One Week of Wisconsin’s Rut in my ScentLok Suit and I’m Hooked.Two weeks ago I went on an all women’s hunt on Giles Island, MS. I’ve been well aware of ScentLok’s products and their supposed effectiveness, but in the past, I just couldn’t justify spending the money on a bunch of new camo when I was skeptical of how it would work anyway. This trip was the excuse I needed to try it. I ordered the ScentLok Savanna Coveralls and ScentLok head cover and packed them with the rest of my gear. Though I wish I could report I shot a monster buck while I was there, I can’t. I can only say that the weather was either rainy or too warm for much deer movement. We saw a bunch of beautiful 120 and 130 class whitetails, had a great time and plan on a return trip later in the season.

Upon returning home from Giles Island, during the start of our fall rut in Wisconsin, I got geared up and went out hunting again. In full ScentLok coverall’s and ScentLok head cover I opted to stand on the ground in a relatively thick area. The only deer that I saw was a nice 6 point buck. He walked within 5 yards of me. He never scented me and never saw me.  He went right around me, downwind of me and continued down the path I had walked in on. I had no desire to shoot something so ‘small’ after coming home from Giles. I was waiting for something of size or a nice doe.

November 7, 2004 - Morning

It only gets better from there. The next morning, again in my ScentLok suit and head cover, I had 14 deer around me, most of which were bucks.  From my vantage point, 25’ up in my oak tree, it was the best morning of activity with numerous animals within shooting range.

First a nice 6 point buck came in. He walked right down his scrape line, 35 yards through some brush. He stood up on his hind legs and left his scent in the branches high above him. At that time I had thought that if he’d give me a shot, I’d better take it, but he never offered one. Then he moved alongside of me, 35 yards through the brush, continued completely downwind, turned alongside of me and disappeared. (I’m thinking ‘hum, he never caught wind of me. Cool’.)

Minutes later, a button buck came out and then another smaller 6 point buck came to see if he, the button buck, was really a he. Then they split up, the button came to me and the other buck headed to the river bottom and the button buck laid down beneath my tree.

Then a hot doe and yearling, flew through the woods with a nice eight point buck hot on her tail. They were 80 yards out, but completely downwind of me. This made my button buck get up and follow them to see what all the excitement was about.

Finally, I had started to get chilled, as it was 27 degrees when I had gone out, and thought my excitement for the day was over so I climbed down from my tree. I was adjusting my head cover just as another 6 point buck decided to walk behind me, 30 yards downwind. He never scented me. Then I thought, ‘Walk around, warm up, and stay out here! This is too much fun to leave yet.’ so I very cautiously walked down the ATV trail and back into the woods near a thicket where most of my earlier activity had taken place. I found a nice old stump to perch myself on. Upon stepping up onto the stump, I jumped the button buck I had seen earlier. He looked toward me, but could not smell me, so he decided to walk around the thicket and come check me out. He came completely around, walked up the trail that was exactly 30 yards downwind of me, looked at me, turned broadside, looked again and walked away.

Then, after smiling to myself and chuckling, I turned my head to my left (a little carelessly).  Busted. There was another 6 point buck looking at me, straight on, 30 yards.  He saw me move.  He didn't bolt, he just watched, did the side to side thing, up and down and then turned and walked back the way he had come.

Not believing all the action, from my perch on the stump, I turned my head back, straight ahead, to where the button buck had last stood. Nothing. Then I turned again to the thicket. There stood another 6 point buck looking at me. He had the smallest rack of them all, so there was still no itch to shoot, though I had begun to wonder why my bow hadn't been drawn on one of these deer.

This 6 point did the exact same thing that the button buck had done. He knew I was there; he couldn’t smell me, so he had to investigate. He walked around the thicket to get downwind of me, stopped where the button buck had stopped, broadside, downwind at 30 yards. He tried to catch my scent, his head went side to side, up and down as he checked the wind, but he couldn’t determine what I was. He very quietly blew, as if confused or disappointed, turned back and walked away.

That morning hunt was absolutely unbelievable.  It was by far the best hunt that I’ve had and I do have to give myself a little credit, for being in the right place at the right time. But, without my new ScentLok suit, I would’ve been detected and busted long before. One spooked deer would’ve alarmed all of the others and the fun would’ve been over.

One might wonder why an arrow hadn’t been shot. I am waiting for a nice wall-hanger or a doe to fill my tag. The pace of my heart will tell me if it’s the right buck or not. I would rather just watch and participate in the woods than shoot a younger buck that could be a wall hanger next year.

November 8, 2004 - Morning

The next morning I went out again, now completely believing in and wearing my ScentLok suit. I moved my tree stand 30 yards from my prized stump. I waited and waited, hoping for another morning like the one before. It didn’t happen like the one before, but the father of the 6 pointers did show up. He was a beautiful 8-10 point buck with about a 17-18" spread. He was determined to get to where he was going. At a fast walk, he surprised me from behind and of course was downwind. He stayed on a trail 42 yards from my tree. There was no doubt that I had to shoot. I’m surprised he didn’t hear my heart beating as I drew, and missed. Holding off on the 6 pointers the morning before just to see him and take a chance was worth it.

November 10, 2004 - Evening

There is one more story to add to my week of excitement. This same week, I had gone out again, wearing the same ScentLok suit, in the evening and didn’t see a thing from my tree. The rain started and I started to get soaked through. I headed down from my tree and decided to stand along the field where there was more cover. Nothing came, darkness had set and it was time to head in. Just as I was about to step out onto the field a deer stepped out onto it about 100 yards away, straight downwind of me.

I stood there, trying to decide if I should watch it or go in. Knowing that I’d spook it by walking around the field, or that I could be there all night watching it, I decided to play with it and see how close I could get. I put my arrow into my quiver and slowly proceeded toward the deer, moving only when it fed. I had gotten within 50 yards and the deer, a yearling, must have caught my movement. It was still downwind of me and couldn’t smell me, so instead of running off, it started toward me. I couldn’t believe it! Again! It came right to me, straight into the wind and to my scent, or lack thereof. It got within 15 yards of me, jumped and trotted to the edge of the field. It looked at me, came back across the field and did it again. It knew it didn’t like me, but couldn’t tell why. Again, it jumped and trotted to the edge of the field and into the brush.

In one week I have had some of the best hunting activity I have ever experienced. ScentLok gear deserves most of the credit. If you are considering spending the money on a good ScentLok suit, by all means, do it now! It is worth every penny. Mine has already paid for itself in a weeks worth of hunting memories. I didn’t get my trophy yet, and there’s only 5 days of early archery season left before Wisconsin’s rifle season begins. I hope to have more stories to tell very soon.

© January 2005