Originally Posted by
Jevyod
Greetings. I see most replies have to do with pressure, movement, etc. I will just say a bit what I have heard about smoke. My brother worked at an archery shop for a few years, and the owner is a big bow-hunter. He (the owner) has within the last several years switched to smoke as a cover scent. He keeps a 1 gallon tin can with him, lights it, puts leaves on it to make it smoke, and then holds each layer over the smoke before he puts it on. He has been absolutely impressed with the method, and has never had a deer wind him when he used smoke. As an archery store owner, he has had plenty of opportunity to use other scent control methods. Last i knew he still utilized smoke. The property where he often hunts is a small patch of woods in the middle of a development on the edge of town. I have been there with my brother, and I would guess maybe 15 or 20 acres at best. So for him smoke works well in a small woods situation.
As far as other scent control goes, what works well in one area may not work in another. A few years ago, the "nose jammer" stuff came out that was going to revolutionize scent control. Supposedly it actually "jams" the nose of a deer, causing it to not be able to smell you. And guys have had really good success with it, and some swear by it. My 2 brothers and I got some to try when it came out. On several occasions, we have had deer come in, but then a big doe would get nervous. It was always the smart old does, they didn't like something, and would hang up at 60 yards, and then turn and bypass the stand. It happened every time we used nose jammer, and when we stopped using it, the problems stopped. My brother actually harvested the big old doe that was causing most of the problems. She was very old, and we got 75 lbs of meat from her, which is a really big Pa deer. All this to say, that had we been "stuck" on the nose jammer stuff, I am pretty sure we would have struggled more to harvest any deer with a bow. Feel free to experiment with scent control, but let the deer tell you if it is working or not. My brothers and I saw our close deer encounters go up significantly when we stored our hunting clothes in a tote with leaves. When we got to where we parked, we would strip down to our boxers, and then put one layer on at a time, spraying each layer with something like scent killer gold. We would also spray our boots good, and if we knew we would likely sweat going out to the stand, we took the bottle of spray with us. Once in the stand, I would spray myself again, paying special attention to the head, armpits, and groin. Oh, and i almost always am in my stand at least 30 minutes before daylight.
just some observations of my 15 years hunting. Take it for what it is worth!