cover/attractor scents

[browning204]

Who uses them while hunting coyote and fox. I see on the Tink's web-site that they have various fox, coon, acorn and so on scents.

I wonder if they really work or not.

[THO Game Calls]

Walk into your living room and look around.  You see a chair, a sofa, a tv, end tables, lamps and all the other stuff

That's how a coyote or fox smells

He smells the soap you took a shower with, the oil on your gun, the leather sheath your knife is in, you pits, your breath, and he smells your cover scent, all as distinctly different things.   And he processes them just like we see things.

I don't think cover scents work because of the way a canine processes information from the old schnozola.   You can confuse him sometimes with techniques like misting, but I think even then he knows you are there, but his taste buds over rule his bodys basic desire to get the heck out of there.

For a scent to work, you have to remember that the animal is going to have to be coming in down wind of you too. 

In heavily populated areas that see a lot of human activity, like hikers and bikers, skiers and such, one thing I am convinced will work some of the time is a scent blocker suit.   The coyote is used to the smells of humans, but the suit will make it APPEAR that you are further away than you really are.  It cannot elimiate your scent entirely, but it can give the impression that you are not close enough to be a threat.   Now, that being said, you need to wear the head cover and breath mask or you are just wasting your money.

I doubt the suit will work in areas that see little or no human activity. 

I think as coyote hunters we make two huge mistakes when going after Wiley E. Coyote.

The first is we equate his senses to ours and thus underestimate the huge advantage he has over us,

and the second, we fail to use his advantages against him, and instead try to rely on other things.   

Common sense and woodsman ship will kill more coytoes than any cover scent.

Just my opinin, but we sometimes try to make what is really a simple sport way way too hard.

Al

[securpro]

I agree 100% with Al , I think that scent elimination by means of showering in scent killing soaps and using scent killing deoderants are very effective and are better than adding a cover scent to the mix of very distinctive human smells. I see alot of guys buying scent lok and scent blocking suites and not using scent blocking head and breath mask.   (whats the point in scent block at all if you dont use them ????)

just my 2cents

securpro

[browning204]

True, but I was just thinking back to when I shot that Fox last fall. I put down the caller and sprayed a couple shots of Fox pee on the base of the tree that I was sitting in. Within seconds of the start of the call the fox was there, head in the call speaker.

Now was it just the amazing WT fox vocals or was it a combo of the caller/ smell.

Or was I just plain lucky that day.

[songdog_sniper]

Well, I usually spray  coyote  urine on the bottom of my boots before walking out to the stand, and I also spray a little rabbit urine on my decoy.  I think that it has brought in coyotes that instead of smelling my scent on the decoy they smell the urine and haven't thought twice about it.    I do agree that the only time that they smell it is when they are downwind of you, and I usually try to stop them before they get downwind just in case.  But for the times that they sneek up downwind I figure a little scent can't hurt.

This might sound like a pitch and I guess it kinda is but I sell about 6 different types of urine on my Website in 4oz spray bottles if you are interested, the prices are well under the prices of just about everwhere else that I've seen.     They are there if you decide to use them.  Aaron.

[canine]

Did you spray the speaker with urine?

My guess would be the fox was close to begin with.

Also, I wouldn't compare a fox to a coyote in a calling situation.

Good post Al.

JD

[browning204]

I did not spray the speaker, just the base of the tree where I was sitting.

[THO Game Calls]

Mike,

I think that sometimes you can overload their senses too, and make them do things that they normally wouldn't do.

That is the theory behind misting. 

With your caller going, so close to the fox, his senses were just overloaded.  He probably smelled you and knew you had been there but the sounds had him going. 

The key though is that you have to OVERLOAD his senses.   A cover scent just wont do that.



Aaron, if you spray something on anything and the wind carries it down wind,

and the coyote or fox or whatever comes in and you shoot it before it gets down wind,

did it smell your scent?

What is the sound of one hand claping?

Al

[Troy Walter]

Here is my two cents on scent elimination.
I myself do wear a scent blocker suit but there is more to scent elimination then just putting on the suit.If you want to learn to remove as much scent at possible talk to a person that has ran a successful coyote and or fox trap line.They will tell you what they go through to trick the best nose in the woods. I myself wear total scent blocker head to rubber boots that I only wear hunting I put on after I get out of the truck and take off before I get in the truck. My hunting cloths get washed in baking soda and get put in a rubber tote,they never get worn in the house.I shower before every hunt with scentless soap and put on scentless deodorant and brush my teeth.I have  two pairs of under cloths that I wear under my scent blocker suit that get washed after I wear them in baking soda.
One more thing that I don't do, that hat that I were around the house all day to work to the gas station,I don't wear it to the woods.This my sound crazy but I have been doing this for years and I think it helps.As far as cover scents I don't think I need them by doing this I have removed as much scent as I can. You are never going to completely trick a animals nose but sometime you can make him feel as if it is not that strong of a smell.Gun hunting has one more problem as Al said that nice clean gun smells like a big can of gas.Just my two cents.Yes Iam a scent freak.

[songdog_sniper]

Hey Al, I was agreeing with you on if it doesn't get down wind of you that the scent doesn't matter.  I was just saying that when one appears downwind of me and if my rabbit pee smelling decoy makes him hang up for one extra second, then it might be worth it for me.   But like I said, I do try to stop them before getting downwind of me everytime that they are heading that way, So that I don't have to worry about my scent or the scent of the decoy.  Thats all.    But I dont mist or anything like that. I just spray my boots and my decoy.  But I do agree with pretty much everything that you said though about the way that a coyote breaks down the smells and everything, but you have to agree that a rabbit decoy that smells like rabbit pee, is better than a decoy that smells like whatever I've had in my truck for the last 2 weeks.  Aaron.

[possumal]

In my opinion, there is a world of difference in trying to use cover scents to keep Wylie from smelling you, and using attractant scents to satisfy his sense of smell when he responds to a sound on an ecaller, especially when using decoys.  If you kill the human scent on the caller and the decoys by handling them with rubber gloves and scent killer, and then put the right scents out, i.e. coyote urine and deer scent, and make your observation point on higher ground in such a way that your scent is not apt to be carried to the route Wylie approaches from, you have the right set up.  He responds, hangs up in the thick stuff, smells coyote, smells deer, sees the fawn decoy, hears the fawn distress, and he naturally thinks it is for real.  People that don't believe in the match the hatch theory are generally reluctant to go to that much trouble to kill coyotes.  I know for a fact it works, especially on the hard to fool alpha males and females.  Knowing the ground you hunt and being able to set up correctly will do more for you than any cover scent.

[THO Game Calls]

..

[weedwalker]

People that don't believe in the match the hatch theory are generally reluctant to go to that much trouble to kill coyotes.

That's just a bit arrogant don't you think? 

Just because your way is different that the other guys doesn't mean the other guy is wrong.

I missed the part were he said anybody was wrong. He just pointed out that attraction scents sometimes work with decoys. I've hunted with Al and he does put a lot into his set-ups. A lot more than most other hunters I know including myself. But when he gets up, there's usualy some coyotes to pick up as well as his decoy.

[possumal]

THO Al:  I don't understand your statement "That's just a bit arrogant don't you think? "  I am not being arrogant at all, and I am not calling anyone wrong.  I am simply pointing out that there is a big difference in using scents as attractants with decoys and ecallers and using them to try to cover your scent.  I don't use only ecallers, and never have. In fact, I think the combination of two good hunters with howlers, especially, and a well placed ecaller is the best way to go.  It creates a scene that is realistic to old Wylie, and helps fool them into thinking other coyotes have moved into their territory.  A good portion of the bigger coyotes I have killed have come in with anger on their mind, intent on kicking the coyote's butt who has invaded their hunting territory.  As always, I was just trying to help fellow coyote hunters, especially the newer ones.  I am confident you are a good coyote hunter, as many of the fellows who post on the forums are, and we all have different techniques.  I don't see trying to share some of my experience is being arrogant or argumentive at all.  Sorry you took it that way.
"

[RShaw]

When trapping, I wear gloves to keep my hands warm and rubber boots to keep my feet dry. Otherwise it is bare hands and leather boots. I see no difference in the results. The key is to not spend all day making a set. Get in and get out. A coyote will know  I have been there but not that I left anything behind.

I apply the same to calling. Years ago I used decoys and in my experience, they worked about half the time. About half came galloping on in and the other half angled away or bugged out. It was a wash, so only use decoys on cats now.  Tromping around a stand to set a decoy and squirting some scent just means more of my scent in the area and the possiblity of giving away my position when I am out there setting the dang thing up. Besides, when a coyote gets in sight of the decoy, he should already be dead.

There really are too many variables to determine if the coyote came to the sound of the caller, the decoy, or the smell that was squrited around. Maybe all three helped. Maybe just the calling was needed to kill that particular coyote. Who really knows? Experience dictates what works for you.

However, if using scents and a decoy gives a person more confidence, then by all means use them. Until a person becomes confident in their methods, you should experiment with several different types. Find what works for you in your area and get that confidence.

Randy

[THO Game Calls]

gone hunting

[possumal]

Rshaw: I couldn't agree with you more.  I don't use decoys as described earlier on every stand, as there are setups where they are not needed.  My experience dictates they are effective on problem coyotes who are targeting certain prey like fawn deer. Wearing rubber gloves and rubber boots are important in keeping human scent minimized on the decoys, the ecaller, and the area. It is the coyotes that hang up to take a look and a sniff that are apt to be fooled into coming on in. Hear a deer, see a deer, smell a deer; it must be a deer.  All part of the KISS thinking for me.  It is not for everyone as it is a good deal of trouble to set up right. A lot of guys will tell you that wearing knee high rubber boots instead of leather boots does not help you any, but I have never seen a coyote hit my trail and instantly reverse, when wearing rubber boots.  I have seen it plenty of times when I wore leather boots.  Like you, I stop the coyote and kill him/her usually before they get completely to the decoy and ecaller setup, but it is getting them to commit from their hang up spot to a position where I can stop them to kill them that makes the decoys and scent important. Confidence in what you do is truly important.  I am confident that it dramatically reduces the number of coyotes called in but never seen due to them hanging up in the underbrush.  Sneaky devils, ain't they?

[Pilgrim]

Just my opinion here:   Using cover or masking scents in calling is an exercise in futility.    I feel the same about scent blocker garb.   When you look at the chemistry (as well as physics) behind the premise of scent blocking clothing, it is an utter impossibility.    It has no more effect on controlling your scent than a rainsuit does...In other words, it might be able to somewhat "contain" scent, but not "absorb."   But when you consider you're up against the olfactory capabilities of a coyote, any attempt at actually "containing" scent is, once again, futile.  BUT as RShaw stated, if it gives you confidence, then use it.      Personally, I don't spend any money or time trying to mask or cover scent, but I spend alot of effort paying attention to where my scent is going and trying to get him killed before he gets there.

The misting idea is altogether different.   It exploits the coyote's senses rather than trying to deceive them.

It seems to me that a coyote's sense of smell is very under-estimated by most folks, and his eyesight (especially night-eyesight) is very overestimated.

Just my .02