dan wrote:Mathewshooter wrote:dan wrote:About the time you started using scent control, is probably about the time you got serious about hunting big deer. Less mistakes = less getting busted. Even if it did make a difference, it would not be my cup of tea. It takes away the whole thing that makes hunting deer a challenge. They are coming real close with Ozonics and such, and personally, I hope they never make hunting deer as easy as putting on a magic suit. It would take the fun out of it and make accomplishments not so big a deal.
You're exactly right about less mistakes=less getting busted. The less mistakes I was making were scent related. I consider the deer I've shot to be just as much an accomplishment as anyone elses....especially where I've shot them. For anyone to say that deer shot using scent control arent as much of an accomplishment is just not on point. That would be like saying deer shot playing the wind arent that much of an accomplishment because the deer was at a disadvantage. Thats the whole point....giving yourself the advantage over the deer. The suit isnt magic but every bit helps. To each their own.
If you could remove all your scent, yes, it would be less of an accomplisment than not removing all your scent... If they legalized shooting deer with machine guns out of an helicoptor would it not be easier than hunting from a treestand?
I can tell you for fact, that if I could become completely scent free like John claims to be I could walk up to bedded big bucks and shoot them in there beds on a very regular basis. I can move quiet, I know where there looking, and if scent was not an option, just shoot em where they lay... If you think being able to set up, and hunt up wind of deer is not an advantage, your mistaken, and it makes me wonder why you would do it if it don't benafit you? It would be like me saying the deer I shoot with my compound is as much an accomplishment as the ones guys shoot with recurves... Or that my rifle kills are just as much an accomplishment.
Think what you want, but I believe removing scent from the equation would make hunting to easy. I personally like the challenge.
For the record, I dont think anyone can be totally scent free like John claims. I think hunting up high has a lot to do with it too. I do believe that you can REDUCE your scent to the point where it lets you get away with some mistakes you wouldnt have gotten away with before. Now, if you're hunting an area thats miles of wilderness and deer never smell humans it may not help you at all. Those deer probably get out of dodge at the faintest hint of human odor but the public land I hunt is loaded with hunters, hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers so deer are used to smelling humans. I think they know how close they are by how strong that odor is and whether or not its in the danger zone. And I never said I set up and hunt upwind of the deer on purpose. I still try to play the wind but it swirls a lot around here and the deer can come from any direction in most of my spots so relying soley on the wind is futile at best. Like I said...to each his own. I'm not gonna sit here and say my way is the only way or your way is wrong. I'm just giving my experiences so guys can decide for themselves if its for them.