covering up breath?

[Bobb-o]

anybody have any good ideas as how to cover up your breath when on your stand?

[irvingdog]

If you're lucky enough to spot some deer dung on the trail, chewing on it is very effective............

[BLACKJACK]

Good idea irving! Works for my dogs. And if its the right consisantcy, you can even do the shoulder roll in it!

[Riverratpete]

Dude, this whole breath thing is a huge scam by someone trying to sell something...had to put down the heater I was puffing on to shoot my 2 deer last year..1 was not 20 yards away..enough said

[Dan Thiem]

Riverratpete,
I agree with you about the scam thing about the breath.But, what about all the hype on scent control? I'm a smoker too, and I also had to put down the heater to shoot a buck once.But, do you think that if a deer was standing directly down wind from you he wouldn't spook from the smell?

[metrojoe]

I use the sent free bar soap, deodorant and wash all my hunting clothes in scent free detergent. Then I store my clothes in plastic bags with earth scent wafers. I also drag a rag with coyote urine sprayed on it when I walk to my tree. All these things help to a certain degree but I have never had a deer walk down wind a not get spooked.

When I was smoker I had just put out a heater and shot a 7 point buck at 17 yards. He was up wind of course.

[Ole1855]

Dan,

Here's one for you. I used to hunt west of Effie many years ago, it was a Wed. morning and I didn't feel like getting up real early so my buddy said, fine I'm going to hunt your stand. I got out of bed and headed into the woods just after daylight, I decided since my buddy was in my stand, I'd hunt his. I climbed up into his stand and didn't even have my rear in the seat when I here something coming. Out walks a big 8 pointer at about 30 yards, he stops and looks over his shoulder, bang, down he goes. I pull out a smoke and light it up, out walks a basket rack 8 pointer right in the same tracks. The little buck stops and sniffs the big buck and then starts walking towards me, my buddies stand was only about 6 ft. high at the floor and this little buck walks right up within 3 ft. of me. He stands there looking at me as my cigarette smoke blows right into his nose, he curls up his nose and sniffs smelling my smoke. He then walks around to the other side of the tree, still only 3-4 ft. away from me. So I decide to have a little fun with him and I said BOOO, he jumped straight up in the air about a foot and runs about 20 yards and sticks his head behind a tree, his body is still completely exposed. I figured I'd get down and dress out the one I had down, when I'm in the process of dressing out the big buck, here comes the little one back, he walks within 10 yards of me and watches me take care of the big one.

I've smoked cigarettes for years in the stand and I have taken way more deer than anyone else in my hunting party. However, I do use all the scent killer stuff on my pants legs and boots, because I have seen deer hit my trail into the stand and bolt when they smelled me. Kinda odd but true.

Ole

[Dan Thiem]

So basically, deer are not as alarmed from cig smoke? as opposed to human scent?

[Ole1855]

I can't answer that for sure, but from my experience, it doesn't seem that they relate the smell of the cigarette to danger. I'm sure there are plenty of people that will argue that that's not true, but it seems that way to me. I think human scent, movement and sound are much bigger danger senses for deer. Heck, I've riden my ATV to within 10-20 yards of deer in the woods, they don't seem to have a big problem with the machinery noise, but don't try to walk up on one.

Ole

[This message has been edited by Ole1855 (edited 09-15-2004).]

[bigbucks]

I don't understand what the big deal is about covering up breath? In you're up off the ground, out of the line of sight of the deer, they're not very likely to see it.

[Dan Thiem]

Bugbucks, I think we were worried about deer smelling the breath not seeing it.I don't know though.

[Harmonica Bear]

Ole,

I couldn't agree with you more. I as well, try remain as scent free as possible, but I fire up a heater in the stand now and then and I don't think it has made a difference at all. At leat at our camp, after day one, you stink period. Good or bad breath, not to mention body odor etc. WE HAVE ARGUED THIS AT OUR CAMP FOR YEARS. Basically, I pretty much give the direct down wind side of me away. I don't care if you are totally scent free or smell like a french soccer player, if there is a big. mamture buck directly down wind from you, he is going to know you are there, somewhere. How the buck reacts is another story, usually you never see him.

just my 2 cents

HB

[metrojoe]

Dan,

That could be, but it’s just that cigarette smoke stinks a lot more than human scent and it hasn’t prevented hunters from harvesting an animal.

Playing the wind is much more important than scent control.

[Ole1855]

To be perfectly honest, when a big buck has lovin' on his mind, the biggest scent on his mind has nothing to do with a guy sitting in a tree. It's when they're not in the rut, that's when they're really jumpy.

Ole

[jlm]

Well to be honest, we stink. We can't smell ourselves because we are use to it and it is normal. Ever notice how people from other countries smell "funny"? We smell funny to them and we all smell funny to deer. Covering breath is difficult to do but your best bet is a carbon lined face mask. That will help but nothing will eliminate it completely. You have to get above the wind drift or play the wind correctly to even have a chance. I have heard of people chewing on moss which they claims works. I play my chances with the wind. Cig smoke is an issue we will probably all disagree on. You can smoke all you want if the deer approaches from the right direction. However, you guys that claim deer like to smell smoke, I would agree to a point. A young deer that has not associated cig smoke with humans may or may not be scrared. A mature buck that has made that association will pick you up from a mile away. Those of you that smoke in the stand have a better chance of being winded in my opinion and I personally am not willing to take that risk. Smoke lingers in the air and stinks up everything it has contact with. The after effects are not good in my opinion. Deer will continue to smell that smoke the next day and even longer if conditions are right. Even when you are not in your stand, they will smell it. This may alter their course for weeks at a time. You will not find many successful trophy hunters that will smoke in their stand. Maybe they are on to something? Just my opinion!

[Blaze]

Ole says "...from my experience, it doesn't seem that they relate the smell of the cigarette to danger."

Obviously, deer haven't heard of lung cancer, eh?

Sorry - couldn't resist.

I am curious tho - I wonder if that little basket 8-pt you talked about ever made the connection of the smell of smoke and his dead frined?

[This message has been edited by Blaze (edited 09-15-2004).]

[Ole1855]

I don't think that deer have that much "reasoning" capacity. If they do, don't you think as soon as he heard me say BOOO and go over to dress out his buddy, as he watched, wouldn't that be the time he'd start to tie the smoke, human scent, movement to danger?

Ole

[bigbucks]

I don't think they give bucks brains until they see if they can make it through one entire hunting season with antlers...

[Dan Thiem]

Bigbucks, SO TRUE !

[Riverratpete]

I do wash my hunting clothes in the "special soap' and do hang them outside the cabin in the evening (if it's not raining). The way I see it, they are reacting to human scent.. tobacco is a naturally occuring plant and they have smelled fumes, smoke etc so they don't associate it with humans exactly.

[bigbucks]

Well I know I've heard from a lot of people that deer think nothing of woodsmoke, maybe smoke is smoke to them & they don't differentiate.

My hunting clothes are getting rained on by design right now, of course they won't be Friday night...

[MikeYager - Suzuki]

Are you talking about breath smell or the sight of breath steam in cold weather? As far as breath steam I try to focuse it down or in my jacket if a deer is close so they don't see it.
I use a scoped 30-06 to take care of the breath smell issue. LOL

[jbdragon]

I eat an apple to help with the breath. I know at my camp we eat a lot of stuff like Chilli and hotdishes which are very....stinky on the breath. I read somewhere that apples are natural breath cleansers. Not sure how well it works, but I figure every little bit may help.

[BarTender]

Covering up your breath...

Cinnaburst gum works, sometimes mentos are OK tic-tac's also work for a while.

[pikehunter]

I still remember when I bowhunted with my Dad, that he'd make me brush my teeth and tongue with baking soda for this very reason.He had read somewhere that it would cleanse scent.
Never got a chance to ask a deer if this was true. The only ones who got close enough to smell my breath were too dead by the time I thought of it.

[johnnyc42]

Along with eating fruit natural to the area you are hunting, I have seen people who have used scent free sprays that are meant for clothes. as long as they don't have a warning not to do so. Don't swallow it either, just use it as a mouth wash.

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Johnny C

[leechlake]

Seriously, chew on some pine needles or some type of grass in the area. I chew and before I get near my stand I take my chew out and chew on something, usually it gets stuck in my teeth or throat and I spend an hour in my stand trying to get it out. The pine needles taste like gin. That should work, also just brush your teeth with water instead of toothpaste.