How many of yall use an atv/utv to get to your stands? Im worried about smelling like gas/exhaust after driving to where im gonna stop. Reason i ask is that we can drive to most places and make the walk as short as you want. I normally leave myself with 1-200 yards depending. If im hunting a field edge i will make sure truck is out of sight and maybe walk 5-600 + yards. There are a few areas we will be hunting this year and the roads have made things very very questionable at times, and some impassable by truck. If it rains the truck just makes it more difficult to get to where we wanna go especially if its early in the morning and trying to be quiet. One place it takes about 25 min. driving the trails and navigating the bad spots to get to where we wanna go, on a ATV that time can be cut to about 10-15 min. We also use the trucks to show that we are hunting that area and kind of give a heads up to others we are there. Not to mention if there are two of us and we ride together, an ATV could be used if we are in a similar area. So im not sure what to think. I could easily unload the ATV within a few minutes and then partially dress and then finish getting dress before the walk. I just dont wanna have the exhaust smell on me if i am busting my butt to stay scent free., am i being silly?
I use a utv so I don't really worry too much about smelling like exhaust, especially since I spray down when I get to my spot. However, I have heard of people wearing a rain suit then getting dressed later when using an atv. I guess the rain suit material is supposed to be less permeable to scent.
It is pretty hilly around our property so I will take our UTV up to a certain point and park it to avoid a long sweaty walk up a steep hill. After I park I spray down and head to whatever stand I am hunting. I park in the same two spots on each end of our property which are at least 300 yards from the closest stand.
I have a modified golf cart that I use most of the time.. sometimes I use the ATV to get to those deep spots in rough terrain. But I can't walk the way I did at 30 anymore so getting there is half the battle for me.... I worry more about the wind in the stand than how bad I stink... 50 - 50 deal to me Up wind 50 percent. Down wind 50 percent.. Of course those cross wind and swirls change the odds...
You would be amazed at how easy we hunters are at getting patterned. Give you an example--- had a spot that for three years in a row I shot a nice buck. Parked the ATV in the same spot every time. Fast forward two years later and the spot dried up. I kept seeing rubs showing up in my parking spot so I decided to throw up a camera and see what was going on. Guess what... They started using my parking area as the place they crossed the ridge. The ATV was there several times when the pictures was taken. Threw up a ladder there and we shot 3 bucks out of that stand. Most of the time the ATV was 40 yards from the stand when those bucks were shot. OP..So are you being silly? Probably not...
You are not being silly. Every little bit helps. I assume you already have the ATV and not a golf cart so use what you got. It really depends on what the deer are used to. I hunt Virginia and from time to time use a ATV. I walked back to that ATV to find deer browsing around it. I like to be a ghost unseen and unheard as much as possible but sometimes that means riding an ATV so you don't work up a rather getting to your stand. So do as you suggest. Put final layer in a scent resistant backpack. When getting off the ATV spray down with a scent killer and use scent killer wipes to clean your hands and exposed skin. Put spray in bag. When you get to the stand put on your final layer and spray down again. I also like to use ever calm as a cover scent as well. It seem to be getting busted less since using it even in a bad wind. And of course try as hard as possible to hunt the wind. Chances are if you are hunting Virginia the deer are a little used to hearing them in the area but I would not push it and only drive as far as you need to... Good luck.
I have nearly a mile walk and I've debated this question with myself numerous times. I have a buddy who drives his to within 50yds of his stand and claims it never spooks the deer. I myself just can't bring myself to do that. I did try it once at the end of the season when I drove to about 100yds from my stand. Some does came in and they saw it. They didn't spook but they did alter their travel route. I think driving one in could leave less human scent but the noise and disturbance freaks me out. I do think an electric vehicle would be great though and if I had one, I would definitely use it. Blessings.........Pastorjim
I have been hunting for awhile, I have a friend how started using his bike to get in, that was 7 years ago the first time he used it he saw 2 does. he swore up and down it didn't effect anything, well till this day he has not seen a deer close enough to even get a shot. in my opinion anything that deserves harvesting is worth walking to
I use a atv a polaris sportsman 700 to get to 3 of my stands I leave it around 150 to 200 yards away and I've never noticed a difference Wether it's there or I get dropped off doesn't matter I have pics of deer just standing there 40 yards from it not caring it's there I also have pics I took while on it driving and deer just watching as I pass them I don't think deer fear exhaust smell like they do human smell imo.
I park my atv at the edge of the field and walk to my deer stand. When I get to my atv wont you know deer withing 20 to 50 yards from atv. I think if they dont think there is no danger they go onto their own business.
I'd rather have them hear me on a ATV then hear me walk in. Foot traffic only on the majority of the properties I hunt however when I use one I try to not walk more then a couple hundred yards.
Y'all are gonna think I'm stupid but during bow season I'll walk to where ever I'm going hunting no matter how far how hot and then I spray down right before my stand but during rifle season I'll drive a four wheeler right up to the stand and not think twice about it haha still see deer too but I do believe it matters how early you drive to your spot and how much time you give the woods to settle
Of course maybe we are all really missing out... Forget the Ozonics, all we all really need to keep from getting busted is to drop 5 grand on a Quiet Cat!
Park the utv a few hundred yards away that does not affect the deer In the area. Not a big deal to me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
oh im not worried a bit having the atv in the area, or a truck in the area.... Im just kind of apprehensive about using the atv to get where i need to go because of smell. I guess all i can do is try and see how it works out. The truck is normally wherever im hunting within a few hundred yards. It would be a very very long and hot walk in the afternoon, and im not about that when i can ride. Public Land, ill walk.
I'm so used to walking........it's a very different style of hunting but back in NY I was putting 50-80 miles a year in while on foot during a season. Out in IL it's a different story. I did just buy an ATV a few weeks ago so I'll be spoiled this year. I won't be running it much as my longest hike on the new lease is only around a mile to a stand but I might cut a few hundred yards off the hike with the ATV a few times when I think I can get away with it.
Where people mess up is they won't do anything all year and then show up during hunting season running 4-wheelers all over the place. The deer know exactly what is going on. We drive trucks and 4-wheelers on our property year round so when season comes around nothing changes in that respect.
