How far can a deer smell you?

[fairchaser]

Since smell is a deer's primary sense and their eyes secondary, they move around their environment based on their noses. They use their noses to find food, identify other deer, know when and which deer to breed and to detect danger. Hunters use their eyesight first then their hearing and last their smell. We'd be smart to get in places where our eyesight is advantaged while a deer's sense of smell is disadvantaged. This is why I select open areas where visibility is maximized and the wind direction is more consistent.

 

[DeerCamp]

I had an occasion in Kentucky while hunting the corner of a cut corn field where I witnessed a big nanny doe step out into the corn field down wind at no less than 400 yards. She threw her head up, tested the wind, turned and leaped back into the woods.

Yep, I've been busted in Oklahoma at nearly 400 yards. Wind shifted just right and I could literally see bits of leaves and debris blowing right in their direction. Shortly, they all alerted and bounced.

 

[BSK]

How far can a deer smell you? A long, LONG ways! But the real important question is, how much do they care? THAT varies dramatically from region to region and property to property, and I suspect is function of how often they smell humans in general, and whether human intrusion into their territory is always, sometimes, or rarely dangerous.

 

[DMD]

It's so dependent on factors in my opinion. Terrain, weather conditions, etc. If it's perfect condition, they can wind you a long ways - probably several 100 yards. But, I've seen numerous times - I'd be hunting 20 ft high, on perfect terrain, on high pressure mornings - and have deer 40-50 yards downwind of me and never know I was in the world.

 

[Snake]

Since smell is a deer's primary sense and their eyes secondary, they move around their environment based on their noses. They use their noses to find food, identify other deer, know when and which deer to breed and to detect danger. Hunters use their eyesight first then their hearing and last their smell. We'd be smart to get in places where our eyesight is advantaged while a deer's sense of smell is disadvantaged. This is why I select open areas where visibility is maximized and the wind direction is more consistent.

Great summarization but what if you don't have open areas to hunt ? Some don't have the luxuries of diversified property to hunt . Finding open areas in big woods is no problem but once bucks sense pressure then they head to the thick areas especially mature bucks . Yes our advantage is definitely our eyes and ears but at times I've been caught high up in the tree because of no cover ....open areas. Weather or not some don't think deer look up .....they are wrong . With that said not all deer look up but I have seem even does coming through the woods looking up .

 

[fairchaser]

Great summarization but what if you don't have open areas to hunt ? Some don't have the luxuries of diversified property to hunt . Finding open areas in big woods is no problem but once bucks sense pressure then they head to the thick areas especially mature bucks . Yes our advantage is definitely our eyes and ears but at times I've been caught high up in the tree because of no cover ....open areas. Weather or not some don't think deer look up .....they are wrong . With that said not all deer look up but I have seem even does coming through the woods looking up .

Snake, you're correct that finding those areas on certain properties is a challenge, especially small properties. I would recommend creating senderos whenever possible.

I've noticed that many hunters will prefer to get into the thickest areas to hunt even when they have other options. Sometimes this is necessary but I don't like my odds in most cases. That mature buck has a huge advantage over me in getting in there and hoping against swirling winds and in getting a clear shot.

You have to often be creative to find those areas and to utilize your rifle that is capable of making shots up to several hundred yards. Some hunters will say it's not fair and I say exactly!

 

[ImThere]

You all should drop milk weed seeds and you can watch them float over deer. It's really cool and gives you and idea of what you scent is really doing.

 

[Snake]

Natural cover scent related to the area your hunting helps alot more than man made scent cover . For instance...sounds dumb but I kept getting busted at this place I hunted in Northern Giles because although it was a working farm and the deer somewhat used to human intrusion . The place where I was hunting just had little fingers of woods and small patches of woods very open because the farm had cattle . The cattle kept the underbrush cleaned out . Walking across the field one morning before daylight ( yeah I was scared of bulls) but thought there was a good buck using a small patch of woods and a fence line looking for does . The place the deer bedded you couldn't get too close and climbing trees in the patch of woods for some reason I guess from the branch that ran down below the wind would kinda swirl. Plus the deer was almost eye level once they got to the woods because of terrain height. No matter if the wind was right you'd catch a deer with it's head up high and blowing at you before you was able to get a shot . It was does as well ....didn't even have to be a very cautious buck . But back to that one morning (sorry for getting off track) I thought about stepping in some cattle dung hoping this would help cover my scent ....before I had been dodging it but I was up to trying anything to just see deer before they caught me . Yes it stunk to high heaven but I managed to get myself to it after a while . Well up about 9 or so I seen this huge doe coming straight towards me being very cautious....me thinking to myself smelling this junk for nothing . But to my surprise she came on down right under me and I shot her so I could claim victory over the unsuitable stand . I've heard of some that hunt cedar thickets use cedar scent as it is common to the area.

 

[Tenntrapper]

I've heard this comparison..

If you walk into your house and the wife is baking a chocolate cake...you smell chocolate cake.
When your dog walks in, he doesn't smell chocolate cake. He smells flour, sugar, Cocoa, eggs, etc.
If a deer's sense of smell is better than a dog's, I don't think we have much chance of covering our scent. Best to play the wind.

 

[knightrider]

Natural cover scent related to the area your hunting helps alot more than man made scent cover . For instance...sounds dumb but I kept getting busted at this place I hunted in Northern Giles because although it was a working farm and the deer somewhat used to human intrusion . The place where I was hunting just had little fingers of woods and small patches of woods very open because the farm had cattle . The cattle kept the underbrush cleaned out . Walking across the field one morning before daylight ( yeah I was scared of bulls) but thought there was a good buck using a small patch of woods and a fence line looking for does . The place the deer bedded you couldn't get too close and climbing trees in the patch of woods for some reason I guess from the branch that ran down below the wind would kinda swirl. Plus the deer was almost eye level once they got to the woods because of terrain height. No matter if the wind was right you'd catch a deer with it's head up high and blowing at you before you was able to get a shot . It was does as well ....didn't even have to be a very cautious buck . But back to that one morning (sorry for getting off track) I thought about stepping in some cattle dung hoping this would help cover my scent ....before I had been dodging it but I was up to trying anything to just see deer before they caught me . Yes it stunk to high heaven but I managed to get myself to it after a while . Well up about 9 or so I seen this huge doe coming straight towards me being very cautious....me thinking to myself smelling this junk for nothing . But to my surprise she came on down right under me and I shot her so I could claim victory over the unsuitable stand . I've heard of some that hunt cedar thickets use cedar scent as it is common to the area.

I have two cattle farms i hunt and i have certain boots i wear to them just for this, my mountain acreage has no cattle so its wind and thermals only.

 

[BSK]

I've noticed that many hunters will prefer to get into the thickest areas to hunt even when they have other options. Sometimes this is necessary but I don't like my odds in most cases. That mature buck has a huge advantage over me in getting in there and hoping against swirling winds and in getting a clear shot.

And that's why I do it. It's the ultimate challenge. Most of the mature bucks I've killed were at point blank range. I'm talking 10-12 steps. Getting a mature buck that close is darn hard to do, but for me, what it's all about.

 

[Tenntrapper]

And that's why I do it. It's the ultimate challenge. Most of the mature bucks I've killed were at point blank range. I'm talking 10-12 steps. Getting a mature buck that close is darn hard to do, but for me, what it's all about.

Hunting vs shooting!!