Is smoking also bad for a deer's health?
11-01-2002, 11:42 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Illinois
Posts: 1,862
Is smoking also bad for a deer's health?
I happened across an article about scents that brought back a memory.
Years ago, there was a guy (bowhunter) who used to visit out local archery “hootch,” generally, on Friday and Saturday evenings. He was congenial and a man of a few words. Most of us knew him, and knew he lived in a ramshackle farmhouse near a river outside of the city, and that he was a bonafide, hardcore, trapper ( It was known that this guy was an excellent trapper and always harvested the legal limits of all that he trapped}.
Once you got to know him, it was obvious he was someone who did what he did, in the ways that he did, because, in his way of thinking, that is what you do and how you do it. I would venture to guess, if someone had asked him why he did something, or did something a certain way, just asking why would have initially confused him until he realized the person really did not know.
It has been too long, so I do not recall how the information was gleaned from him regarding a technique he used to cover and confuse his scent and other scents that his quarry would negatively react to. However here is a consolidation of the information/technique that I recall.
When trapping, prior to laying his traps, he would cook the traps in a camping-type fire. He then would smoke his self, including his clothing that he was to wear when laying his traps.
When he hunted, he would also smoke himself, his hunting gear, and all the clothing and footwear he would be wearing to hunt in. He would use various mediums for the smoke, but always that which was natural to the rural area e.g., farmers burning brush and leaves, hay, cobs, grain, etc. During harvest season he mainly used cobs, corn stalks, or soybeans for the smoke.
Apparently, it was his conviction that the animals he hunted and trapped were used to the odor of these various smokes, and that the familiarity of the odor tended to reduce their alertness, particularly deer. He also believed pungency of the smoke tended to overpower his personal scent, and that a mixture of human scent intermingled with the smoke scent was familiar to the animals, anyway.
His rule of thought was; animals that mainly hunted or survived by smelling, whether prey or predator, gauged the route, presence, and/or danger by the strength of the scent. Meaning, to a deer, a weak scent, or a scent appearing to be weak, meant that the whatever left the scent was no longer in the immediate area and that danger was not imminent. He believed that smoke assisted in this deception.
I do know this, according to those that had been to this guy’s farm, there was evidence in plain view that he was not full of BS.
I was intrigued by his theories (to him it was a fact), and I still am. Much of his belief and theories made sense, and still do. However, 30+ years later I have yet to try any of his techniques. I always meant to, but never did. Maybe I'll try it this season. Hell, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
I
Years ago, there was a guy (bowhunter) who used to visit out local archery “hootch,” generally, on Friday and Saturday evenings. He was congenial and a man of a few words. Most of us knew him, and knew he lived in a ramshackle farmhouse near a river outside of the city, and that he was a bonafide, hardcore, trapper ( It was known that this guy was an excellent trapper and always harvested the legal limits of all that he trapped}.
Once you got to know him, it was obvious he was someone who did what he did, in the ways that he did, because, in his way of thinking, that is what you do and how you do it. I would venture to guess, if someone had asked him why he did something, or did something a certain way, just asking why would have initially confused him until he realized the person really did not know.
It has been too long, so I do not recall how the information was gleaned from him regarding a technique he used to cover and confuse his scent and other scents that his quarry would negatively react to. However here is a consolidation of the information/technique that I recall.
When trapping, prior to laying his traps, he would cook the traps in a camping-type fire. He then would smoke his self, including his clothing that he was to wear when laying his traps.
When he hunted, he would also smoke himself, his hunting gear, and all the clothing and footwear he would be wearing to hunt in. He would use various mediums for the smoke, but always that which was natural to the rural area e.g., farmers burning brush and leaves, hay, cobs, grain, etc. During harvest season he mainly used cobs, corn stalks, or soybeans for the smoke.
Apparently, it was his conviction that the animals he hunted and trapped were used to the odor of these various smokes, and that the familiarity of the odor tended to reduce their alertness, particularly deer. He also believed pungency of the smoke tended to overpower his personal scent, and that a mixture of human scent intermingled with the smoke scent was familiar to the animals, anyway.
His rule of thought was; animals that mainly hunted or survived by smelling, whether prey or predator, gauged the route, presence, and/or danger by the strength of the scent. Meaning, to a deer, a weak scent, or a scent appearing to be weak, meant that the whatever left the scent was no longer in the immediate area and that danger was not imminent. He believed that smoke assisted in this deception.
I do know this, according to those that had been to this guy’s farm, there was evidence in plain view that he was not full of BS.
I was intrigued by his theories (to him it was a fact), and I still am. Much of his belief and theories made sense, and still do. However, 30+ years later I have yet to try any of his techniques. I always meant to, but never did. Maybe I'll try it this season. Hell, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
I
11-01-2002, 12:04 PM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Chatsworth IL USA
Posts: 5,012
RE: Is smoking also bad for a deer's health?
I have heard of this. I believe someone was possting on the same subject last season. It makes sense to me though!!
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11-01-2002, 04:04 PM
#7
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Detroit
Posts: 858
RE: Is smoking also bad for a deer's health?
I tried this last year in Michigan's U.P. I got busted and 20-50 yards EVERY TIME (7)! I was pretty scent free otherwise ( scent free soap, detergent, baking soda and scent killer) but had heard the same thing. Hey, the native American Indians did it! Hunting was their JOB! Didn't work for me though. I'll stick with the "no scent is good scent" theory. Just my opinion.
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