It's all about parts-per-million of scent. Think about it.... let's put "ability to smell" on two scales; one scale would be a human scale and the other is a deer's scale. Let's take two people as examples.
Human #1: has been working outside in hot weather sweating all day in cotton clothes.
Human #2: has just taken a shower with non-scent soap and put on clothes washed in non-scent soap and hung out to dry before donning.
Most all of you would agree that smelling human #1 would not be difficult to the human nose, right?
Human #2 would be very difficult for the human nose to smell.
That's all on a human nose smell "scale".
Why would this example not apply to a deer's ability to smell... just on a different scale.
It's all about parts-per-million of scent molecules. Can you overcome your smell whether it be gasoline, laundry detergent, bacon, etc... well, not entirely but a hunter can do A LOT to lessen his/her molecules of scent.
I don't think we as hunters can totally overcome a deer's nose but we can make it much more difficult for a deer's nose to pick up our scent.
I do what I can and I think I make a difference with my efforts HOWEVER, I still hunt the wind.
Bucktrot, i see what your saying, but this is where i think hunters dont understand how good a deer's nose is. I agree with the parts per million way of thinking, however, taking a shower and using scent sprays, doesn't reduce the ppm enough for me to justify the extra money, time, and effort, but i'm glad it works for you. If you could do these things, and forget about the wind direction, it would be worth it. When i say i hunt the wind, scent control hunters say that the wind swirls too much to do this, if thats the case why do they try and hunt the wind, if they have reduced their scent enough to keep a deer from detecting them.We try and rationalize everything we do, by the human way of thinking, mother nature on the other hand, doesn't play by the same rules.
I am saying that the stinking chain gang guy, because he has a MUCH higher producing "ppm" of scent will be easy for a deer to smell. The guy that "does what he can to eliminate his scent" may.... may be able to get away without being detected by a deer's nose. Even a deer's nose has its limits on smelling a scent with X ppm. Put that ability on a scale.