I'm going to Kentucky to hunt on my friends farm. He is not a hunter but wants to become one. Usually he does what I say when I'm teaching him things. Things like stand placement, making shooting lanes and of course shooting the bow. He is a disabled combat veteran so he is using a crossbow. This has all been good. Now here comes the tough part. I was talking with him about clothing and scent control. He seriously thinks this is a bunch of garbage and only companies making money off suckers like myself. He isn't grasping the idea of scent control and being as invisible as possible. He says it's just an animal and how smart can they be. I've tried explaining to him as if it was combat and he just laughs and thinks I'm crazy. Then he says we are sitting in different trees so you won't disturb me and I won't disturb you. Knowing my luck he'll shoot does and a nice buck his first year and it will just cement his way of thinking. Any suggestions on how to convince him as a bowhunter we need to be stealthy and as scent free as possible? Any suggestions appreciated.
First, comparing hunting to combat is not a good argument in my opinion. For most of the vets that I talk to, combat is a very defining moment in their life, in not THE defining moment. Buy some no scent shower gel and ask that he shower before the hunt.....work on small concessions first.....good luck. Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
Just do your thing and casually mention it from time to time. The deer will take care of teaching him. In the end if he can't grasp the basic concept that "really good" is better than "good enough" and a whole lot better than "half-ass" then there isn't much you can do to help him.
Or...... you could let him get on stand some afternoon and circle in out of sight about 150 yards downwind of him and put on about a 30 minute session of some of the most horrible snorting and blowing that you can muster. Then go get in your stand and hunt. The hunt that you cost him that afternoon will be more than paid back if it teaches him to think more about his scent control. Just make sure that you are out of crossbow range and that he really does just have a crossbow. Lol.
Just gotta let the guy make his own choices. I don't practice much scent control and just hunt the wind. You tried making your case and he chose to take a different path. Thats how it goes sometimes.
I honestly do not believe it is possible to become scent free. But the level in which we attempt to become it, is usually closely congruent with the level of our passion for Whitetail hunting. Holy run on sentence lol
Leave it be. You do your thing let him do his. I hunt with guys who don't take any measures and some who smoke on stand. Just enjoy the time with your buddy.
We are having a great time and we harass the heck out of each other. He thinks I worship the deer gods with all the rituals I do. He said he's surprised I haven't built any altars and haven't burned any candles. I told him that happens the day before season, lol.
I think there is some truth to what he says - Companies making big $ off suckers buying their snake oil. But... You can't disregard that a deer does have a great nose. If you can accept that it's nose is (at least) as good as a dog's, that's pretty amazing. My dogs pick up the scent of critters that have passed through our yard hours ago...and that is just from lingering scent. Think about blood hounds, bred for this purpose...and the smell your body perpetually emits. Most trappers are also keenly aware of the scent they leave and will take great effort to minimize scent (e.g. boil traps, rubber boots/gloves) trying to minimize scent. Well, a deer relies on smell and sound as their primary senses, so minimizing scent is important. You cannot be scent free. You cannot erase all scent with a magic spray. You can reduce your scent: using scent free cleaners; storing clothes away from odors (animal, people, chemical, petro...);using gloves/rubber boots/some clothing; sprays that have enzymes to break down or absorb odors; and avoid sweating. Despite these and other methods, you still may have some scent...so play the wind!
Some folks will always be set In their ways, but I hear your frustrations. And perhaps he might get lucky, if the wind plays in his favor. There is no doubt that young bucks are less bothered by scent. But to kill a big mature whitetail, scent control will be essential. Perhaps taking him for a walk in the woods with a dog might help. Point out how the dog reacts to different scents, even though we cant detect them. Dogs being domestic animals don't really need to rely on this ability to remain alive, whereas deer do. How is it that some dogs are able to track rabbits or deer days after a rain event or snow storm? If they can smell these scent-lines in the woods, so can deer. I'm not a scent freak by any means and find certain technologies like Ozonics expensive and unnecessary. I am however very cautious about my access points to my stand, and keeping my clothing as scent free as possible prior to the season and throughout the season. Best of luck convincing your buddy, but if he remains set in his ways, my advice would be to set your stand as far away from his as possible
Scent control is just one of many different tools. We never really know what a deer is going to do. Hell I've had them walk in 25 yards from my rifle stand while I'm cooking lunch. Either they didn't care or they were hungry and thought the smell of vegetable beef soup and a burger smelled delicious.
I quit smoking about 7 years ago now---BUT I gotta tell this story ! I was hunting November 6th, prime rut time here--sitting I a ladder stand 12 feet off the ground, watching a funnel from downwind--I had just bleated a number of times with a can call, put the call away waited a couple of minutes, no response, stood up, lit a cigarette, unzipped fly, started relieving myself--then brush was cracking I heard hoove beats, quickly grabbed my bow, My biggest buck to date arrives at 8 yards broadside- I shot him with cigarette hanging out of my mouth and something else hanging out of zipper, , Now I no longer smoke and I do use scent killer and lots of baking powder, But yes you can get lucky
Never failed in the duck blind. A guy steps out to piss and as soon as his waders were around his knees the birds would show up.
general rule in life...if you want something to happen, unzip your fly. Might not be what you expect much less want to happen, but something will happen.
