Would you have been busted? This trophy 10-pointer approached author Terry Wunderle's stand from downwind. Photo by Terry Wunderle.

I waited as a magnificent 10-pointer slowly worked its way toward my stand. If this prize deer continued on its course, he would be directly downwind of me before an open shooting lane would unveil. Finally, the buck arrived inside 20 yards and directly in my wind path. The sight pin settled on his vitals. The arrow found its mark.

No scent alerted the animal. You might say I was lucky. I'd say I was prepared.

I've taken numerous trophy whitetails at close range on the downwind side of my stand. Though I don't recommend hunting in this manner, when a deer approaches from the lee side of my blind, I know I've worked to be so clean that I am invisible to its keen nose.

Scent control is a must in order to be highly successful.

True, you can take some winning animals without this precaution. However, you will triple or quadruple your chances if you can eliminate your smell.

My desire for odor control goes much further than worrying about the deer that I can see walking into range. I am more concerned about contaminating the woods with human scent and spooking the deer that live there. Making contact with the flora in the deer woods can contaminate the area for a day or two, if you are not perfectly scent free. Any deer crossing this path will be aware of the human intervention. Since a mature whitetail rarely shares the woods with a person, the animal will likely move on and find a safer habitat.

FUR-TRAPPER'S EXPERIENCE
In the 1960s and '70s, I made thousands of dollars trapping fur. Fooling the wary nose of the mink, fox, and coyote was a necessity in order to be successful. The understanding that I acquired then, plus the 50 years of knowledge I gained from whitetail hunting, has helped me learn to fool the nose of many a trophy animal.

To avoid detection by an experienced deer, everything needs to be scent free. My wife teases that my hunting gear is cleaner than my church clothes. She is right!

How does one prevent odor contamination?

All foreign smells have to be eliminated. This task is much easier now than it was 10 or 20 years ago. Several scent-elimination companies have developed a line of products that specifically target potential odor problems. I've found that the products of some companies are more inclusive in this process than others.

Gary Reed, general manager of Dead Down Wind, has told me that his Evolve field spray was formulated and engineered to work on a broad spectrum of odors, not just perspiration and bacteria.

I believe it.

Nearly all hunters are aware that their bodies produce unwanted fragrances that a deer identifies as human. They wash with unscented soap and think the problem is rectified. True, odorless soap and scent-free shampoo help to reduce human smells, but not long after a good cleansing, the new buildup of odors repeats the cycle.

To correct the situation, it is advantageous to spray your skin with scent eliminator. This precaution retards the rapid increase in bacteria and aromas that are emitted from oils produced by your body.