Warming Fire

[bogwalker]

Anyone have experience deer hunting by a small campfire?

[jay83196]

As long as you burn pine, it mask your smell....

[96trigger]

I have an uncle who burns a small candle in a coffee can, he said it throws off tons of heat to keep his hands and body warm. These were usually in open top box blinds.

[Realtor Boy]

Ive always wondered about the guys that go back around lunch time and make a fire and then go right back to there stand, wonder if that even matters or not about the fire scent.

[Musky Buck]

I'm usually sweating during our rifle seasons, it's been way too mild the past decade or more, I would tend to think it may not be much of a bother as many a house is currently being at least warmed by a fire, but I'm after a 3.5 year old buck or older, aren't we all, and I'm not messing with any form of fire trying to hunt the oldest bucks in the swamp/woods. With my luck I'd start that dry swamp on fire somehow lol. Try it, and report back after season.

[Scott K]

I have a buddy that sits in stand hungover, smelling like booze, and smokes like a chimney while hunting, he pretty much shoots a deer every year.

I also have sat at a camp fire and warmed myself, and burn some garbage, in the mid afternoon before going back out to stand, I dont know it has prevented any deer from coming in. But again, how would you know? This season, I have been winded more times then I have in 10 years. Maybe because it is so dry?

[eyesonly]

"I'm after a 3.5 year old buck or older, aren't we all, and I'm not messing with any form of fire trying to hunt the oldest bucks"

The above statement is 100% correct. You can get away without any scent control if your Just after Spikes and does but If your Hunting the dominent buck in your area you will never see him smelling like a campfire and you will most likely chase him from the area never to be seen again

[creepworm]

The most successful deer hunters I know smoke like a chimney. Coincidence, probably, but the smell of smoke must not run them off.

[bogwalker]

If not for the rut and a buck's curiosity, few mature bucks would be harvested.

[jay83196]

I would tend to agree I'm one of those guys who probably just wastes money on scent, scent free products and my time being careful to keep myself and gear scent free. However all my hunting buddys and dad chain smoke hunting or take no precautions and shoot nice mature bucks as much or more than I do. One guy pees off stand....I have seen 200#+ 10-12 pt taken each of past 3 years in a row in two different spots, another buddy shot 345# black bear while smoking this year......Im almost to point take up smoking and never wash my cloths again...I stopped making scrapes etc and buying scent for sure. You have to figure smell of fire is somthing they aww used to in some areas, campfire smoke travels...

Who knows...

[Sheephead Slayer]

I believe It's human scent that scares off deer, anything else is a cover scent.

[Archerysniper]

Since a lot of people are chiming in on this one,what is the best scent for hunting a mature whitrtail buck? I know the awnser. Just looking for the veiws from our members here.

[Scott K]

Since a lot of people are chiming in on this one,what is the best scent for hunting a mature whitrtail buck? I know the awnser. Just looking for the veiws from our members here.

This would all depend on if that mature buck was in rut or not.

[96trigger]

I think no scent is the best scent. I have had them come in on a string to estrus, but I have had them walk right by to. I find myself agreeing more and more with the theory that bucks don't like the smell of humans, masking that scent with cigarettes, wood fire, doe estrus, or even cow carp can work at times, but mature bucks are cagey, the first whiff of human and they are gone. I have seen it many times, unfortunately.

[bogwalker]

Gotta work the wind.

[slimngrizzly]

I think no scent is the best scent. I have had them come in on a string to estrus, but I have had them walk right by to. I find myself agreeing more and more with the theory that bucks don't like the smell of humans, masking that scent with cigarettes, wood fire, doe estrus, or even cow carp can work at times, but mature bucks are cagey, the first whiff of human and they are gone. I have seen it many times, unfortunately.

BINGO! Dont smell like anything! If you just pay attention to the wind you can smell like the potpourri bag in the sh!thouse and nothing is going to matter.

If a big buck comes to your hot doe pee scent, 99.9% of the time, its because hes "there" anyway. And when you have your scent out and a big buck DOESN'T come, its not because the scent doesn't work or isn't good, its because the buck isn't "there"!

This is just my personal opinion. I do think the concept of a "drag rag" can work and I do think scent can work to stop a deer for a shot. But I think if you are paying $$$ for doe-in-heat because you think its going to draw in a big deer, I couln't justify it.

But... if you only hunt a couple days a year... maybe that 0.01% chance is worth a few buck$!

[Meat-Run]

I agree 100% with Slimgrizzly on his last statement.

MR

[TruthWalleyes]

The cigarette smoke sure covers "Human" scent, but i'll tell ya, the deer still stop on a dime when they wind ya...They continue with caution because it is a different smell than what they've been wiff'n.

I should also add, when i was younger i used to always go sit on a treeline/waterway that split off of a river bed and into a field. Opening morning i showed up to this spot, and the previous day the owner (my unkle) had bulldozed and burned the trees. So there was a big smoldering pile. I sat 70yds away from the burn pile, and 10 minutes after shooting hours i shot a nice buck...Not an old buck mind you, but a great 6 pointer for a 15yr old!

[nwhunter]

Slimgrizzly is on to something. If the wind is right, you can smoke all you want, eat corn nuts, and rub your body with garlic. A downwind deer will pick up just about anything, upwind and they have no chance.

[TruthWalleyes]

I tend to think most smart bucks travel into the wind.

[bogwalker]

So eventually they all end up in the Dakotas?

[slimngrizzly]

I tend to think most smart bucks travel into the wind.

Ya hear this a lot

A mature smart buck will circle downwind when curious or uneasy... but they simply CAN NOT travel into the wind much more than 25% of the time or they'de only go one direction.

Maybe it does make sense..... Weve had to much south and east wind and ALL OUR MATURE BUCKs ENDED UP IN IOWA AND WISCONSIN!!!

AND WE THOUGHT IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH MANAGEMENT!?!?!

[Bear55]

Slimgrizzly is on to something. If the wind is right, you can smoke all you want, eat corn nuts, and rub your body with garlic. A downwind deer will pick up just about anything, upwind and they have no chance.

Yep, the wind the only thing I worry about any more. Know your wind, know how the wind moves through your area, a west wind does not alwasy equal a west wind fron your stand location. Also pay close attention to rising and falling thermals, the bucks know them well and you should too.

My last two mature bucks were shot with zero scent control but the wind was perfect for my setup. The first of those two bucks the wind did a 180 on me, I got down from my stand mid-morning and went and sat on the ground nearby so my scent was blowing over a pond and got the buck an hour later.

I know guys who were shocked to shoot a deer with a atv parked under their stands, I had to ask them what direction the wind was coming from before something clicked. I swear half the hunters don't even pay attention to the wind, the just hunt the same old spot no matter what.

[slimngrizzly]

Also, you can get away with a lot more with a gun when youre effective out to 80 or 100 yards. Often times by the time a deer smells you, hes dead. But coaxing them to within 20 yards with a bow and then getting a shot takes a lot more attention to detail.

[TruthWalleyes]

Slim Griz

That's why they charge so much for out of state licenses

We supply the deer, they demand the $$ for the deer back