Whether you are hunting for deer in the woods, observing them in the wild, or simply want to keep them away from your flower gardens, knowing what they can smell can help you.
Deer can smell perfume, cigarette smoke, human breath, propane heaters, thermacell, salt blocks, corn, period blood, and body odor. However, deer can’t smell coffee, scent-free detergents, and activated carbon.
The easiest steps to take to avoid detection by deer is to take a bath with scent-free products right before going hunting, use scent-free detergents to wash your clothes, line clothing with activated carbon, and wear rubber boots.
For most hunters, this laundry detergent from Amazon is the best option for removing scents from clothes. It also cleans very well. You may also want to pick up some of these dryer sheets (Also Amazon) as well.
The rest of the article will inform you about how far deer can smell, how a deer’s sense of smell compares to a dog’s, and ways that you can keep deer from smelling your presence. I will also offer insights on attracting deer during different seasons.
What Deer Can and Cannot Smell
One of the first things to understand about deer is what they can smell. Deer possess extremely powerful noses, which allow them to sense and avoid danger.
A deer uses its sense of smell to:
- Detect food sources from far away. The ability to detect food from a distance is an important survival strategy for deer; it allows them to pinpoint the source quickly and take the appropriate precautions to avoid predators as they move toward the food source.
- Detect predators and danger. This sense is also highly beneficial when it comes to avoiding danger. By smelling a predator from a distance, deer can take measures to protect themselves, such as hiding or running away.
- Track other animals. Since deer have such an acute sense of smell, they can easily track other animals’ movements. This is especially helpful in the wild when deer are trying to find food.
In a nutshell, here’s a table of the things a deer can and cannot smell:
| Things Deer Can Smell | Things Deer Cannot Smell |
|---|---|
| Perfume | Coffee |
| Cigarette smoke | Scent-free detergents |
| Human breath | Activated carbon |
| Propane heaters | |
| Thermacell | |
| Salt blocks | |
| Corn | |
| Period blood | |
| Body odor | |
How Far Can Deer Smell Food?
Deer use their sense of smell to find food and water, but they can smell much more than just something edible. They could smell the difference between a live deer and a dead one, other animals that could harm them, predators coming their way, or even if hunters are nearby.
It is estimated that deer can smell food from as far as 1/4 of a mile away (0.4 km). They will keep moving closer and closer to their food source until they can figure out if it’s something that they should eat or not.
This also plays into how deer follow certain paths: they use their sense of smell to tell them which way is the best way to move toward potential food.
You may notice that there are trails in the woods where deer seem to take the same path over and over again – it’s because they can smell that this is a good place for food, so they will always go back here. This makes it a great place for hunters to hang out and wait for their next deer kill.
How Do You Keep Deer from Smelling?
Thankfully, there are ways that you can keep deer from detecting your presence. Hunters do it all the time, and there are various ways to do so.
Here’s how to keep deer from smelling:
- Wear clothing lined with activated carbon
- Take a bath before going hunting
- Wear rubber boots
- Use scent-free detergents when cleaning hunting gear
- Use field spray on your hunting gear
- Use natural scents (such as cedar chips)
Here’s a rundown of how these measures will help you avoid detection when hunting deer:
1. Wear Clothing Lined With Activated Carbon
Many hunters will line the inside of their hunting clothing with activated carbon, a substance that absorbs odors and keeps them from escaping.
Deer use their sense of smell to detect your scent first before they even notice any other signs that you’re there, so wearing clothes lined with activated carbon can help inhibit deer from smelling you.
2. Take a Bath Before Going Hunting
Deer can smell something as simple as soap on your skin and hair, so take a shower and wash thoroughly before going hunting.
Be sure to use scent-free products and avoid strong-smelling soaps, shampoos, and detergents.
3. Wear Rubber Boots
Deer can smell leather boots, so it is better to wear rubber ones instead.
This advice stems from the fact that deer have an acute sense of smell and will most likely avoid any area you’re walking through if they believe someone else also had been there first!
4. Use Scent-Free Detergents When Cleaning Hunting Gear
Commercial detergents or household soaps will have strong smells that a deer can easily detect from far away.
It is important you use scent-free products to wash your hunting clothes, as well as those used to clean any other equipment you might be using for the hunt. Here is the brand that I recommend, found on Amazon. They make dryer sheets also.
Related The Best Hunting Laundry Detergent (So Deer Don’t Smell You).
5. Use Field Spray on Your Hunting Gear
Field sprays are designed to eliminate any human odor on your hunting gear, such as clothing and boots.
This can be useful if you were already wearing rubber boots, but forgot to take a shower before leaving for your hunting trip.
Remember, it is never too late for deer to smell something they are suspicious about!
6. Use Natural Scents
Another great way to mask human odors is by using natural scents such as cedar chips.
The smells of nature will always be more natural than any manufactured substance, so using scents you can find in your local camping goods store can make you much more difficult to detect.
Deer Sense of Smell vs. Dog
One of the fascinating things about deer is their sense of smell.
It is estimated that a deer’s sense of smell is up to 1/3 greater than a dog’s because they have 297 million olfactory cells, while a dog has 220 million.
What does this mean for hunters?
This simply means that it is even more important for hunters to avoid detection when hunting deer – dogs might not be as sensitive to certain scents as deer are.
Will Deer Come Back After They Smell You?
Deer have an acute sense of smell and can remember smells for a long time.
This means that if a deer smells you once, there is a good chance it will remember your scent the next time it comes around.
As a form of self-preservation, deer will not come back after they smell you. Instead, they will avoid areas where they have previously detected a human scent.
Therefore, it is important for hunters to take precautions to avoid detection.
How Long Does Human Scent Last in the Woods?
