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Scent cover
#5967020
10/08/15 04:50 AM
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 49
TaterV
OP
Light Foot
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OP
Light Foot
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 49 |
I'm sure this is an going discussion but I am new to bow hunting and wanted to get everyone's opinion.
Been bow hunting a few times this season. I wash my clothes in scent covering detergent. Keep them in a bag then change when I get to where I'm hunting. Once Im there I spray down in scent cover. We have a doe on our place that no matter what always seems to bust us.
I talked to a few of my buddies and they reccomended using skunk scent as a cover up. They swear by it. What are y'all's opinions on skunk scent or any other scent cover that will help me bag a deer this season? I appreciate any and all responeses. Thank yall!
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TaterV]
#5967024
10/08/15 05:08 AM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 35,905
txshntr
T-Rex Arms
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T-Rex Arms
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 35,905 |
A cover scent is a cover scent, you aren't going to trick a deer's nose. Number one factor, hunt the wind!!! Key is to set up your stand for the prevailing wind. Pay attention to where the deer typically travel from, not just where you want to shoot them at. I try to use natural barriers to keep animals from going downwind. Some of the barriers I use are fence lines, ponds, open fields, rifle towers, etc. Deer will pattern a hunter. They learn how you come in and out. They learn when you come in and out. And they learn where you are at. Doe especially. It seems that once a doe learns where your stand is at, she will check it every time before she comes in. Try moving the stand or sitting back a little ways to watch how the deer approach your set. You can learn alot by burning a hunt and just watching. Good luck
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TaterV]
#5967027
10/08/15 05:14 AM
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 49
TaterV
OP
Light Foot
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OP
Light Foot
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 49 |
We hunt thick woods near an open field with a fence line. There's 3 tree stands on one feeder, all with different views and different wind directions available. There's a few different trails on that feeder and each stand covers a different trail. Last hunt the dormant in some yearlings. Let them eat then winded us and they all ran. Evening hunt they stayed just in the trees. Circled us then walked away. Going to hunt again soon and try the skunk scent, guess it's going to be some trial and error hunts until we can figure everything out. Next time I am going to try to come in a different way and leave a different way. Thanks for the input!
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TaterV]
#5967068
10/08/15 10:52 AM
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 516
TexasFJ
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 516 |
Not sure I have any advice on the scent except to hunt the wind. Even if that is tough with a stubborn doe. My best advice is to kill her as soon as you can. An old wary doe can ruin your hunt every time. They have proven to be a tougher target than big mature bucks sometimes.
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TexasFJ]
#5967137
10/08/15 12:13 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,068
ChrisB
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,068 |
Once a stubborn doe has winded you it can make it tough. I doubt skunk cover scent will help. Nothing covers your scent. They just smell skunk and you. If you can sit in a different location and shoot that doe it will help. Never hunt a stand if the wind is not correct and try to learn where the deer enter the area so you don't get winded. I have had old does drive me nuts to the point of moving a stand location during a season before myself.
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TaterV]
#5967154
10/08/15 12:28 PM
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Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 5,067
titan2232
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 5,067 |
I keep all my hunting clothes in a cedar chest, but the correct wind is still a must.
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TaterV]
#5967388
10/08/15 03:11 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,741
passthru
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,741 |
Hunt the wind is a great theoretical answer. But I have does who will make a complete circle around feeder sites and if you aren't as scent minimal as possible they will bust you.
Skunk is my go to cover scent and I use it religiously. However last season I tried Evercalm and it seemed to work well. This season I'm using them in tandem and have yet to be busted.
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TaterV]
#5967424
10/08/15 03:34 PM
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 533
texashelms
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 533 |
I bet you're dealing with a very old nervous doe. She knows theirs a good chance danger is in the area but also food. To be safe she coming in blowing, kicking and cussing which is helping her locate y'all. If you can move your stand 30-60 yards away to try catching her off guard and take her out.
Last edited by texashelms; 10/08/15 03:35 PM.
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TaterV]
#5967497
10/08/15 04:12 PM
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,426
DuckCoach1985
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,426 |
I use the scent killer stuff.. laundry detergent, soap, deoderant, and spray. By no means does it eliminate your scent.. a deer's sense of smell is pretty good. The stuff does help IMO, but you still have to hunt the wind like txhtr said.
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TaterV]
#5967514
10/08/15 04:18 PM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 924
lsbrim
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 924 |
Wind is huge! No matter what, it always seems that there is that one doe that just doesnt want to cooperate! I sat yesterday with deer at the feeder 15 yards away for over an hour and never got winded. Set-up was perfect last night! Just didnt have the big boy show up!
Regardless, it's amazing how much using the wind to your advantage helps. Good luck!
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TaterV]
#5967710
10/08/15 06:05 PM
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 162
Bobby Frey
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 162 |
Hunt the wind, sometimes we have more than 2 or 3 blinds for one feeder.
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TaterV]
#5968459
10/09/15 01:30 AM
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 49
TaterV
OP
Light Foot
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OP
Light Foot
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 49 |
Thanks for all the feed back! We're heading back out Wednesday to try our luck. Definitely going to try and hunt the wind. Hopefully it will cooperate with our stand locations. I will keep yall posted! Good luck to yall this season!
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TaterV]
#5968841
10/09/15 10:48 AM
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 516
TexasFJ
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 516 |
Sometimes I wonder, kind of like the old "if a tree falls in the woods.....", if a doe snorts and blows but no hunter is there to hear.... I wonder if she does that regardless if a hunter is there or not. I've had stubborn does like this start their racket from long ways off and in a direction that I'm confident she couldn't smell me. It's like she will do it out of habit. Kind of like an ex-girlfriend I once had.
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Re: Scent cover
[Re: TexasFJ]
#5970204
10/10/15 04:40 AM
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 388
foodieguy
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 388 |
I keep all my clothes in an airtight tote, put some cedar boughs in there or some goat weed, what ever you have at your lease. It's cheap and I think it works better than a lot of scent cover gimmicks. But still, it's all about the wind...
Adult late onset hunter. Why did I wait so long to get started?
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