Whitetail hunting, Scent control

Steve (Sabmgb) and I have been having a conversation about this because I was wondering how wide a deers scent is if it’s blowing into its direction, but not directly in its path. I’m wondering what others may say about this and if the buck would bust me or not. I have a little illustration of where my ground blind is, wind direction, distance between my blind to the trail and the bucks walking direction on the trail. So what does everyone think ? would he bust me in this situation, Even though I’m not straight in line of his walking direction???

I've sat against a tree and had them nearly step on my toes during turkey season and not bust me. The ground blind will catch the attention if it's new, and any movement or noise inside it. Ive been busted more with movement then smell, that said, once shot at, activity in their area and hearing shooting in the distance puts them on edge. Good Luck J, Robert

It depends somewhat on topography, whether the surrounding air is warming or cooling, windspeed, and how thick the bush is and what type of bush it is as this will impact swirling and scent dispersion. My guess is you will be busted especially if the eastwards trail has a long approach before it gets perpendicular to your position.

I have been busted in a similar setup when the deer was about 150 yards down a similar trail setup. As was mentioned above i have also had a deer at 5 yards while i sat on the ground and not busted.

personally I think wind is the most important or the 1st thing I consider as they can smell you long before you can see them. Next thing is hard one as they are about the same. Movement and noise. I guess I will go with movement as number 2, and really close in 3rd is sound. but those 2 can switch places.

Few years ago my boy shot a 8pnt buck at 10ft, from a ground blind. He was playing on his phone and hadn't looked up, when he did it was that close broad side, when it looked other way he up and shot it with xbow. Week to the day after that in same spot I got an 8pnt buck at 8ft. I watched it walk up my shooting lane but didn't want to shot from front. when it turned to go around me and looked away I made final adjustment and shot it. In bot h cases the wind was from deer to us and no movement or sound. Last year on the last day I had a deer about 20ft way to the front right with lots of brush between us come to cross in front of me. All I did was shift my butt on the chair, it heard that little sound and gone. I only hunt from the ground so I do believe wind is the most important. I believe the further away the more your scent spreads out down wind. I try not to go with wind below 10k as it tends to swirl the lower it is. I also don't go if it is more than 20K for 2 reasons, I think the tend to not move much as the bush is noisy and dangerous for them from coyotes, and there is a good chance of a dead tree or branch falling on me, which has happened but just missed me.

Obviously these are just my thoughts and work for me. Others might have completely different experiences

Every year at the end of October east winds come through. It’s so annoying. It’s the only winds I can’t hunt. East and north east. The way property is set with property lines and the deer coming from the west side of bush gives me no chance on east winds…last year I went out bc I got fed up and of coarse I got blown out 1st sit on 1st east winds. I’m almost hoping that buck just is careless chasing and seeking does and dosent care …but I know that’s such a long shot

I hunt an area where the only place i am able to setup is usually upwind of deer. (my back to the west - field to the east) i've always been pretty cautious when it comes to scent control but not crazy. when bucks start rutting i think they become a little more nose blind to human scent and are really locked in on searching for estrus. Use buck bombs, estrus drips etc. even tying a estrus scent to your boot on the walk in can have them come in on a string basically. Most areas that are hunted now have some form of human activity. Regardless of how you try to cover your scent a deer's instinct knows that someone or something is there. Just try to fool them with smelling like a deer.

I have had plenty of big mature bucks throw away all caution and walk right into a buck bomb directly under my stand.

Unless I am downwind I think most of the deer I have got with the bow have winded me. I am meticulas with clean clothes & showers. No gum, deoderant & not even a klenex as they are scented. If you are walking the bush & get a strong whiff of skunk you will be carefull but if you get a slight whiff it won,t bother you. Where you hunt makes a difference too. Farm deer are used to noise from machinery & smell farmers everyday. Big woods deer are much more wary especially if there are wolves & bears.

i agree with ytjigger, southern deer are much more climatized to noise and people. where I hunt the farmers grandson pretty much runs his dirt bike through the bush every day. I don't do much for scent control so I use wind direction. I have several spots in a couple bushes all having wind direction in mind. Scent line tied to your shoe works, I hunted with a guy that did that to get to his stand and watch a very young buck follow his track right to his stand.

Picked up a new spot today, that is East wind only, which is good as after Controlled hunt in December I will have a West wind only spot. I have a couple south wind spots and one north wind. Have to work on getting another north wind spot.

20-25 yards isnt a huge margin. I think if the deer were close you would be okay but anything over 75 yards gets iffy with winds swirling and your scent cone getting larger as you increase the distance from you to the deer.However if you could get a slightly angling wind you would be gold.

20-25 yards isnt a huge margin. I think if the deer were close you would be okay but anything over 75 yards gets iffy with winds swirling and your scent cone getting larger as you increase the distance from you to the deer.However if you could get a slightly angling wind you would be gold.

This … depends how far away from you when it got on the eastward trail

I usually set up so I can Hunt with any Wind.

Hey black cat I tried personal messaging you. Which buck bomb do you use if you don’t mind me asking? If you don’t want to say it on here, I can send you my email and you can send me a messsge there. Unless you want to keep it to yourself totally understand.

Hey 1stDrift how was your shotgun hunt? In regards to scent control again this year I'm sitting along a fence line freezing I have no scent control on it's 5 pm and I am ready to call it, but I'm facing west and the sun has just set. Haven't heard anything or seen anything, there's no wind I can feel but a breath check had the seeable vapours heading south. Bored and cold I would blow out hot air watching it travel south. That's when I see the doe standing 20 yards from me staring directly at me, bobbing it's head, stomping it's feet, I'm busted can't move, we have locked eyes. She knows I'm there I'm lit up like a pumpkin, my stink is traveling directly at her, but she turns takes a step into the field looking away from me, I grab my gun but only get it off my lap about 10" and pointed at her, she looks back I froze, locking eyes, head bobbing, stomping she is about 25 yard now, she turns her head my gun comes up she looks back at me and bang harvest. The whole event took less then 10 minutes, picture shows how close she got
Moral, she knew something was there, wind was in her favour, I had no scent control sprayed on, but yet I remained motionless in my orange pumpkin coveralls and she still came out. This was a young doe perhaps the wise old buck would of been long gone, but as I mentioned earlier I have had bucks during turkey time that close as well. Don't move, control your breathing, enjoy your harvest.