# For early fall bowhunting....



## slowroller (Jun 30, 2009)

Is there a scent (outside of covering mine) that is most appropriate for early fall... acorn, etc. I know its too early for doe urine wick, right?

I've been hunting for a few years and I'm still looking to harvest my first deer. I've had no teacher, most stuff I've learned I've read or experienced (sometimes the hard way). I'm now good enough to find the deer, in general, I just need to position myself appropriately.


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## Angler ss (May 15, 2008)

I am fairly new to bow hunting and hunt mostly marsh areas in northwest ohio the mosquitoes are terrible in early fall so I use bug spray. I have killed deer with bug spray on so have both of my brother- inlaws. I never put to much thought into cover sent or sent lock clothes. WIND is the key you need to put yourself down wind from where you expect the deer to come from so they can't smell you.I am sure every little bit helps the less smell you have the better your chance is of killing a deer the sprays and clothes will help but wind position is a must.
Angler ss


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

Save your money....focus on the prevailing wind and approach to your spot.
Make sure your setup is well hidden.

Tree stand - set the stand on the "back side" of the tree so if you are sitting down you are facing the opposite side of where you expect the deer to be. Pick a multi-based large tree when at all possible - it will break up your outline. If you can't find a great tree like this - hunt a little higher than normal and create your own cover. I'll cut limbs and attach them to the tree.

Blind - ditto; make sure to use natural cover and blend the entire blind in. Leave it sit for a week or so prior to hunting it.

Taking the extra time to make sure your setup is proper is paramount to me! I have had stands where I could almost dance the jig in the tree without being noticed - seriously. This is not typical, but with some time and effort into your setup you can eliminate much of the margin for error.

You hit the early season hunting on the head....find the food sources (acorns are great in most of the state this year). Find the producing white oaks, any clover fields, and the beans (while they remain green). Hunt the routes leading to the feeding areas and you'll get your chance at a deer!

And don't give up - it takes many of us multiple seasons to bag our first deer. Once you do, you'll be hooked for life!


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

Fish-N-Fool said:


> Save your money....focus on the prevailing wind and approach to your spot.
> Make sure your setup is well hidden.
> 
> Tree stand - set the stand on the "back side" of the tree so if you are sitting down you are facing the opposite side of where you expect the deer to be. Pick a multi-based large tree when at all possible - it will break up your outline. If you can't find a great tree like this - hunt a little higher than normal and create your own cover. I'll cut limbs and attach them to the tree.
> ...


I've bowhunt for 35years....this says it all. Only thing I can add is beans are good green or dry and nothing beats a hot oak tree.


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## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

play the wind, scents can be ok, save your money and don't buy scentlock


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## Nitro_boy (Apr 1, 2005)

I just ordered a scent smoker from scentsmoker.com they are here in Ohio and they make a cool little smoker for less than 50 bucks and I've heard lots of good things about them. I can't afford 200 bucks for a scentlocker suit when I'm just a small time hunter.


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## Bonecrusher (Aug 7, 2010)

Scent Smoker is neat. Be careful though it will draw in curious deer who are coming for no other reason than to find where the smoke is coming from!


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## big red (Feb 4, 2010)

playing the wind and good cover and camo is one of your best bets.i use on ocassion is **** urine on my boots.apply a few dropps on each boot about 50yds from your stand then go straight to it.works really well for morning hunts.the deer don't look up unless you make sudden movements.


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## ufaquaoiler (Jan 14, 2010)

slowroller said:


> I've been hunting for a few years and I'm still looking to harvest my first deer. I've had no teacher, most stuff I've learned I've read or experienced (sometimes the hard way). I'm now good enough to find the deer, in general, I just need to position myself appropriately.


your story is exactly like mine! im the only one in my house that hunts and i usually hunt alone, so i had no in field teacher either. prolly 70%+ of what i know about deer hunting has been learned by in field experience rather than people telling me stuff as well. it took me 3 empty tags until i got to fill one on a nice 8 point, but trust me be persistant and once it pays off, you will never forget the excitement of yor first deer. after my first deer i missed my shot the next year, got 1 the next, then 2, then back to 1, then put it all together and got my limit of 4 outta seneca county last year. for early season i just wear a camo under armor long sleeve shirt and camo jeans along with boots, mask, light gloves, and hat. to control scent ive had great success washing my hunting clothes in generous amounts of baking soda, which can be bought for around 50 cents a box. before going out i shower with scent away soap and deodorant. since doing that ive never been busted even if the deer were down wind of me whether im in a stand with a compound or on the ground with a crossbow. you say you can now find deer which is step one, so now that you know where they show up figure out both where they are coming from and where they are going and which trail they are using and then set up a comfortable shooting distance away. when picking a spot, dont sit somewhere just because "it looks good", ask yourself "why would a deer go through there" and if you can provide yourself one or more good reasons, give it a shot. i started seeing a lot more deer once i thought about why DEER would move through there instead of ME liking that spot. as for scents/attractants, im having good success this year putting out experimental plots of 20lbs of corn at a time and spraying cmere deer buck juice (spray bottle) on it. doesnt cost much to try a patch out and if it keeps getting hit good, im sticking with that spot! one in particular the corn is all gone in 2 or 3 days and camera going crazy with does, so guess where im gonna sit opening morning to fill an antlerless tag? i get my corn from the grain elevator @ 10 cents a pound and wal mart has it for around $6.50 per 40lb bag if you dont live near an elevator. feel free to pm me any time since we have the same story and best of luck getting your first deer!


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## negs (May 25, 2010)

Fish-N-Fool said:


> Tree stand - set the stand on the "back side" of the tree so if you are sitting down you are facing the opposite side of where you expect the deer to be


how do see the deer coming? and when they are in front of you aren't they now downwind? or am i missing something?


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## James30 (Apr 13, 2004)

I have to concur that you need to have the right wind and try to eliminate as much scent as you can. I never add any scent except during the pre-rut to rut phase and it is only enough to try and lead a curious buck toward me or to get him to pause momentarily. Partially because I am cheap and don't want to spend the money and the other is because I just don't want to add any more possibly unfamiliar smells into the woods.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

negs said:


> how do see the deer coming? and when they are in front of you aren't they now downwind? or am i missing something?


In following his recommendation (which is a good idea) he is referring to setting your stand downwind of the expected travel area but rather than being on the side facing the travel area position the stand on the back side so that you can stay behind the tree when deer are approaching. You can shoot behind you on either side of the tree. Using this approach you are not sticking out from the tree in front of the deer, thus being more hidden.

As others have mentioned, using the wind is the biggest key to remember. It is helpful to be as scent-free as possible but you will never be totally scent-free so wind is the only reliable factor.

I think the boots are probably the most crucial item to remove scent from because with every step you make through the woods you are leaving a trail that a deer can very easily detect. Use rubber boots and scrub them down good to remove foreign odors. Try to approach your stand from the downwind side and stay off the trails if possible. Do not brush against trees and weeds if possible.


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

negs - as bkr mentioned the stand is still positioned down wind. You have to stand upright hunting in this fashion to be most efficient (so it isn't for a guy that likes to sit). I stand as much as possible, but it is impossible for me to stand all day. I make sure to stand during peak times (say first 90 minutes and last 90 minutes). I can stand for 3-4 hours and do so during peak times. When I hunt long hours, I rotate standing and sitting during non-peak hours.

You will get caught out of position by deer at times, but you'll always get out of position at times....that's hunting! The important thing is you will be far better concealed and you can also hide the motion of your draw behind the tree. I would still advise you to attempt to draw before the deer is in range, or when it is looking the opposite direction. But, if you can find a suitable tree, I've been able to ease behind the tree and draw without them spotting movement many times.

I just swung and missed on 230 acres of prime hunting ground today. Owner said if anything changed with out of town family hunting it I had first dibs. It isn't touched by a bowhunter...they fly in from east coast and gun hunt only. Oh well!!!


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## buckzye11 (Jul 16, 2009)

Get yourself a pile of apples, play the wind, and read up on how to clean a deer.


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