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Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

Title:The Hunting Notesfile
Notice:Registry #7, For Sale #15, Success #270
Moderator:SALEM::PAPPALARDO
Created:Wed Sep 02 1987
Last Modified:Tue Jun 03 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1561
Total number of notes:17784

474.0. "Bug Spray Odor" by MAIL::HENSON () Thu Sep 21 1989 13:31

    
    
    One of the previous notes in this conference go me to thinking
    about insect repellents.  Mosquitoes and the like can pretty
    much ruin a day outdoors.  I know that there are a number of
    insecticides available, but what about the odor?  Some of these
    have a pretty strong smell to them and that alone could ruin
    a day's hunt.  
    
    Does anyone have any favorite bug spray that they swear by?
    Is the odor such that it won't betray you to your prey?
    I personally have never hunted deer at a time of the year when
    insects were a problem, so I don't have any answers, just
    questions.
    
    Jerry
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474.1TWOBOS::LAFOSSEThu Sep 21 1989 14:305
    If the odor from the bug spray will betray you , then you've already
    been betrayed by your own scent.  Always hunt into the wind!
                                       
    Fra
474.2SA1794::CHARBONNDIt's a hardship postThu Sep 21 1989 14:416
    Muskol is 100% active ingredients - very little smell. Like
    Fra said, wind direction is critical - use a white thread
    6" long, hanging from the upper limb of your bow, to check
    wind direction. Locate your stands according to prevailing
    wnd direction in your area. If the wind is wrong, hunt an
    alternate stand.
474.3is our scent heavier than chemicals?CSCOA5::HUFFSTETLERFri Sep 22 1989 21:358
>>    If the odor from the bug spray will betray you , then you've already
>>    been betrayed by your own scent. 
  
Really?  I know that we as humans lay a "heavy scent" when it comes to game, 
but if we can smell something in the woods I would think that a deer could 
smell it miles away.

Scott
474.4TWOBOS::LAFOSSEMon Sep 25 1989 11:2411
    I'm not a chemist, so I can't say whether one is heavier than the
    other. 
    
    Deer are curious animals, and strange scents in the way of chemicals
    are new to them, therefore they arn't as skiddish.  Human scent,
    however is not new to them, and is equated with danger. As far as
    smelling something miles away, like I said earlier, always hunt
    into the wind, therefore you won't have to worry about scent of
    any kind.
    
    Fra
474.5Non-scents!!!!!!SALEM::AYOTTEMon Sep 25 1989 12:3120
    Last year I went a little bit overboard with the covering scent.
    I would shower every morning (no perfumed soaps) and I stored my
    hunting clothes in plastic trash bags with baking soda added.  I
    also made my own cover scent by boiling leaves, nuts, etc.. from
    the area I hunted.  Before hitting the woods I'd spray myself with
    my "natural" cover scent.  Well, early one morning while hunting
    in Vermont I had a three does walk past me.  As soon as they crossed
    the downwind path they became alert and looked in my direction.
    Their tails showed that they were nervous and they quickened their
    pace to get out of the area.  I guess the point I'm getting at is
    that it doesn't matter what you do (at least for me I'm convinced
    of that).
    
    As far as bug repellent goes I wouldn't apply the scented ones .....
    either Bens 100 or Muskol -sp? (they are identical, chemically)
    will work best.  After a few minutes they are pretty much odorless.
    Watch out for gun and/or bow finishes though because the active
    ingredient will melt things like plastic tackle boxes.
    
    Dave
474.6CSC32::L_THOMASMon Sep 25 1989 15:127
    Can you imagine their reaction if they had smelled you??? Sounds like
    you may have done a pretty good job of desenting yourself. If you had
    also put a masking sent (skunk) on your boots, they may not have
    reacted at all.
    
    Lowell
    
474.7gun oil smellSALEM::AYOTTEMon Sep 25 1989 16:016
    Don't know about the skunk scent.... I usually use fox urine (I
    generally see a few foxes each fall so I guess the stuff fools them).
    Anyway, the incident with the does was durring VT rifle so maybe
    the deer winded my rifle (and not me?). 
    
    Dave
474.8Hoppes deer repellentSA1794::CHARBONNDIt's a hardship postTue Sep 26 1989 12:173
    Well, sure, WD40 smells bad to deer. There's a new company I've
    seen advertised making natural-scented gun cleaner and oil.
    Stuff would also be good for compound bow cams and such.
474.9Is it Earth?WFOV11::DRUMMThu Sep 28 1989 16:379
    	Just happen to see some bug repel in a sports shop today at lunch.
    It was "Repel, Deerhunters Insect Repellent with Earth Scent". I
    took the bottle out and gave it a squirt on my hand. Boy let me
    tell you what, did it ever smell of earth!! It was like I had just
    turned a large clump of woods top soil over and stuck my nose in
    it. Don't know if a deer would think the same of it but I was convinced
    it was earth.
    
    	Steve