[doubleg]

While hunting can deer smell cigarette smoke, chew spit? Anyone know if they are alarmed when they smell these things.

[mikeb3185]

you are going to get a huge split vote on this. i have hunted with people who will not let you go with them if you smoke and others who wear thier hunting clothes everywhere and hunt in them the next day. i know people who were smoking when they harvested their deer.

so my answer is yes and no

[gunmn74]

I think it may affect some of the bigger deer and will stand out more in
a wildness area where they are not use to it. The farmer whose gound
I hunt smokes and I shot a nice buck with my bow while I had a cigarette
hanging out of the corner of my mouth. I sat down and finished smoking
before I climbed down to collect him.;)

[eliphalet]

I usta chew when I was still huntin instead of smokin, but it has been several years since I quit tobacco completely, and as far as hunting goes I can tell no difference then or now. I've had deer walk within 10 feet of me kinda hidden in the brush hunting, when I was a smoker and just keep on browsing, so my guess is it doesn't matter much.

[jungleroy]

While bow hunting in Michigan, I have chewed beechnut and spit from my tree stand, and Deer still wander right across the trail next to that tree.
I Don't chew tobacco anymore, but I would not avoid doing it while hunting if I was still hooked.

[hounddog]

I have actually spit on deer and it didn't bother them, but that was on a scouting trip in a stand.

[sm]

We just stick signs up in deer country:
Please do not breathe while I smoke
Damn deer quit breathing, and one ain't even got to shoot 'em; not a bad deal with the price of ammunition these days.

;)

[Geno]

Real men don't spit from their chaw. :evil:

I have witnessed deer simply to ignore human behavior that should have sent them scattering. Last year, I faced off at about 100 yards with an old buck. He just starred me (and my daughter) down. I suspect he knew deer season was not open. Therein is where I have seen greater difference than anything else...the season, not the human behavior.

Doc2005

[xring44]

You bet they can smell cigarette smoke, two seasons ago while bowhunting the edge of a overgrown field at about 25' in a pecan tree a really good buck bedded down some 50/75 yards downwind of my position. I was high enough that the wind was carring my scent above the nose of the buck. I have a bad back and can sit a limited time, when I absolutely couldn't stand it anymore, I decided that rather than give him my scent by climbing down, I'd light up a marlbroro and blow the smoke downward, the second puff I blew downward, his head popped up, he stood and with a slinking body language he slipped away. I had seen him twice before but never saw him again.

I'm hopelessly hooked on cigarettes and have killed my share of good bucks, but wonder just how many more I would have taken if I didn't have to puff one now and again.

Another way of looking at the equasion is if they can smell your cigarettte smoke, with the exception of instances as my intentionally blowing the smoke downwards, they can smell you, that being the case, they are gone anyway.

[Muzzy_B]

Real men don't spit from their chaw.

+1

Before I quit cold turkey 6 months ago I wouldn't think about walking into the woods without a bag of Red Man Golden Blend or a can of Skoal. One afternoon before falling asleep in a tripod, I pulled a pinch of dip out of my lip and pushed it through the grate of the stand. When I woke up after dark to leave, I jumped a doe that was standing directly under me sniffing around my old slobbery wad of mouth cancer. I don't know who jumped higher that evening, me or her.

[wolf_from_wv]

Do they equate the smell with humans or with forest fires?

[Art Eatman]

IMO, deer smell cigarette smoke more easily than just the smell of a non-smoking person. No way to prove it, though. It could be that cigarette smoke is more unusual than just people, and wild critters generally don't like what's unusual.

I've always figured that a deer that's downwind from me will smell me, whether or not I'm smoking. (Which could segue into the story of the doe that stole my big buck, but I won't. :D )

If your "most probable" area to see a deer is upwind from you, it doesn't matter if you bathe or not, smoke or not. Just be quiet and be still. The hand motions involved with smoking, with movement near your bright, shiny face, can be a quick give-away.

Art

[ID_shooting]

can they smell, sure, no reason to argue they cant. Do they care? That can be argued all day with no result. My only archery deer I shot was a due that literally bumped into me while I was walking down the trial to me stand. I was drinking a soda and smoking as we were still a mile or so away from the pond. She and 2 others walked out from behind the bushes not 10 feet away. We all just stared at each other for what seemed like 10 minutes. They didn't run till we started dropping stuff to get our hands free to unsling the bows. We both tagged out.

[.41 magnum man]

I use to chew, and I don't think it matters much. Smoking is more likely to be picked up by a deer, but I feel it only effects them negatively when they have been hassled by hunters for days on end. I knew a guy who fell asleep smoking and woke up to a deer standing a few feet away staring at his cigarette. I don't think using cigarettes as a lure is going to work though.
As someone mentioned before, what ever you do, stay on the down wind side. In the past I would make sure my clothes were scent free, my boots were not worn anywhere but the woods, and I sprayed stuff on me to kill the scent. Even when I done that I still got busted sometimes. Now, I don't really care about any of that. All I do is play the wind. I know I am fortunate that I have my own place to hunt on and have my stands set up against the prevailing wind in my area. I also have a good way to get to each stand that somewhat keeps me from getting winded and seen. If we get a northern or eastern wind, then I get in another spot if I need to, although some of my stands are set up so that the deer don't smell me anyway. I've got a ten foot ladder stand that I have set in and had deer on the hill in front of me at eye level within 30 yards, and though the wind was blowing from me to them, they never knew I was there. If I had been on the ground they would have got my scent, but up high it just blows right along over their heads. But as far as tobacco goes, I'd say your sandwich or beenie weenies could scare off a deer just as well.

[ArmedBear]

I knew a guy who fell asleep smoking and woke up to a deer standing a few feet away staring at his cigarette.

Here, if you do that, you'll wake up to CDF firefighters running by, and helicopters dropping fire retardant on you.:)

The ground here is covered with dry leaves and other tinder, and the brush goes up like a candle.

[sm]

Art is correct of course.

Deer, as do all critters, know their habitat.

Something incidentally, humans could learn a lesson from, in how to survive in the real world.

Staying upwind, is the main thing with any critter.

My Mentors never bought into the Marketing hype of camo, scents, and all.
Their take was "don't learn on a crutch, for if you lose that crutch, you will fall down".

Woods Craft Skills, gets back to correct basic fundamentals.
Folks speak of Serious Situation and so what if one was stuck out in the woods, small plane crash, vehicle trouble on a road trip.
The ability to "Survive" is dependent of one's Skill Sets, and if a small plane makes an emergency landing out in the middle of nowhere, knowing how to "hunt" for food might come in handy.
Same skill sets may also come in handy to not be Prey .

You are most likely not going to have your Camo, Scents, and other Equipment.


Farm and Ranch Country, Deer, critters are accustomed to Sights, Scents, and Situations.

Smell of gasoline, diesel fuel , the smell of smoke from a Smoke House, burning brush piles...

Hearing vehicles, such as gas/diesel trucks, tractors, doors opening , closing, tailgates being let down and closed.
Crop Dusters, taking off, landing...

Habitat :
True.
Night firing, tanks, for instance and with all the noise, smoke, smells, HERDs of deer running across the range, between the Tanks and Targets.
!
Deer just "used to" all this going on, take note of where the tanks are, downrange target, and take off between them...sometimes just "mosey" across, stop, look around...


Timber : Timber companies with NO Trespassing signs , gates across roads.
Now I had heard the deer, critters get used to Timber Folks being out and doing what all they do.
I was assisting with "tree trimming", instructing the folks that use shotguns to trim trees.
Seriously.

We are dressed in jeans, khakis and regular work clothes, and for Safety Reasons, Safety Vests in Hunter Green, Orange, with the Reflective stripes.
We are making noise, with the trucks, smoking using "butt cans" and sipping coffee and shooting 12 ga shotguns near the truck, and I get tapped on the shoulder and slowly turn my head.
We had six big bucks, just laying on the ground, like hound dawgs on a porch, watching us.
Less than 20 steps away.

Head on down the fire break, check the side view, and a few were just mosey -ed along behind us, to see what we were going to do next.

We had to stop the truck. Turkeys coming down the trail , and we were in Their way.
Just fussing up a storm "get off our trail would you!"

I'm serious, I am standing on the "step up" , and I could have kicked the Turkeys with my foot.

There is a place for "fitting in", and using "common sense".
Like deer hanging around a apple, or pear orchard are going to pick up on some store bought scents.

Smoke, some are used to smoke. They hang "smoke pots" out to keep bugs out, and for Orange groves, these "heaters" (old style) smelled keeping the Oranges from freezing when an unexpected cold snap hit.

Habits , Habitats, and How to's.

One might find themselves in a serious situation, like Katrina, and all you gots is what you have and need meat.

[mbt2001]

I actually don't think it matters much.

[Gunbabe]

My husband and a friend were out hunting deer a couple years ago. They both paused for a cig break and a big buck just walked right infront of them and made all kinds of noise because he wanted through. Didn't scare him in the least. Maybe instead of the Marlboro man he was the Marlboro deer.

[cpttango30]

What you need to do is start leaving opened packs out in the woods with a lighter. That way you can get the Deer hooked on them lung torpedos. Then You stop putting them out right before hunting season starts. Then all you need to do is carry a pack with you and light one up they will come a runnin for miles. Then when they are all sitting there waiting for you to give them a smoke you can pick the one you want and pop him.


Ok so maybe that will not work. I know my cousin hated it when he was with guys that smoked in the Army. He could smell it from a long ways off I think about 200 to 400 yards. He always said if you want to stay alive do not smoke. I do not know about that but then again he spent 3 years trying to get into the SF then made it and dropped out(for family reasons, he wanted to keep his).

[birddog]

Not to cast a pall over this excellent thread but here you go:

1. My father-in-law was my hunting mentor and chain-smoked religiously on stand. He also killed more deer (and nice deer) than most of our crew, including me.

2. My father-in-law died at 61 of cancer. He was a good man, and I miss him.

I'm not an anti-smoking nut, by any means. Smoke 'em if you got 'em, but this is my personal experience.

[sm]

Critters have such timing.

If one takes a leak, lights a smoke, takes a sip of coffee, wipes glasses, reaches for more shells, anything...
That is when the doves, ducks, squirrel, rabbits, deer ...any game will show up.

That is when a fish will bite too...

[davinci]

I don't smoke while I fish, it gets on the bait and scares them off.

hunting and fishing require patience, and that's about it.... smoking has never caused an issue for me. I've heard the silliest rumors about deer not going anywhere near human smells, but they seem to be pretty ok with the smell of car exhaust and rubber from our highways.

my opinion, if you're not finding deer to hunt, it's probably due to reasons other than your smoke. If you really want to try it out, plant a bunch of those deer-love-em plants and put up your tree stand. Sit, wait, smoke like a chimney. Wait until the next weekend, come back. See if more deer come by to visit.

Whatever you do, however, don't blow smoke near the deer. The smoke could give a doe cancer.

[doubleg]

Well where I am the wind blows in every direction while i'm hunting. I once spent 6 hours camped out with full scent proof gear on a hill top waiting and didn't see one damn thing. Finally I got up and started walking through the woods. As soon as I made it over this ridge (seems like they were camped out there and knew where I was the whole time) there were 4 deer (1 buck 3 doe) staring at me. As soon as I pushed the safety forward on my mossberg they took off, and of course I missed the shot. Anyways I had fun and I won't hesitate to smoke and dip this season.

[22-rimfire]

I believe deer will smell you regardless of whether you smoke or not. The wind direction is the key. I tend to watch in the upwind direction more than the downwind. The wind tends to swirl around a lot where I hunt and sometimes I can't tell which way the wind is blowing. So, I don't worry about it other than pay more attention in what I believe to be upwind and less downwind of me.

I have shot deer while smoking a pipe more than a couple times. I do smoke in the woods sometimes but try to make it infrequent. It is often just before I get up to move.

The same goes for human urine. I don't think it makes any difference at all, but I try to keep the scent down as much as possible.

[Geno]

Speaking of smelly people...when I go deer hunting, I arrive early, take off my jacket, lay on the ground and roll around about 10 feet of field like an ol' hound dog. Then, I roll my jacket all over the ground. I wash my clothes in plain water, then leave them hanging out-of-doors for a few days before hunting, and during the entire season too.

It works for me, and I suspect that we all have our little hunting rituals, like still-hunting in the brush, dead-center on a deer-run. In my experience, even when spooked, deer seem to habitually follow their tracks (runs). I have seen this for 47 years of life on the family farm. Even when shot at, darn it, they tend to follow those same runs. Even my former-smoker uncle bagged many a good deer there.

This is a great thread...thanks for starting it, and thanks all who have contributed. It is serious food for thought.

Doc2005

[Clipper]

My uncle, who was a heavy smoker, told me a story about hunting in the U.P. in the 'forties. He was sitting under a cedar on a warmish morning, when it started to snow. You know how relaxing that is, and he fell asleep, only to be awakened by an 8-point buck that walked up to his smoke-smelling self, stuck his snout almost in my uncle's ear and gave a loud snort. He wasn't sure which one came farther off the ground!

[wolf_from_wv]

I've had to stop firing at a local rifle range, while the deer walked across... (5-6 different days)

[koja48]

We usually have fire-breathin' chili at least one night in both deer & elk camp, plus the "after hunting hours" occasional beer & a shot or two of smooooth whiskey (for medicinal purposes only) during a cribbage game/liars' session. I do believe that the game would prefer the smell of 'baccy the next day my own self . . . spicy buffalo jerky doesn't do much for what's left of the ozone layer either . . .

[scubie02]

meh, I don't think they care. My brother always smokes and gets more dear than most folks I know, and I used to smoke, and don't really see a difference either way. An old timer I knew used to smoke a pipe and swore it ATTRACTED dear, and he ALWAYS got a deer, every year. he claimed they smelled it and were curious what it was and would come to him from great distances.

I also once read about one method they used to use back in the day where they would just go out in the woods and build a big bonfire and just sit around talking and whatever and wait for the deer to show, and apparently they often did--same principle I guess--curiosity.

Like I said, it never seemed to make a difference with me--saw any number of deer WHILE I was smoking.

[Pigspitter]

Real men don't spit from their chaw.
Man, that reminds me of earlier this month. A guy on our team was dippin in the locker room when the coach walked in and the guy swallowed about of quarter of a can of grizzly. I witnessed my first miracle when he went the whole practice without puking.

[coelacanth]

most wildlife get used to their environment pretty quickly. No matter what is present in that environment be it smoke, diesel fumes, vehicles, or what have you. You will never see more game than when you are out in the bottomlands plowing soybeans or corn. You could limit out in 5 species from the tractor seat in 30 minutes. Fire up another one son, the deer don't care. :D

[Kurt S.]

I have been smoking a cheap, smelly cigar in a stand and had deer approach within a few feet from both upwind and downwind.

BTW, I am not a regular smoker, the cigars are just something that seem to go along with my personal outdoor experience.

[MCgunner]

How selfish, I mean, givin' them deer cancer with that second hand smoke. Jeez, people! :D

[sm]

Nice thing about being able to chaw tobacco / dip Skoal , and sip coffee with out getting the two mixed up - other folks get a series case of the weebie-jeebies and can't hit squat.

They miss deer, birds, small game, whatever, and been known to miss a whole truck tail gate and take a hard seat onto the ground.


Y'all come back - ya hear? :)

[littlegator]

Just a little statistic, don't remember the source, but I heard that 75% of deer populations have reported an increase in second-hand smoke causing lung cancer. Afflicted deer can only run 100 yards and then fall over dead from a heart attack. Ended the debate on which caliber to use on deer. ;)

[sm]

Here is my take.

If something begins life, someday it ceases life.

I am disposable, always known I was, and just accept it.
Wouldn't do much good to worry or fret, that cuts into living time.

Natural Order means, Universe did its thing before I showed up, when I die, Universe going to continue on.

I've seen the 26 year old male , that ran, jogged, ate healthy and work out, die of a heart attack just upstairs from the OR in a hospital.
Seen the 96 year male - that still liked a cigar, and nip of whiskey, breeze through knee surgery.

It is in the Genes.
I don't give a Rip what anyone says, when it is your time to exit, you exit.

Deer, any game is the same way.
Old Bucks get found, really old and just died of old age.

Young bucks get nailed early.
Does, get shot in Doe Season, and the Fawns are going to either make it or not without her. Natural Order of things...
Like that Mother of three and raising another child, just up and died in Car Crash. Fell asleep at the wheel she did.
Kids come on up with her...

Smoke, drink , chase women . Deer don't care, I don't care.
Some wimmin smoke, drink , and chase guys, Doe don't care they don't either.

Just don't breath while I smoke .

Sometimes folks get out to hunt, to have a good time, pass forward to another , kids, families and all.

Some get out to screw around on husbands and wives.

Some just get out to fuss.
That ain't living, that ain't hunting, that ain't even "existing".

Hunting for something to stick one's nose in - is not hunting, and for sure not sportsman's like.


Marlboro Red, currently works fine for me.
Then again Lucky Strike and L.S.M.F.T never let me down either.

[45Badger]

I quit smoking a few years back. I used to be paranoid about smoking in a treestand. My best hunting (chain smoking) buddy poo-poo'd my worry for years. I finally broke down and smoked while gun and bow hunting. Nothing changed, killed nice deer every year.

The BIGGEST deer either he or I ever took was a HUGE 10 pointer on his dad's farm in upstate NY (northwest of Utica). My buddy was taking a crap, leaning against a tree about 20 yards from his stand, smoking a cigarette, when the bruiser walked right up to him, stopped and stared. He shot the deer in the chest at about 10 yards. That ended all my nuttiness about scent control. :cool:

Now I just spray on the odor eliminator, and drop some doe urine on my boots and walk in to my stand. Seems to work fine.

[sm]

Like I said,
critters will show up when you least expect them.

Ducks for instance. Flights will stop, or not come your way.
I assure you, if you have to pee, and are in chest waders, that is when the ducks will cover you up.

Funny is hearing the gals in the blind next to yours "Oh come on , surely one of us has to pee, with all this water and drizzling rain".
"NO"
"Well somebody is going at least pretend they are to get the ducks to fly, who has a quarter so we flip for it".

Three gals in a blind...

MY buddy and I cracking up. Ducks started coming in, and "Hey- ya'll gonna shoot or look for quarters?"

"That is my gun!"
"Oh shut up and and shoot mine, we got ducks in the wire".

My buddy and I would have paid good money to have seen these 3 looking for something to flip, and "rock, paper scissors" and all they were carrying on
about.

[MCgunner]

Yeah, every time I pick up to go thinking the birds have quit flying, well, you know.....:banghead:

[sm]

Critters have a checklist on "How to spot a new hunter".

-Check for tobacco.
-Fancy Camo clothes
-Scents.
-Gun oil that has No Scent, or smells like some kind of spice
-Under all that crap hanging - there is a gun attached to it.
-Expensive Truck, and it don't leak oil.
- Copy of "101 Excuses for how come you missed"
-Copy of " 52 Excuses to tell your wife how come all this hype you had to have, did not result in game being brought home"
-Spare Key to Brother-in-Laws house to sleep on the sofa.
-Thin wallet.

:)

[MeekandMild]

One thing about it I've seen and shot a lot more deer in nonsmoking years than when I was smoking. Plus now I can smell them, which I couldn't do when all I could smell was my own smoke. Can also smell the doe pee that newby hunters like to dab all over them. :D

[NDGeek]

I'm with the "It doesn't make a difference" crowd.

The deer I hunt every year probably don't see many people at all through the year. Which might explain why they are so dumb :)

They probably don't have a clue what it is when they smell it. Just another smell. If they smell it, then get shot at.. well you would hope they wise up quick.

I smoke constantly while walking up and down draws, never had a problem filling the freezer.

[22-rimfire]

I have to admit that this thread is a real surprise. I do what I do, but I didn't expect others to do it to. I honestly think deer like the smell of the vanilla flavoring in some tobacco's and will actually move toward it.

[Shadow Shock]

It doesn't make a difference. 90% of the time when my dad kills a deer, he's smoking. We only wash our camo a couple times a season, only when it gets real bloody. I've shot a doe while taking a dump. White tails are too curious for their own good. Smell doesn't matter for them. At least not anywhere were I've hunted (Texas and Louisianna).

[willp58]

I have one bud that hunts deer standing/sitting/yapping/eating/smoking on field edges.
He *insists* on building a fire (this is during PA season -usually on snow) all the time cracking limbs with his rifle standing up against a tree and the guy always gets a buck! LOL

He maintains that the noise actually helps..

[unreal45]

Tobacco use while hunting gives you cancer. :uhoh:

[Soap]

I agree that it doesn't really matter even though I don't smoke myself. Last season though, about 10 minutes after I shot a small buck, I could smell cologne coming from behind me. About 20 minutes later this guy walks along the ridgeline on some adjoining property about 75 yards away. I wonder if he bagged anything that day...

[Glockfan.45]

I have a big zippered bag that our bed spread came in. I wash my hunting clothes in plain water, and store them in that bag with leaves, sticks, and other assorted natural items. I shower in the morning before hunting, but don't use shampoo, soap, or any other smelly things. First thing I do when get in my stand is light up a smoke :confused: .

I take my two deer every year, and every year this has been my ritual. One year I put a broadhead in a buck while I still had a cigarette hanging out of my mouth. The one thing I don't do is smoke while hiking to the stand. Hell last fall/winter I even smoked while out on coyote hunts with much success. My thoughts are tobbaco doesnt bother critters.

[target1911]

Great thread.....I expected to see more 'DONT do its than It dont matter. I to believe that it is what they get used to.

The last 3 yrs I have been hunting a 75ac plot. We camp there too. Camp fire, talking, trucks, all kinds of noises. 23 bucks were taken on that land in one season. The only thing that ever effected the hunting there was last year when my hunting buddy got mad at me and went out there with an ATV the day before I got there. He run all over that land and tore it up. It was an act that the deer were not used to. I did see a huge buck, but he was in a dead run and I never had a shot.

[birddog]

I've seen the 26 year old male , that ran, jogged, ate healthy and work out, die of a heart attack just upstairs from the OR in a hospital.
Seen the 96 year male - that still liked a cigar, and nip of whiskey, breeze through knee surgery.

Those are the exceptions, not the rules. Kid yourself all you want. Lots of good people in my life are not here -- due to smoking.

That said, in the spirit of the thread, it really doesn't seem like the deer care one way or the other.