How far will scent travel?

[Ironman8]

How far is "far enough away" when you're in an area, whether that's camping, glassing, or just moving through, and the wind isn't quite in your favor? How far will it travel and possibly blow elk out? When does it become critical?

And I'm not talking about stalking here, as obviously you wouldn't make a stalk if the wind was wrong...

 

[aion2come]

I remember reading a study from years back on whitetails. They could scent something at 400 yards if I remember correctly. My guess is elk would be similar. But I don't know for sure.

 

[Schnagelbagel]

Ive heard they can get you at 150+ yards on tv shows but dont know an exact.

 

[Jeff Martin]

This might sound crazy, but it also depends on the scent (In my opinion) I hunt whitetails with several guys that no matter what they do they get blown. They have gone as far as being in their underwear until they get in the stand with enclosed clothes (In a bag) they get picked off the moment the deer start moving. We started experienmting with this theory....so, I would get in the same stand without showing and working all day...never got blown and killed several does like that.

I will say, it sounds crazy, it doesn't make sense, but people have different odors. Although all are danger to game, some odors are much worse based on my experience.

If you think about it, dogs, will decide if they like you almost immediately based on smell. I think their is more to this topic than we will ever know.

one last point. I read a guys post on bowsite where he was one of those guys that got picked off by mule deer no matter he did. he was hunting private and got to hunt them a ton. like my friend, no matter what he did, he would get picked off. He went on to say one night he stayed at his girlfriends house and forgot all of his normal scent free soaps. So, he said screw it and showered with this sweet berry (only thing she had) He said smelt like a girl from head to toe. He said deer were all over him..within feet, not yards. go figure...

 

[5MilesBack]

Scent will go a LONG ways........think bears coming miles to a kill sight. However, I think it all depends on the situation as to what that magic distance is to blow them out. Last year I had them dancing all around my tent at 0330 in the morning pulling tent stakes out as they ran around the tent. That scent obviously didn't blow them out. But when the wind shifts on a stalk, they're gone.

 

[Ironman8]

Interesting Jeff. I don't think it's crazy really. Just haven't thought if it that way. Out of curiosity, can you personally smell an odor on your buddies that get busted all the time? Some people have an odor that even I (and others) can smell and by contrast, I'm a pretty low odor guy on a normal basis (don't typically even need deodorant) and have been within a few feet/yards of whitetail as well.

 

[Ironman8]

5MB, that's true regarding bears coming in from a long way...wonder how their sense of smell compares to elk though. Regarding camping right in the elk, I've heard plenty of stories about that. I'm sure the difference has something to do with it being night and they feel safer, thus don't spook at your scent. Just a guess.

 

[5MilesBack]

I'm sure the difference has something to do with it being night and they feel safer, thus don't spook at your scent.

I prefer to think that I just smell good to them.

 

[Ironman8]

Ha! On second thought you're probably right

 

[Bar]

I make no attempt to be scent free, but i'm real picky about the wind. Real picky. I can get very close doing this.

I've always felt that trying to be scent free just leads to sloppy hunting.

 

[ureyes]

depends

Read a book on training dogs to track wounded deer.....was an amazing insight into how scent works.

Scenting has a lot to do with conditions....especially moisture content in the air. On some days 100 yards they won't scent you on others a mile away they probably could.

 

[MT_Nate]

Scenting has a lot to do with conditions....especially moisture content in the air.

Couldn't agree more. Think of how the strength of odor on your dog goes from smelling OK to downright impossible to be around when they get wet. Same thing happens to us, whether it be rain/humidity or tons of sweat.

 

[kpk]

This might sound crazy, but it also depends on the scent (In my opinion) I hunt whitetails with several guys that no matter what they do they get blown. They have gone as far as being in their underwear until they get in the stand with enclosed clothes (In a bag) they get picked off the moment the deer start moving. We started experienmting with this theory....so, I would get in the same stand without showing and working all day...never got blown and killed several does like that.

I will say, it sounds crazy, it doesn't make sense, but people have different odors. Although all are danger to game, some odors are much worse based on my experience.

If you think about it, dogs, will decide if they like you almost immediately based on smell. I think their is more to this topic than we will ever know.

one last point. I read a guys post on bowsite where he was one of those guys that got picked off by mule deer no matter he did. he was hunting private and got to hunt them a ton. like my friend, no matter what he did, he would get picked off. He went on to say one night he stayed at his girlfriends house and forgot all of his normal scent free soaps. So, he said screw it and showered with this sweet berry (only thing she had) He said smelt like a girl from head to toe. He said deer were all over him..within feet, not yards. go figure...

I agree with a lot of this. There are a lot of midwest whitetail guys that go absolutely overboard trying to control scent, and then there are guys that where their clothes from the house, to fill up on gas, then straight to the stand. I USED to do everything possible to eliminate scent...now I fall somewhere in the middle and just keep my clothes in a scent free tote. I started killing way more deer when I quit thinking I was scent free and started playing the wind instead. As someone else mentioned thinking they can't smell you leads to being sloppy.

The "type" of odor probably does play a bigger role than most people think too. Ask anyone that used to smoke! I smoked a pack a day for probably 7 or 8 years and never thought they smelled. After I quit, I can smell a cigarette from a country mile away and it makes me cringe. I think animals react much the same way. However, I often use vanilla car air fresheners for cover scent and have never had a deer run off. They'll stick their nose up and test the air, and then continue on. I think that "threatening" smell has a lot to do with it.

 

[Poser]

I've always been told Whitetails can smell you up to a half a mile away, however, at that distance, thermals are going to be such a significant factor that it would be mere speculation. I've dropped pieces of milkweed from treestands before to observe what the wind is doing. Milkweed will float a long ways, especially if there is a breeze and it will dance around, up and down, sideways, and all over for the place. A thermal might prevent a deer 60 yards down wind from smelling you and totally give you away at 250 yards.

I used to take all of the precautions with scent control efforts: Shower, change clothes in the field, store clothes in airtight containers, would try to limit strong smelling foods as well. It was a huge hassle and started to burn me out a bit. These days, I do nothing. I wear my clothes to and from hunting, might stop at a gas station, and I don't even wash them that often. I often drink coffee now when whitetail hunting, sometimes, I brew coffee up in the field. I also eat whatever I'm in the mood for or whatever is convenient while out hunting. I might be hanging out hunting whitetails and eating cold fried chickens and pork rinds. Anyway, I don't see any less deer, I don't feel like I get busted anymore than I did before, hunting is a lot more relaxed and enjoyable since I'm not obsessing over scent details. In fact, last season was one of my best whitetail seasons and I almost went out of my way to see what kind of ridiculousness I could get away with in terms of scent related discipline.

Anyway. Camping: I'd think at least a half mile away should be sufficient, but that would depend on the terrain and the type of camp, the wind and the thermals. Thermals are probably going to be your single most significant factor. "Master" hunters, be it hunting in trees in the East or open country out West, tend to have a excellent understanding of thermals.