastic.

[reinert]

Personally, I don't use cover scents while hunting, though I do use a sports wash type detergent on my hunting clothes. If I did use a cover scent, it would just likely be skunk stink on my boots. The most important thing always, though (IMO), is to keep the wind in your face, especially if you believe that's the direction from where you think that buck is coming from.

[mete]

Any scent on you from cleaners, smoking, cooking etc may be easy for a deer to smell even if you can't ! First thing to consider --air rises in the morning and falls late in the day.

[Art Eatman]

I guess whatever scent comes down the wind to me from the direction I'm hunting.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

I found over the years I don't need a cover scent nor should anyone when taking precautions prior and during their days hunted. One such necessity comes to mind: pay attention to wind direction and early morning wind draft.

I don't believe there has ever been a so called Best {scent shield} anything marketed to this day worth its selling price. "The more they cost the bigger their gyp as far as I'm concerned."

Tip:
Professional hunters follow tried and true body cleansing and equipment cleansing practices. Usually starting a week or two before their scheduled hunt. Some of those same {personal practices} are again preformed religiously daily through-out their hunting period.

BTW;
If someone radiates human scent before & during their hunt. Its likely that odorous smelling individual is going home at the end of their hunt skunked. Irregardless of the human cover-up scent applied or worn while deer hunting.
"that's my opinion gents"

[jmr40]

Every hunter/gatherer civilization going back thousands of years has used various methods to cover their scent. So the principle has merit. When hunting with rifles and taking shots at ranges over 50 yards or so the need is much less than archery hunters at 5-15 yards.

I don't hunt as much with my bow so I don't worry about it as much as I used to. But when I was serious about archery hunting I'd wash my hunting gear in baking soda to remove odors and store that set of clothing in a plastic bag to keep it separate from others. I've never bought any commercial scent, but kept freshly cut foliage from the area I'd hunt inside the bag with the gear. I don't know if it helped or hurt, but that is what I used to do.

[craddleshooter]

I met this old guy who swear that tobacco odor helped him mask his scent back when he was very much younger and was an acute smoker.

[Double Naught Spy]

Every hunter/gatherer civilization going back thousands of years has used various methods to cover their scent. So the principle has merit.

They also invoked magic and spiritual ritual for hunting. So if we are going to say that this has merit based on h&g societies, then we cannot rule out the necessity of invoking magic and involving spiritual rituals.

[Rangerrich99]

Originally Posted by Double Naught Spy

They also invoked magic and spiritual ritual for hunting. So if we are going to say that this has merit based on h&g societies, then we cannot rule out the necessity of invoking magic and involving spiritual rituals.

Ah, I'm pretty sure most, if not all, hunters still do. We just call it "science" and "proper preparation" now instead of "magic and spiritual ritual." Hence the odor reducing/covering scents/clothing, camouflage, stuffing pine needles into your pockets or whatever, eating bland food for days before, handloading your favorite bullet (or buying your "perfect" bullet), etc. and so on.

Just a thought.

[Double Naught Spy]

Ah, I'm pretty sure most, if not all, hunters still do. We just call it "science" and "proper preparation" now instead of "magic and spiritual ritual." Hence the odor reducing/covering scents/clothing, camouflage, stuffing pine needles into your pockets or whatever, eating bland food for days before, handloading your favorite bullet (or buying your "perfect" bullet), etc. and so on.

No. We are talking about two different things. I am talking about invocation of actual magic and spiritual ritual whereas you are talking more about non-supernatural and routinized behavior.

[Mobuck]

We heat water on a gas stove, heat lunch, run propane heaters if needed, and
Grandson is constantly emitting some noxious odors. The key is hunt from a spot far enough from the travel lanes to not scare the deer and use a rifle with enough range to kill any deer that might accidentally get close enough to smell you. Last year we killed a nice pair of bucks within an hour that at some point were directly downwind and still exposed themselves long enough for a shot at less than 100 yards.

[scottycoyote]

other than maybe the new ozone emitter devices I really dont think theres anything you can do that will eliminate your human odor should a deer be dead down wind of you.

Paying attention to the wind.....whether that be accessing your hunting stand and hunting in a direction where the wind will not be blowing to the deer in the direction they should be coming in to you......or climbing high enough in a tree stand that your scent blows out or disperses before it can spook game, is a more fruitful strategy.

[craddleshooter]

I’m with the magic guy, if some kinda send renders one undetected to certain wild animals, it will be magic to uncivilized people. People of that time must have notice certain leaves and oitment do certain things but they have no explanation for why it works so they call it magic and we call it science because we are way smarter. It’s just terminology.

[Brian Pfleuger]

I can only provide anecdotal evidence.

I went on this same quest, to find a cover scent that worked. It’s pretty irrelevant for gun hunting but can be very important during bow.

After a lot of research, I decided to try smoke. I got a bee smoker and some wood chips. I put my gear in a blind, set the smoker in there and left it for a while.

Periodically through the year as I washed the clothes I would add more, just by smoking the clothes as they hung outside.

That year, I saw more deer than I’ve seen before and shot my biggest buck ever, at less than 15 yards.

Unfortunately, smoking is time consuming and inconvenient and following years I have never gotten around to it for one reason or another.

I do believe it helps though. Better than anything else I ever tried.

[T. O'Heir]

"...rutting billy goat scent..." Please tell us you filmed the collecting of that. snicker.
"...going back thousands of years has..." Paid close attention to the wind direction far more than any kind of covering scent. Human scent from those living in the bush is/was a normal smell to the other creatures living there.
"...magic and spiritual ritual..." Ritual, yes. Magic, not so much. Animists believe everything has a spiritual essence. The rituals were about thanking the animal for giving itself so the hunter could live.
"...tobacco odor..." Is the smell of smoke. 'Smoke' rings alarm bells for every beastie in the bush. I've heard of deer coming for a look out of curiosity though.

[Doyle]

If you are shooting in southern pine forests, you can make your own cover scent. Mix up some ordinary turpentine with enough denatured alcohol to allow it to spray easily and put it into a spray bottle. The alcohol will evaporate leaving your boots and pant legs smelling like a pine tree.

[craddleshooter]

I think deer will smell you no matter what you have on, but as far as deer not having a sixths sense, I disagree. I think some deer, some humans, can sense danger and react without even smelling,hearing or seeing you

[buck460XVR]

I don't believe there are any real "cover" scents. IMHO, there are attractant scents(like rut and food type scents), and what I consider "confusing" type scents(like fox urine, earth/dirt and pine scents). Both focus the deer's attention on something else other than the human scent and the presence of a human. Reducing your own scent and using the wind will lead to more success than the just trying to cover one's scent. Stand position is paramount when one needs to get close. If using a cover scent increases your confidence and the ability for you to stay on stand and sit still, then it's worth the cost.

[Oliver Sudden]

Sitting an office waiting room I found an article in a Field and Stream about cover scent. They used a blood hound that has a sense of smell that is 1/100th as good as a white tail. In a controlled setting they tested numerous types of cover scent by treating a man and having him hide in one of many blinds. The dog found him in seconds. That’s the kind of data I believe.

[Pahoo]

I met this old guy who swear that tobacco odor helped him mask his scent back when he was very much younger and was an acute smoker.

After a lot of research, I decided to try smoke. I got a bee smoker and some wood chips. I put my gear in a blind, set the smoker in there and left it for a while.

There is evidence that "smoke" works well and smoke is a natural part of a dears environment. I feel that as far as "masking" use natural scents. I use apples and rub my hunting close with ground moss and it's root area. I know it works. Ground tent blinds work amazing well when stored properly …..

Be Safe !!!

[ms6852]

After hunting for near 50 years I do what my grandfather taught be I keep my hunting clothes in a plastic bag and cut a small branch of juniper or whatever vegetation is in the regional area that we hunt. Once a month or every two months take out the old branch and put a fresh one. Everything is in the bag from socks to sweater and jackets. For new people that join us we will make a campfire prior to going hunting and burn sage the night before.

[craddleshooter]

In Other words, Playing the wind is best thing to do. ?

[doofus47]

hunt into the wind. All else is details.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by doofus47

hunt into the wind. All else is details

If only it were that easy.

One of these years, some of you guys who live where the wind blows from one direction for hours at a time have really got to take me hunting. I've never seen such a place.

Besides that, for a great many hunters there is no wandering around 20,000 acres, going where ever they, or the wind, pleases them to go. Lots of us to get to hunt on 50... 20... 5 acres.... and often not alone.

One of my all time favorite hunting spots (which mind you was about 10 acres of woods we could use) was really great because you always had ONE thing going for you.... the deer ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS, came from the East. So, we only hunted there when we had an "East" wind. We always got there about 2:30-3:00 because the deer NEVER came out until it was almost too dark to shoot. During the season, that's 2 1/2, maybe 3 hours from arrival until dark. I don't recall a single time sitting there that the wind didn't come from at least 270dg around me, at some point in those 2-3 hours.