#2083066 - 09/23/10 10:14 AM
Scent Control Theories
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Pursuit Hunter
8 Point
Registered: 10/01/08
Posts: 2084
Loc: Way out there
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Bring up the topic of scent control around a group of hunters and you're sure to start a spirited debate.
One camp (I'll call them the eliminators) swears by the effectiveness of scent-control clothing, soaps, sprays, etc. with claims like, "I had a deer directly downwind of me and he never knew I was there."
Another camp (the reducers)says, "I don't believe I can eliminate all human odor, but if I can reduce it to some lower level then my odds will go up."
A third camp (the sceptics)says, "all that stuff is a waste of money, a deer that is directly downwind is going to smell you no matter what you do."
I don't necessarily agree, but I can understand the logic behind the eliminators' and the sceptics' arguments. Either the stuff makes you invisible to a deer's nose or it doesn't. If it does, then it is clearly a valuable tool for a deer hunter. If it doesn't, why bother?
It's the reducers' argument that I really have trouble understanding. Is there some threshold for the amount of human scent that will alert a deer? Stay below that threshold and a deer will smell you, but not react? Cross it and he senses danger? That's what the reducers' argument seems to come down to.
It seems like most of the comments I see and hear in support of using scent control fall into the reducers' camp. I'm just curious about how the reducers feel that reducing some, but not all, human odor is going to benefit them.
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#2083076 - 09/23/10 10:18 AM
Re: Scent Control Theories
[Re: Pursuit Hunter]
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Otterman
8 Point
Registered: 11/19/09
Posts: 1603
Loc: Mid. TN
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I think it's impossible to eliminate ALL human odor. Just gotta do the best you can.
_________________________
Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
Genesis 27:3 KJV
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#2083087 - 09/23/10 10:25 AM
Re: Scent Control Theories
[Re: Otterman]
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BowGuy84
10 Point
Registered: 09/16/07
Posts: 4847
Loc: Nashville, TN and Louisville, ...
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I believe in reducing becuse I think it keeps my hunting areas less disturbed after I leave. I also think by being scent conscious it aids me in killing deer that might cross my path where I have walked or brushed into something.
As far as deer having a threshold, I believe they do. THat being said, the threshold is different by each deer. I just prefer to be catious and dot my t's and cross my i's to try and up my odds as best I can. I dont wear carbon and I think this new scent elimination machine the lakowskis are taking to the woods is a little absurd.
Since wearing rubber boots and spraying down and washing clothes in a scent consious manner I havent had nearly the deer spook when crossing my trail as I use to...
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#2083099 - 09/23/10 10:31 AM
Re: Scent Control Theories
[Re: Pursuit Hunter]
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Snake
16 Point
Registered: 05/03/09
Posts: 15502
Loc: McMinn Co.Tennessee U.S.
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I guess I'm kinda a sceptic about this topic even though I know if you can out fox a deer's nose you have really accomplsihed something .It is a lot of trouble trying to stay scent free & I don't really think you would be scent free any way so I just hunt the wind and try and reduce all amounts of human oder possible . On the topic to pee or not to pee also I don't pee on the ground during bow season for the simple fact I don't want the deer being alerted to any scent(thus the term scent free) . A deer on alert is very nervous even though it may not alarm them and we know a deer on alert is very difficult at times getting a draw on ! But what ever it takes for you to have success then by all means GO FOR IT !
Edited by Snake (09/23/10 10:33 AM)
_________________________
No matter the storm , when you are with God , there's always a rainbow waiting .
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#2083121 - 09/23/10 10:40 AM
Re: Scent Control Theories
[Re: Otterman]
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lung-buster
8 Point
Registered: 09/16/08
Posts: 1849
Loc: Southern Middle Tn
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I think it's impossible to eliminate ALL human odor. Just gotta do the best you can.
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#2083124 - 09/23/10 10:41 AM
Re: Scent Control Theories
[Re: Snake]
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Winchester
Non-Typical
Registered: 12/05/03
Posts: 25247
Loc: TN
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I would have to fall in the reducer category. I do all I can to stay as clean and scent free as possible when hunting. I dont buy any of the carbon clothing as I dont think it works past the first few trips, and becomes saturated at that point with no way of reactivating it. I think regardless of what you do, if your full scent stream hits a wary deer right in the sniffer, your done! That being said, I think staying as clean as possible doesnt contaminate the woods nearly as much as those who practice no scent control, and theres no hope for the nasties who dont take showers regularly! I think where staying clean comes in handy is when a deer may get just a whiff of something awry, or cross your path from hours earlier. I know I have saw it happen many many times, the head jerks up and the nose licking begins, testing the air all around for another wiff of whatever it was that wasnt right. Different areas will always produce different results as well, all depends on how much human scent the deer encounter daily. There is a myriad of factors here that will change each individual encounter.
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#2083137 - 09/23/10 10:50 AM
Re: Scent Control Theories
[Re: Winchester]
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Velocity kills
6 Point
Registered: 07/26/09
Posts: 738
Loc: Sevierville,TN
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I am in the Reducers camp. I believe that you can eliminate human odor to a certain extent. Your body always is producing scent. So its hard to control that. If you reducd the amount of scent on you and articles of clothing you putless scent in the air and on the ground. Its an advantage.
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#2083145 - 09/23/10 10:55 AM
Re: Scent Control Theories
[Re: Winchester]
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Poser
14 Point
Registered: 07/28/10
Posts: 8175
Loc: Tennessee
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I fall into the reducer+ category. Depending on the degree of pressure, deer will tolerate only a certain amount of human scent. The more you can reduce this scent , the more you can get away with. I'm not a proponent of hunting down wind, but I have successfully relied on scent control in complex situations such as swirling winds and thermals. Other than difficult situations, I practice scent control to the best of my ability, but try to hunt like it doesn't work.
I have said this a couple of times before, but I suspect that some or many (but certainly not all) of the "skeptics" are such out of laziness: unwilling to change their ways, and/or unwilling to go to the trouble that scent control discipline requires and dismiss the practice altogether in order to feel better about their comparable laziness.
_________________________
It doesn't have to be fun to be fun. Wild & crazy, can't be stopped. Only the strong will survive. Keep your knife sharp and your skillet greasy. http://www.GoCarnivore.com
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#2083186 - 09/23/10 11:22 AM
Re: Scent Control Theories
[Re: Poser]
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Longhunter
10 Point
Registered: 09/03/08
Posts: 3788
Loc: Brewstertown in Morgan County...
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Worsh yore a$$ but it'll still stank!
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#2083284 - 09/23/10 11:59 AM
Re: Scent Control Theories
[Re: Longhunter]
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Bone Collector
12 Point
Registered: 09/09/09
Posts: 6130
Loc: Murfreesboro, TN
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I use some scent control products, take a shower in the morning, with HS body wash and change at the place where i hunt. Since i started doing that i have seen way more deer. However i think it is impossible to completely eliminate all human odor, but i do think you can mask/reduce it some and thus limit a deers effective range for smelling you and thus increase your odds to kill/see deer.
_________________________
Don't let the screen name fool you spikes are made of bone too  Semper Fidelis! The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. - Thomas Jefferson
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