Bowhunting North America's Weekly Tip 

  We’ve all done it – took a few short cuts in an effort to save a little time. Not a good idea when it comes to preparing for your hunt. I was guilty of it just this past weekend and it cost me a shot at some really nice hogs.

I arrived at the ranch a little later than I had hoped and quickly grabbed my gear and headed to the woods. I was primarily hunting turkey and needed to get my Double Bull blind set up near a roost before the turkeys moved into the area.

Normally, I am obsessed about scent control when hunting. But being short of time, I took a short cut and didn’t take the time to spray my clothes and boots with my Scent Killer from Wildlife Research Center.

I hadn’t been in the blind long when I heard hogs heading right down the trail where I was set up. I got into position and readied for the shot. My heart sank when the hogs locked up just a hundred yards from the blind. They had caught my wind and the dominant sow in the group let out a loud grunt and they were gone as quickly as they came! Lesson learned. It wouldn’t happen again!

The next morning I showered using Wildlife Research Center Scent Killer bar and sprayed my clothes and boots with a generous helping of Scent Killer spray. When I got to the blind, I sprayed the blind with Wildlife Research Center Earth Masking Scent since the area had been recently rooted heavily by hogs.

It worked like a charm. Shortly after daylight, I had a group of hogs move in on the same trail as the evening before, but this time they didn’t have a clue I was anywhere around. I put a great shot on a nice sized hog and found him in short order after great blood trail.

Wildlife Research Center offers a full array of scent control products ranging from Scent Killer sprays to masking scents and attractants. Use it and use plenty. There’s no such thing as too much of a good thing when it comes to scent control.

Take the time to deal with scent control. Don’t short change yourself by taking a short cut. It happened to me and it’s a lesson I won’t soon forget. I’m just grateful it was only a group of hogs that busted me and not a big P&Y buck on a fall hunt.

And this is your Bowhunting North America Tip of the Week!

John Shelley

Pro Staff

Bowhunting North America, LLC