Deer hunting

[Sobrbiker]

I've never smoked while deer hunting, but I once read an account by a younger hunter heading out on his first hunt on a new place and being told by an experienced relative; "Don't forget your sour-apple gum!" On questioning this, the old-timer said he never failed to see a deer when he chewed sour apple gum in the blind. The young hunter tried it, found it worked, and added it to his deer hunting kit every year with similar results. Perhaps a fruity aro. would work the same way?

Not a pipe hunting story, and I don’t smoke one while still bow hunting, but I use an e-cig with an apple/melon/kiwi flavor as my continual nic delivery choice.

A couple years ago I was in a blind over a water hole, practicing strict scent discipline all morning and miffed a shot on a nice coues buck-wrong pin on my bow sight, typical rookie “buck fever” mistake.
Anyway I was pissed, disappointed, dejected, and sure I blew the one opportunity I’d have.
I started hitting the nicotine as solace so much the blind probably looked like a smokehouse.
Within 15 min a nicer buck traversed right across the front of my little pop up blind at 3-5 yards.
Baiting or using scent attractants is verboten in AZ, but the regs don’t cover this.
There’s four mule deer does at about 25yds in this picture from last week that I still hunted right on by.
I don’t use little bottles of powder for my wind indicator anymore, that’s for sure.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Yeah, I say get you some apple or acorn flavored pipe tobacco.

Better yet, go read Jim's reviews and find a blend where the flavors of grass and hay take the lead.

 

[OverMountain]

When I was a kid I asked my grandfather if smoking might scare the deer off because he always smoked cigarettes when he hunted, as did most of his generation. He replied that if the deer could smell the cigarette smoke then they could smell his human scent as well, and that would be a bigger concern for the deer. He emphasized that the key is to read the wind. They all shot deer so it made sense to me. I think the smoke would be an aid in reading the wind.

I agree. If you are upwind and on the ground you’re busted.

 

[Chalaw87]

I agree. If you are upwind and on the ground you’re busted.

I find raccoon urine to be one of the best cover scents especially if windy. Spray it on the tree or stand you’re using high side that stuff is pungent. But I think the pungency is why it works so well.

 

[Briarcutter]

Well, my two cents. I don't think a deer would think,sniff,sniff, oh gosh there's some tobacco in the air,must be a human around,they are the only animal smokes tobacco so I better steer clear. They may smell something but would they even know what it was?

 

[SmokingInTheWind]

I've never smoked while deer hunting, but I once read an account by a younger hunter heading out on his first hunt on a new place and being told by an experienced relative; "Don't forget your sour-apple gum!" On questioning this, the old-timer said he never failed to see a deer when he chewed sour apple gum in the blind. The young hunter tried it, found it worked, and added it to his deer hunting kit every year with similar results. Perhaps a fruity aro. would work the same way?

My father-in-law told us of the time he was still hunting and took a quick break and ate a Snickers bar. He wedged the wrapper in the crook of a sapling and walked off a ways and sat on a log. After a while, a deer walked up and sniffed the wrapper. It was an easy shot with a rifle and he filled his tag. I’m not sure if he ever tried it again, but it worked once.

 

[Sig]

I've smoked cigarettes, cigars, pipes, taken a piss out the back of the shooting house, and even got some head out there when I was a young man.

In my opinion, it's noise that scares deer.

I've never killed a monster, but I've killed the shit out of the deer with no regard for smells.

Im a meat hunter, not an antler hunter....and hanging a head on my wall is just creepy.
That said, you never will get a monster if you're smoking, pissing, or being pleasured.
There is a reason 95%+ of deer hunters never tag a monster buck.
Ive had big bucks smell me from 100 yards. And that's being as smell blind as possible. They can catch your smell on a breeze from upwind. Don't even get me started on movement and sound. They get big for a reason.
This guy isnt any monster, but he was extremely cautious. It took him 45 minutes to move in 25 yards. First thing opening day last week. He is laying flat on the ground, and very dead. My wife says he looks like hes sitting up....optical illusion.

 

[Sig]

Well, my two cents. I don't think a deer would think,sniff,sniff, oh gosh there's some tobacco in the air,must be a human around,they are the only animal smokes tobacco so I better steer clear. They may smell something but would they even know what it was?

Big bucks are extremely skittish. They get old and big because they are careful. The vast majority of hunters never even see a truly big buck.
Any aroma out of the ordinary will spook them. Ive seen it too many times unfortunately.

 

[Briarcutter]

Any aroma out of the ordinary will spook them

Yes,I think this is what would spook them with tobacco smoke. Not that they would relate smoke to a human but it's out of the ordinary, that I can understand.

 

[Sig]

Yes,I think this is what would spook them with tobacco smoke. Not that they would relate smoke to a human but it's out of the ordinary, that I can understand.

Absolutely.
If I hunted our yard deer, the bucks would be much calmer with the pipe smoke because they have smelled it 100s of times. But the "wild" bucks are extremely sensitive to anything new.
That said......
My very first buck ever was a big 8 point, about 40 pounds larger than the one I got last week.
I was 16 years old. My friend Billy and I were on our property for our first solo hunt. About 10 minutes into our "hunt", Billy lit a cigarette, while I enjoyed a piece of cold pizza from a very crinckly piece of aluminum foil.
I was eating, Billy was puffing away.....then we hear a crack behind us. We both turned, and there, about 15 yards away was a nice 8 point buck. All three of us froze. Im pretty sure all three of us also thought, oops.
Without much thought I grabbed my single shot 12 gauge that was leaned against a tree. I swung around, and fired. Luckily the buck immediately hit the ground dead.
In almost 40 years sinse, I have not been approached like that from a big buck. Lots of does and little bucks, but none over 3 years old or so.

 

[SmokingInTheWind]

Absolutely.
If I hunted our yard deer, the bucks would be much calmer with the pipe smoke because they have smelled it 100s of times. But the "wild" bucks are extremely sensitive to anything new.
That said......
My very first buck ever was a big 8 point, about 40 pounds larger than the one I got last week.
I was 16 years old. My friend Billy and I were on our property for our first solo hunt. About 10 minutes into our "hunt", Billy lit a cigarette, while I enjoyed a piece of cold pizza from a very crinckly piece of aluminum foil.
I was eating, Billy was puffing away.....then we hear a crack behind us. We both turned, and there, about 15 yards away was a nice 8 point buck. All three of us froze. Im pretty sure all three of us also thought, oops.
Without much thought I grabbed my single shot 12 gauge that was leaned against a tree. I swung around, and fired. Luckily the buck immediately hit the ground dead.
In almost 40 years sinse, I have not been approached like that from a big buck. Lots of does and little bucks, but none over 3 years old or so.

Even the big ones can get tunnel vision and become oblivious to their surroundings when nose to the ground following a doe during the rut. I’ve witnessed it twice.

 

[STP]

He was looking at me when pulling into my driveway.

 

[PaulRVA]

I dropped this one back in 2017 with
.58 Cal TVM Swamped Barrel Virginia Flintlock from an initial 10 yard spook to a 50 yard shot at full run.
I was smoking Capstan Blue in a Pete 209 while scrolling on my phone.
I looked up and he was right there looking back

 

[tartanphantom]

As much as I love venison (my favorite red meat), the majority my shooting is done at ranges, and I haven’t actively hunted in over 10 years, mainly because I don’t have enough of my own land to support it, and I hate hunting on public lands due to the carelessness of some “Fudd style” hunters.

That being said, I do have hunter friends who keep me flush in deer meat, at a nominal cost, of course.

 

[blueeyedogre]

When I lived in the AK interior, one moose would feed 4 families for the winter.

Yeah, they are big and good eating for sure.

 

[BlueRidge]

I've not shot anything yet because it's too warm to hang one. I could cut one up and put it on ice but just haven't pulled the trigger. they're chasing pretty good here and a cold front coming in for Thanksgiving so there's that. never smoked a pipe while in the woods but hey why not

 

[Sig]

Even the big ones can get tunnel vision and become oblivious to their surroundings when nose to the ground following a doe during the rut. I’ve witnessed it twice.

Absolutely.
Depending on hunting pressure and time of the season.
Later in the season in a moderate to heavily hunted area, even the chick's won't USUALLY bring out the big guys. But, every so often, even they make mistakes.
But, probably 99% of the hunters ive known have never seen a HUGE, old buck during season. And I cannot count the amount of times ive heard, "where do they go? I see bucks everywhere, but opening day...they disappear."
A well fed and smart buck can go days without moving. They can just lay in a thicket of red brush for days, only coming out at night.

 

[PaulRVA]

 

[RPK]

A lot really depends in what part of the country you are hunting. In or near suburban areas where the deer come into neighborhoods to eat the delicious shrubbery they are accustomed to the sights and sounds and smells of man. However, in the north woods or open plains areas any sight, sound or smell that is different will put them on high alert.

 

[Brad H]

I've smoked cigarettes, cigars, pipes, taken a piss out the back of the shooting house, and even got some head out there when I was a young man.

In my opinion, it's noise that scares deer.

I've never killed a monster, but I've killed the shit out of the deer with no regard for smells.

Here is a little trick.
Every time you put out deer corn, piss on it. The deer get used to your scent and won’t mind when you are there.