Deer Hunting Tips Part 6 Deer's Scent

Deer have a very strong keen sense of smell. This often helps a deer to identify possible danger. Many times, if deer smell an unknown smell, they will avoid going in that direction. Deer's scent is very remarkable. They can pick up movement fairly well, but they have such a good ability to smell, that is is usually considered their strongest attribute. A hunter needs to avoid giving off to many unknown smells, or hunt where the wind is not blowing your scent in their direction. If a deer smells you, your chances of getting one significantly decreases. There are ways to avoid letting deer pick up your scent, however, your smell may not be completely dissipated. Metaphorically speaking, we humans stink like sh!% to deer. We are unknown to them, and a lot of our smell comes from unnatural sources. These can include the chemicals that we wash our clothes with, and other things unnatural we use in our homes.

Use scentless Washing products

When washing your hunting clothes, you should wash them with scentless products. If you use ones that are not, then there will be many unknown smells on your hunting clothes. Deer can smell this very easily. This may sound silly, but if you want increase your chances in deer hunting, this is a must. This only needs to be done with the clothes you intend to actually hunt with though. So perhaps you will want to wash them separate from casual wear.

Taking showers before hunting

Taking a shower before hunting can help get rid of your odors that deer smell. Or at least reduce the smell. Avoid using regular bathroom product soap though. Use hunting soap and shampoo. These are meant to smell natural, or they may be scentless. The same goes for deodorant. Regular deodorant is a big give away for a deer to smell you. Buying scentless deodorant is a good suggestion for a hunter wanting to mask his smell.

There are numerous hunting products available. Manufacturers actually make hunting tooth paste as well. In my opinion, a hunter does not need to go this far to mask his smell, but there's nothing wrong with using it.

Besides hunting bathroom products , there are scent away sprays. These are sprays that are supposed to eliminate your scent or at least reduce it. These are only used before going out to actually hunt though. They are sprayed on your clothes to help either eliminate or cover up your scent. Both are available to buy, but personally, I think each have similar results. Before you go hunting, spray the scent-away product all around your clothes. Having a person spray your back may be helpful. Spraying underneath your boots is especially important. ( You should have boots specifically for hunting, don't use ones you go to school and/or work with)

Keep hunting clothes outside in a container before hunting season

This is not something you absolutely have to do, but before hunting season starts, put your hunting clothes in a separate container outside. This will prevent inside unnatural odors in your clothes. Or at least reduce it. Remember, eliminating your scent completely may not be possible, but reducing it is.

When hunting deer, staying downwind can essentially reduce the risk of a deer smelling you. Even if you don't use products to cover up scent with, using this rule can be an alternative. Using products, plus staying downwind would probably be the best plan of action though. Some people abide by the rule of staying downwind of deer. If the wind is blowing to the direction the deer are, then your scent will be carried with it. Always keep the wind in your face in accordance to where your going to be hunting. Sometimes you know where the deer are, but can not make it to them because your wind is blowing to them. Alternative routes may be required to avoid the deer possibly smelling you.

When it comes to hunting deer, understanding how well they can smell is important. The reason why many hunters go in the woods and do not see anything is because they may have alerted the deer. The deer may not have necessarily seen them, but smelled them hundreds of yards away! A common misconception that many hunters have is that they think they did not spot any deer because they simply did not use that area. This is not always true. A deers smell always comes first when it comes to danger. Sight and hearing is second. No matter how quiet and concealed a hunter is, if his or her scent is picked up by deer, its game over.....