“Cover scents,” or “masking scents,” disguise “fear smells” on a hunter to big game animals. Any foreign odor might alert a deer, but we’re primarily concerned with masking human scent. To a sense of smell that is so far superior to ours, can these aromas really disguise the smells of a sweaty, onion-eating, smoking hunter? The short answer is “yes,” it can help; however, there are some things we can do to insure their success.
Cover scents are most often odors from common things already found in a whitetails’ domain. They can be smells from other animals such as fox, raccoon or deer urine, odors from things they eat like apples or acorns, or they may replicate other common smells from the forest like cedar, pine or earth.
When you wake up in the morning and someone is making breakfast, things smell great! You can smell the bacon frying … BUT you can also smell the coffee brewing and the toast browning. One strong smell doesn’t cancel out all others. When hunting, reduction of the most offensive odors should be a top priority, with special attention paid to human scent. THEN, a cover scent can be used to try to disguise any remaining odor.
Begin with a sound system of scent elimination and reduction. Then, use the cover scent to mask any remaining odors. Reduce foreign odors as much as possible on your clothing, your hair, body and breath, and on your equipment. I have used the Scent Killer System for over 30 years and strongly believe in the results.
How about a little common sense? You can’t hunt a “pine woods” reeking of “cedar cover” scent and expect to fool an animal with a sense of smell as strong as a bloodhound. The smell should most often be from something they would encounter in their travels normally. Should you use earth cover when there is a blanket of snow covering the ground? Think!
How should you use or apply cover scents? I know hunters who douse themselves (boots and/or clothing) with their favorite cover scents. It isn’t too bad when it’s a smell that I consider pleasing like apple or cedar, but when your huntin’ buddy pongs with the odor of fox urine, I don’t want to be anywhere close to them, whether we’re hunting or not.
None of the smells I’ve mentioned are “danger smells” to a whitetail, but they are still smells. A whitetail wants to know where everything is within their territory. Don’t put these smells directly on your person! In essence what you’re saying to a buck is, “Here I am, smell me over here!” Rather, put them on a wick, pad or drag (a Key-Wick is my choice) and place it a short distance downwind and possibly crosswind of your spot.
I must be honest; I don’t use cover scents often. I do, however, literally use gallons of Scent Killer Gold during a hunting season. I would just as soon “smell invisible” if there is such a thing. When I do use cover scents, my one go-to cover (when hunting whitetails) is Golden Doe in an aerosol can. With the aerosol sprayer, I can use this in many different ways – traditionally on a wick or a drag, but I can also mist it out of the aerosol. With the smell hanging in the air, I believe it’s more difficult for a deer to pinpoint the source which can often be to your advantage.
You may have seen how bucks are drawn to fresh scrapes. In fact, in a couple tests I have seen bucks show up to numerous sites where the earth has been disturbed, whether there’s a scrape there or not. I believe the reason is “geosmin,” an organic compound created by soil microorganisms called “actinomycetes.” They’re what causes that “fresh dirt smell” and exists in the top couple inches of soil and decomposing forest litter where most of microorganism activity occurs. So believe it or not, earth cover scent can also work as an attractor. X-tra Concentrated Earth Masking Scent or Scent Killer Autumn Formula should be your choices for this.
There is no substitute for playing the wind and keeping deer upwind or crosswind of you whenever possible. But whitetails and other big game often do things we aren’t expecting. Cover scents work, but you must begin with a sound system of scent elimination, use common sense when choosing which to use and how to use it, and learn how to play the wind and thermal – results will follow.
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