Smoking Cigarettes While Hunting

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Sep 20, 2018
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In someone's favorite spot
My dad used to smoke in his deer stand. He always saw more deer than my brother and me, even though we would go through great pains to be 'scent free.' Small sample size, but it's what I remember.
 

Anello

Lil-Rokslider
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I spent several years in Oklahoma for work. While there, a buddy I worked with invited me to hunt on his land. I put up a stand and hunted two seasons there. I could see the neighbor's property a few hundred yards away, and his stand over a food plot. He would climb into his stand almost every evening, and would chain smoke. I watched deer funnel underneath him into the field almost nightly. The cigarette smoke had no discernible effect on them. He killed a very nice 8 PT, archery, that I watched happen. He put his cigarette out to pick up his bow when he did. Best I can tell, the Deer were either used to is, or it didn't bother them.

PS - The posts telling people to not smoke, or reminding someone how bad smoking is for you are ridiculous. The millions of ads, reminders, and warning labels have already done that. If someone wants to chew or smoke, have at it. It's legal. It's not good for you, and everyone knows it. Neither is drinking or the other legal vices. This idea that we need to constantly remind other people how they should live their lives needs to remain on other sites.
 

Redman24

FNG
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Jan 17, 2020
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I’ve always been curious about this myself. My dad always smoked while hunting and it seemed insane to me but he always seemed to be successful.


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Mike 338

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Might as well turn the radio on while your walking too. No doubt if you search hard enough, you'll find somebody who's been successful but just as likely the critter was already running away from somebody who gave themselves up.
 

Jauwater

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Jun 30, 2016
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Through out my life, I've probably met more hunters that smoke then not. I feel like growing up as a kid in Vermont, damn near every hunter I ever met chain smoked. These guys filled their freezer every year. Venison is bout all we ever ate around them parts. These guys weren't starving. My pops till this day smokes with success in the stand. So does my uncle. And s bunch of their friends. I don't smoke, so I can't tell from my experience. But the amount of smokers through history that take deer year in, and year out, would suggest to me that it's not that big of a deal. Hell, I believe I've heard story's of Fred Bear smoking while he hunted.

I agree with the earlier post, people already know smoking is bad for them. The OP wasn't asking about health benefits.

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Sled

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Do you smoke while hunting? Would the smell scare the animals away or mask human scent? I find myself switching to dip more often than not while I hunt.

a hunting buddy of mine is over the top about scent. he packs his hunting clothes in a scent free bag, uses all the scent eliminators, washes in streams, rolls in pine branches, etc. after all that he puts a dip in and spits all over the place. he kills an animal every few years and i harvest several each season. we don't hunt together any more.

i don't mind a fire at night while i'm hunting but i do not hunt with smokers. they stink and always cough at the wrong times. that said, if i know where some stinking smokers are i can watch the elk run from them and play the pressure.
 
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I know many old generation guys who kill big whiteys year in and out and swear it doesnt bother the deer. I dont smoke anymore but I killed my biggest archery buck (174") 10 minutes after enjoying a camel light at daybreak in my stand. I have thought before that maybe smoke is a normal smell for deer. You figure they smell campfires, prescribed burns, wood stoves from houses, and other sources of smoke on probably a regular basis. Interesting topic
 
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Sled

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My uncle is no joke when it comes to killing. He hunts squirrels with a 22 and kills over 200 every year. When our quail population was really good he dented the population like no other.
He hunts with a 7 STW that has a tremendous amount of dead deer under it. Before that he shot a 270. No telling how many deer that rifle killed.
I will see if I can get some pictures of his giant whitetails hanging on the wall. Everyone will laugh there asses of when you see all the hats on the racks.
He’ll be smoking while I’m taking pictures.

Reminds my of this guy's uncle.

 

Sled

WKR
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I know many old generation guys who kill big whiteys year in and out and swear it doesnt bother the deer. I dont smoke anymore but I killed my biggest archery buck (174") 10 minutes after enjoying a camel light at daybreak in my stand. I have thought before that maybe smoke is a normal smell for deer. You figure they smell campfires, prescribed burns, wood stoves from houses, and other sources of smoke on probably a regular basis. Interesting topic


lots of talk about eastern hunters killing whitetail while smoking. most of the deer live close enough to people that they get used to their habits. once you get out past that 40 acre hunting plot into the wilderness, those deer and elk aren't as used to people. sure they smell smoke on a regular basis but not all smoke is created equal. ever stood next to a campfire vs a walking ashtray?
 
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