Will Tying A Sweaty Shirt To Deer Blind Increase Your Chances?

Will tying one of your sweaty shirts to your deer blind or treestand increase your odds of getting a deer?

Fact: Deer Are Highly Sensitive to Human Scent

If you have deer hunted you're probably aware of how sensitive human scent is to a successful hunt.

Deer hunters normally do everything they can to keep their scent down. Many set up blinds in different locations so they can hunt downwind from where the deer travel. Many wash their hunting clothes and bodies in scent-free soap. There are a variety of scent cover-up scent sprays hunters can use to try and neutralize their scent to be undetected so they can get close to that big buck.

If you are unfamiliar with a buck snort (a doe will do it too) play the video above. It's a great example of an alarmed deer trying to figure out where a scent he has detected is coming from. A deer's hearing and sight are very important to their survival but scent is their number one defense.

Read More: 5 Great Deer Food Plots For Michigan Hunters

Will Tying a Sweaty Shirt to Your Deer Blind or Treestand Increase Your Chances?

This may seem counter productive to everything I have said so far in this article but hear me out. Being a traveling musician has allowed me to travel all over the country and while doing so I have met a lot of hunters and farmers. There is one common thing I have heard in Michigan and around the country primarily from older hunters and that was to take a sweaty t-shirt you worked in that you don't care about and tie it to your deer blind or treestand in order to get deer used to your scent. I know, it sounds crazy right?

The crazy part is, the guys that consistently do this year after year almost always shot big bucks. None of these guys used scent cover up and a lot didn't even wear a camoflauge or a traditional hunting suit. It was mainly farmers that mentioned this and I am repeating it because I have learned a ton about deer hunting from farmers whose families have farmed and hunted for generations.

I've always wanted to try this theory but was always afraid of getting burned but it seems ever year an old guy tells me this same strategy. I do know from experience deer get used to sounds like farm tractors, lawn mowers, ATVs and are not usually alarmed by them unless you are coming directly at them.  I've hunted the same place for 6 years now and noticed the deer have got used to me. When I walk in the yard they no longer run off or when I am mowing they will keep feeding in my field. Sometimes when I drive my ATV out a deer will just continue to feed unless I get to close to it. So tying a sweaty shirt to your deer blind or treestand could potentially help deer become accustomed to your scent. I don't believe its a guaranteed method but I have met hundreds of farmers and hunters that swear by it.