Pipe Smoking in the Deer Stand...

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SoliDeoGloria

Lurker
Nov 18, 2020
36
78
Bluegrass, KY
EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

Hunting this weekend here in KY, and I know there are a million stories of folks who have killed deer while freight train-ing cigarettes in the stand all day (along with our dads and grandpas who wore blue jeans and flannel - no camo!) but it got me thinking about bringing a cob into the stand with me as I sit/watch/wait...

Anyone have specific experience with smoking while hunting? Do you feel it's negligible (because, HUNT THE WIND) or that it makes a difference in some way? Clearly rifle/muzzleloading would have less effect than archery due to distances, but still I wonder.

I've heard many hunters say that sweet aromas would be more likely to draw deer in rather than spook them, so I'm considering an apple/maple blend and I'll be swimmin' in the venison! :ROFLMAO:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Dec 6, 2019
4,296
19,375
33
AL/GA
I've killed deer in the woods with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth before. I'm also in the no camo club.. seems a lot like grown men playing dress up, to me.

It really depends on the deer.. Some deer are wilder than others. Maybe some people do have problems with deer smelling them. I've always fed mine enough corn so that they aren't so picky.

I've actually killed most of my deer at night from the comfort of a heated car.. Don't worry, I changed my ways after paying a 5000 dollar fine and earning a year of probation.. Took the fun right out of it.
 
I do smoke while hunting and fishing, but I have to admit that I pay less attention when I am. The one time I landed the largest big mouth bass ever was while smoking, but I wasn't paying attention and ended up with a bird nest in my hand from tangle line. But, I did land the fish.
I set in my orchard when hunting, so usually the deer pay no mind to the smoke. But, it probably doesn't help.
 

SoliDeoGloria

Lurker
Nov 18, 2020
36
78
Bluegrass, KY
I do smoke while hunting and fishing, but I have to admit that I pay less attention when I am. The one time I landed the largest big mouth bass ever was while smoking, but I wasn't paying attention and ended up with a bird nest in my hand from tangle line. But, I did land the fish.
I set in my orchard when hunting, so usually the deer pay no mind to the smoke. But, it probably doesn't help.

I'm far too engaged when fishing to smoke a pipe as well. If I was watching bobbers and drowning worms, that's a different story...but I'm usually pitching/flipping or working soft plastics so adding a pipe to the mix would be a bit much for me!

I'm definitely gonna take the cob to the stand with me. Will help discern the wind shifts, after all. ;-)
 

Swampy16

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 12, 2020
156
297
If they smell you they’re gone. If they don’t you’ll have a chance. I’m hunting the PA rifle season this year and it’s always in the back of my mind to bring a pipe. I don’t care all that much if I kill a deer or not, it’s more for the time with friends. But, if I’m puffing away and see a big buck staring at me because he winded me I’m gonna regret it. To hunt the wind is fine but if you’re hunting facing a specific local where you think they’ll be and the wind is in that direction you’re definitely gonna hurt your chances.
 

SoliDeoGloria

Lurker
Nov 18, 2020
36
78
Bluegrass, KY
If they smell you they’re gone. If they don’t you’ll have a chance. I’m hunting the PA rifle season this year and it’s always in the back of my mind to bring a pipe. I don’t care all that much if I kill a deer or not, it’s more for the time with friends. But, if I’m puffing away and see a big buck staring at me because he winded me I’m gonna regret it. To hunt the wind is fine but if you’re hunting facing a specific local where you think they’ll be and the wind is in that direction you’re definitely gonna hurt your chances.

If a buck (or doe for that matter) winds me, I'm of the opinion they're far more offended by my humanly odors rather than a naturally cased aromatic puff of smoke (that may smell like food/forage to them).

But yes, I plan to be 30 ft closer to God in a climber and keeping my scents up, so to speak. :)
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
It's like what bait to use fishing. I'm not a hunter, but I observe animals a lot. They're sophisticated. It's not the smell, sweet or otherwise. It is that something different puts them on the alert. If you're upwind, I'd put out the pipe. Once something changes -- smell, sound, or sight -- they're looking for the source and reason.
 

SoliDeoGloria

Lurker
Nov 18, 2020
36
78
Bluegrass, KY
Here in southern illinois we always just put our deer stand up high enough it was not a concern my ex father in law would save his wife's used feminine hygiene napkins and hang them from a tree by his stand he always killed a ton of deer. I never was that motivated to kill a deer

I've actually used NEW tampons to hang from a branch that I soak with store-bought deer urine...obviously they work great on absorption and functioning as a "scent wick". But using a USED one? ?
 
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Tommy Boy

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 28, 2020
810
1,235
Michigan
I do hunt and shoot deer on a regular basis. I smoke a pipe on the truck ride to and from the field fairly often . The deer has to recognize the smell as "danger" otherwise its nbd or just needs to be investigated. I see no problem with it as my freezer is usually full enough.
 
I have never heard of someone using used tampons to lure deer. Interesting. Sure he wasn't hunting bear or large cats? I kid, I kid. Just never heard of it. But, I do know that after setting in the orchard all day, my daughters can just walk out there and deer will just walk up to them. It always infuriates me, ha ha.

Isn't it interesting that deer have developed a sense of smell to know when people are a danger to them, yet, they just walk right out into traffic..?
 

Magpiety

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 7, 2019
537
1,773
Kansas City
Come and hunt on my land if you're worried about it. The deer here act all tough and aren't afraid of anything, which makes me think they're tougher than me, which makes me afraid to shoot them. They tear up the trees near my house while looking at me like "what you are you gonna do about it." If I send the dog out they just do that cough/hack noise and lazily walk back to the forest.

I don't want to start an inter-species war. They give me that look like "if you shoot at me, you better kill me."