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September 17, 2007 11:36 PM

Choosing the Right Deer Cover Scent

Below is a comment I received from Marcel about a prior blog post talking about preparing his clothes for deer hunting season. You can read his first question at http://www.marty-prokop.com/archives/2007/09/how_to_prepare.html#comments

You can read my response to Marcel's new questions below.

Marty,

Thank you for your answers.

One more question.

I bought a spray bottle of human scent eliminator should I still wash the hunting clothes with baking soda? And is that scent any good?

I also bought a corn scent foam ,same thing, there is no farm or corn where I hunt . Do you think if I spray some by the tree stand 3 weeks before hunting season it would work?

I also bought a bag of food called beef mash . Is it good to put some around the tree stand ?

Thanks again,

Marcel Mclaughlin

Marcel,

Thanks for your questions.

Yes, wash your clothes with baking soda. It is by far the least expensive treatment you can do for taking smells out of your hunting clothing.

Human scent eliminator sprays will help cover your human scent. Are they 100% effective? In my opinion, no.

However they do help. There should be no real scent to the spray. If you are smelling something in the scent eliminator, then the deer will be able to smell that too.

Using cover or attractant scents that are not native to the area you hunt can be touchy. Deer are curious by nature, so they may come in and check out a new smell. But on the flip side, they may steer clear of the area too. Do you have corn fields nearby your hunting location say within one to two miles? If so, deer may be used to the smell of corn and won’t be alarmed.

As far as the beef mash is concerned, I’ve not used any such product to attract deer. You had mentioned a while back you placed some near the creek at your home and the deer ate it. If you are hunting that same group of deer, it may work fine.

If you can test the beef mash on a small scale by pacing some about 100 yards or so from your stand give it a try. After you place the beef mash, let it sit for a couple days before you recheck it. When you go back to check and the beef mash is eaten, then I would say you are fine to place it near your stand.

Before you place any bait or food out for deer, make sure you check your local rules and hunting regulations.

Have you ever tried making a deer mineral lick by your deer stand? Deer will visit them year round. There are a few companies that offer deer minerals and they are easy to establish. If this is something of interest to you, let me know.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop

Posted by Marty Prokop at 11:36 PM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2007 12:31 AM

Deer Hunting Tree Stand Safety

Each year, a number of deer hunters are injured as a result of falling out of their deer hunting tree stands. Some of these falls happen because the deer hunter did not check his/her deer stand for worn or broken parts prior to opening day.

Check your deer hunting tree stands several times throughout the year.

After each thunderstorm or wind storm, head out into the deer hunting woods to make sure no trees or branches have fallen onto the deer stand. Always check each weld to make sure it has not rusted or cracked. In addition, check the ratchet straps holding your stand to the tree and adjust them as needed.

When in your deer hunting tree stand, ALWAYS wear your safety harness or fall restraint system.

Checking your deer hunting tree stand at least one month prior to deer season opener will afford you the option of replacing it if it is damaged without spooking the deer in your area.

Fred Vorassi of Upstate New York feels the same about making sure his deer stands are safe for each deer hunting season. Let's take a look at what Fred has to say about deer hunting ladder stand safety.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop

 

Deer Hunting Tree Stand Ladder Safety by Fred Vorassi

It is very important to check your deer hunting tree stand ladders way before the season starts.

If you have a permanent deer hunting tree stand with wooden steps, check the stability of the steps long before deer hunting season opens so that if they are damaged or rotten they can be replaced.

You do not want to be surprised during the season walking into a tree stand and have a step fall out as you’re climbing. This could result in severe injury and possibly death.

I prefer using aluminum ladders. Secure the aluminum ladder to the tree so it will not fall away from the tree as you are climbing into your deer hunting tree stand.

Aluminum ladder steps will never rot and will last for many, many seasons. If you are worried the shiny aluminum will scare deer, you can always paint the ladder with a camouflage pattern.

If you hunt from pre-manufactured ladder stands, each year it is good practice to check the firmness of the steps make sure each step can support weight properly. Always check and insure your deer hunting ladder stand is anchored properly to the tree.

All said and done, way before the season starts, check your stands and have a safe climb.

Good luck hunting.

Frontier Fred

Posted by Marty Prokop at 12:31 AM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2007 05:18 PM

Deer Hunting Camp Joke

The guys were all at deer camp. They had to bunk two to a room.

No one wanted to room with Daryl because he snored so badly.

They decided it wasn't fair to make one of them stay with him the whole time, so they voted to take turns.

The first guy slept with Daryl and comes to breakfast the next morning with his hair a mess and his eyes all bloodshot.

They said, "Man, what happened to you?"

He said, "Daryl snored so loudly, I just sat up and watched him all night."

The next night it was a different guy's turn. In the morning, same thing--hair all standing up, eyes all blood-shot.

They said, "Man, what happened to you? You look awful!"

He said, "Man, that Daryl shakes the roof. I sat up and watched him all night."

The third night was Frank's turn. Frank, the deer camp comedian, was a big burly ex-football player; a man's man. The next morning he came to breakfast bright eyed and bushy tailed, looking well rested.

"Good morning," he said.

They couldn't believe it! They said, "Man, what happened?"

He said, "Well, we got ready for bed. I went and tucked Daryl into bed and kissed him good night.

He sat up and watched me all night."

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop

Posted by Marty Prokop at 5:18 PM | Comments (2)

September 7, 2007 08:42 PM

How to Prepare Your Deer Hunting Clothes for Deer Hunting

Preparing your hunting clothes has been a heated topic of debate for many years.

Should a deer hunter wash his/her clothes in expensive UV inhibitor detergents and no scent soaps?

Does it matter if a deer hunter, after washing his/her clothes, dries the clothing in their home dryer or should you hang your deer hunting clothing outside to air dry?

Once dry, should you place your deer hunting clothes in a vacuum sealed bag?

In my never ending quest to find out what works best for every deer hunter I tested many different ways to clean my deer hunting clothes and store them for my next hunt.

I will share my tips for preparing your deer hunting clothes in an upcoming newsletter.

Here is what Fred Vorrasi of upstate New York does for his deer hunting clothes every year. It works for him. He always gets his deer.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop

Preparing Your Camouflage Deer Hunting Clothing by Fred Vorrasi

I personally get all my camo deer hunting clothes out around mid August and make sure it fits. I suggest you do the same. This will allow you enough time prior to your bow season opener to buy new clothes if need be.

Once you have determined your deer hunting clothes fit, here are 9 steps to prepare your clothes for deer hunting.

1. Set your wash machine to its large load setting.

2. Set wash cycle for COLD water wash and rinse.

3. Fill wash machine with your deer hunting clothes.

4. Add two cups of baking soda only and start wash cycle. Do not add any other detergents.

5. When the wash cycle has completed, find a shaded area out side to hang a clothes line.

6. Be careful that the area you hang the clothes is away from odors such as grills, car exhaust, pet odors, or chemical sprays.

7. Hang your clothes outside, out of direct sunlight, for one to three weeks until dry.

8. After your clothes have dried outside, place into a thick clear plastic bag containing one to two pine branches, or two apples cut in five to six pieces.

9. Seal the bag with a twist tie or if the bag is so equipped, with its zip top type closure.

Placing pine branches or cut apples in the bag will omit a natural odor to your clothing. When you open the bag for the first time after sealing it you can smell that your clothing has been naturally scented.

Through out the season keep placing your clothing in the bag when not in use and place new pine branches or apples every other week. Changing the branches or apples regularly insures the scent on your clothing is strong.

This really works, I bow hunt in NY state hard woods and pine forests and have had great success.

Good luck hunting.

Frontier Fred.

Posted by Marty Prokop at 8:42 PM | Comments (2)