smoking doesn't work??

[bowhunter1023]

Wife went to a concert out of town last weekend with a friend. After getting all dolled up, being out all night, they wake up the next morning and her friend says: "You smell like your husband." My wife asked what I smelled like and she says: "You know, a bonfire." lmao

My favorite part is what happened Sunday. I showered before my hunt Saturday and smoked up. Spent the rest of Saturday in the Lazy-Boy watching football, so I didn't bother with another shower. Spent all day Sunday running errands and working outside. 36 hours after smoking up, I hop in the shower and as soon as the water hit me, it smelled like I just fired up the smoker. Crazy how that happens!

 

[PSE13]

What kind of wood chips do you guys use? I feel like I don't do it right...

 

[MK111]

I find hickory starts and burns the best. Oak was hard for me to start and keep burning when I'm in a hurry each morning. I don't leave home without it.

 

[at1010]

I use hickory. I got some at lowes that was shredded. Burns really well. I have done Apple chips as well just cause I had some.

 

[Bigslam51]

With the one and only scent smoker...
View attachment 36424

Wtf did you do, burn the woods down? Lol

 

[Bigslam51]

Wife went to a concert out of town last weekend with a friend. After getting all dolled up, being out all night, they wake up the next morning and her friend says: "You smell like your husband." My wife asked what I smelled like and she says: "You know, a bonfire." lmao

My favorite part is what happened Sunday. I showered before my hunt Saturday and smoked up. Spent the rest of Saturday in the Lazy-Boy watching football, so I didn't bother with another shower. Spent all day Sunday running errands and working outside. 36 hours after smoking up, I hop in the shower and as soon as the water hit me, it smelled like I just fired up the smoker. Crazy how that happens!

I love that smell after I get hit by the water in the shower, its like I'm smoking up again Lol.

 

[Bigslam51]

Every deer I've killed with my bow except the first one have been killed while I was smoked up.

 

[Bigslam51]

https://youtu.be/eS4A6vvGqGM

This little buck was straight down wind of me for a few minutes. All he smelled was hickory. That same year I had a 135-140" 10 point come in to my left out of that stand, he was also downwind, until I hit him in the shoulder and he ran off never to be found.

 

[Hogmister13]

Touché ️ Had more bad outcomes with it than good but I'm still learning and I'm still trying it out. Don't think it works as good in Ky as it does in Ohio.

 

[Dustinb80]

Scent Smoker believer here. I bought another one as a spare. Leaving it in the box until I absolutely need it.

Same here.

 

[Jackalope]

Touché [emoji121]🏻️[emoji108] Had more bad outcomes with it than good but I'm still learning and I'm still trying it out. Don't think it works as good in Ky as it does in Ohio.

What was your smoke up process?

 

[buckcrazy1]

Enlighten me please! I'm all about taking every single precaution to be scent free. I literally even change my underwear when I get to the field, scentlok/scent blocker everything, rubber boots, showers before every hunt including drying off with a towel I washed/dried scent killer wise, literally everything I can do, I do it! Oh, and my stands are 28ft high MINIMUM! So I would love to learn about this "smoking" I see a lot of ppl talking about on here!! I've heard war stories about how guys back in the day used to put their hunting clothes on and stand over camp fires before hunts to cover their scent because I guess smoke is a naturally occurring thing so it doesn't spook deer? I'm all ears and completely open minded to learning knew techniques!!

 

[townzen]

I love when you stop at the gas station before a morning hunt and the half asleep broad at the counter mumbles. "Have you been around a campfire?" My reply "Hell no, I was in that fire!"

As far as smoking not working. That is crazy.
Here is a scenario we ran into the first weekend.
So we left the woods early after getting poured on for about an hour. On the way out we stopped to glass the field and seen 4 deer crossing the road. They split into two groups.
Two of them stayed against the wood line and fed in some Milo and clover.
The other two meandered off.
We decided to make a poke down the prairie grass and fox-tail and see how close we could get.
The first dot on the road is where the deer were when we seen them from the top of the field.
The 2nd dot is where they were when we arrived in the small drainage in the middle of the open field.
We sat there to wait. 5 minutes later they were 10 yards straight down wind, with a South Southeast Wind.
Several times they stopped and were curious to that Oh so deadly aroma, but never once did they bat an eye after they felt we were not a danger to them.

 

[Big_Holla]

I hate to admit it but any more I don't even tell people I smoke up before hunting. I've gotten the strangest looks when I've tried explaining what we do and why and so many times it's just wasted breath on my part. Not much I can do for the non-believers and the people that cannot take you seriously after explaining everything. Their loss. I've had way more positive encounters than negative for sure. The negatives have only been a few, once when a deer smelled something and was curious, only to catch me moving up in the tree. The only time I had a deer hit my scent cone and turn and seemingly get buggered was after a sweaty warm walk in and I had not applied fresh smoke that morning. The buck was up on a ridge above me and my scent was blowing right up where he was headed. Once he stopped and smelled the air he backed up some and turned to walk up over the top of that ridge in a slight hurry.

 

[MK111]

I'm convinced that if a deer spooks out on you when you're smoked up it's because they seen you move and it's not the odor. I believe they say a deer can see you blink your eye at 100 yds. I've taken 15-20 deer over the years when the deer seen a non-moving big blob in a tree and never paid any attention. But move and it's all over.

 

[brancher147]

Wife went to a concert out of town last weekend with a friend. After getting all dolled up, being out all night, they wake up the next morning and her friend says: "You smell like your husband." My wife asked what I smelled like and she says: "You know, a bonfire." lmao

My favorite part is what happened Sunday. I showered before my hunt Saturday and smoked up. Spent the rest of Saturday in the Lazy-Boy watching football, so I didn't bother with another shower. Spent all day Sunday running errands and working outside. 36 hours after smoking up, I hop in the shower and as soon as the water hit me, it smelled like I just fired up the smoker. Crazy how that happens!

That smoke smell when in the shower occurs because the smoke scent particles are released into the air when combined with water. Same reason your scent carries farther and lasts longer on vegetation on a wet day compared to a dry day.

I am surprised how many folks have luck with smoking their clothes. I have been around smoke before a hunt and definitely spooked a lot of deer with my scent, but I have never really tried it on purpose. It makes sense, everyone around me burns a woodstove so deer would be used to it. Where I hunt 2 or 3 miles back in the middle of nowhere any scent seems to alert deer though. Smoke gives me a headache so it wouldn't work for me. Interesting to know it does work for many folks though, I have never heard of anyone doing that.

 

[Dustinb80]

Last year I had a small doe about 7 yards right in front of me and had no idea I was there. I had just smoked up about an hour before hand so yeah, Im a believer.

 

[Carpn]

I know alot of ya'll love using the smokers and use it as a tool when ya hunt .
I can't stand smelling like campfire smokeon my body and clothing , although I love the smell of woodsmoke in the fall air so I've never used it .
I routinely have deer downwind of me , at the base of my tree , and where I walked with no ill effects so I will keep doin what I'm doin. . It all comes down to doin what works for you and if its working why change .

 

[Jackalope]

That smoke smell when in the shower occurs because the smoke scent particles are released into the air when combined with water. Same reason your scent carries farther and lasts longer on vegetation on a wet day compared to a dry day.

I am surprised how many folks have luck with smoking their clothes. I have been around smoke before a hunt and definitely spooked a lot of deer with my scent, but I have never really tried it on purpose. It makes sense, everyone around me burns a woodstove so deer would be used to it. Where I hunt 2 or 3 miles back in the middle of nowhere any scent seems to alert deer though. Smoke gives me a headache so it wouldn't work for me. Interesting to know it does work for many folks though, I have never heard of anyone doing that.

Simply smelling of smoke is not enough. Standing around a fire and your clothes having a smoke scent isn't going to work. You have to smoke everything including your hair, hands, and any exposed flesh. When guys get in the shower and it activated the smoke particulates, the same happens when they sweat. If you're wearing smoked up clothes but your body is unsmoked you're going to put off human scent. Now of I smoke my hair and begin to sweat it smells heavily of smoke. Try this out. Smell the palms of your hands. Odds are they have a scent detectable by your nose. Now rub both your hands vigorously through your hair. Like your drying your head with a towel but sans the towel. Now smell your hands. If you can smell it a deer can smell it 100 yards away. It is imperative that these areas be smoke also for that reason.

 

[at1010]

As I have said in picture above I posted 5 does. Downwind 20 yards. Never spooked.

It works. Try it.