# Scent Control



## macker13 (Nov 7, 2006)

The hottest market segment of deer hunting is scent control, silver, charcoal, etc.

Do you guys worry about scent management when hunting coyotes? If so, what do you do?


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## C4L (Nov 4, 2011)

You aren't going to keep them from smelling you, if they notice somethings afoot then you better shoot before they get downwind.

You can minimize your scent, and you can really go as far with this as you like, obviously the more you do, the better your scent control will be, from shampoos, detergents, deodorant, wafers, sprays, to scent bombs and scent suits.
I wear a scent blocker jacket, but more because it's 3d leaf and what I have, than anything, I do however spray down with scent a way. If I remember, I'll spray stuff down the night before, then when I actually go out in the morning as well.

This is more for keeping a coyote secure in the story you're telling him, if he isn't alert, your scent is covered decently, you can work coyotes close, even when downwind, as my Thread described I shot two coyotes under 20yds directly downwind. But again, if a coyote is alert, and looking for a reason to beat it, your scent suit, shower regiment, washing etc... will not fool his nose.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Da wind. 'Nuff said.

A whitetails nose aint got nothing on a coyotes. If a coyotes "downwind" of you and still there, he aint in your scent stream, plain and simple. If your breathing, he's gonna smell you, dont matter what you shower with, spray with, cover with, or wear.


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## C4L (Nov 4, 2011)

I agree with most of that, however, are you making an absolute statement pertaining to nature there??

Are you saying if a coyote has the ability to smell you, be he downwind, just close enough(I don't rightly know this distance, suppose it would depend upon the wind, is it 15ft, 20yds, 100 yards...??), hit a boot print you left while walking in... etc... he will always leave??

The last two coyotes I shot were downwind, that is for sure, had to have hit my scent, above and beyond that, the second coyote was 10-15 feet away when we saw each other, I would think he could get my scent at that distance regardless of being upwind or downwind, sans very high wind which there wasn't. He was searching for the source of the female whimper, when I poked my head up and we caught each other, he turned and trotted away, but looking back as if to say, "what the he!! was that" Payed for that hesitance too.

He didn't scream "got your scent" to me, especially since he didn't leave sooner. The next coyote trotted in and could not have missed my scent cone with how he came in, had to have passed it, at the very least, if he wasn't sitting in it when I shot him. Eyes locked on the mojo critter, I was not only upwind, but moved to adjust my rifle/position to then shoot him, at under 20 yards he didn't even flinch.

So, I agree with most of what you said, however, I don't believe a coyote hitting your scent is always a deal breaker, if they aren't alarmed, are just too curious/hungry/horny to catch or care about danger, they can still present great shots, and even continue coming in. Perhaps young, or ignorant of human danger comes into play here as well.

Just too many variables to be giving absolute statements, but perhaps I misinterpreted your post?


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

I have yet to see a coyote that wasnt still on the tit and that I absolutely knew had my wind stick around for more than a few seconds.

I have had lots of coyotes, deer, etc, "downwind" of me that didnt act like they could smell me at all.

My main point was, there is a difference between downwind and actually being in your scent stream. Lots of guys assume that because an animal is "downwind" of them, it is in their scent stream and should be able to smell them (which is why I think so many think stuff like Scent-Lok works). Thermals, wind current eddies, and temperature inversions can make your scent stream do some very very weird things vs what the prevailing wind is doing. Most guys will interpret a coyote or other animal "downwind" and not boogering out as them having managed their odor, or eliminated it. I dont believe it, the animal simply wasnt in their scent stream. A coyotes nose is only about a foot and a half to two feet off the ground. Thermals or temp inversions could be carrying you scent up off the ground six feet, a wind eddy due to topography could be causing the wind to curve off to one side or another from where the coyote is.

It is for this exact reason that I have mostly quit using the powder style windicators when I bowhunt. Sure, they tell what direction the wind is blowing, but they dont show you the subtle nuances that are happening out 20 yards from you, 30 yards, etc etc. Take a powder style windicator, and compare it to something like a small tuft of rabbit hair or milkweed fluff. The hair or milkweed, will show you EXACTLY where your scent is going for as long as you can see the tuft and it doesnt get hung up. Ive seen my "wind" do things that I never would have thought it was doing had I not been using the method I was using.

If a coyote is in your scent stream, he aint gonna be there for long. Yes, a pup may hesitate a bit, but even a "dumb" one isnt gonna sit around long, not unless you hunt coyotes that have never ever ever seen or smelled a human (not likely). When a coyote hits your scent stream, you better be on him and have the safety off.

Now deer, I absolutely believe we can bring our human odor down to a "non-threatening" level through washing with anti-bacterial un-scented soaps and sprays and through hiding our human odor in other odors through the use cover scents. Deer are easy to fool. But a coyote has a much better sense of smell, and is a lot more intelligent than any deer.


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## C4L (Nov 4, 2011)

I understand that, and for the most part agree, my meteorology class taught me quite a bit about thermals, the effects of topography... so on.

What about those coyotes that are used to human scent, say coyotes that sit around farms, cattle, sheep, whatever??
Maybe coyotes that move into more urban areas, taking the neighbors cats and dogs...

Do you think they develop a tolerance of human odor, meaning they wont always associate it with danger, unless another sense tells them otherwise?? Will they get to a point where they don't fear any little sign of human, being around tractor parts, feed bins, even fences should have traces of human scent... anything with our scent on it has to condition them as to not be immediately alarmed and intensely focused on the scent.

If they were that alarmed by human scent, then logically coyotes shouldn't be anywhere near humans, and we know this isn't the case. Now, I understand the difference of a little human scent and being in a scent stream, however, the point is still there, every hit of human scent can't set them off, thus, other indicators must come into play.

No, I don't expect a coyote to sit 20 yards away in my scent stream forever, but I also don't always believe they'll bolt if they hit human scent, sometimes, yes, perhaps most of the time, be ready, but experience has taught me to be patient and let them tell me what to do.

I also acquired some coyote hunting ground because a falconer had coyotes stalking up on her, she watched them for a while, she said once they got within 100 yards she decided to get the he!! out of there, whether they had her scent or not, they sure knew what they were doing, and it shows that human doesn't always = tuck tail and run with them.

I guess we're a bit off track, scent control can help, there isn't a cure all, all we can do is read and react to what the animal is telling us, be ready if they are heading into your scent cone, minimize your scent, sure, play the wind to your favor, definitely.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

I think coyotes do get used to human scent/activity in certain areas and during certain times of the year. I also think they know very well when/where they should be smelling humans, and when they smell one outside of these areas, they get their guard up. Just as urban deer learn quickly where they "should" be running into people (like hiking trails, bike trails, etc), even though they have regular run-ins and contact with people, they still get skittish when they encounter human odor in "their" areas like back in the woods, or somewhere else they arent accustomed to smelling people regularly.

For the amount coyotes get hassled and shot at on sight by people in most places, at all times of the year, places they grow "accustomed" to people are pretty few and far between, or may not even allow hunting at all (urban areas). The 1% that might stick around after winding a human, usually dont get to do so a second time. I also think that coyotes and pigs are probably the best at discerning "old" scent and "holy crap theres someone there" scent. I think a coyote can easily discern between hours old human odor, and a stinky breathing human over yonder in a bush. Easily.

Sense of smell to animals like coyotes and deer is really their only independent sense. If a coyote or deer see's subtle movement in a bush, they're as likely to stop and confirm what that movement was through further observation, or through one of their other senses as they are to bolt.
If a coyote or deer hears something (as long as its not an in your face extremely loud noise) they are just as likely to stop and confirm that sound with their eyes or nose as they are to bolt.
But if a coyote or deer smells a real live breathing human (not old scent) they are much more likely to leave the area with haste than to stop and confirm that smell through another sense.
Smell is there independent sense just as vision is ours. If we hear something, we try to confirm with our eyes, if we smell something, we try to confirm with our eyes.

99% or more of the coyotes just arent gonna stick around at all once they smell you, plain and simple. If you know he's close to possibly winding you, you better shoot him, cuz if you wait for him to tell you what he wants to do after he winds you, youre gonna have to shoot at a lot of running coyotes, or longer shots if you finally do get him stopped again.

Dont worry about the fancy marketing gimmicks, hunt the wind 100% of the time, kill the coyote before he gets downwind, and you'll kill a lot more coyotes. Playing the wind correctly is the only guaranteed scent control device there is.


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## duckp (Mar 13, 2008)

Amen.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Good discussion guys! :thumb:


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## bearhunter (Jan 30, 2009)

i tend to disagree. you CAN beat their nose but it takes an extreame amount of work to do so. 
and no, just spraying down with scent killer ai'nt gonna do it!!!. 
i've only done my scent control to the max 1 time for coyote and it was in a tournement. we shot 15 that day and most were downwind at some point at 25-50 yards and none busted us.


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## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

The only way to keep a coyote from smelling you is to be able to hold your breath for a LONG time. All of the scent killers and cover scents will not stop the scent emanating from your lungs. Not even the scent killer gum. Yep, it exists. :roll:
On the subject of "cover" scent. It just provides one more thing for the coyote to smell in addition to your scent. Canines are capable of differentiating over 800 individual scents. This means that if a canine smells seven different odors at once, even if one of them is overpowering, it can identify them ALL. I was treated to a stunning display of this while hunting scaled quail in New Mexico some years ago. The wind was blowing directly from a natural gas facility to where the quail were usually hiding. We are talking as close a few hundred yards. The fumes were strong enough that I was developing a slight headache. I thought there was virtually no chance of my little border collie smelling any quail and figured that I would just have to spot them running ahead where I could. Much to my astonishment and delight, she trailed coveys and singles for over 2 1/2 hours! That ended my interest in cover scent right there. A coyote's olfactory abilities should be at least equal to my dog's. 
That said, there is merit to "diversionary scent". Placing an appropriate scent where a coyote can lock in on it BEFORE he gets downwind of the caller/shooter can be effective, especially in conjunction with a decoy.


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