drthornton
Member
Let me preface this discussion by saying I have never Elk hunted but...
I was watching a hunting show recently, a guy and his guide were rifle hunting and watching a Bull in a Meadow at about 250 yards preparing for a shot. The wind (which was in there face) switched to directly behind them. The Bull caught wind and hot footed it out of there.
I am an avid deer bowhunter(whitetail) and I have had deer(does and even mature bucks) downwind of me at very close distances and they almost never spook. I don't use any special clothing. I just watch myself around cooking and other human scents in my hunting clothes/boots. I do use Scent Away a lot, shower in scent free soaps and also use a dirt or cedar cover scent.
Since I have not been Elk hunting what am I missing here?
1. Do Elk have better noses than whitetail?
2. Are Whitetail simply more tolerant of human smells as they inherently live nearer to humans and come across their smells all the time?
3. Is keeping yourself as scent free as possible infinitely harder when you are in the backcountry without access to showers and scent free stuff? The guy on the show has no excuse because he was hunting from a lodge.
4. Is it something to do with the typical elevated nature (treestand hunting) for whitetails? i.e. your smell simply wafts over the deer.
I do believe that there is no substitute for hunting with the wind in your face but getting winded at 250 yards sounds ridiculous to me.
Please, someone set me straight.
I was watching a hunting show recently, a guy and his guide were rifle hunting and watching a Bull in a Meadow at about 250 yards preparing for a shot. The wind (which was in there face) switched to directly behind them. The Bull caught wind and hot footed it out of there.
I am an avid deer bowhunter(whitetail) and I have had deer(does and even mature bucks) downwind of me at very close distances and they almost never spook. I don't use any special clothing. I just watch myself around cooking and other human scents in my hunting clothes/boots. I do use Scent Away a lot, shower in scent free soaps and also use a dirt or cedar cover scent.
Since I have not been Elk hunting what am I missing here?
1. Do Elk have better noses than whitetail?
2. Are Whitetail simply more tolerant of human smells as they inherently live nearer to humans and come across their smells all the time?
3. Is keeping yourself as scent free as possible infinitely harder when you are in the backcountry without access to showers and scent free stuff? The guy on the show has no excuse because he was hunting from a lodge.
4. Is it something to do with the typical elevated nature (treestand hunting) for whitetails? i.e. your smell simply wafts over the deer.
I do believe that there is no substitute for hunting with the wind in your face but getting winded at 250 yards sounds ridiculous to me.
Please, someone set me straight.