Do cover scents work?

[rthensley]

The nose of a whitetail deer has up to 297 million olfactory receptors, dogs have 220 million with humans limiting out with just five million.
http://www.imbmonsterbucks.com/info.php?id=243

While a human will smell something like spaghetti sauce as one smell, a dog smells each individual ingredient.
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/articles/dogsenses.htm

How awesome is the whitetail's nose? Studies have found that deer are 4,000 to 10,000 times more sensitive to odors that humans are. Scientists note that deer have millions of tiny receptors in their wet noses, and they use them to differentiate up to 6 smells at one time
http://www.huntingnet.com/staticpages/staticpage_detail.aspx?id=46


IF those quotes are accurate, then wouldn't cover scents just be adding a new scent to smell and not actually covering up anything?


I was getting ready to write that using them could not hurt. But, if you use the same couple of cover scents and get busted by deer, wouldn't the deer eventually associate those scents with you? Not a good thing.

[BIGHUNTOH]

yes and no. There is no way to completly remove all human scent, I don't care if you store your scent lock suit and all equipment in a bag and spray yourself with the spray. If a deer comes from down wind directly horizontal of you there gonna smell you, but there are tricks you can use like getting in a high tree stand, so if they do come up downwind the scent may be above them. Also hunting your locations with the changing wind directions. I personally only use attractant lures. If they come from downwind they may smell me but they will also smell a big gob of peanut butter and crushed apples in the early season. I'm not trying to outsmart there nose thats impossible just trying to give them some incentive. Good luck this season. andrew

[archerymurray]

Hunt the right wind, watch the thermals, watch how you enter and exit and leave that garbage on the sales rack... I dont care what you wear if the breeze is in his favor you are busted...

[Curran]

And you can always try this out as well, because wind direction changes, swirls, and is unpredictable http://www.scentsmoker.com/

[teej89]

And you can always try this out as well, because wind direction changes, swirls, and is unpredictable http://www.scentsmoker.com/

In my opinion, I'd never buy this, I have enough stuff I carry into the woods. Just stay clean, wash your clothes after every trip, shower before every hunt, designate a room in your house to be scent proof, wash the rugs in the room in scent killer, if you don't have a room use a container.

A little trick that can be done whether in a room or container, cut up apples or put acorns or corn or w/e you want in the room or container with the food. I put a cover over my car seat when I drive and then spray myself down before going to the tree and after I'm settled.

[hortontoter]

You do all of that teej89 and you have no interest in a smoker LOL. I leave my coveralls in my truck, wash them maybe once a month. Have never owned a bottle of scent killer. Usually I shower after a hunt, not before. I even ride my lawn tractor half way to my stands. But, I am in archerymurray's camp. I hunt with the wind in my face or at least strongly quartering my position. Deer that approach downwind usually bust me, but I don't intend to shoot that direction anyways. Now I will admit that I haven't tagged a buck in two seasons. But, I could have shot quite a few small antlered ones, just not my cup of tea.

[MQ1]

I wash my clothes , keep them in a container outside , i do wash before each hunt, and spray my boots every time i enter the field, i try not to touch anything on the way in as well. But here is my thinking why get the deer looking and a new scent be it pee , peanut butter or apples unless you are in an orchard which smells now anyway . If your lady mom who ever puts a new air freshener in your living room dont you pick up on it and check it out, well you are bringing a new smell to their living room and they are sure to look a little harder and in the mean time , i feel they have a better chance of detecting you , if you didnt use anything and play the wind the best you can , and every thing is the way it was the day or week before they wont know you are even there. no scent is the best scent i think.

[Curran]

In my opinion, I'd never buy this, I have enough stuff I carry into the woods.

I'll explain a little bit more since I was short on time earlier...

My routine is similar to a lot of bowhunters, in that my clothes, undergarments, packs, harness, etc. are washed regularly in scent free detergent. They're all kept in giant ziplock bags inside of plastic totes. Boot are as well. Everything I take into the woods I try to be as diligent as possible not to contaminate with household smells (pets, anything fragrant, garage odors like gas, etc). I shower before every hunt and try to use scent free soaps & deodorants throughout most of the bowhunting season even when I'm not hunting so that residual odors from other soaps aren't present.

I don't wear any hunting clothes while I drive to the places I hunt. Everything remains sealed in their containers until I get to the spot I'm hunting. Then I change clothes, outside, no matter if it's 70 degrees, or 0 degrees, 4:00 AM in the morning or 2:00 PM in the afternoon. my hunting clothes don't see the inside of my truck (even though I wipe it down with scent free wipes, and wash my seat covers in scent free detergent). As I'm getting ready I grab a handful of oak chips, toss them in the smoker, and fire it up with a torch. It's ready to go in minutes and I smoke myself, my layers as they're getting put on, and my gear. Put out the smoker, and hunt.

It's just a part of my routine that I allow time for, just like a lot of folks spray down. I sparyed down for years too, and was skeptical about using a smoker, but I can tell you first hand that it flat out works. I've had deer that ended up down wind of me, smelled the smoke, then just relaxed and went about their business. This has happened enough times in the field that I'll have a tough time about taking this out of my routine. You're never, ever, ever going to completely fool a deer's nose unless the wind is in your favor. That's it, but the smoke smell kills odor causing bacteria, prevents new odors from forming, and masks the human scent that you can never, ever, ever completely eliminate. No matter how often you try to hunt the perfect wind, there will be times when it changes direction, swirls, or shifts from what the forecast said. I always try to put every variable I can in my favor, and this is just another one of those things that can help make a difference.

Point is, never say never... it's good to keep an open mind. I'm speaking from experience, like I said, I was a skeptic. Best of luck this season.

[teej89]

Curran

Alright, I was misconstrued about how it work, embarrassingly I thought you took it to the stand with you and lit it there and kept it there while you were hunting HAHA now I understand and it's hilarious cuz I did say "never" but I am actually going to debate this. When I was a kid my dad used to light little mini fires for me during rifle season and I couldn't tell you how many deer we had within 50 yards of us and they didn't care.

Sorry for hating on it, I'm with you on this, you seem to be just as anal as me when it comes to scent.

[radicalxl]

We kinda answered this question last year in a scent control thread. I wanted to get a good theory from everyone on scent products, because I was still sceptical. Since you can't eliminate the human scent completely, this is the answer I thought made the most sense. When you diminish the human scent it makes the deers nose think that you had been through that part of the woods hours before. Thus, they feel safe because the threat has long passed. This happens all the time in the woods, it's nothing new to the deer. Cburge gave this answer and I tend to agree with him. But I will say that the best deer I have shot over the years was done when I just sprayed a little fox pee on my boots to cover the walk in. But that don't prove anything.

[Curran]

Sorry for hating on it, I'm with you on this, you seem to be just as anal as me when it comes to scent.

No worries man. I figured I owed you a better explanation since my first post was short with just the link to the scent smoker site. :)

[Griz]

I believe that cover scent is just a way to give the hunter a false sence of security. I do believe that with good sent control a hunter can give the deer the idea your not as close to him as you are. But he still smells you. Maybe with and inmature deer you can get away without scent control, or even maybe during the rut when the buck has only one thing on his mind. So I practice scent control (I've been acused of being obsested with it ) and play the wind. You can bring it to what ever level you want. You get out of it what you put into it. Scents are OK to use at the right time but no way they cover the human odor. Thats my two cents.
The nose of a whitetail deer has up to 297 million olfactory receptors, dogs have 220 million with humans limiting out with just five million.
http://www.imbmonsterbucks.com/info.php?id=243

While a human will smell something like spaghetti sauce as one smell, a dog smells each individual ingredient.
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/articles/dogsenses.htm

How awesome is the whitetail's nose? Studies have found that deer are 4,000 to 10,000 times more sensitive to odors that humans are. Scientists note that deer have millions of tiny receptors in their wet noses, and they use them to differentiate up to 6 smells at one time
http://www.huntingnet.com/staticpages/staticpage_detail.aspx?id=46


IF those quotes are accurate, then wouldn't cover scents just be adding a new scent to smell and not actually covering up anything?


I was getting ready to write that using them could not hurt. But, if you use the same couple of cover scents and get busted by deer, wouldn't the deer eventually associate those scents with you? Not a good thing.