The whitetail deer’s olfactory bulb is about four times larger than a human’s. It produces scent signals that travel up the olfactory nerve to the limbic system, the part of the brain that processes sensory stimuli. Interestingly, a buck at a scrape employs all five scent glands in one behavioral act.
To avoid being detected, hunters must take extra precautions. The most obvious way is to be downwind, but that’s not always possible. Some hunters smear their clothes with deer droppings or even skunk scent. Some hunters also avoid certain foods, like garlic, coffee, and spices, for a few weeks prior to the hunt.
A deer’s nose has billions of scent receptors. These receptors enable a deer to recognize a multitude of different scents at once. They can even triangulate the source of a particular scent based on the temperature variations inside its nose. This ability allows the deer to detect a person up to half a mile away.
A deer’s sense of smell is one of the best defenses against a predator. Using scent control is crucial if you want to make a kill. The scent can help you get within close range of a mature whitetail buck. In order to make a kill, a hunter must be very serious about scent control.
In the winter, when a buck is in the rut, his scent will make him more vulnerable to predators. During this period, it’s important not to entice a buck to cross the fence if he knows the scent of an approaching hunter.
In addition to detecting smell, deer’s mouth contains salivary glands that produce enzymes that help digestion. Saliva also lubricates the tongue and mouth, keeping them moist and alert to danger. The salivary enzymes also leave behind identifying information. In the forest, a buck will typically lick branches and twigs. These will make the buck’s gray hair red, dark brown, or black.
Deer also have powerful noses. A deer may smell an approaching hunter by smelling the tarsal glands. The odor they produce is unique to each individual deer. It may indicate their health or social status. This odor is often accompanied by a squirming sound.
The odor produced by deer is difficult to mask with cover scent. This is why it’s essential to shower frequently. Using a natural deodorant will help manage sweat and don’t cover the hunter with extra scents. It’s also important to carry an odorless deodorant in your hunting pack.
The smell of whitetail bucks is highly distinctive and triggered by their scent glands. The buck’s interdigital secretions contain many different chemical components that trigger a social response in animals of the same species. The deer’s behavior and reactions to specific chemicals determine how important the scent is.