Beating a Deer's Sense of Smell
By Joe Bucher

Of all the senses a whitetail possesses, its sense of smell is probably its most acute.  In fact, my experiences suggest that you can fool a deer's eyes.  And, in many instances you can even fool a deer's ears.  But, you simply can't fool its nose.  A deer can smell foreign odors perhaps better than any other creature in the woods. 

With that in mind, you must always take every precaution to beat this sense of smell and never try to challenge it; or you will most certainly loose.  This not only means choosing stand sites that are down wind of any traveling deer, but also it means keeping yourself and your hunting clothes as scent free as possible.

The first order of business is to wash all of your hunting clothes regularly in a scent free laundry detergent, dry them outside in an area free of nearby household odors, and then store these items in some kind of a scent free bag or hard plastic container.  Then, never dress up in these clothes while inside a building. Instead, dress outside your vehicle right before making your entry to your stand.

It's also a good idea to shower before every hunt with a scent free soap, and also make sure that you brush your teeth with a scent free toothpaste, since your hair and breath are two of the biggest scent depositers. 

Finally, it's a good policy to wear scent free footwear such as high topped rubber boots; and always tuck your pants inside the boot.  Rubber boots can be sprayed down with a scent killer.  This virtually eliminates the possibility of depositing foreign scents from your clothing along brush as you walk to and from your stand on each outing. 

When you finish each hunt, you simply reverse the process --- Undress alongside your vehicle, putting your scent free hunting clothes back in the sealed container before leaving.  I've also made it a point to put a few pine branches or anything else natural to the area you hunt inside your hunting clothes container. Your clothes will then pick up the natural odors from the items in that area. Always remember, you can possibly fool a deer's eyes and ears, but never its nose.