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Human Scent

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Human Scent

Postby Swede » 10 03, 2020 •  [Post 1]

Here is a tip for those of you considering the affects of your scent on the elk you are hunting. Sometimes we think of our scent in too simple of terms. The idea is that if the elk catches our wind, we are busted. Ok, but I have noticed that scent lingers too. I am careful and try to always minimize my scent going to my tree stand. I have had elk follow me down the same trail I walked just five minutes earlier. I believe my scent, as little as it was, had dissipated. Sure the weather and time of day had their affects, but it helped to not stink. Other persons, less careful about scent, have not been so lucky.
As a tree stand hunter I have quit using cover scents. They don't do enough for me and I do not want to smell them all day. But, cover scents can work. I remember a bull following me on a game trail when I had a small container taped to my bow with skunk scent and small holes in the lid. The bull had its nose lifted high as it followed the "skunk".
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Re: Human Scent

Postby >>>---WW----> » 10 04, 2020 •  [Post 2]

An elk can hear you and even see you and you might get away with it. But give them the slightest smell of your scent and the jig is usually up !

Animals have an amazing ability to detect odder. Anyone who has ever followed hounds on the hunt can attest to that. I'm often reminded of a story another hunter posted years ago about a bear.

The hunter had sighted a bear that was feeding on a rotten elk carcass. The bear had it's head buried in that rotten thing so the guy figured he would have no problem stalking within shooting distance. As soon as he made the mistake of getting slightly up wind at well over 100 yards, the bears head instantly shot up out of that rotten flesh and was on alert. Imagine, even with his nose full of rotting meat, the bear was able to detect human scent an such a long distance.

I have always remembered that story and always do my very best to play the wind at all times. Think of it this way. How often have you seen a skunk that had been hit on the highway while you were driving. Often, you can't smell a thing. but as soon as you pass and get on the down wind side, you can really smell it. That goes to show the importance of playing the wind.

Cover scents very seldom ever work. The story of the bear above pretty much proves that. But I do believe that (SOME) scent eliminators do work a little bit. Not necessarly that they eliminate all of your scent, but they may help to tone it down some what.
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Re: Human Scent

Postby Swede » 10 04, 2020 •  [Post 3]

I agree completely with what Bill just posted above.
My point is not that we can completely eliminate our scent, or that if detected it will be ignored. The point I am trying to make is that we can minimize our scent. Going to my stand, I leave a scent trail. But by being as scent free as possible, that scent won't linger as long as it would if I was not so careful. Sometimes cover scent will give us an edge.
From the bear story, I am left to wonder, how scent free was the hunter? Did he smell as bad as an old goat, or was he careful to minimize all human odor? I know on many occasion I have had bears come near my stand and even go beneath it where I have urinated repeatedly. That has never been a problem. One evening I had a bear come near, when a downdraft sent him away in a hurry. It was not the urine smell that bothered the bear. The bear came up the draw from downwind and the urine had been there all along, but it was my scent that finally chased it away.
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Re: Human Scent

Postby Lefty » 10 04, 2020 •  [Post 4]

We stink, most animals care, and leave.

Cover scents are most often just another smell while they my hide odors from the human but not the elk.
some animals have an indifference at some times to the human odor even at time an attraction.
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Re: Human Scent

Postby Roosiebull » 10 13, 2020 •  [Post 5]

i stay cognitive of my ground scent for sure..... often times there is no getting around leaving some scent, but minimize it when i can, especially in areas i'm planning on spending time in. i also think i get away with more than most scent wise... i have had elk smell me at close range and not spook, and i should have been winded more times than i did.... of course i get wind busted plenty, but i think i get away with more than most.

the very worst is bear, they can smell a little bit of you from a LONG way and not tolerate it.... ground scent will run them out too... gotta be super careful hunting a particular bear or you will run him out of the country without knowing it... if i'm not hunting a specific bear, i try to not go back to any spot too frequently if it has high potential, and don't go into a feature with marginal wind
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