"Scent, or the Lack Thereof"

By: Braden Arp

Part 2

Now I had two problems. The wind was carrying me straight to a nice shooter buck and he knew something was there from the sound, but I had no choice but to go after him. I grunted again. He dropped his head and walked another twenty yards this time getting considerably closer to a bad situation. The buck was sixty yards and closing, adamantly trying to pick up a scent. By now he is within range, long range but in range. I knew I had to shoot quickly or I would lose my chance, but I wasn’t quick enough. He took one step in the cane break and walked another ten or so yards leaving me with nothing. It would take one step to get an opening that I felt comfortable with, so I drew my bow. I held my draw for what seemed like minutes. I can still remember my muscles tingling from exhaustion as well as being tapped into a livewire of excitement. All of a sudden, I saw a nose protrude from behind the tree and I saw the buck start to move. He made three more steps and stopped, leaving me with a perfect broadside shot. I took it, and it was a good one. The buck ran maybe forty yards before giving up, a nice middle Georgia nine point.
Stories and memories like these always savor a little sweeter when you know that you have defied the odds for success. It’s a great feeling to know that you have done all you can do and your equipment is doing what it is supposed to. I’ve hunted on countless occasions leaving straight from work, only to have an hour or so in the woods. I can put my Scentblocker® suit straight over my work clothes and not have to worry about it. When I’m done, it goes straight back into a scent proof bag and is ready to go for the next trip. It is just that simple! I remember the days of trying to harness a satellite feed for the latest in wind directions, but it has been so much more enjoyable to forget the wind and just hunt.
There is always excessive hype over new products and designs that are not really tested in the field. I’m always leery to jump in with both feet without seeing some results for myself. On this particular hunt, I got the results. However, the name of the game is to add equipment and accessories that will enhance how you already do things. It would be foolish of me to ignore all the personal field tests that I have already conducted on things that work for me and things that don’t. I still take a downwind approach and I still use a lot of Scent Shield®, just as you all do I’m sure. In all my experiences, scent control has always been my top priority. A lot of us don’t need to know how to pattern deer and how to find where they are feeding. When you have a lock on your buck, Scentblocker® can help you get the advantage.