Deer Scents

Hunt the wind like grand pow pow taught me. Cover scents are a joke and a waste of money

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People often try to mask the scent of something with another more powerful scent. The problem is that the dogs can disseminate both scents. Deer are no different. Therefore, I do not buy the "cover scent" premise

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All true, deer can smell like we can see color and adding another scent doesn’t accomplish much but there may be something to the evercalm. Blood trackers will tell you the dogs aren’t following blood, they’re following stress hormones from the interdigital glands. That’s why a good tracking dog can cross multiple deer trails and stay on the scent. Evercalm is marketed as the other hormones, ones that the same gland emits when they feel content and safe, so there may be something to it making them feel more comfortable and less spooky in bow range if placed where they can smell it and not you. No idea if it actually works, it’s just sitting in a grey area between cover scent and attractant. There’s some evidence now that deer can identify each other by that hormone signature and do so in scrapes, so even if it does work it may put them on edge that a new deer has showed up.

I dont use cover scents. I do use the scent away laundry detergent just so i dont have sweet laundry scent lol. Also use the scent away deoderant so i dont have old spice blazing. But no cover scent

Any scent is going to put the deer on alert.

You are better off with them calm and cruising / feeding.

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Anyway, they swear by a product called EverCalm

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I have used evercalm and still use it occasionally. I have watched younger spikes yearling does following it right up to my tree.
I have also had same age class come to the base of my tree smelling tobacco juice spit.
I have zero evedience it works on mature deer.

I sweat profusely and for years had issues of deer catching my wind and spooking. I found a stick (looked like a deodorant stick) of the evercalm in the woods on a well used management area a few years ago. Gave it a try that season and had an increase in close encounters with deer even with swirling winds. Still get the occasional “blow” when I’m sweating my arse off and a deer comes from downwind.

Does it work 100% of the time? No. Does it help? For me I think so. Since using it I have been able to watch deer do deer things in close proximity at a much higher rate than before.

I usually grab some fresh pine needles off a tree on the walk in and rub that all over to mask some of my scent

I use All Free and Clear detergent and Scent Killer spray. That's it.

If I was using scents, evercalm would be the choice.