Whitetail's Sense Of Smell / How Good Is It?

With  bow hunting season in NYS just 5 days away, I thought I would list some known facts about a deer's incredible sense of smell. Keep in mind that there is nothing exactly wrong with their sense of hearing and eyesight, or their ability to be running full tilt and change directions in a micro second. Last time I watched one, they have the ability to jump a little higher than I can manage too.

I think that of all the keen senses God built into the whitetail, it is their sense of smell that is the most important for their survival. Their sense of smell allows them to detect predators long before they can be seen or even heard. That applies to both two legged and 4 legged critters. Different studies have been conducted at whitetail research facilities indicating that deer can detect and react to scents from at least 425 yards, (probably farther under the right conditions). How many times have you tried to complete a stalk on whitetails, perhaps to cut the distance to ensure better shot placement, only to have the wind shift, and watch the white tails waving goodbye to you. I have read that the whitetails nose works best when humidity is between 20-80%. temperatures are between 40 degrees to 90 degrees and wind is in the 5-15MPH range.

Whitetails also can smell food sources under 1.5 feet of snow under the right conditions. If the snow is covered in a layer of ICE, that greatly diminishes the ability to detect odors. One study I read about indicated mature whitetails can detect a corn cob buried under a foot of snow from 5 feet away. Apples buried under the snow can be detected even farther due to their pungent odor.

Ever wondered how does can detect which fawns belong to them? Studies have proven that the fawns will  try to nurse from any available doe, however the does smell the fawns and will turn away a fawn that is not theirs.

The sense of smell also of course plays a key role in the perpetuation of the species.  The bucks nose allows him to determine if a doe is nearing or actually in estrus. This takes place because of the "vomeronasal gland" (VNO) which is a diamond shaped lump on the front of a buck's mouth. This gland has a different connection to the brain than the nasal nerves. It helps to detect and possibly control the reproductive condition of the deer while the nose's nasal receptors decipher all OTHER non-breeding odors.

Did you know:

• A whitetail buck's nose is apprx 7 inches long
• A human's nose is apprx 2 inches long
• A deer's nose has 6 to 8 cubic inches of nasal surface
• A human has about 1.5 inches
• A whitetail has apprx 150 million scent receptors
• A human has perhaps 5 million
• A deer is believed to smell 8 to 10 times better than a human

I have read that we simply do not know exactly how much better deer can smell than humans. I have seen estimates of 100 times better, however 8 to 10 times is a LOT.

In closing a whitetails nose is his best asset. With it he determines which scents are dangerous (predators), which scents are edible (food sources), the condition of an estrus doe, thereby perpetuating the species itself.
Add to that an incredible rotating, antenna like set of ears, eyes that have more rods than cones to detect movement and the ability to go from zero to top speed (estimated to be around 40MPH for short distances) almost instantly while changing directions in mid air, and it is a wonder we are as successful at hunting as we are.

I like to think I am better at it that I was 25 years ago and sometimes I realize that perhaps I am NOT. I always remember that a bad day hunting, beats a good day at work every time. As one gets older, he ceases to equate a good day hunting as one in which he or she harvest's a deer.

Someone once told me that somewhere in the bible is a scripture that says, "God does NOT subtract days spent hunting from a man's total allotted time on earth". I have never been able to actually find that passage, but I find it comforting none-the-less.

Dan