Hunting season is in full swing now, and it's nearing the end of October, and in many places, not far from the whitetail rut. I still haven't tagged a deer. I've seen plenty, but they simply haven't come into range. But I think I figured out the problem.
Every time a deer enters the field to the right of my stand, they feed for a while and when they get about 40-50 yards from the stand, they stop and lift up their heads and sniff. They know something is there. It's quite fascinating actually. It's as if there is a circle drawn in a 40 yard radius from my stand. No matter where the deer enter the field, they don't act like anything is wrong until WHAM! They hit an imaginary wall just outside of my bow range and they know something is there. Every. Single. Time. I had 2 bucks, one a nice 6 point, do it. I had a group of 4 does do it. I've had numerous other deer do the same thing: 40 yards, stop, lift up nose, sniff, walk the other way. They don't see me, they don't hear me.
They smell me. I believe you can be as quiet and as hidden as you want, but if deer smell you, they will bust you every time. The oddest thing is, I believe I'm controlling my scent. Last year all I did was rub fresh pine needles against my clothing and gear and it worked, I harvested 3 deer, I don't think any knew I was there, not to mention all the other deer I encountered that season. This year is different. I have some scent killer spray, maybe I should use instead. I know I should pay more attention to the wind, but I can be careless because I want to hunt every chance I get. I'll see how it pays off. Hopefully with good results.
