Hunters are becoming more educated and understand that defeating a whitetail’s sense of smell is possibly the most important detail in getting closer to them. Special soaps, detergents and sprays are used, but many forget about their boots. If you leave a stinky trail to your treestand, all of your scent reduction work was a waste of time.
Your feet have three times as many sweat pours as your armpits, but in this matter we’re talking about “scent transfer.” If you wear your boots while you fill your car with gas or into the convenience store, you will be transferring those odors to the forest floor. Those smells can remain on the boots for months! Even wearing your boots while driving in your vehicle means they will be making contact with places other possibly very smelly footwear has also been.
Once you designate a pair of boots for hunting whitetails, only wear them when you get to your hunting area. A pair of slippers or Crocs that you can change into quickly help to make this easier. Carry a small pad that you can stand on to switch footwear if the ground is wet or snow-covered. Once you’re done with the hunt, spray the boots with Scent Killer Gold, let them dry, and place them in a container that will keep foreign odors out. Once you’re ready for the next hunt, take them out of the container, spray them again with Scent Killer (especially the bottoms) and head out on your hunt. Success will follow.
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For more on whitetails, read “Late Season Scent Strategies.” Late season is a great time to intercept bucks cruising for that last receptive doe. If breeding has been finished for some time you may be better off appealing to their curiosity or hunger, but estrus scents like Special Golden Estrus or breeding scents like Active Scrape can work well for this period.
