Is Scent Control Necessary When Scouting During the Pre-Season?

As soon as hunting season ends, a new one begins.  Hunters start post-season scouting, shed hunting, and planning for the next hunt.  However, we need to define a time frame or cut-off in which pre-season scouting begins.  For me, it’s one month prior to the start of archery season.  In fact, I just started diving deep into placing my trail cameras in the whitetail woods this weekend and I’m already fired up for the start of bow season.

However, that doesn’t mean I’m not doing deer stuff all season long.  However, most of my scouting is done by glassing soybean field and windshield time in the months prior to the start of bow season.  About a month before the season begins, I like to place my treestands, climbing stands, mock scrapes, and refresh my mineral sites in time to let the woods calm down a bit.

This weekend, I was able to put a few cell cams out and scout a couple of new spots that I’ll be returning to before hunting season.  The goal is to let each location sit for approximately one month before it’s time to hunt them.  Judging by the trail camera data that I’ve gathered this week, the deer were unfazed by my presence.  However, they’ll only tolerate so much intrusion before they leave, which is why some bucks may be avoiding your treestand.

There are several different options for hunters to choose from when it comes to pre-season scouting, including:  glassing from afar, driving around in the evenings to observe deer from the road, walking creek bottoms in search of fresh tracks near water sources, locating potential bedding areas, and following game trails from food sources to bedding.  However, the easiest way to scout for deer is the use of cellular trail cameras.

You should be prepared to utilize all of these methods and more to prepare for the upcoming hunting season.

The most obvious choice would be wind direction.  If you’re hanging stands close to bedding areas, make sure your wind is blowing away from deer as best as possible.  Also, the weather conditions drastically change the way how long your scent stays in the area.

In the past, I was under the impression that a good rain would wash away my scent trail, however, if you’ve ever spent time with a good tracking dog, you’ll find that isn’t the case.  A dry, windy day will help your scent trail dissipate faster than a moist, wet day.  Scent molecules attach themselves to the moisture on the ground and vegetation, holding onto your scent for longer than a warm dry day would.

When scouting, whether it be the pre-season or post-season, make sure you avoid walking as much as possible.  Where possible, travel on an ATV/UTV or electric hunting bike.  This allows you to move through the area quicker, leaving less scent behind.  Plus, it’s less effort and you’ll sweat less!

Rubber boots are nice, but it’s too hot for me to wear rubber boots in the heat of the summer.  Instead, I spray my Crispi Nevada hunting boots down with a Elimishield Hunt Field Spray and wear them instead.  However, if I can access my hunting area on an ATV or ebike, I try not to even put my feet on the ground to reduce the odor left behind as much as possible.  This can be done with trail cameras, mocks scrapes, and when looking for sign in accessible areas but it’s not practical for hanging treestands.

Let’s take the one month rule into account.  If I’m hanging stands more than one month before I’ll be hunting, then I’m not concerned about it.  If it’s the day before the hunt, then I’m taking as much precaution as possible, including scent control.  A lot of hunters make the mistake of busting into their hunting areas mid-day the weekend before they plan on hunting and wonder why the buck they’ve had on camera all summer didn’t show up the first sit of their hunt.

Human pressure, including your scent, will mess up a good hunting spot.  If you have to be in your hunting area less than one month before the start of your hunt, then take the extra precaution to use scent control and go in when the temperatures are mild.  I’ve found that a tree saddle makes hanging treestands much easier as it frees my hands and helps me exert less effort when climbing or holding onto the tree.  Even if you never plan on saddle hunting, you should still consider buying a saddle for hanging treestands.

A good rule of thumb is to get up early and get the hardest stuff finished first for the day, then worry about the easy stuff as the day progresses.

Trail cameras, both cellular and non-cellular trail cameras have revolutionized the way we hunt.  Both play a key role in my hunting success each fall and nothing gets me more excited for the start of hunting season than watching a big buck pop up on my favorite cellular trail camera app.

Cell cams reduce the need for you to be in the area as hunters aren’t tempted to check their trail cameras every few days.  This is one reason that cell cameras have helped hutners tag more trophies is because they’ve reduced the amount of human pressure in the area.

However, the non-cellular trail cameras are just as important to my hunting success.  Just make sure you don’t check them too often and follow these steps for scent control.

• Access the trail camera via ATV, truck, or eBike.
• Spray the camera down with Elimishield Hunt Field Spray after replacing the SD card and/or batteries.
• Pro Tip:  Hang your trail camera at least 6′ high so that it points down at the deer and is out of their line of sight.

Ways To Reduce Scent When Scouting for Deer

Regardless of the time of year that you’re scouting, here are a few tips to help you reduce the scent that you leave behind when you enter the whitetail woods.

• Wash clothing in Elimishield Hunt Laundry Detergent
• Treat clothing, boots, and gear with Elimisheild Hunt X10D
• Treat clothing with ozone (such as an Ozonics unit)
• Wear lightweight, moisture-wicking clothing
• Spray clothing and gear with Elimishield Hunt Field Spray and allow it to dry before you wear it.
• Carry Elimishield Hunt Field Spray in the woods with you to spray down trail cameras after hanging.
• Avoid the hottest parts of the day
• Dry conditions allow scent molecules to dissipate faster than wet conditions such as rain.
• Rubber boots help reduce odors but not if they cause you to sweat more than lightweight hiking boots.
• Use a cover scent such as RAW Frozen Scents Calming Scent