The best you can do is try to control your scent by using products intended to decrease odors. Doing so could very well give you that small edge needed to close the distance on that buck of a lifetime.

• Don’t use a scented soap or shampoo before you hunt. Even though the odor may be a very faint, if a human can smell it, you can bet a blacktail’s nose will detect it well before you get within range. When dealing with scent control, this is a big red flag.

• Do use unscented antiperspirant deodorants, body soaps and shampoos that contain antibacterial deodorizing agents. Some companies make products like these specifically for hunters. They work very well for all methods of hunting, and are ideal if you plan on still-hunting or hunting from a tree stand. The odor-fighting agents are retained by skin proteins and last a long time for hunters who are always on the move.

All of these products do help, but there is no sure-fire remedy to conceal human body odor. So keep that wind in your face.

• Don’t carry any foods that emit unnatural odors. Remember that still-hunting is a close-contact method of hunting -- within a buck’s domain. You can’t afford to carry a sandwich that smells like a deli.

• Do make a better choice by packing high-nutrition supplements, such as factory-sealed protein bars and high-energy gels. They may not be as satisfying to the palette as a homemade sandwich, but they are odorless -- and will sustain your energy level throughout the day.

• Don’t wear hunting clothes in camp. If you’re a wilderness hunter whose mobility depends on carrying the least amount of weight possible, then probably you won’t have the option of changing into a set of “camp clothes” when not hunting. But when you sit around camp, your clothing is an odor magnet.

While doing daily camp chores, many hunters never even think about the different smells that are getting trapped in their clothing. Avoid common odors such as food smells while preparing your meals, campfire smoke or fumes from your vehicle’s exhaust while warming your engine or loading gear.

If you’re not careful, you’ll carry these odors around with you while hunting. Talk about sabotaging yourself before you even get started!

• Do change out of your hunting clothes while in camp. Hang them outside, letting them air out and absorb the natural odors produced by the vegetation in the area.

While still-hunting, the most important strategy is to spot your prey before it spots you. That’s basically what it all comes down to. A hunter must not only heighten his senses to the next level, but also find ways to disguise his movements and control his scent in order to become the ultimate predator.