September NEWSLETTER 2008 |
For more information, questions or comments, please drop us a note by mail or email. If you
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consider it.
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removed from the list.
Write to: Disappear Hunting Products Inc., 163 College Street, Wadsworth, OH 44281
Email: discoverscent@disappearhp.com
have topic you would wish to be discussed in a future newsletter, let us know and we will
consider it.
If you do not want future newsletters, please email or write us advising so and you will be
removed from the list.
Write to: Disappear Hunting Products Inc., 163 College Street, Wadsworth, OH 44281
Email: discoverscent@disappearhp.com
| Disappear Hunting Products |
HUNTERS,
First things first, I attended the 2nd annual Southern Maryland Hunting & Outdoor Expo in La
Plata, MD on August 16th & 17th, hosted by Buck Wild Outdoors. Considering the good crowd
that attended, I want to congratulate Nick, Gio, Steve, Reed, Jim and all that were involved, on a
job well done. I am certainly looking forward to attending the show again next year.
As I was visiting with the many sportsmen that came by our booth, the following question came up
numerous times and it has been a topic of discussion for a number of years. When hunting out a
stand more than once, how careful must we be about our scent, as we travel to and from the stand
location. I believe we all agree that deer are somewhat tolerant of human odor, but beyond that
thought, opinions become extremely varied.
Some feel that going to the stand often, starting well before opening day ( assuming your stand
area is reasonably close to home ) with no scent control, will allow the deer to get use to human
odor, in particular, your scent and after a while, they will pay no attention to your scent, as no
harm has come to them during this time frame. On the other hand, there are those that will only
utilize a stand once every week or two, constantly changing locations, and then approaching each
stand with the utmost of scent control. Which method is right?
I will say that the direction I am going from here, is my experience and opinion, based on actual
field observations, as well as that of some very good hunters that I am acquainted with. If you are
only planning on only one shot from your stand, then presenting your scent to the deer might
work. Once you shoot at a deer, now your scent represents danger and if do not connect on your
first attempt, I think you are in trouble. I do not think it is a far stretch to say that deer can
recognize individual humans, based on scent. Now let's just hypothesize for a moment. You get
the deer accustom to your scent at your stand site. Season opens and the deer you want comes
within range and you shoot and miss. You say, well I blew that one, so I will hunt from my stand
a half of mile from here. Now deer do travel you know, and there you are in your new stand and
guess who comes by, the deer you missed last week. He gets one whiff of you and thinks, this is
the same human that tried to do me in last week. I have my doubts about any trust that deer is
going to have of your scent at that point, that deer is going to be gone as fast as possible, as well
as alerting any other deer in the immediate vicinity. A hunter that I have a ton of respect for, told
me, that in all the years he has hunted, he has never had a second chance at the same trophy
buck, from the same stand. This hunter has never been big on the use of scent control, preferring
to stay super clean and watch the wind. The other concern that I have, is any deer becomes alert,
when receiving a full dose of human scent at close range.
We wear camouflage clothing to hide our image from the deer and we need to hide our scent as
well. The more that we can disappear from the nose and eyes of the deer, we vastly increase the
odds of success. Don't believe me? Put a trail camera at some of your stand sites and see what
shows up when you are not there. That ought to make believer out of you. A good cover scent
that breaks down and disperses your odor is worth its weight in gold, considering all the time,
money and effort we expend, in order to get a shot at the deer of our dreams.
One year I spotted an 11 point buck during my early season scouting on a farm that I was hunting
at the time. I saw that buck a total of 9 times during season and on 3 occasions, had him less than
20 yards from me while in my stand. The stand was in a brush filled fence row and I just could
not be assured of a clear, clean shot, so I passed. Toward the end of the archery season in
January, I got one more chance and collected him. He had broken off 2 tines, while fighting during
the rut, but with his 22 inch spread and remaining 9 points, he still scored in the 140's. I am
convinced my cover scent allowed these continual sightings of this buck, as well as the opportunity
to finally harvest him. This experience, as well as numerous others over the years, along with the
trail camera evidence, has me convinced, that the more we become invisible and disappear from
the deer, the greater our odds of success become.
If some you begin your hunts before my next newsletter, I wish to each of you, the best of hunting
success,
Keith Dotterer
First things first, I attended the 2nd annual Southern Maryland Hunting & Outdoor Expo in La
Plata, MD on August 16th & 17th, hosted by Buck Wild Outdoors. Considering the good crowd
that attended, I want to congratulate Nick, Gio, Steve, Reed, Jim and all that were involved, on a
job well done. I am certainly looking forward to attending the show again next year.
As I was visiting with the many sportsmen that came by our booth, the following question came up
numerous times and it has been a topic of discussion for a number of years. When hunting out a
stand more than once, how careful must we be about our scent, as we travel to and from the stand
location. I believe we all agree that deer are somewhat tolerant of human odor, but beyond that
thought, opinions become extremely varied.
Some feel that going to the stand often, starting well before opening day ( assuming your stand
area is reasonably close to home ) with no scent control, will allow the deer to get use to human
odor, in particular, your scent and after a while, they will pay no attention to your scent, as no
harm has come to them during this time frame. On the other hand, there are those that will only
utilize a stand once every week or two, constantly changing locations, and then approaching each
stand with the utmost of scent control. Which method is right?
I will say that the direction I am going from here, is my experience and opinion, based on actual
field observations, as well as that of some very good hunters that I am acquainted with. If you are
only planning on only one shot from your stand, then presenting your scent to the deer might
work. Once you shoot at a deer, now your scent represents danger and if do not connect on your
first attempt, I think you are in trouble. I do not think it is a far stretch to say that deer can
recognize individual humans, based on scent. Now let's just hypothesize for a moment. You get
the deer accustom to your scent at your stand site. Season opens and the deer you want comes
within range and you shoot and miss. You say, well I blew that one, so I will hunt from my stand
a half of mile from here. Now deer do travel you know, and there you are in your new stand and
guess who comes by, the deer you missed last week. He gets one whiff of you and thinks, this is
the same human that tried to do me in last week. I have my doubts about any trust that deer is
going to have of your scent at that point, that deer is going to be gone as fast as possible, as well
as alerting any other deer in the immediate vicinity. A hunter that I have a ton of respect for, told
me, that in all the years he has hunted, he has never had a second chance at the same trophy
buck, from the same stand. This hunter has never been big on the use of scent control, preferring
to stay super clean and watch the wind. The other concern that I have, is any deer becomes alert,
when receiving a full dose of human scent at close range.
We wear camouflage clothing to hide our image from the deer and we need to hide our scent as
well. The more that we can disappear from the nose and eyes of the deer, we vastly increase the
odds of success. Don't believe me? Put a trail camera at some of your stand sites and see what
shows up when you are not there. That ought to make believer out of you. A good cover scent
that breaks down and disperses your odor is worth its weight in gold, considering all the time,
money and effort we expend, in order to get a shot at the deer of our dreams.
One year I spotted an 11 point buck during my early season scouting on a farm that I was hunting
at the time. I saw that buck a total of 9 times during season and on 3 occasions, had him less than
20 yards from me while in my stand. The stand was in a brush filled fence row and I just could
not be assured of a clear, clean shot, so I passed. Toward the end of the archery season in
January, I got one more chance and collected him. He had broken off 2 tines, while fighting during
the rut, but with his 22 inch spread and remaining 9 points, he still scored in the 140's. I am
convinced my cover scent allowed these continual sightings of this buck, as well as the opportunity
to finally harvest him. This experience, as well as numerous others over the years, along with the
trail camera evidence, has me convinced, that the more we become invisible and disappear from
the deer, the greater our odds of success become.
If some you begin your hunts before my next newsletter, I wish to each of you, the best of hunting
success,
Keith Dotterer
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