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Campfire Smoke on your hunting clothes?

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,738
274
North Carolina
Does campfire smoke on your hunting clothes effect/spook the deer?

I've always avoided it, but can smell campfires in various wood lots that I hunt, from distant fires and wondered if it helped hide/cover your scent or spooked the deer. :unsure:
Your thoughts?

Bowhunter57
What rock you been hiding under for the last 9 years? Search scent smoker that Brock was marketing....
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
I still smoke my clothes and nothing will work if human error is employed with anything a hunter uses. Hell, I’ve seen hunters get busted using ozonics and scent crusher products while wearing scent killer garb after spraying down with scent killer! 😂🤣😂
I believe the hunters breath is what gets us all busted more than anything but that’s just my opinion and I have no scientific proof to back that up. Best we can do is hunt the wind in our favor the best we can and use whatever WE believe makes us smell natural.
I also believe some deer drop their guard and act stupid and some are timid and are nearly unkillable as well as some hunters being sloppy while others are more stealthy which might also have something to do with the end results. Just my opinion.
 

Cogz

Cogz
1,360
70
TX
I still smoke my clothes and nothing will work if human error is employed with anything a hunter uses. Hell, I’ve seen hunters get busted using ozonics and scent crusher products while wearing scent killer garb after spraying down with scent killer! 😂🤣😂
I believe the hunters breath is what gets us all busted more than anything but that’s just my opinion and I have no scientific proof to back that up. Best we can do is hunt the wind in our favor the best we can and use whatever WE believe makes us smell natural.
I also believe some deer drop their guard and act stupid and some are timid and are nearly unkillable as well as some hunters being sloppy while others are more stealthy which might also have something to do with the end results. Just my opinion.
Eat an apple before going in stand! https://www.today.com/health/what-eat-if-you-have-bad-breath-t112027
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
Mason hunted a fencerow corner this year a lot. He beat deer almost daily with smoke. But it has its limits. They were in there down wind numerous times. Same group of six does munching on corn. He felt bullet proof. Until one of them caught him. She must have figured out that Smokey smell was him after catching him moving when he didn’t know she was behind him. Of course in the following hunts, she started looking up in the tree for him before leading the gang in to the corn. I told him at this point, corn or not, even though the other five don’t know what the problem is, as long as that doe lives he will never beat her from that stand again. He could have killed her a half dozen times before she ever figured it out, now he does not have a prayer IMO.
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
Mason hunted a fencerow corner this year a lot. He beat deer almost daily with smoke. But it has its limits. They were in there down wind numerous times. Same group of six does munching on corn. He felt bullet proof. Until one of them caught him. She must have figured out that Smokey smell was him after catching him moving when he didn’t know she was behind him. Of course in the following hunts, she started looking up in the tree for him before leading the gang in to the corn. I told him at this point, corn or not, even though the other five don’t know what the problem is, as long as that doe lives he will never beat her from that stand again. He could have killed her a half dozen times before she ever figured it out, now he does not have a prayer IMO.

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!!! Lol

That’s exactly what I was talking about Brock, not that Mason is or was sloppy but the occasional occurrence of misfortunes like getting caught moving or squeaking stand coupled with the smell of anything will clue most any deer something is up. Once that happens you better switch things up.👍🏻
 
Yes, sometimes it makes them curious and then if they either pick you out, spot movement or just decide to blow that is when the gig may be up. My son sat in a brush line and had several deer 360 around him, some at less than 5 feet downwind. That was until one of the momma doe came out downwind and could clearly smell something. She went right to the source and even though he did a great job not moving and blending in she just wouldn't quit trying to make him move. Blowing, stomping, etc. under 10 yards and soon she trotted off. Seemingly still unsure of what it was.
 
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I know a guy that swears by chewing grape bubblious gum. He won’t hunt without it. He also used a smoker.

The sweet smell of the bubble gum makes them curious.
Therefore my long years of success with vanilla extract. They like the smell so they often seek it out and/or just stand there smelling it for a while. I always use the cheap stuff ($1 for an 8oz. bottle) from Dollar General, because it has more of that vanilla smell. The more expensive stuff smells like a box of band-aids.

Bowhunter57
 
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Lucky

Junior Member
494
31
Sunbury
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!!! Lol

That’s exactly what I was talking about Brock, not that Mason is or was sloppy but the occasional occurrence of misfortunes like getting caught moving or squeaking stand coupled with the smell of anything will clue most any deer something is up. Once that happens you better switch things up.👍🏻
Yup. I agree . Once a deer puts a smell , any smell with it being from a person their conditioned to be on high alert anytime the smell is in there area.