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Human scent

Scent is a VERY tricky topic.
It REALLy depends.
Where? When?
I hunt some places where deer are constantly around humans. For the most part...their association with human scent is NOT a negative. So my scent is not that alarming to them. Especially if I leave a stand up with an old shirt of mine in it.
But try that at a place like Prentice Cooper of AEDC and there will be a Facebook page (for deer) written by deer (y'all know they all carry iPhone) telling the herd to stay away from that area.

I totally agree with BSK. I have video in early season of deer following our tracks to the stand and late season where deer exploded as they crossed our scent trail, and rut season where they obviously don't care.

IMO...few deer are dumber than a rut crazed buck!
 
Bushape said:
So it's safe to assume that the way we utilize scent control products, coupled with our natural human scent, creates a "hunter" scent that would definately alert deer even more so than a non threatening human who smokes marlboro reds as he walks the property line every morning.
Click to expand...
It's funny you mention that. I hunt places with lots of non-hunting human activity. Some of it is public land. I'm no great hunter, but I've been at it a long time and have killed my share of decent bucks. I try hard to play the wind and not bombard my area with unnecessary scent. However, I don't make much effort to strip down all of the normal human fragrances like soap, deodorant and garden-variety household smells in areas of high human traffic. My logic is that all of those scent reduction products boil us down to a basic human(hunter) smell that most of the other hunters also smell like. For example, I once walked to a pre-scouted spot on public land. As I made my way in the dark, I passed through 3 big plumes of what was obviously store-bought doe in heat scent. I smelled those hunters before they waived me off with a light. I've never used that stuff again. It's too easy to associate with hunters and deer would smell it a mile away. I just don't think you can do anything to keep them from smelling you if they get down wind of you. You can buy time, but they'll sort it out eventually. In high human traffic areas, I'm hoping they stick around long enough, trying to figure out if I'm a threat or not, so maybe I get a shot. I've seen a lot of them proceed on after smelling me; even though they were on some level of alert. I do make an effort not to leave a scent trail where I think they'll walk or pattern me. If I can, I'll occasionally ride a bike to my spot. That seems to keep my hunting area cleaner, especially if I'm hunting multiple days. Most of this seems true earlier in the season and during the rut. Late season definitely gets tougher.

Now, when I'm hunting deer that don't get exposed to humans much, all of that may go out the window.
 
I have a friend that smokes he kills nice bucks every year.He starts smoking from the time he gets in his stand until he comes out.If the ground is dry and you have say a 5 to 8 mph your sent from walking in your sent should be gone in about hour to a hour and a half. If the ground is wet it will last a little longer.There is no way unless you have loation or something on your hands or feet that your sent will last all day in the woods.
 
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Honestly, when it comes to killing mature deer, Both bucks and does seem to loose their minds during rut peak times. And I am very thankful about that.
I think one of the hardest targets to put an arrow through is a mature doe. Because she seems to NEVER be alone. Several eyes watching as I DRAW, OR TRY TO DRAW.

And during early season there is at least more cover.

But late season, after they get all grouped up, with no cover to speak of...it is TOUGH!

Spooky, jumpy, alert...

It is not uncommon to actually aim BELOW the chest! (and still hit high, or MISS)
 
102 said:
Honestly, when it comes to killing mature deer, Both bucks and does seem to loose their minds during rut peak times. And I am very thankful about that.
I think one of the hardest targets to put an arrow through is a mature doe. Because she seems to NEVER be alone. Several eyes watching as I DRAW, OR TRY TO DRAW.

And during early season there is at least more cover.

But late season, after they get all grouped up, with no cover to speak of...it is TOUGH!

Spooky, jumpy, alert...

It is not uncommon to actually aim BELOW the chest! (and still hit high, or MISS)
Click to expand...
I'll be honest, from my experience, a mature doe is far easier to kill than a mature buck, even with a bow. Yes, part of it is due to there being more mature does in the woods. But they're also foolish enough to hang around and stomp and blow when they sense danger. Meanwhile the mature buck never shows his face. Some of the oldest does I've killed were with a bow within 10 yards of my tree on public land, and they didn't have a care in the world. They survived multiple seasons of heavy hunting pressure only to meander out during daylight to get some acorns during bow season. They just aren't much harder to kill than any other doe, and definitely nowhere near as hard to kill as an old buck.
 
Totally disagree Catman.
But you and I do agree on one thing about killing MATURE DOES...SHEER NUMBERS OF THEM.
THE HARDEST PART (BY FAR) OF KILLING A MATURE BUCK) IS SIMPLE TO DEFINE...)
FINDING ONE.
There are not near as MANY.

THEREFORE BY SHEER NUMBERS...THEY ARE HARDER TO KILL

SO IN A WAY... we are in complete agreement...statistically speaking.

But getting drawn on a mature doe, with multiple sets of eyes in heavily hunted areas like AEDC or PC, still...TOUGH!
 
102 said:
Totally disagree Catman.
But you and I do agree on one thing about killing MATURE DOES...SHEER NUMBERS OF THEM.
THE HARDEST PART (BY FAR) OF KILLING A MATURE BUCK) IS SIMPLE TO DEFINE...)
FINDING ONE.
There are not near as MANY.

THEREFORE BY SHEER NUMBERS...THEY ARE HARDER TO KILL

SO IN A WAY... we are in complete agreement...statistically speaking.

But getting drawn on a mature doe, with multiple sets of eyes in heavily hunted areas like AEDC or PC, still...TOUGH!
Click to expand...
Maybe I'm just lucky but two of my oldest deer were bow kills, on two different WMAs, one was in a spot that I don't even bother with during gun season. The first one was by herself on a weekday morning before a storm and was sniffing my ground scent when I shot her. The second was in that spot I don't hunt during gun coming to a hot white oak with multiple other deer around and I had already missed one and shot another before she came out. I've also killed some 5.5+ does on private property, and dang if those deer aren't just as wary as public land deer, but I still killed them inside 15 yards with a bow. Not to mention the older does I've killed with a ML or rifle. I check the jawbones on almost every deer I kill just out of curiosity. I'm sure I see many more mature does than I actually kill, but I just don't even see mature bucks often at all, except in the summer time in bean fields when they're stupid. Once they're in hard horn it's like the older bucks become a different animal. Does don't do that. They can still be found regularly on destination food sources during the daylight throughout bow season. And they react differently to human intrusion, meaning they make a scene rather than disappear into the shadows. I have a feeling there's been plenty of mature bucks that have watched does bust me over the years and never showed their face. Meanwhile the does are stomping around asking to be shot.
 
Catman wrote:

Maybe I'm just lucky but two of my oldest deer were bow kills, on two different WMAs, one was in a spot that I don't even bother with during gun season. The first one was by herself on a weekday morning before a storm and was sniffing my ground scent when I shot her. The second was in that spot I don't hunt during gun coming to a hot white oak with multiple other deer around and I had already missed one and shot another before she came out. I've also killed some 5.5+ does on private property, and dang if those deer aren't just as wary as public land deer, but I still killed them inside 15 yards with a bow. Not to mention the older does I've killed with a ML or rifle. I check the jawbones on almost every deer I kill just out of curiosity. I'm sure I see many more mature does than I actually kill, but I just don't even see mature bucks often at all, except in the summer time in bean fields when they're stupid. Once they're in hard horn it's like the older bucks become a different animal. Does don't do that. They can still be found regularly on destination food sources during the daylight throughout bow season. And they react differently to human intrusion, meaning they make a scene rather than disappear into the shadows. I have a feeling there's been plenty of mature bucks that have watched does bust me over the years and never showed their face. Meanwhile the does are stomping around asking to be shot.

TWO?
I'm not talking about "TWO" of my oldest...I'm talking about TWO HUNDRED. Of mine and or my closest hunting buddies. (who I was with, sitting beside, or told about in one of the several hundred camps we shared over the last 4 decades).

Oh believe me I've killed some really "relaxed" mature does as well. While looking at me. But those encounters STATISTICALLY did not occur as often as I encountered "relaxed" mature bucks in the rut.

Don't get me wrong...(and this is worth repeating) all of them loose some of their wariness in the peak rut.

But getting drawn on a mature doe, with lots of eyes and ears watching, on a typical late season sit,
on heavily pressured public OR AND INCLUDING private land, is difficult for me and the group of guys who I am in contact with (about 15) throughout the season. Again, OUTSIDE of the rut!

To be sure, opportunities occur much more frequently with does because there are so many more mature does.

And I have noticed that on your channel, you will sometimes hunt close to private,( less pressured private) though you are on public.
I'm not talking about those type of deer. I'm talking about deer that spend the vast majority of their lifespan being hunted with very little time to let down their guard from hunters or man in general, including private pressured.

I watched popular Youtube channels collaborate where two popular groups hunted the "public" land deer by boat access and killed a few does and a couple bucks (in Tennessee I think not far from Nashville ). One was the guys first ever public land buck. I know where they were hunting and even though it was public, these "YARD DEER" were NOTHING like the "public land" does I'm referring to.

Kinda like comparing hunting in IOWA during the rut to about ANYWHERE else.

I watched you in Alabama, on public (I think) get your "tail" kicked (your own words I think) trying to kill a legal deer. GREAT video...the struggle is real.

And I believe I've hunted there as well in the past.

So it seems many of the public places I hunt are more like the Alabama public and less like some of that
lower pressured public. (I've deer and turkey hunted some of the same grounds you've hunted...and still would love too but it's a bit of a drive for a commute for me)

Funny thing about Youtube, it can be a great learning tool if used correctly. Problem is, most people probably have NO idea how to interpret what they are seeing. And get the wrong idea about a variety of different topics.

Now please go post a new video on Youtube. I absolutely LOVE your content.

Did I tell you thanks for the Tony Satchereys suggestion?
Or the fact that Ive been cooking my tenderloins for 39 years ALL WRONG?

I NEVER tried the simply salt/pepper/grill to 135 degrees and pat of butter thing.

HOLY COW!!!

I've told everyone I know about that recipe from the Catman. Now everyone uses it.

BEST tips ever from Youtube!

Thanks and Merry Christmas Jonathan B !

You should come bowhunt AEDC with me sometime!
 

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