| As a human it's hard to fully understand how a | | | | scent-free detergent. I also use fresh earth dryer |
| whitetail deer could live by it's nose. Humans do not | | | | sheets, which work wonders (do not use with carbon |
| function this way, and if we had to survive simply | | | | clothes)! Take your clothes out of the dryer and |
| through the use of our noses, we probably wouldn't | | | | directly into the scent-safe bag. |
| make it very long. On the other hand, whitetail deer live | | | | 3) Knee-high rubber boots are a MUST for scent |
| by their noses, and mature whitetails learn to rely on | | | | control. |
| their noses more than any other sense. A whitetail | | | | 4) Keep all clothing in scent-safe bags, including |
| deer's nose is to him what eyes are to humans; he | | | | undergarments, boots, hats, and packs. Only remove |
| trusts what he smells more than any of his other | | | | them when you are ready to put them on to go into |
| senses. The cliche, "I have to see it to believe it," | | | | the woods. If it's hot, I will carry them in the scent-safe |
| represents humans' heavily reliance on eyesight. | | | | bag to the stand (or close to the stand), so as not to |
| With this in mind, let's talk about the importance of | | | | get them sweaty (be mindful of scent on the outside |
| scent control. I firmly believe that it is impossible to go | | | | of the bag and be sure to leave it out of sight). |
| totally undetected by a whitetail's nose. So what we | | | | 5) Never wear any hunting clothes, undergarments, |
| must do if we want to consistently score on mature | | | | boots, etc, while driving to your hunting property, |
| whitetail deer is practice scent control. This means | | | | including while on an ATV. Use your bags to get your |
| minimizing the amount of foreign odors we take into | | | | clothes there as scent-free as possible, then dress |
| the woods with us. I see people make mistakes all the | | | | when you get to where you are leaving the truck or |
| time that may ruin their hunt before they even step | | | | ATV. |
| foot in the woods, most without even knowing it. | | | | 6) Once dressed, be sure to spray yourself thoroughly |
| Some of these things include wearing your hunting | | | | with a scent-eliminating spray, heavily coating your |
| boots while you are pumping gas or wearing your | | | | boots. Don't forget to spray your pack. I also spray |
| hunting clothes to do anything other than go into the | | | | anything inside the pack and all my equipment including |
| woods. Certain things may never cross your mind, or | | | | my bow or gun. |
| seem harmless, such as warming up your truck while it | | | | 7) I use cover scents on the bottom of my boots, but |
| is backed up to an open garage door. While you are | | | | you must match the scent to your environment. For |
| inside waiting for a warm truck, exhaust fumes are | | | | example, if you don't have red foxes where you are |
| steadily pumping into the garage, either absorbing into | | | | hunting, you shouldn't use red fox urine as a cover |
| the hunting clothes you're wearing as you walk | | | | scent. |
| through, or into the clothes and accessories you have | | | | 8) Be mindful of things you are bringing into the woods. |
| laying around. | | | | If you bring a snack, make sure it doesn't have a |
| These are some of the mistakes that allow foreign | | | | strong foreign odor. Apples are great hunting snacks! |
| odors to tag along with you on your hunt. These odors | | | | All of this may seem a little over the top, especially if |
| will serve as major alarms to a whitetail deer, | | | | you just hunt casually, but to me it's always more |
| especially a mature whitetail deer. A mature deer will | | | | exciting to see deer during my time in the field, and |
| detect these foreign odors much further away than | | | | these steps should allow that to happen a lot more |
| you can imagine and slip away in the other direction | | | | often. Once I became what my wife calls "obsessive |
| without you ever laying eyes on him. | | | | about whitetails," I grew to realize that the more time I |
| Scent control isn't a new concept. There are | | | | spend on scent control, the more whitetail deer I see in |
| thousands of articles written about scent elimination | | | | the woods. A whitetail's nose is a phenomenal weapon |
| and scent control. I would like to share the ritual I follow | | | | in their arsenal of survival tools, and if you expect to |
| to help guarantee I enter the woods as scent-free as | | | | beat it on any kind of consistent basis, you need to |
| possible. This may seem a little extreme, but it doesn't | | | | practice "scent control" and practice it well. |
| take much more time to take care of the "details". | | | | Once you arrange your scent control ritual and learn to |
| After all, if you are going to get up at 4:00 in the | | | | live by it for all your hunting, I am sure that you will |
| morning and sit in the freezing cold, you should take | | | | have more success in the woods. It isn't much, in my |
| every step possible to help ensure that all your efforts | | | | opinion, to do all your homework and buy all the latest |
| aren't wasted by a few missed details. | | | | gadgets to help you get closer to whitetails if you |
| 1) Take a scent free shower before each trip to the | | | | aren't going to take care of the "details". When hunting |
| woods, including scouting. Use scent-free soap, | | | | whitetail deer, it's the little things that seem to have the |
| shampoo and deodorant. | | | | biggest effect on success or failure in the woods. |
| 2) Wash all hunting clothes, bags and undergarments in | | | | |