Scent Free Hunting To hunt stands against the wind, scent control must properly be addressed. There are no cutting corners in this department. My clothes had been washed in scent eliminating detergent and stored in scent free containers. I showered in the mornings with scent-eliminating soap, shampoo and put on scent-free deodorant. My rubber boots, clothes and backpack were sprayed down prior to every hunt, and I carried a scent drag and popular estrus lure in my pack. I also always bring a bottle of scent eliminating spray to ensure scent is kept to a minimum on stand.   Prior to each hunt, archery hunters need to take every precaution available in attempt to outwit sharp sensed whitetails. Not only should clothes be washed in scent free detergents and stored in scent-free tubs, but also a bottle of scent-eliminating spray should always be included in a hunting pack.

I was picked up at 10:30 a.m. and returned to camp for a quick bite to eat. Back at the lodge, conversations with hunters indicated multiple buck sightings; some even caught on video camera, however, no shooters within reasonable bow range. It was good to hear there were bucks being sighted. I was back on stand by one o'clock, while other hunters leisurely waited out the warm temperatures back at camp. That evening, with one coyote spotted in the cornfield and one deer well out of range, it was an understatement to say that the hunt had been fairly quiet. I chalked it up to a day of getting familiar with the property. Four days remained and I was just getting started.

Against The Grain
The next morning with gusting winds and rut-suppressing warm temperatures, Beau and I discussed a change of plans that included a stand change. Beau prefers hunters to stay in the same stand for a minimum of two days so the area has a chance to produce. Though I only sat my first stand for two sits, Beau wanted to move me to a different stand for the next two days of hunting. I still had trust in his stand placement, and climbed aboard my stand scent free and happy to oblige.

The stand I would be hunting was not situated perfectly for the wind that day, a scenario that would cause most experts to avoid the site. While stalking on the ground demands wind in your face, I'd venture to say that rule can be broken at times while hunting from stands and elevated positions. With a height advantage, scent often stays out of the reaches of a whitetail's nose. Besides, it never hurts to try something new.

Beau, who religiously plays the wind, had faith in this stand and though going against the grain, assured me that it was a great place to take a mature buck. He stressed that deer could approach from any direction and that behind me was a wide fingered patch of timber that separated two adjacent fields, a shallow ravine below created a perfect corridor for traveling deer. He also mentioned a higher ridge that could barely be seen on the opposite side, screened by thick oak trees and brush, making sneaky deer hard to spot. It was a prime location, one in which deer might approach from any direction. Perhaps I'd get lucky and have a deer come in from down wind.

On top of the windy conditions we knew we were in store for unusually warm weather. By 5 a.m. the temperatures had already reached the mid- '50s, and by midday were expected to reach the '70s. This factor, along with the moon's phase, called for midday hunts and staying on stand as much as possible. Although I had considered an all day sit, and entertained the idea of packing a lunch, I knew that if needed I had three hunting days remaining. We agreed I would hunt until 10:30 a.m., head in to make lunch and then get back as soon as possible. Wind was expected to blow eastwardly and in the same direction my stand was facing, overlooking a recently cut bean field and a healthy food plot of mixed clover and wild turnips to my right. It was a gamble with the wind, but an area that very likely received high activity as does and bucks hit the fields to feed. I had faith in Beau's scouting efforts and stand placement and, most importantly, I trusted him. He also had trust in me as I had taken every scent precaution to stay scent free.