That Incredible Nose

By Dustin Bergen

The best.  There’s no better word for it.  Swine have been used for centuries to sniff out truffles – a type of edible fungus that grows on plant roots – over 3 feet underground.  Some research has even shown them to be able to detect foodstuffs 25 feet beneath the surface! At the Addictive Hunting ranch, we routinely dig three to four foot deep holes near stands to bury corn, which spurs on their rooting tendencies and keeps them busy for a while.  We’ve even covered over old holes that only have a handful of kernels in the bottom of them only to find them entirely dug up the next day, all the way down to the bottom where those few kernels were.

A hog’s nose is, without a doubt, his best survival sense.  It’s always faced toward the ground and he can not only tell you’re in the area, but can easily smell where you’ve been before you got there.

Studies have shown that an organism that consumes primarily vegetation or non-meat protein food sources can smell a meat-eating organism even more distinctly than other omnivorous creatures.  You and I (meat-eaters) are hunting an animal that primarily consumes vegetation.  They can, therefore, smell the oils and other acids resident in meats coming from our pores  (as well as coyotes, mountain lions, etc) even more readily than other scents we inherently give off.  I’m not planning on becoming a vegetarian anytime soon, but this is even more reason to be conscious of your scent control duties.

Hog’s use their keen sense of smell to find almost anything through feet of dirt — insects, roots, small animals, and even water.  Imagine how quickly they can pick up and make sense of your gun lube, cigarette-smoked fingers, body sweat or your post lunchtime chili-dog-with-extra-onions-and-garlic-fries breath.  This olfactory system is not to be doubted, PERIOD.  If I was in a hunting situation where I had to compromise my presence by sight, sound, or smell in order to get a shot opportunity on a hog, I would never compromise scent control.  EVER.

Your Plan

Your advantage begins before the hunt. What are you wearing?  Same clothes you’ve been wearing all weekend?  Have you showered recently?  Did you use that pretty, botanically-scented shampoo?  Cook up some breakfast or lunch recently?  Planning on having a quick smoke before you head out to the field?  Well, I hope you don’t have to worry about a swirling breeze in a small clearing or creek bottom.  I also hope you planned on what to do when the wind shifts directions in the middle of your hunt.  Keep in mind that although any potential animal you’re after may be upwind, any animal you spook downwind can and will alert your upwind quarry as well.

Rubbing dirt on your skin and clothes can dampen the odors you put off.  Wipe off that excessive gun oil that is dripping from your receiver or barrel.  If you have to smoke or perform some sort of job that requires getting stinky beforehand, try to take off your outer layers first so your skin can breathe and not collect all the sweat and oil.  After you’re finished, then put on your jacket, hat, and gloves to help cover up your scent.  Strong foods will also increase the strength of your odor profile drastically, so try to save that garlic and bean chili for supper-time, post hunt.

If you’re sweaty, try to air yourself out before walking into the woods.  Allow time for your garments to dry as much as possible before contaminating the place where you’ll await your game.

Check the weather and always have a plan for the inevitable wind-shift situation.  If the breeze changes direction and you’re running around last-minute trying to figure out what to do or where to go, you didn’t do enough homework.  When you’re out there, develop a plan of possible relocation spots you could head to and choose the most inconspicuous way of getting there.  That’s being prepared!

Remembering your scent control basics and taking note of the small details involved in keeping the air clean of your scent will greatly increase your odds of getting a shot at that big one!

Next — “Stubby Little Legs”