E bikes & scent control
- Thread starter Bszweda
- Start date
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
The point of walking in to to control your pace, pause when necesary, and leave very little scent. Effectively using your eyes and ears to slow your pace down
An e-bike, like everything mechanical has lots of scents. My buddy tried one and he came to the conclusion that even though we can't hear the bike working, the animals like deer are so very sensitive to a whole wider range of sound frequencies such as those put off by the e-bike.
He confirmed his concerns by looking at game cams later on.
Plus, like the new electric UTV's. batteries were unreliable and sucked.
An e-bike, like everything mechanical has lots of scents. My buddy tried one and he came to the conclusion that even though we can't hear the bike working, the animals like deer are so very sensitive to a whole wider range of sound frequencies such as those put off by the e-bike.
He confirmed his concerns by looking at game cams later on.
Plus, like the new electric UTV's. batteries were unreliable and sucked.
IkemanTx
5 year old buck +
From the reaction I have had from deer the few times I used a bike on public land...
I would buy an Ebike in a HEARTBEAT if they were legal on the properties I hunt. I have literally had public land deer stand dumbfounded and watch me ride my bike by at 40 yards.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I would buy an Ebike in a HEARTBEAT if they were legal on the properties I hunt. I have literally had public land deer stand dumbfounded and watch me ride my bike by at 40 yards.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Northbound
5 year old buck +
Id have better luck with a dirt bike in most places. I'll watch deer go on alert to hikers on walking on designated trails across public land but the same deer don't even glance at atvs or snowmobiles riding by
swat1018
5 year old buck +
I think they're as good as anything can be, I just don't think there is a "scent free" mode of transportation.
I was a handler for 11 years...We train for scent and ground disturbance when tracking. We did our own experiment once and put a guy in a box (6 boxes total and the dog alerts on the one that the guy is hiding in) and it took the dog 15 seconds to alert...We then had a guy shower in scent killer soap and get all dressed in scentlok and spray down rubber boots etc...It took the dog 90 seconds...Amazing. We wanted to do it again with an ozonics but never got around to it.
j-bird
Moderator
The advantages I see with a means of transportation is the hunter having less exertion and thus less scent being created in the process (less...not zero). I also see the bike being faster.... Now is it quieter? Not sure. I like to rake my access trails as it is, but not everyone does. Does the bike leave some scent....I am sure it does. It has grease and the like in it that I am sure the deer can smell. How the deer react to that scent will vary depending on how much they are around types of equipment. Here in farm country....they won't be too concerned....until that smell shows up where it doesn't "belong". The bike may also limit where you can and can't go as well. I know on many public grounds here you can't use a powered wheeled device during our deer seasons. So checking the regulations would be important as well. I could certainly see one being handy for checking cams and the like to get in and out as quickly as possible.
swat1018
5 year old buck +
Yea. Seen it many times. Not sure how a dog and deer compare regarding their sense of smell, other than better than mine.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Interesting test but probably not a great analog for a deer hunter. I presume the dogs had direct access to the boxes. Trained dogs alerting on a box is like deer or a dog pickup ground scent. The scent is pretty concentrated and the dog is close to what leaks from the box. Try the same test with the dog 20 yards from the box, sometime with the guy in it and sometimes not. Scent in PPM diminishes significantly in open air. With no scent control, concentrations are clearly enough for deer to detect and react. With good hygiene and a focus on scent control, deer occasionally still get enough concentration to react. I would guess that in most cases they are still detecting the scent, but the concentration is low enough that it is not interpreted as danger. In many places they are probably acclimated to predator scents, including human, at low concentrations as they share that environment. I think when the concentration reaches a sufficient level they interpret it as the predator being close by and react to the potential danger. That particular concentration level probably depends on both context and the sensitivity of the individual deer. I think trained dogs are a bit different. While the sensing equipment may be similar, dogs can be trained to alert on very low concentrations of scent that a deer might not interpret as danger.
Great experiment though! It shows just how good a dogs nose can be!
Thanks,
Jack
don
5 year old buck +
How many times have I left the woods early enough to see deer standing around my truck parked 200-300 hundred yards away ?
Too many times to believe they have a fear of scent associated with mechanical things.
How many times have I driven that truck past deer that just stood there with no or very little reaction whatsoever ?
On a daily basis, they accept both the sound and movement from it.
How many times have I busted deer when walking into a property both fast or slow, in darkness and daylight, trying to be silent and from a downwind position relative to where I expect them to be ?
Every time if they see me walking, no exceptions.
And lastly, how many times have I been busted while sitting motionless in a tree when a deer unexpectedly approaches from a downwind position ?
Every time with exceptions. When I practice great scent control and wearing clothing that has been treated by means of a self made Ozone Closet or tub with an Ozone unit attached.
While I have had some minor reaction to the Ozone scent on my clothing I have yet to see a deer react negatively. Once the smell is encountered they are curious at first, but go on with their normal routine within a minute or two, usually less.
My experience over years tells me that E-bikes are probably ok to use. Mechanical scent should not be a factor, they have no reason to fear it.
Sound will be accepted over time, just like driving a tractor in their presence. As long as you don't stop or get off while they are watching your golden.
And combining a great scent free cleanliness routine with Ozone treated clothing is about as good as one can do, imo.
Hunt your way and enjoy it, deer are not stupid animals but sometimes we give them far more credit than they deserve, they adapt as necessary living near or far from human activity. Their reactions to your presence will tell you what you can or can not do, nothing more and nothing less.
Too many times to believe they have a fear of scent associated with mechanical things.
How many times have I driven that truck past deer that just stood there with no or very little reaction whatsoever ?
On a daily basis, they accept both the sound and movement from it.
How many times have I busted deer when walking into a property both fast or slow, in darkness and daylight, trying to be silent and from a downwind position relative to where I expect them to be ?
Every time if they see me walking, no exceptions.
And lastly, how many times have I been busted while sitting motionless in a tree when a deer unexpectedly approaches from a downwind position ?
Every time with exceptions. When I practice great scent control and wearing clothing that has been treated by means of a self made Ozone Closet or tub with an Ozone unit attached.
While I have had some minor reaction to the Ozone scent on my clothing I have yet to see a deer react negatively. Once the smell is encountered they are curious at first, but go on with their normal routine within a minute or two, usually less.
My experience over years tells me that E-bikes are probably ok to use. Mechanical scent should not be a factor, they have no reason to fear it.
Sound will be accepted over time, just like driving a tractor in their presence. As long as you don't stop or get off while they are watching your golden.
And combining a great scent free cleanliness routine with Ozone treated clothing is about as good as one can do, imo.
Hunt your way and enjoy it, deer are not stupid animals but sometimes we give them far more credit than they deserve, they adapt as necessary living near or far from human activity. Their reactions to your presence will tell you what you can or can not do, nothing more and nothing less.
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