Woods mystery

[ncboman]

Pullin my deer out Sat evening I ran into something unusual.

I came upon a spot where a heavy odor was in the air. Now I smoke and for me to smell something so heavy in the air, it might gag a nonsmoker. It was very very strong.

I already had my headlamp turned on as it was getting dark fast in the woods, and looked around at the plants, etc, but saw nothing unusual. I pulled on the scent a couple of times, knowing I've smelled this before, but not putting it together for a few minutes.

Then I remembered the film canister. That's the smell. :rolleyes:

The film canister in reference holds two pieces broken off one of those smoke sticks, the rut flavor variety. Very pungent unlit and in the raw.

find a link ...

Smoke Sticks (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat21404-cat21420-cat140008&id=0004722410997a&navCount=2&podId=0004722&parentId=&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IK&rid=&parentType=&indexId=cat140008&hasJS=true)

I hope some of you are familiar with these and know the smell I refer to.

This is perplexing to me. I know very well and am sure what I smelled. It's not an odor I EVER encounter in the woods. Even wet stinkin bucks doan smell like this stuff.

The only logical answer seems that someone else was hunting and using the sticks in this area and perhaps left ahead of me ... but it's odd I didn't hear any vehicle start in the parking area.

Maybe it was from earlier in the day? :confused:

or maybe it was/is something else entirely? :rolleyes:

I hope to go back Wed afternoon. I'm very interested in seeing if it still smells around there and if so, trying to isolate the source.

Any ideas? :confused:

[dave-t.]

Somone may have set up scent in an area like bait. I know a hunter that will douse an area with doe in heat scent for a month before the rut. He uses bottles of the stuff at a time, and over multiple areas in his set shooting distance for a stand location, and over multiple stand locations. They guy spends a tone of money on scents every year.

I thought it was ridiculous and a waste of money, but he has a lot more big bucks on the wall than I do.

[DaveHawk]

You would bring them nasty things up. I smell one now.