Do you think there can be a sane discussion on scent control

[Wanderer]

When I lived in Alabama, we had 1100 acres under lease for hunting. I lived in Marion which is about 8 miles from the lease. Most of the other guys lived in Birmingham which is about 85 miles away. Because of living close to the lease, I inherited the feeder filling duties. We used about 2600 pounds of Antler Max during "feeder times". We began feeding Feb 1 (after gun season closed) and continued until October 1st (about 2 weeks before bow season). As I was there more than anyone else to fill the feeders, my truck became a regular sound and sight to the deer. I carried 50 pound bags of feed to the feeders, dumped them in the top, and used my bare hands to spread the pellets out in the feeder trays. Obviously, the deer became accustomed to my scent, and, I believe, associated it with food. Now I'm not claiming that Booners followed me around looking for a handout, but I saw lots of deer while hunting during the 4 years that I was filling feeders, and I believe that a lot of them had scented me and just didn't get worried about it.
Now that I've commented on the "tame deer" situation, I'd like to ask a scent question. Does a persons "scent pool" rise up and away from a person? After all, our body temperature is 98.6 and a lot of scent,so I'm told, goes out through an uncovered head. So I'm wondering if my scent, on my downwind side, rises with my body heat, or hangs around the base of the tree I'm in, or what? I seem to see a lot of deer on my downwind side if I'm hunting my #4 stand. The stand is on a ridge top overlooking a hardwood flat to the west of me. To my east side, the hill goes down into a creek bottom that's probably 60 or 80 feet lower than the ridge line. Deer pass through this area and don't seem to scent me. I can only assume that the breezes carry my scent directly east of my position, and thus, over the heads and noses of the deer. Before you ask, it's too far to shoot with my bow, and yes, I have another stand that covers that creek bottom just a bit further north.I've always thought of scent as moving out away from a person as an inverted cone, getting larger in diameter, but less dense as it travels farther away from you. But if scent rises due to body heat, it will cool and come back down lower when it cools. Did you ever see someone with a cigarette that is just sitting in an ash tray? The smoke rises up, but then comes down lower after awhile and "pools up" . Woods Walker can probably add to this with everything that he's learned from his smoke bombs. How about it anyone?

[loneranger]

On my small 40 in Iowa, I only bow hunt. I have bow hunting neighbors, but they are relatively few. Gun season is a different story. I have my number one best stand sort of down in a creek bottom. I am not very high in a ladderstand . I know deer get my scent. I try to only hunt it with the wind coming from the deer trails but I know the breeze swirls. I used to hunt in MI, with alot of bow pressure and on public land. The deer were super spooky. With farming going on in IA, I think the deer accept a certain amount of human scent and consider it non threatening. I believe deer have a nack of knowing when they are being hunted, or pursued heavy and when they are not. Now the older deer that have survived several yrs of hunting are definately more cautious yr around. But the Rut messes with them, They sometimes overlook human scents and even noise in pursuit of Sex. In Iowa we have the opportunity to hunt the rut with only bow pressure, which is a big plus.

[JPH]

,,if you can afford alot of acreage, and keep hunting and intrusions to a minimum, you will experience extraordinary hunting.

No argument on that point!

The problem is, most of us don't have that situation. I do not have access to a single deer hunting property larger than 100 acres. I'm out there trying to fill multiple doe tags while also targeting mature bucks, with a small margin for error. In my opinion, given my situation and goals, scent reduction is absolutely vital.

[loneranger]

You are right there. I do all I can reasonably to reduce my scent. Keep skin clean and clothes.Don't go to the extreme many do. Can't afford it, and well,,come on,, Hunting is supposed to be fun,,not a chore.

[loneranger]

I'd like to have 100 acres! My 40 is considered almost silly for hunting in Iowa. But it is mine,,,and I enjoy it...

[JPH]

I like the way you think loneranger.

Remind me again. What part of the state are you in?

[Cut N Run]

Some people think I'm over the top when it comes to scent control. I don't believe there is such a thing as scent elimination, but there are some great products that reduce human scent greatly.

I wash my hunting clothes in scent-free soap, rinse them in baking soda, and hang them outside on my screen porch turned inside-out to dry. My wife loves to use those perfume-scented fabric softener dryer sheets...not on my hunting duds. Where do you think the air that goes into your dryer comes from anyway? You guessed it, from inside the laundry room. Whatever the inside of your house smells like, your machine-dried hunting clothes will too.

I hang my hunting clothes on a line inside my screen porch with them turned inside-out. That helps them air out and prevents the camo from fading in the sun. I also bought a laundry basket that is only used for moving my hunting clothes between the washer and the porch. At the start of each deer season, I buy a new hunting cap, a new set of towels, a few pairs of socks, and a couple packs of underwear used for deer hunting exclusively. Smell a shirt that you've worn for a while, it smells like you do. Deer fear that smell. I got a nylon wallet a few years ago that only gets used hunting. I put my license and tags in there so I don't have to carry my daily-use wallet with me. Take a big whiff of your regular wallet. If it smells like mine, it smells like sweaty leather and money. Think how far a deer can smell that, especially on a damp day, or when you break a sweat.

I use disposable vinyl gloves anytime I climb tree steps or a ladder on a stand. But, wouldn't a deer be in easy range if he came close enough to smell your steps? Yes, unless it was breezy and he came in down wind behind you. I can't begin to tell you how bad it hurts to have the buck you've been hunting bust you and never get a shot off. Those gloves can be used when field dressing a deer too.

None of what I mentioned is terribly expensive to buy, especially when you consider what you pay for a lease, hunting license, a bow, gun, or stand, and all the other gear you buy to hunt deer with. Why not spend a little more to help put the odds in your favor?
I may be taking things a bit too far with all of this. On the other hand, I haven't been winded much in the last decade. Plus, the best bucks I've taken are bigger than most people I know who hunt around here. It works for me.

Jim

[loneranger]

My little bit of IowaParadise is in Wapello Co. IA. Many fellow hunters tell me I should have bought land further south closer to the MO. border. Some of the big name TV hunt show properties are down there. Large tracts of managed land and trophies. But I see enough deer to keep me entertained, and is way better than where I hunted in the north on Nat forest, I will always miss the summers up there though, with the frequent incursions of that beautiful,fresh,dry,,Canadian air! Is SWEAT time in Iowa, until Mid Sept,,maybe even Mid Oct,,but you appreciate it when cool finally comes!

[charlie 01]

Wanderer, all I know is thermal currents. On the morning of a clear and perfect day, as the Earth warms, currents rise with your scent. In the evening hours thermal currents go down with your scent. Lodgicly, one would have to say that some where in between morning and afternoon your scent will as you say cone out from you with any kind of wind. The density, I'm guessing, would depend on how much scent your body is emitting.

I use a lot of layering of clothes, a doubling of head cover (sometimes 3) and prefer some air movement that it's direction is favorable to that particular hunting site.

The days that are hard to hunt are cloudy, stormy days. Your scent will go down. If you have ever driven through areas where people use wood to heat, on stormy days you can see the smoke from their chimmney's head right to the ground. There too, I look for a favorable wind.
One rainy afternoon I saw this 10pt Pope & Young buck that was down wind of me at about 100yds or so standing there looking right at me. He was across a creek from me. I knew he had winded me. He moved along the other side of the creek,and when directly across from me, but still out of bow range I tried a few grunts. He stopped and looked, but kept going north along the creek that came to a standing corn field. Earlier, about 15 min. in the stand, a yearling doe came out of that corn field, crossed the creek right in front of me and passed by me. When that buck got to the corn field, he hit that doe's trail and followed it. It was a 27yd shot and he maybe went 30yds. All morning long it had been pouring rain. Along about noon it let up some. I told my wife, I gotta go, I had such a good feeling. You just have to be out there, you never can tell what the day is going to bring.
Over the years, I've noticed that deer in general, and big bucks seem to move around more freely on rainy days. I believe it is because they rarely encounter humans during the year on those kinds of days, and feel comfortable doing so.

[JPH]

My little bit of IowaParadise is in Wapello Co. IA.

Cool. I've never hunted in Wapello Co. I live in Warren Co. but I also hunt Madison Co., IA and Harrison Co., MO. I've got friends who border some high profile hunters in Clark and Decatur Counties. Some amazing bucks come out of those farms.