August-September 2020 • Nebraskaland 27
deer to your presence hours after you have passed. Do your
best not to touch anything on the way to the stand. Duck
under branches rather than lifting them out of the way and
be aware of any grass or limbs your clothing might brush
against. If you can, avoid it. Also, if possible, try to approach
your stand from downwind or away from where you think
deer will pass by.
The first thing I do when I arrive back at my truck after
hunting is remove my hunting clothes and store them in the
sealed plastic tub until I get home and hang them on the line.
Thermals
There's no way to defeat a whitetail's nose, so hunters use
the wind to carry their scent away from deer. What many
don't realize is that thermal currents also carry scent and can
be as useful or as frustrating as the wind. Thermal currents
are caused by warming and cooling air. In the morning, as
the sun warms the ground, thermal currents rise into the sky,
taking your scent with them. In the evening, the air cools
and does the opposite.
On calm days, I've had deer directly under my stand that
never smelled me. In these situations, thermals are your best
friend. However, they can be frustrating in the evening as
they push your scent down towards the ground. You can still
use them to your advantage by setting up downhill from a
well-traveled trail or along a creek where the thermals will
push your scent into the creek bed. Of course, you still need
to pay attention to the wind. A steady wind can negate any
effect the thermals have on airflow.
I've seen the benefits of these scent reducing practices
and think it's worth it. Taken individually, each small thing
does little to prevent deer from smelling you, but together
these little details add up to real results. While it's not going
to allow you to completely disregard the wind, the extra
moments I get when a deer walks downwind, or the extra
yards of distance I get are worth it. Some hunters go even
further, investing in separate washing machines, charcoal
lined closets, ozone-emitting devices that absorb human
scent and special scent capturing suits. That's too much for
me. I prefer no-nonsense, practical methods to reducing my
scent.
N
Ryan Sparks is a freelance outdoor writer and photographer.
See more of his work at sparksryan.com.
During hunting season, the author suggests keeping hunting clothes outside to remove human odors and replace
them with the smell of the woods.
PHOTO
BY
RYAN
SPARKS
