When you're camping in an area with or near elk do campfires & the smoke of affect your hunting? I guess more specifically, if you burn a fire will elk associate that with pressure and tend to move out of the area?
campfires & smoke affect your elk
- Thread starter rackpack
- Start date
JimP
Administrator
Deer and elk smell smoke all the time without getting spooked. The problem is all the vehicles, chain saws, loud music, pots and pans being banged around that move them out of the country.
gypsumreaper
Active Member
- Mar 13, 2014
- 308
- 0
This has been brought up many times with friends and family. They're are always different opinions. Campfires are around all summer with campers should the elk get used to it probably, on the other hand elk and animals flee from forest fires when they smell smoke. So kinda a tie ball game there. Some people use smoke to descent their clothes saying the smell of smoke is more common to an elk than the cover up scents so they'd rather smell like smoke than the fresh earth or estrus scents. That's kind of up in the air. I know a ton of archery guys won't go near fire when hunting, muzzleloader guys don't seem to care and rifle guys it's sometimes a necessity. But that comes down to how close you have to be. Me personally I do not have fires when I'm archery hunting, I take all kinds of precautions different clothes for hike in, soon as in back to camp I'm in my hiking clothes, scent killer spray, no fires. But then in rifle season I have no care of how I smell to much I can shoot farther but I also spot and stalk a lot of animals with my rifle.
I look at it as this during summer elk and deer aren't pressured yes they see people and smell people and fires but those people aren't chasing them down to get a shot people come they take off and that's it, I give elk and deer a lot of credit for intelligence I believe they know when hunting seasons are near and to start taking more precautions. If you've ever seen a herd in July then the same heard end of sept they are a little more skidding it seems. Also most hunters will set up camps in different areas than traditional campers so that to me seems to be a little more of a red flag to the animals.
I have some buddies that will burn fires with no cares others will leave camp and hunt somewhere else at the sight of smoke. It's a traditions thing imo however you were raised hunting somewhat is what ur gonna believe. I grew up rifle hunting with campfires every night, when I moved to archery I changed my ways to better my chances. A fire in a well camped area like where most of our base camps end up I don't think bothers them a fire 20 miles in on a trail in the back country may raise some suspicions. Personally I hate the smell of campfire on my clothes, and I take extra special care when I'm hunting with my dad who is a muzzy guy with my clothing, he loves the campfires and hanging out havin a beer after a long day. He will wear the same clothes he hunted in around the fire but will still spray down with scent killer then next day. It seems to help I don't smell the campfire on him as much. Can't say there is a right or wrong answer on this subject it's just gonna be who you talk to
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I look at it as this during summer elk and deer aren't pressured yes they see people and smell people and fires but those people aren't chasing them down to get a shot people come they take off and that's it, I give elk and deer a lot of credit for intelligence I believe they know when hunting seasons are near and to start taking more precautions. If you've ever seen a herd in July then the same heard end of sept they are a little more skidding it seems. Also most hunters will set up camps in different areas than traditional campers so that to me seems to be a little more of a red flag to the animals.
I have some buddies that will burn fires with no cares others will leave camp and hunt somewhere else at the sight of smoke. It's a traditions thing imo however you were raised hunting somewhat is what ur gonna believe. I grew up rifle hunting with campfires every night, when I moved to archery I changed my ways to better my chances. A fire in a well camped area like where most of our base camps end up I don't think bothers them a fire 20 miles in on a trail in the back country may raise some suspicions. Personally I hate the smell of campfire on my clothes, and I take extra special care when I'm hunting with my dad who is a muzzy guy with my clothing, he loves the campfires and hanging out havin a beer after a long day. He will wear the same clothes he hunted in around the fire but will still spray down with scent killer then next day. It seems to help I don't smell the campfire on him as much. Can't say there is a right or wrong answer on this subject it's just gonna be who you talk to
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smoke from a camp fire and smoke from a forest fire are on different ends of size spectrum, I know what you mean though. at base camp we have a fire, just how it is. not camping without a fire
if im at base camp. if its getting dark, a fire gets started and a beer makes it to my lips. on the mountain, I wont build any fires out of my spike camps unless its needed for warmth or to dry wet clothes. my buddy will change his clothes as soon as we hit base camp, I haven't noticed it make a diff though. some days I worry about it other days I don't.... with that said, we have elk come right next to camp and scream while we are by fire, but like was said this is at base camp where the elk come to expect to find people.
if im at base camp. if its getting dark, a fire gets started and a beer makes it to my lips. on the mountain, I wont build any fires out of my spike camps unless its needed for warmth or to dry wet clothes. my buddy will change his clothes as soon as we hit base camp, I haven't noticed it make a diff though. some days I worry about it other days I don't.... with that said, we have elk come right next to camp and scream while we are by fire, but like was said this is at base camp where the elk come to expect to find people.
Slugz
Veteran member
I dont think it makes a difference....if we are talking just smoke.....other noises though not natural to the woods and the game is off.
shootbrownelk
Veteran member
The smell of a wood fire doesn't seem to bother deer and elk much, but...the smell of cigarettes or cigars on clothing, that's something foreign to them and I believe they associate that scent with humans. That's been my experience with tobacco products and people who use them.
Slugz
Veteran member
Catahoula12
Very Active Member
I agree with the FIRE subject. I always have a fire at base camp, but I remove hunt clothing before the fire is started...