I got mine about a week ago in the mail and plan on using it first thing in the morning when Im getting ready tomorrow. I will post how deer react to it.
As far as your clothing I smoke pretty much everything including wool socks, long underwear, hats, gloves, etc.. One decent smoke usually does all that stuff good. The easiest way for me is to use a pop-up blind or at home we actually have an old outhouse that we use as a pool house that I take over in the fall. Hang a rod or some sort of rack inside and drape all the clothing over, fill the smoker and get it going and walk away until the smoke stops coming out. Just have to make sure the nozzle isn't up against anything as it is basically a flame until it's snuffed out to smoke. When I prepare to hunt, say in the morning, I fire up the smoker and then get my hands, hair, face, boot bottoms, equipment, basically anything that hasn't been pre-smoked. Don't forget things like belts, phones, wallets, things that you wear on a daily basis but don't think about too. I also have a couple of towels I smoke up for after showers in the morning and for days when I am quickly out the door I use them to wipe my face, hair and hands in to add a touch of smoke. As far as what to use in the smoker? You can use just about any type of wood in them. Pine cones, needles and pine wood are good for a thick smoke that you can add in addition to wood chips. Keep in mind though pine does create a good amount of creosote in your smoker that you will occasionally have to scrape and burn out to clean. I always use hickory for my start and have added cherry wood, apple wood and some pine items. Here is how I get started....put a decent hand full of hickory chips in the smoker (experience will dictate how much to use in the future), using a propane torch you get the chips burning good while working the bellows, once the flames are coming out of the smoker good I let it burn for just a moment to make sure they are not just burning on the top, to snuff out the flames to get it smoking I usually take a handful of pine needles and crush them down before tossing them in. Once the flames are out and it begins smoking I often toss in a single pine cone. To smoke inside a pop up blind or shed like I use I have a brick on the floor that I set the smoker on. That way I don't burn the grass or the shed down LOL!
I used the smoker this weekend, and while I cannot say it worked for sure, I don't think it hurt anything. I definitely need to do it in a blind though. As a side note, a game warden pulled up to check me as I was getting ready smoke down... I was pretty quick to give an explanation after seeing the confusion on his face
I think this works... Had a little buck dead downwind smelling in the air like crazy. But he never spooked and went on to eat in the food plot, which allowed me to shoot my big buck 5 minutes later Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There are soooo many stories like yours out there!! Glad to hear it was working. The real test will be when you set up in a spot where you expect to get busted and see what happens. So important to have good camo and good cover to keep their curiosity from picking you out. Usually once they get to the point of not being sure what it is they smell they just lose interest.
Just another update- so the other night I had 2 does come in (separately) from about 150 yards dead downwind. They walked all the way to 20 yards with the wind blowing my scent right to then the whole time. And they didn't spook. I was skeptical, but it seems to be paying off. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Awesome!!! Cant't wait to try mine out this weekend!!!! Got some Red Oak Chips/shavings to throw in mine
Great updates guys!! Keep the reports coming! My son and I will be out after them on the ground and in a tree so hopefully we have some similar results to pass along.
So last night I was in the stand filming a friend of mine, and the wind was swirling. The smoker did it again. About 6 does (and 2 foxes) staged up at the edge of the plot, and while they were nervous and kept checking the wind a mature doe eventually made it's way into the plot... He missed unfortunately but that's how it goes. I haven't been busted in the stand this season yet. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm a beekeeper (hence the username!), and I have never considered using my smoker for smoking my clothes for a cover scent........until now. I'm going to give this a go for sure.......what can it hurt? For those wanting to try this, there is a trick to getting the smoker lit, and producing billows of cool, white smoke. Start with a wad or two of newspaper in the bottom of the smoker. Light the paper, and add some dry leaves, pine needles, or dried grass to the top of that, all the while pumping the bellows. You want it to look like a flame thrower to start with............flames shooting out of the top of the smoker chamber. Once that is burning good, add more fuel. Burlap works good, as does punky hunks of wood from a partially rotted log or stump, dried seed heads from Sumac Trees work good too. You can also use coarse sawdust, like from a wood jointer or planer. (I am also a woodworker, and I have bags of planer chips that work great.) The entire time you are adding fuel, pump the snot out of the bellows to get a good bed of coals established. Once you have it lit and fueled, tamp the fuel down a bit. What you want is nice, COOL, white smoke. Another trick is once you have the smoker lit, and smoking good, you can add a handful of green grass or weeds on top of the fuel before you close the lid. This serves to help cool the smoke, and assure no hot coals are expelled from the smoker when you are using it. You can find videos on Youtube too, just search "Lighting beekeeping smoker". Here are some sources for smokers from beekeeping suppliers: Beekeeping Equipment & Beekeeper Supplies | Dadant & Sons Dadant makes great smokers, and has for many years! Beekeeping Supplies for Beekeepers > Mann Lake LtdGreat company to deal with. Kelley BeekeepingWalter Kelly has been around for many years too. I actually never thought of using smoke for deer hunting, but it makes sense. I'm going to try it!
Great reply Beehunter!! As for what can it hurt? That's exactly the approach I used when I gave it a try several years ago. Not one person on here has anything to lose if they want to give smoke a try. Use old camo, the stuff you put in a tote several years ago when you all bought in to the carbon clothing. That's exactly what I did. You don't need anything other than some brush to burn and make smoke. The bee smoker or Scent Smoker just makes applying it to yourself a good bit easier. For starting my smoker I just use a couple handfuls of hickory chips in the bottom and then use a propane torch. Just work the bellows like you mention and get the flames coming out high. I then take a small handful of hickory chips, pine needles, pine cones, etc. what ever I have and then snuff out the flames with that.
Great to hear Hoyt23! It's so funny to hear how your success mirrors mine over the years and many others as well, yet some are still so skeptical. Guess we can just keep it a secret between us and our buddies LOL!!
Great to hear Hoyt23! It's so funny to hear how your success mirrors mine over the years and many others as well, yet some are still so skeptical. A guy on another forum basically said anyone who tries it is stupid. Guess we can just keep it a secret between us and our buddies LOL!!
I've been liking it as well...have had a few deer come in directly down wind of me and not once wind me....so far so good. Shot my doe this past weekend...she came in early at 8:15AM then again going back to bedding at around 2:25PM. When I shot her my wind was good, but when she came through in the AM my scent had to be blowing right at her!
I am thinking about getting into smoking for this year, but wondering how it worked for everyone that tried it for the first time last year.
I smoke cigars fairly often while I hunt. Take snacks, etc... I typically hunt in a rural area, where houses are at least within view however. I figured if I can smell someones fireplace, or what they are making for dinner while I'm hunting, why not take advantage of my free time. It has never spoked any of the wildlife. Idk that I'd try it someone in the middle of Kansas or anything... but I can say with certainty that cigar smoke doesn't matter in the areas of MD and PA that I hunt. Camp fire smoke either... Deer don't seem to care, and never look at me.
