Questions about scent

[UltraMax]

One of my set ups is in the deep woods and is 20 feet in the air, I have always hunted the wind and many times don't even go if the wind is wrong.

My question is this, How many of Y'all who hunt this high in the air worry about scent? Will the trees break my scent up enough being that high in the air to where deer and hogs won't spook? Like I say, the woods are very dense where I'm at. What is your experience.


To me, scent is everything, it makes or breaks the hunt, but I don't know if being this high up will give me an advantage over animal's noses 50 yards away through the dense woods, I definitely DO NOT want to educate them.

What are your thoughts?

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

I don't consider, "go get an Ozonics!" as advice.

[UltraMax]

bump

[brzo23]

I have two different set ups I hunt at my lease, one a 15' ladder stand, and the other a ground blind. For either set up, I go through the usual de-scent routine. I've always heard that scent is less of an issue hunting from a higher elevation, but I don't want to take any chances.

[UltraMax]

I have two different set ups I hunt at my lease, one a 15' ladder stand, and the other a ground blind. For either set up, I go through the usual de-scent routine. I've always heard that scent is less of an issue hunting from a higher elevation, but I don't want to take any chances.

I'm afraid to take the chance as well but I want to be able to hunt even when the wind is not perfect and think the elevation might help. I've heard some guys on here say they dont worry about scent when they are that high in the air.

[TUCO]

I've found that the lower stands; 10 to 15 will get you busted on a regular basis.

And think about it.....If a deer is walking through the woods a hundred yards away, heading in your direction, he is looking right at you; and if you move, your busted.

Now if you are 25 ft. up... you are way above his normal level of sight & smell......

I have hunted a lot of big timber over the years, and I found that any stand 18 feet or higher seemed to put you in a different wind plane.

You have the right idea, and at 20 ft. you should be golden, & you can get away with a lot of movement as well.

I have had many stands in the 25 to 28 foot range, and those deer never smelled me, or sniped me off...EVER; even though I was hunting 10 yards away from the acorn trees they were feeding under!

Do you need scent at that level?.....I don't believe so,but it is up to you.

[clintb]

I like to put doe urine at the base of my stand and then spray coon urine on the bottom of my boots. My clothes and myself are scent free. Works well for me

[Bisch]

Being up that high does give you an advantage but you still have to play the wind. If the big buck catches your scent he will be educated to some degree.

Bisch

[UltraMax]

I've found that the lower stands; 10 to 15 will get you busted on a regular basis.

And think about it.....If a deer is walking through the woods a hundred yards away, heading in your direction, he is looking right at you; and if you move, your busted.

Now if you are 25 ft. up... you are way above his normal level of sight & smell......

I have hunted a lot of big timber over the years, and I found that any stand 18 feet or higher seemed to put you in a different wind plane.

You have the right idea, and at 20 ft. you should be golden, & you can get away with a lot of movement as well.

I have had many stands in the 25 to 28 foot range, and those deer never smelled me, or sniped me off...EVER; even though I was hunting 10 yards away from the acorn trees they were feeding under!

Do you need scent at that level?.....I don't believe so,but it is up to you.

Thanks for your input, when these deer didn't smell you, were you directly upwind of them?

[elkbowhunter]

I saw this test done one time with smoke with a guy up a stand at 20 feet .At 20 feet up it showed that scent is usually not a factor. Of course thats not an absolute due to downdrafts so in rare times you could have a scent issue but not likely. I find it more important to be scent free when walking to my stand even spraying my steps on the way up. I use Kishels Golden Rod exclusively. Amazing stuff! Not your typical over the counter cover scent.
I have never been busted up a tree at 20 yards. Now ground blinds...different story..Thats why I hunt up a tree 95% of the time. JMO

Have a great year!
Only 8 months till ELK SEASON!! yee haw!!

[UltraMax]

I saw this test done one time with smoke with a guy up a stand at 20 feet .At 20 feet up it showed that scent is usually not a factor. Of course thats not an absolute due to downdrafts so in rare times you could have a scent issue but not likely. I find it more important to be scent free when walking to my stand even spraying my steps on the way up. I use Kishels Golden Rod exclusively. Amazing stuff! Not your typical over the counter cover scent.
I have never been busted up a tree at 20 yards. Now ground blinds...different story..Thats why I hunt up a tree 95% of the time. JMO

Have a great year!
Only 8 months till ELK SEASON!! yee haw!!

I mainly hunt pigs from this spot, especially now that deer season is over, I have checked my feeder in my everyday boots that I wore to work (I work at a pool store so my boots always smell like chlorine) and I have pictures of animals, including big boars, other groups of hogs, and a few bucks coming in not 30 mins to an hour after I leave and I know my scent is still there. I also program my feeder to sling 4 times as much corn as normal when I get there to hunt so I know my scent is fresh on the trail to the feeder and around the feeder, they don't spook about that and I've never sprayed anything on my boots. Maybe when I hunt and the wind is not perfect I'll just do more scent elimination than normal. I already use scent killer soap and scent killer detergent, but hardly use cover scent.

[elkbowhunter]

Sounds like fun Ultra. You should try Golden Rod sometime. Its amazing stuff...been using it for years.

[flywise]

Ive been hunting out of a 15 foot ladder stand and a hang on stand at about 15-18 foot. The last two seasons I have not used scent control or worried about the wind in any fashion. I also have not used a feeder, just hand corn. Every time I went hunting I had deer and several good bucks with in 10 yards from my tree. I was busted 1 time this year and maybe once last year. I have come to believe that deer hunting does not have to be a strategic nightmare like I have believed in the past. When I use scent it is either vanilla extract or I rub cedar limbs on my clothes

[PEC]

I live and hunt in east texas and use the trees to my advantage...I don't worry about the wind a bit..now the problem with the scent is getting to your spot not once you are in the air..IMO..none the less I use HS waffer scents and fresh earth spray and have had deer with in 1-2 ft of me many time and never knew I was there.

[RogueSamurai]

Scent is a factor but it is also WAY over rated. I've had bucks and does come within 10yds of my stand with a cup of coffee steaming right next to the window and me making NO effort to conceal any other scents. I wash my clothes in scent killing detergent and do put out buck lure occasionally, especially if the wind is wrong but I don't worry too much over it.

Not hunting because the wind is "wrong" is a bad excuse.

Also, at 20ft you shouldn't have nearly as much to worry about. Keep in mind that even in remote areas, most deer have at least smelled humans at some point. They hear voices, cars etc. Unless you're in an area that it totally untouched by man, the deer have already been there done that, so to speak.

[elkbowhunter]

Scent overated? .