Why do I begin thinking about next fall’s deer hunt in early March? Must be the winter blahs. Or maybe I’m mindful that March in Maine can be the make or break month for our wintering whitetails. It’s hard to believe, but just as we begin to feel the sun’s warmth and say a prayer of thankfulness for spring’s promise, the deer is running low on its stored fat. There is a desperate wait for some new greenery. Deer biologist Gerry Lavigne will tell you that March is the month of the winter kill – if it’s going to happen.

What happens in March will play a part in the shape of the deer herd come next November’s hunt. When November does arrive will you be ready? Will you be ready to match your wits and woodsmanship against those tough and wary whitetails that do manage to survive our long Maine winters? Here’s a quiz to test you. This quiz is multiple choice. (No fair jumping ahead).

A whitetail deer depends on which one of its senses the most?

a. hearing

b. eyesight

c. smell

d. none of the above

If you picked the third choice, sense of smell, you know your deer. Not only does the deer depend the most on its sense of smell to outsmart predators, its sense of smell is said to be 1,000 times greater than yours and mine.

With this is mind I dusted off three of my favorite deer hunting books and scoured their texts for what I could find on scent. To my surprise I found only a couple of passing references to scent. And these were mainly about the use of artificial attractant scents, with no explanations of the physics of scent itself. To understand the deer’s advantage we need to appreciate how scent travels in the woods, and how it is effected by temperature, wind, and humidity.

One of the best explanations I’ve read came along recently in an outdoor column by John Blaisdell, who is an experienced houndsman. John wrote this recently in a rabbit hunting column in the Northwoods Sporting Journal.

It seems to me that scent is scent, whether a beagle is locating a rabbit or a big buck has his nose to the wind. Here’s John:

Scent, used as a noun, is simply the esoteric odor of all living creatures. These are naturally occurring emissions from an animal’s breath, scent glands, pheromones, oils in the animals skin and the ever present host of bacteria existing on all living animals. These and other odor-producing factors combined are what provide a signature scent unique to each species, allowing each to be distinguished solely by how they smell. In the case of the Varying Hare going about life in the underbrush, scent-containing particles are deposited on the ground in his track while scent molecules are being emitted into the air. These two mediums, ground and air, are the receptacle and conduit through which scent is held and transported from hare to hound. Let’s distinguish them both.

Ground scent is that which lies in the hare’s track and along the path he has taken. It consists of microscopic particles of fur, dandruff, oils and various cells which fall to the ground as he moves along his course. Also, the bunny’s stained footpads leave traces of dried fecal matter and urine, adding to the intensity of the scent. Ground scent is relatively long lasting and under optimum conditions, may be available for hours.

Airborne scent, on the other hand, is much more volatile. Scent, because it is molecular in substance, is lighter than air. Thus, becoming airborne, it is carried from its source on the slightest breeze. Airborne scent is most concentrated close to its source, then weakens as it drifts further away. To draw an analogy, picture in your minds eye the smoke of a camp fire. Closest to the fire the smoke is so thick it may be hard to see through, but as the air currents disperse it and carry it further from the fire it eventually becomes invisible. Consider also how the slightest breeze moves the smoke right or left, up or down, and always away from the source. Like the smoke from the fire, the hare’s scent, subject to the dynamics of moving air, is carried away and becomes so diluted that eventually it is undetectable.

Next, lets explore how weather conditions, specifically temperature, air and ground conditions, effect scent and the dog’s ability to find it.

First, cold air is denser than warm air and tends to hold scent closer to the ground. Bitter cold air temperatures and frozen ground will hinder most beagle’s ability to track a hare. Cold inhibits scent. After all, what has more odor, a frozen mackerel or one at room temperature? To the other extreme, warm dry air and crackling dry ground duff also make it difficult for most hounds to trail. Warm air rises and lifts the scent, up and away, soon after the hare has passed.

This is as true in July on bare ground as it is in March on snow. For example, bright sunny days when temps hit 60 degrees or more and the surface of the snow is melting, the scent literally evaporates. That’s why overcast days are better late in March, when the sun is strong.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is paul@sportingjournal.com.

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