scent desensitization

[scorpaenichthys]

This could be a spectacularly dumb question, but here it goes...

A buddy and I (both relatively new to this game) are strategizing about how to hunt a herd of Roosies that consistently returns to one small stand of timber. The herd runs whatever circuit it runs, but every couple days they end up back in this spot, and once they're there they tend to stick around for a day or two. This year there are two small bulls in the mix. We've caught them on cams browsing through slowly to feed, and also busting in and stopping to catch their breath like they're using it as an escape route. For the last three years we've clocked heavy activity in this spot year-round, including through archery and rifle seasons. I don't feel confident about much when it comes to elk, but based on the patterns the last few years I'm expecting this herd to keep using this spot through the fall.

This particular stand is down in a small draw (more like a glorified ditch) with abundant water and food, and the topography is such that it funnels elk into easy archery shots. I'll be hunting with my longbow this year, and there's hardly a shot over 20 yards along their main path of travel. So I want to devote at least a chunk of this season to sitting in a ground blind in this spot.

The walls of the draw are tall enough and steep enough that there's rarely wind in the bottom, even when there's wind up top. But when there is wind in the bottom, it just swirls and is hard to pattern, and there's no way to know what you're going to find until you're in it. And that's got me wondering whether I could condition elk to my scent the same way you'd set up a ground blind ahead of the season to get them used to its presence. I'm tempted to leave a few pieces of dirty laundry next to a salt block so they associate my smell with something positive, and see if I notice any behavioral changes on the trail cams. But I also don't want to screw up a good thing trying something stupid.

What do y'all think? Worth a try or just downright dumb?

 

[Roadhunter69]

I don’t have the answers but am following to see what others have to say. Your spot sounds great. Predictably consistent. I don’t think you can screw it up that bad. These are longstanding patterns it sounds like. They will just start their circuit and end up back there in a few days I imagine.


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[Poser]

I'd wager its possible, but it depends almost entirely on the matriarch cow. Some cows will tolerate moo cows and share grazing, others have little to no tolerance for it. The same would likely apply here: it will work on some herds and never work for a second on other herds.

 

[mike.adams.467]

I think they may get used to the clothes being there, but the smell from them will dissipate over time. If they smell YOU, they will know it. I don't think you can fool their nose.

 

[kcm2]

I've seen elk on a ridge take off when downwind 150 yards from a hunter. Fooling their noses is a low probability event.

 

[Skerhunter]

Sounds like a fun experiment, but I would be shocked if it worked in such a short time frame. Animals that are forced to live “down wind” of people their entire life will become somewhat tolerable to human scent, but not enough that you can just ignore the wind if they are still being hunted (cheat a little).

Food for thought - elk like to hang out there for a reason (wind in their favor because it swirls) - sometimes there is a spot, where the wind is in your favor on their way in or out of that spot or at certain parts of the day. I would be looking for those spots specifically. Also you would be surprised what your scent does when you get off the ground. Certain terrain features combined with thermals can help ensure your scent doesn’t hit the ground where the animals are (over top of them).

 

[bz_711]

IMO public land pressured elk will not tolerate human scent that close.

I would stay out and look to find a day with strong winds that might give you some kind of consistent wind direction and make your move. 2nd option could be to still hunt through the area during a rain.

Good Luck!

 

[mad_angler]

I'm new. But the one rule that I constantly hear is that you can not fool an elk's nose.

I also agree with another poster about the swirling wind. Elk love swirling winds and will very often set up in areas with swirling winds. It lets them scent check in all directions and they know it.

I would look for a spot outside of the swirl if you can find it.
Another option would be wait for an unusual weather event. A different wind or an expecially strong wind might disrupt the swirls.

 

[Marble]

My answer is no. They will bolt when they smell people. Find how they come and go and use those routes to your advantage.

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[Windhund]

There are so many things to worry about, that is pretty low on the hierarchy.

 

[Marine4life]

Here are my thoughts. In most cases elk, or any big game animal, will not tolerate human scent in environments where it should not be. Obviously different for animals in an urban environment or park. Even if they get used to some human scent they still have the ability to distinguish if it close enough or concentrated enough to be a threat. As an example, there is a difference in my reaction if I walk outside on the front porch and catch a whiff of a skunk than when I walk outside on the front porch and it smells like the skunk is under the porch. They won’t tolerate fresh human scent. You have to beat their nose, not try to fool it.


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[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Take this with a shot of whiskey and don't get your streaked delicates wadded up.

Animals get habituated.

#1) Glassing spot for Coues just so happens to sit on top of a historically very active smuggling path. Deer don't leave the area. When a north bound ground comes through they may alarm but mostly walk out of the way, let the group clear, and go right back to what they were doing. Deer have warily walked by me fully aware that I am there.
#2) Camping spot for black bear. Very popular area for hikers and general outdoor enthusiasts. Deer will sleep in camp with you; bucks may or may not depending on if they are being shot at. Turkeys will cruise through camp and hang out as long as it is not turkey season.
#3) Somehow hikers consistently see a variety of animals all the time, often up close and personal.
#4) Animals mill around when vehicles are moving. The vehicle stops and the animals give you a few seconds before they are gone. Turn the engine off and they are gone. Interesting to watch when glassing as the louder the vehicle the quicker the animals are on to you and hunker down to get out of site; the quieter the vehicle the more time you have before they hunker down.
#5) When it was legal to use cameras in AZ, it was not uncommon to see bear not too far behind me checking my cameras out. One red sow trashed all of them the first night; since she's a cutie she gets a pass on that destruction. Caught a lot of elk too in some areas and they didn't care that I was there not too long before them.
#6) Bears regularly go into camp whether it is hunting or just camping. Nothing like having a monster boar outside your tent eating fresh vegetation and you can't punch your tag because it is night time.
#7) Seen deer next to a shooting range. Those deer don't flinch at gunfire unless they get hit or the bullet hits something next to them.
#8) Lots of discarded items from northbound groups with deer and javelina not caring about the items and the human scent.
#9) Have had deer make a bee line straight to me, downwind no less, just to see what sweet item I am eating or drinking. This is during my hunts. Have had bucks walk yards by me when helping another friend on his hunt (they knew I didn't have a tag).
#10) Popular camping area and hunting area has a ton of elk. They don't care too much about the humans. They'll move to a safer area when they feel the need but they are not going to the next county over.
#11) Not uncommon to see multiple dead elk in the same general vicinity right after archery season.
#12) Seen bear take off like grease lighting at the sight or sound of me and I've seen mature boars be unimpressed with my presence.

So to answer the OP's question, I absolutely would hedge my bets and have one portion untouched and the other portion I would regularly put out dirty clothes and an auto-loop of the sound of your weapon of choice.

To the naysayers, yes your animal of choice is the biggest baddest wariest animal that has ever existed and will absolutely leave the state at the slightest hint of a human being within 10 miles of said animal.

 

[scorpaenichthys]

Take this with a shot of whiskey and don't get your streaked delicates wadded up.

Animals get habituated.

#1) Glassing spot for Coues just so happens to sit on top of a historically very active smuggling path. Deer don't leave the area. When a north bound ground comes through they may alarm but mostly walk out of the way, let the group clear, and go right back to what they were doing. Deer have warily walked by me fully aware that I am there.
#2) Camping spot for black bear. Very popular area for hikers and general outdoor enthusiasts. Deer will sleep in camp with you; bucks may or may not depending on if they are being shot at. Turkeys will cruise through camp and hang out as long as it is not turkey season.
#3) Somehow hikers consistently see a variety of animals all the time, often up close and personal.
#4) Animals mill around when vehicles are moving. The vehicle stops and the animals give you a few seconds before they are gone. Turn the engine off and they are gone. Interesting to watch when glassing as the louder the vehicle the quicker the animals are on to you and hunker down to get out of site; the quieter the vehicle the more time you have before they hunker down.
#5) When it was legal to use cameras in AZ, it was not uncommon to see bear not too far behind me checking my cameras out. One red sow trashed all of them the first night; since she's a cutie she gets a pass on that destruction. Caught a lot of elk too in some areas and they didn't care that I was there not too long before them.
#6) Bears regularly go into camp whether it is hunting or just camping. Nothing like having a monster boar outside your tent eating fresh vegetation and you can't punch your tag because it is night time.
#7) Seen deer next to a shooting range. Those deer don't flinch at gunfire unless they get hit or the bullet hits something next to them.
#8) Lots of discarded items from northbound groups with deer and javelina not caring about the items and the human scent.
#9) Have had deer make a bee line straight to me, downwind no less, just to see what sweet item I am eating or drinking. This is during my hunts. Have had bucks walk yards by me when helping another friend on his hunt (they knew I didn't have a tag).
#10) Popular camping area and hunting area has a ton of elk. They don't care too much about the humans. They'll move to a safer area when they feel the need but they are not going to the next county over.
#11) Not uncommon to see multiple dead elk in the same general vicinity right after archery season.
#12) Seen bear take off like grease lighting at the sight or sound of me and I've seen mature boars be unimpressed with my presence.

So to answer the OP's question, I absolutely would hedge my bets and have one portion untouched and the other portion I would regularly put out dirty clothes and an auto-loop of the sound of your weapon of choice.

To the naysayers, yes your animal of choice is the biggest baddest wariest animal that has ever existed and will absolutely leave the state at the slightest hint of a human being within 10 miles of said animal.

Appreciate all the replies in this thread. #3 and #5 above are what got my wheels spinning on this one. I've had the hiker experience more times than I can count. Even spearfishing--If I'm just diving for fun, I can be the loudest, bumbling-est idiot under water and fish will swim right up to me. But as soon as I pick up a speargun and lay out behind the reef, they start hanging just out of range. Being sneaky and doing the predator thing are obviously an important part of the process, but it also puts animals on edge.

And these elk are definitely trail cam fiends. They've gotten so aggressive with them that I joked with my buddy about using a pile of old cams as bait. And, they've come into my cams within 30 minutes of me checking cards. So whatever scent I'm leaving on the cams doesn't seem to bother them.



The point someone made above about a skunk under the deck vs. right in front of you is well taken. And I'll give some more thought to the thermals. It's just going to be a tough spot to play well. These elk have one way in and one way out, and the whole huntable area is maybe 150 yards by 50 yards. Whatever happens though it'll be a fun spot to try to figure out.

 

[shootnrun]

Try a tree stand?

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Appreciate all the replies in this thread. #3 and #5 above are what got my wheels spinning on this one. I've had the hiker experience more times than I can count. Even spearfishing--If I'm just diving for fun, I can be the loudest, bumbling-est idiot under water and fish will swim right up to me. But as soon as I pick up a speargun and lay out behind the reef, they start hanging just out of range. Being sneaky and doing the predator thing are obviously an important part of the process, but it also puts animals on edge.

And these elk are definitely trail cam fiends. They've gotten so aggressive with them that I joked with my buddy about using a pile of old cams as bait. And, they've come into my cams within 30 minutes of me checking cards. So whatever scent I'm leaving on the cams doesn't seem to bother them.

View attachment 899193

The point someone made above about a skunk under the deck vs. right in front of you is well taken. And I'll give some more thought to the thermals. It's just going to be a tough spot to play well. These elk have one way in and one way out, and the whole huntable area is maybe 150 yards by 50 yards. Whatever happens though it'll be a fun spot to try to figure out.

We absolutely should focus on sound, sight, and smell when in the field. But it is not necessarily the doom and gloom that gets mentioned.

May want to see about getting (making) a handful of vantage points on the ingress and egress to the spot; terrain may dictate how far away. This way you can use whichever makes the most sense such as which way the winds are blowing as well as which way the elk will come in.

 

[Beendare]

Try a tree stand?

Thats what I would do.

I can't even tell you how many good mountain wallows I've sat where the wind swirled and wrecked it. They smell you- they are gone...or worse they scent you going in and you never see them.

I have found a couple spots I can get the wind right with a saddle or tree stand where it blows up and over. Go in there and sit, checking the wind every 20 minutes or so where you want to put a GB to test it.

So many times the wind will do a 180 sometimes every 10 minutes. Thats why they like those spots...the changing wind protects them.

Edit- I had a wallow last year the elk were just destroying. So much sign it was crazy. I sat the only real spot for a GB....and had 3 different set of thundering hooves I never saw. I totally wrecked that spot....zero elk killed. I thought I could sneak one by them....nope.

I also like @Marbles suggestion.

 

[buckrut42]

Only one way to find out.

Id imagine we smell different than our clothes though and they will bust ya. If you try it out, let us know. Would be interesting for sure

 

[Dos Perros]

Are you going to hold your breath the whole time you're in there?

 

[Indian Summer]

Ha no! Elkhorn not deer. They can see you or even hear you without spooking. But if they smell you, it’s game over. I would put a tree stand somewhere to get off of the ground. I also might consider putting it up out of the little draw and hunt where they enter it.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Are you going to hold your breath the whole time you're in there?

Coming this fall...

WKRs sporting rebreathers while chasing elk to cover the scent from their breath.