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Whatever the reasons, most hunters agree that the gobbling of a mature tom is what keeps their blood pumping in the spring turkey woods. One of the only times a hunter does not enjoy the sound of a turkey gobbling is after sitting for a decent length of time while calling, only to realize that the gobbler is hung up and won’t come any closer. Several things can cause a gobbler to hang up or not respond to calls, but let’s talk about ways to prevent it from happening in the first place.

One of the challenges that summertime predator callers often face is that of controlling human scent. Coyotes are known to have one of the best senses of smell of any animal that is hunted.

The rut was just starting to heat up and bucks were cruising. Like so many of my hunts during the rut, I was planning to sit all day. It was one of the first colder days of the season; temperatures were in the low thirties, but it was supposed to warm up a bit in the afternoon. I chose the ScentLok BE:1 Voyage Jacket and Pant for these conditions because the tailored, single-layer system has an ideal warmth-to-weight ratio.

The rut was in full swing and I was planning an all-day sit. It was cold in the morning – somewhere in the high teens – but I knew it was going to warm up into the mid-thirties in the middle of the day. It had also been dead calm the first few hours in the mornings and in the evenings.

Having the right equipment is crucial to success, no matter what you are doing. When deer hunting late season, having the right gear to keep you warm, comfortable, and scent-free can be the deciding factor as to whether your tag goes on a mature buck or in the trash at the end of the year.

To help get advice and tips on what to look for, when to scout, and where to hang the best treestands, I recently talked with Jason Say of Wired Outdoors T.V. to see how he closes the deal on mature bucks each year.

The proof that scents and lures work to bring in mature bucks has always been debated among believers and non-believers. Using scents and lures to attract deer and using a scent elimination system to destroy odors can be confusing and, if not done correctly, can seem as if they are pointless. However, if one provides the scent that deer want to smell and destroys the odors that can spook them, they will see that both do, in fact, work.

To be successful in getting close to big game like the Headhunters TV guys, one must have a strict scent elimination system, one that, even when being on the road for months at a time, can still destroy odors and keep them gone.

For several years I have used scent elimination technologies while pursuing one of my passions, that being deer hunting. By utilizing these scent-destroying products such as ozone, I have found that they can also be used to eliminate unwanted odors and bacteria as part of my routine boat maintenance.

Common off-season preparation includes land improvement, planning and planting food plots, maintaining and adding mineral sites, and running game cameras throughout the year. Other tasks involve the storage and maintenance of gear. For those maintaining a scent-control regimen, this includes caring for and storing hunting garments properly throughout the off-season.