Re: Rubber boots for deer archery?
I read an article a couple days ago about a guy that tested scent theory using a k9 unit. a person was hidden in 3 different scenarios - the first was full on B.O., no shower, street clothes, leather work boots from the factory, etc. the dog was lead to the location where the person was hiding, allowed to run, and the dog found the guy in 20 seconds.
scenario 2 was rubber boots, scent control spray and other precautions, without going overboard. dog found him in 18 seconds.
scenario 3 was every concievable odor control measure possible, 2 layers of carbon/silver clothing, pine needle gum, 10 different sprays, etc. dog found him in 12 seconds...
My thought is this. And keep in mind, i hunt URBAN deer. The deer in my area key in on the smell of rubber boots...they know the smell and associate it with sharp sticks flying through the trees. I've seen a decent buck hit my buddy's foot path 20 mins after he walked thru with his rubbers on, and the deer stopped dead on the trail and did a 180 with tail up.
I have a pair of Morel 10" camo's, they are PVC uppers, vibram soles and comfortable as hell. I wear BDU's or Outers brand camo microfiber pants. I only have 3 different scent masks one is rolling in fresh dirt or once in a while spray with that crap in the yellow and white bottle with the 99.9 on the label...it smells like rotting leaves and dirt.
My GO TO scent mask is smoke though. standing next to my car, i'll gather some leaves together, wad up a few of them and light them on fire, get a nice smolder going and soak it all in...i'll then rub them on my clothes.
Deer in my area are so used to smelling burn barrels and backyard bonfires that they pay NO attention to the smoke smell at all.
The deer i pay attention to who would key in off my smell are the OLD wary does. The bucks get braindead soon. put some deer snatch in the air, get the buck paying attention to pussy and tarsal before they smell you and watch your wind. hunt the funnels and WATCH THE WIND. skill and planning win out over gadgets and doo-dads every time. I believe in a good camo pattern, something with enough breakup to cut your outline (i am really fond of the Outers brand at wally world to be honest), and putting your stand in the right place. take the most direct path to your stand possible, and don't cut the travel paths.
I got winded last saturday...no snort, no wheeze, just tail in the air. I had eaten enchiladas the night before...and sleeping with the wife was full on chemical warfare. I KNOW that deer got a whiff of an air biscuit and she decided that it didn't smell like acorn farts, so she moved on. most days, I have deer 10-30 yards from my tree completely oblivious to my presence until i fawk up with movement or sound. I hunt down wind of my quarry, and keep the wind in my face.