Was sitting having a coffee this morning and out popped a fawn in the back yard by itself ,it went nuts running around sampling different browse and it really enjoyed the wild apple tree leaves. My yard is about 400 ft square and 800 ft off the road and that little fawn was all over it then disapeared down over the hill.So it is raining and blowing about 20 klm and after 5 minutes out pops momma exactly where the fawn did only she lifts her head ,smells then takes off down over the hill on the diagonal chasing her fawn .She came into the wind nose in the air on a rainy windy day so that started me thinking about sitting in the stand and just how well they can smell so maybe no more gassy foods the night before and no smoking and leave my hunting clothes and gear in the shed this year.
Just how well can a deer smell
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Nothing and I mean nothing do they use more than their nose . Noise yep they will get alarmed but the first smell they don't like is white flag and gone and IMHO can smell a fart before it comes out 
We did many experiments with them years ago when in stands and bored with does in front and buck only season to see just what would get the does to run and change of wind was No. 1
We did many experiments with them years ago when in stands and bored with does in front and buck only season to see just what would get the does to run and change of wind was No. 1
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When hunting deer, if the wind is not blowing in your face, you are at a disadvantage. If the wind is swirling , and gusting in all directions, sit still in one spot. My favourite time to hunt is during or just after a light rain when the ground is soft and there is no wind.
I'd say deer can smell pretty damm well based on getting busted many times over the years. As was said above, if the wind isn't in your face its a problem. Even quartering into the wind you need to be vary careful.
I've read that deer often wait for two senses to confirm danger. So if the hear and then see you too close or hear and smell you they're out of there. I think this is most often true, but, I believe smell is their number one sense and will spook them before anything else. After all, the woods are full of sounds and flashes of movement that they know do not present any danger to them but the smell of man and other predators ALWAYS means danger.
I've read that deer often wait for two senses to confirm danger. So if the hear and then see you too close or hear and smell you they're out of there. I think this is most often true, but, I believe smell is their number one sense and will spook them before anything else. After all, the woods are full of sounds and flashes of movement that they know do not present any danger to them but the smell of man and other predators ALWAYS means danger.
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My father taught me to walk at a snails pace while hunting deer and to stop and look behind you every two hundred yards or so. A deer may scent you but often remains curious and will make a wide circle around you and come out behind you to sniff the ground you just walked across. How many time have you walked out the same trail or road you walked in on only to find deer tracks in or around your boot tracks?
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Very good advice, and I have seen deer tracks around my tracks on the return.
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Same here my dad always said lift your feet and walk softly and don't work up a sweat , stop listen , look back wait 5 -10 mins then proceed .
Cannot count how many times a deer walked my trail or maybe I've walked it's trail in or out .so many times I've walked face to face with a doe going in or out , only to get busted or it move over and investigate my presence .
Biggest thing is do not rush in and break a sweat or make noise that stands out , watch those feet of yours to where you step .
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We would be in the tree stand prior to gun season and wave our arms, break branches and hit the arrow off the tree trunk to see what they would do
Yes they would jump and look and most times paw the ground and snort and if they ran it would only be a few yards and then come back
Wind would change and bang history and no return
Just our observations from some bored up trees arrow hunters playing with does
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Yes they would jump and look and most times paw the ground and snort and if they ran it would only be a few yards and then come back
Wind would change and bang history and no return
Just our observations from some bored up trees arrow hunters playing with does
.
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My only experience with bears is with the one I married and can smell well but also hit dam hard with the paws
Same here.
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Depends where you hunt. If you are somwhere where deer smell people all the time they don't care. In middle of nowhere they smell your fart they are gone. I can almost pet the deer near my house cause they are accustomed to human scent and don't associate it with danger. Truro is a prime example of that too.
some critters have an amazing sense of smell - if you've ever been around a dog with a good nose y'know what Im talking about.
that horny buck can track a doe, that passed by 2 days ago, by her hoof scent and her pheromones floating in the air - unreal.
that horny buck can track a doe, that passed by 2 days ago, by her hoof scent and her pheromones floating in the air - unreal.
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Good point. Town deer here for sure don't apply
Cheers
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What I gather here in this topic is, as long as I don`t fart in the woods I should be successful. At my age I cant trust a fart at anytime LOL.
A deer’s vision and hearing are only slightly better then a humans. Sense of smell is something else, better then a dogs. Deer have something like 295 million olfactory receptors in their nose where a dog has around 220 million.( forget the exact numbers) Deer also have a scent detecting gland in the roof of their mouth so you could say they have two noses! Hunting in the rain/drizzle is advantageous as rain water contains ozones that kill scent. This is why I hang my hunting clothes outside on rainy days! High wind tends to blow your scent away but deer are more edgy and nervous on windy days because it hampers their sense of smell as well as their hearing.
When still hunting I always watch my backtrail and have seen and shot numerous deer that way. Deer will remain completely stationary if they think you don’t see them, they will watch you go by and then carry on with whatever they were doing and quite often they will step out behind you and watch you walk off into the sunset. I have trained myself to not look directly at something I catch out of the corner of my eye when hunting. I try to continue along and get behind a tree and look back because I’ve learned that as soon as you make eye contact with a deer standing there looking at you they tend to disappear very quickly!!!
Deer have feet that smell worse then humans!
When still hunting I always watch my backtrail and have seen and shot numerous deer that way. Deer will remain completely stationary if they think you don’t see them, they will watch you go by and then carry on with whatever they were doing and quite often they will step out behind you and watch you walk off into the sunset. I have trained myself to not look directly at something I catch out of the corner of my eye when hunting. I try to continue along and get behind a tree and look back because I’ve learned that as soon as you make eye contact with a deer standing there looking at you they tend to disappear very quickly!!!
Deer have feet that smell worse then humans!
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So true 3D
take care
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