Using Scents Wisely: Part 2

In addition to using scent to hide yourself while you're hunting, you can use scent as a tool to attract the sort of prey you're stalking. There are a number of products on the market to help you cover your tracks - and just as many to help you gain a few extra seconds to line up that perfect shot.

Consider using scents to lure animals such as deer. You'll have to carefully consider the wind when choosing where to place a scented lure, as you want the animals to smell the lure well before they could possibly catch a whiff of you. Ideally, apply the lure upwind of a trail you've noticed the animals using during a scouting jaunt. Locate your stand downwind of the trail and simply wait.

Using Scents Wisely: Part 1

Plenty of veteran hunters will tell you the biggest mistake newbies make is soaping themselves generously in the shower, then slapping on some aftershave and hair products before setting out for the day. There's little that gives you away in the field more than smelling like a drugstore.

There are a number of ways to disguise your scent - some are better than others. Plenty of hunting supply shops offer masking scents, designed to mimic everything from skunk musk or fox urine to the fresh scent of cedar. The important factor here is choosing a masking scent that will be familiar to the animal you're after - don't use the scent of oak to cover your tracks through a pine forest, for example.

Successful Whitetail Hunting from a Stand

The best way to bag a trophy is to ensure you see plenty of deer. And the best way to see as many deer as possible is to find a stand, sit there quietly and wait. Nature gave the whitetail deer exceptional vision, but their sight is more geared toward picking up motion than noticing stationery objects. So sitting still, especially when the wind is in your favor, pays dividends.