How a deer will react to human scent will depend on the environment. For example, some deer will live close to heavily populated areas. In this case, they are used to human odors.<\/strong> Because of this, they will be less likely to run away when they smell you. However, that doesn’t mean that you can neglect scent control. They don’t want hunters in their territory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, some deer live in the woods. It’s unusual for humans to be in these areas. Because of this, they will be more alert when they discover your scent.<\/strong> Often, they will avoid the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will also need to consider how concentrated the scent is. The more things you touch as you walk, the more powerful the odor becomes. If a deer detects your odor but believes you are far away, they will often continue to walk around freely. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether they will come back to the area after smelling a human depends on how scared they are.<\/strong> If they don’t see any movement or detect a threat, they will come back. Their behavior can tell you whether they will return. For example, some deer will sprint away, snorting. This is their way of warning other deer. It might be months before they return. If they saunter away quietly, there is a good chance that they will come back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you are hunting, you want to minimize your scent. This will make deer feel more comfortable going into the area. There are a few ways that you can do this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, you’ll want to wear rubber boots.<\/strong> The thick material won’t breathe. This traps your odor. It would be best if you regularly treated your boots to stop them from smelling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s important to wash them off. You don’t want mud or other debris sticking to them. Most of this will come off easily in water. If not, you might want to mix a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent in hot water. This will create a powerful cleaning solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a good idea to care for the inside of the boots. This is where human odor will accumulate. To stop this, you’ll need to put one teaspoon of heavy-duty cleaner into two cups of warm water. This will be tough enough to break up soil and remove any other contaminants. Leave your shoes to air dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another good option is to use scent-neutralizing spray (aka scent killer or cover scent). Apply this liberally over your clothes. This will mask your scent. It would help if you also tried to wash your clothes with odor-neutralizing chemicals. Air dry them. Some driers will leave a scent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n