Smoke

[00buck]

Any one smoke there clothes as a scent eliminator have read some where that it works as antimicrobial and scent cover

[mrbb]

lots of folks do so, and like it/have good results
ME, never felt its a good idea
here where I hunt, almost no one burns wood , so smoke, smell of a fire is not a normal deal in the woods
and as such, I feel will just make me stand out, and critters will pin point me based on i stink like fire LOL
also fire is a natural thing most critters fear?

s
however, in my back yard, I burn leaves and such, have a feeder there, 20 ft away from burn pile, and can have 5 ft flames, and critters at my feeder at same time LOL
so who knows?
then again in my yard, bears walk up to me, and deer don't care if i am running a gas lawn mower too so??

[Dan]

I bought a smoker for my clothes last season but just can't bring myself to do it.

[whodey1966]

I have been doing now for 7 yrs and have never been busted! I have killed at least one deer every year except one and that was when I had surgery and didn't get to hunt much. I highly recommend it!

[Big_Holla]

Yuppp.......and I swear by it!

[Genesis 9:3]

I like to think it works well... i will always at least smoke my climbing stand.

[BUCKHUNTER30-06]

I tried smoking my clothes but too hard to roll up and they burn too fast. taste not so good either depending on how many days worn. went back to smoking cig's. sorry just had to put that in. I have never tried smoke but here a lot about it .use homemade scent killer works good for me and can't beat the cost.

[Toke2]

Never done it. First it seems a little pricey and second I believe introducing new scents in the woods where deer are not used to smelling them, is always going to put them on alert. I have been using earth scented wafers in my storage tub ( all my gear ), and then pinned to my clothes in the woods. Haven't been busted that I know of. Seems to be a fair amount of people on here who have experimented with cover scents... see the thread just below " cover or no cover ". I realize smoke and earth are both cover scents, so I think a rubbermaid tub and an $8 package of earth scent wafers would be my first choice. I wash my clothes in scent free detergent, line dry them, and in the tub they go. Camo, Boots, Pack, when I open that bad boy up, all I smell is DIRT. Then I pin three of them to my clothes pants, shirt, hat - before i head into stand. Just my 2 "scents".....

[whodey1966]

Never done it. First it seems a little pricey and second I believe introducing new scents in the woods where deer are not used to smelling them, is always going to put them on alert. I have been using earth scented wafers in my storage tub ( all my gear ), and then pinned to my clothes in the woods. Haven't been busted that I know of. Seems to be a fair amount of people on here who have experimented with cover scents... see the thread just below " cover or no cover ". I realize smoke and earth are both cover scents, so I think a rubbermaid tub and an $8 package of earth scent wafers would be my first choice. I wash my clothes in scent free detergent, line dry them, and in the tub they go. Camo, Boots, Pack, when I open that bad boy up, all I smell is DIRT. Then I pin three of them to my clothes pants, shirt, hat - before i head into stand. Just my 2 "scents".....

Not trying to change your mind, but if you live wear its legal to burn, just buy a burning barrel, it cost me 8 bucks, then just throw leaves, twigs etc and just stand in front of it to smoke up. this has been my method now for 7 yrs, and i never get winded!

[Big_Holla]

Never done it. First it seems a little pricey and second I believe introducing new scents in the woods where deer are not used to smelling them, is always going to put them on alert. I have been using earth scented wafers in my storage tub ( all my gear ), and then pinned to my clothes in the woods. Haven't been busted that I know of. Seems to be a fair amount of people on here who have experimented with cover scents... see the thread just below " cover or no cover ". I realize smoke and earth are both cover scents, so I think a rubbermaid tub and an $8 package of earth scent wafers would be my first choice. I wash my clothes in scent free detergent, line dry them, and in the tub they go. Camo, Boots, Pack, when I open that bad boy up, all I smell is DIRT. Then I pin three of them to my clothes pants, shirt, hat - before i head into stand. Just my 2 "scents".....

Like whodey1966 said there are plenty of cheap ways to create smoke for your clothes to give it a try. That's what I always recommend to skeptics when it comes to this. After that buying a cheap bee smoker or even the Scent Smoker (basically the same) just makes applying the smoke easier and less timely. There is no way a bag of hickory chips that lasts you most of a season costs more than a few bottles of scent killer, scent wafers, etc.. IMO nothing I have ever tried in the past be it carbon clothing, scent killers, etc. works like smoke does. Just make sure you are camoed well and have good cover and you will be surprised.

[chasintail]

This is very interesting to me. I have never heard of this method but am interested is this better for an area where people burn wood a lot or is this just overall a good scent mask regardless of where your hunting.

[Genesis 9:3]

If you think about it, not many of us are not familiar with the smell of smoke. I think it would be pretty rare in most places for an animal to have never smelled it before. A lot of people say it's just another smell that will spook the animals... I don't take that view - with one exception! If you've been busted because you are stupid and you smell like smoke, they will begin to associate you with that smell and it will backfire... just like any other smell out there.

Take this all with a grain of salt and remember what Small's kept telling himself in the movie Sandlot... "Don't be a doofus, don't be a doofus!"

[Big_Holla]

To counter what you just said there Genesis, my buddy last year sat on the ground 20 yards downwind of a trail he had been seeing a good buck come out on. Didn't have much cover other than the camo on his back and the small clump of trees he set next to. Sure enough, a group of does came behind him on one of the other trails entering this hayfield. The lead doe smelled him all smoked up, and kept her eye on him. Soon she came off the trail right at him, completely downwind of him, and got within 10 yards staring right at him. Soon he started getting a cramp in his leg and had to move. Sure enough she spotted it and blew and trotted out into the field. Well, in Michigan where he was at, normally once deer get spooked on this farm they vacate the field completely. Not that day. They just began feeding and working their way along the field as if nothing was there. So being stupid because he smelled like smoke must not have screwed him up so bad. There are many many testimonials out there, myself included where I was stupid and smoked my clothes and never got busted. Will there be a day that one deer may associate smoke with a human? Perhaps. But from the years I've used it they only seem to get curious rather than alerted as they had in the past when I spent hundreds of dollars on carbon clothing and scent killer sprays. Keep an open mind and you will see.

[Genesis 9:3]

...my buddy last year sat on the ground 20 yards downwind of a trail ...a group of does came behind him on one of the other trails... The lead doe smelled him all smoked up, and kept her eye on him.
She smelled him while she was still upwind? I read it a few times and couldn't determine that one.

That said, perhaps I'm underestimating the power of smoking up? I will admit, what I said about being stupid was mere pontificating and theorizing about the ways of a deer. Although, in my defense, I would look at your story and say that the guy wasn't stupid! As a result, it didn't cause the deer to vacate, as you said.

Even if I don't get bee's like I'm planning, I have no plans to ever using smoke when I hunt. The only thought I have now is if it would be beneficial to take my smoker out in the woods with me and put it upwind of myself and see what kind of effect it might have... kinda like that ozone maker (http://www.huntwithozone.com/productdetails.asp?title=Ozonics-HR-200-for-Treestand-comes-with-Extended-2-Year-Warranty-Free-Ozonics-EZ-Mount-Free-Shipping-Ships-Next-Day&productid=1528627&directoryid=12214&parentid=) you put over your stand that I saw in the hunting magazine the other day.

[Big_Holla]

The doe was completely downwind of him (behind him) the entire time as she walked up to investigate. She was sniffing every step of the way trying to determine the source. Keep in mind this was hard hunted Michigan land where these deer normally would blow, take off and not return if they would have smelled human, especially human at 10 yards. Heck it normally would have spoiled the hunting there for the next couple of days.

[Big_Holla]

As far as taking the smoker out into the woods to put upwind of you I think that would be a bad idea since they would see the visible smoke billowing out of it.

[Genesis 9:3]

As far as taking the smoker out into the woods to put upwind of you I think that would be a bad idea...

Yea, that's one of the many reasons I haven't tried it...

[Big_Holla]

Yea, that's one of the many reasons I haven't tried it...

The billowing smoke that is..... Of course anyone who has seriously looked into the use of smoke would understand how it's applied and the various ways to do it.

Smoke isn't for everyone that's for sure and I think we can agree on that.

[whodey1966]

Just wanted to add that I took a mature doe wed night, smoked up! this would be my 10th deer since i have started smoking up. I have killed bucks too this way. I will never again spend money on cover scents, scent loc clothing etc! It's so easy and cheap to do!