hiding my scent - Not sure I am a believer ---- You

[getsum]

OK
I have always hunted on others land and thus never spent much time in the woods other than invites, or during our hunts in der season.

I have noticed this yr....
On my own place ----------
I have kept cams up on my feeders since feb.
Buddies and I make about 1 trip a month.
We take ATVs , fill feeders, drink beer, haul balls around on ATVS, fish, hoot holler , you name it.
On a pice of land that is less than 70 acres.

now i always set up my cameras on SUN morning before we head out to go home.
when I return the next month - I always look to see how long it takes for the deer to come back to the feeders.
THEY ARE ALWAYS at the feeders between 7:00 an 7:20 literally waiting for the feeders to throw the nextg morning (MONDAY)

no matter how much ruckus we make or how many times we flush the deer or yrlings when we first get there.

So - I am not for sure how much this would truley help.....

Input ?

 

[Abe]

I would assume that the land you are referring to doesn't get much hunting pressure. I know on public lands that the deer are conditioned to associate human scent with a threatening creature.
I would bet that they don't think much of an atv tooling around if you ride out there frequently. Much like cows that come running to a feed truck, if farmer Joe gets out of the truck and starts shooting at the cows they will soon learn that the sightof the truck means danger, not a meal ticket.
I have experienced wildlife that does not spook by the simple sight/sound of a vehicle driving by but as soon as I stop to look they bolt

 

[oneshotonekill]

When growing up we played paintball and rode fourwheelers where I hunt all the time. I always saw deer but never many bucks worth a dang. Fast forward to my freshman year in college ( not there to cause a ruckus) I shoot my first decent buck and each year since then I have seen alot more bucks than I used to and better quality as well. All that being said if you are out in the woods in the fall and a deer smells you (especially a old buck) it will probably be over before you even know he is there.

 

[dennishoddy]

Couple of schools of thought on this subject.
I farm, and its really common for me to be making rounds around a field, and have deer within 50 feet or so, AS LONG as I keep the same tractor speed. Its all farming in my hunting area, and they don't recognise a tractor as being a danger. That being said, on occasion I've tried to take pics of the deer from the cab, and if I even slightly alter the engine rpm, they look up and bolt.
On the other hand, I've hunted a WMA that is adjacent to the off road vehicle area and shot deer with the sounds of ATV's and dirt bikes in the background. They don't associate the noise with danger. Like hunting in an urban area where people and their homes are nearby.

Sometimes I hunt from the hay loft of an old barn on my place. I've had a buddy get bored and come over to see if I've been successful. Had deer on the food plot, and when he shut his door over 1/4 mile away they looked up and moved out of the area. I didn't hear it, but saw him get out.
The local ranger told me a story of the first B&C buck in Grant country. A guy had 7 acres to hunt on. It was close to a large lease where on opening day they rode 4 wheelers to their stands. He saw a buck come across an open wheat field just before legal shooting time. When the buck got on his 7 acres, he shot it....
I guess my point is, that if they are used to people on the land all the time, its not a big deal for the, but, if it sits quiet all season, and all of a sudden in the fall ATV'S and people swarm the area, they are probably going to be on alert.

 

[getsum]

Gotcha..
i guess they just do not feel threatened due to me not shooting at them .

:->

 

[fishn&huntn]

I hunted with two guys who didn't believe" any of that crap" I killed over 10 quality bucks they killed 4 or 5 together and they had first dibbs on the best spots.I think scent control and taking the extra time going around critical areas helped.

 

[JW/OK]

Years ago I saw a buck tuck his tail and run when he crossed the path I walked into stand on! Since then I use the best cover scent on the market for my boots - Fresh Cow Mud. Just step in a fresh pile and off you go, that is if you are hunting in cattle country.

 

[LightningCrash]

Franz Ferdinand didn't hide his scent, and he documented over 300,000 kills in his diary.

Just sayin'.

 

[imhntn]

I think there is a big difference between big bucks or even pressured does and those that have not seen much pressure yet. There are always easy shots around the feeders early in the season but not so much after they get an arrow or two flung at them.

 

[mr.theman]

My personal opinion that all the scent control stuff on the market is just a way to separate you from your hard earned money. I have seen way to many deer get way to close to convince me otherwise. I have had deer get close enough while sitting on the ground that I could have touched them with the end of my gun barrel and they have never shown any sign of alerting on my scent. Year before last I had a doe walk in my footsteps up a trail that I had just walked on 10 minutes before to get to my stand. She walked right under my stand and I really thought about spitting on her head. She milled about for 30 minutes or so and walked out the same way she came in and never put off any kind of alarming behavior. Last year I had 3 deer walk directly under the stand I had just climbed in not 15 minutes after I got in it, 20 minutes later I had a 143" buck on the ground. I guess "MAYBE" it could make a difference if I were hunting in an area that got a lot of pressure but I would have to see it consistently to believe it.