Tag Archives: scents and hunting

hunting supplies

Using scents wisely, part two

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In addition to using scent to hide yourself while you’re hunting, you can use scent as a tool to attract the sort of prey you’re stalking. There are a number of products on the market to help you cover your tracks – and just as many to help you gain a few extra seconds to line up that perfect shot.

Consider using scents to lure animals such as deer. You’ll have to carefully consider the wind when choosing where to place a scented lure, as you want the animals to smell the lure well before they could possibly catch a whiff of you. Ideally, apply the lure upwind of a trail you’ve noticed the animals using during a scouting jaunt. Locate your stand downwind of the trail and simply wait.

Scents are available in considerable variety – some designed to attract male and others to attract female animals. Consider which is most appropriate with care, for example, using skunk musk to cover your tracks might warn a deer off if you’ve used too much and the deer thinks a skunk is frightened or alarmed nearby. Using a “doe in heat” scent, on the other hand, can attract both males looking to increase their harem and females looking for company.

Bear in mind that you’ll need to watch any scented lures closely – letting the curious animal get too close will give the game away and cost you that perfect shot.

hunting supplies

Using scents wisely

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Plenty of veteran hunters will tell you the biggest mistake newbies make is soaping themselves generously in the shower, then slapping on some aftershave and hair products before setting out for the day. There’s little that gives you away in the field more than smelling like a drugstore.

There are a number of ways to disguise your scent – some are better than others. Plenty of hunt supply shops offer masking scents, designed to mimic everything from skunk musk or fox urine to the fresh scent of cedar. The important factor here is choosing a masking scent that will be familiar to the animal you’re after – don’t use the scent of oak to cover your tracks through a pine forest, for example.

Most advise that the best way to disguise your sent is not to develop one in the first place. Do this by washing yourself in unscented soap and using an unscented shampoo. Don’t use perfume or aftershave and avoid scented deodorants. Wash your hunting attire in unscented detergent and dry it in the fresh air outdoors if possible. Similarly, clean your equipment so it does not harbor unnatural odors. Also, while on the hunt, seal anything that is foreign to the environment in a zip-top bag.