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Opinions on dipping (chewing tobacco) while hunting?

109K views 58 replies 35 participants last post by  nhathongminh 
#1 ·
I love a good chew while I hunt, as I'm sure that many of us do.

Can deer smell it on your breath? Can they smell it on the ground from downwind and does it spook them?

I have heard many arguments about this between my hunting buddies (one of which is a registered Maine Guide.)

He argues that he would shoot me out of my stand when I hunt with him if he saw me dipping (chewing.)

His son thinks that he's full of it. He shot a few deer with a mouthful of chew in.

Our good friend sat on his property last year with a cigarette in his mouth, on his cell phone, with a beer between his legs and low and behold had to end the call early to shoot a 210lb. 9-pointer that walked up on him.

So, what are your opinions on chew?
 
#2 ·
That's a tough one. To me a deers most important piece of survival equipment is their nose. Anything that a deer doesn't smell on an everyday basis is "foreign". But deer are curious animals, it may work for you or against you. I always try my hardest to smell like the ground that they walk on and the air that they breathe in, which is nearly impossible. So anyways, my opinion on this matter would be to leave the chew at home. But remember it's only my opinion. GOOD LUCK.
 
#4 ·
Being a full fledged dipper of tobac myself i have thought on this alot. Yes i think a deer will smell it. It might even make me not get a nice buck because it smelled my chew before i even saw it. But that the choice i make every time i get in the stand. and since i am hopelessly addicted i chew/dip anyway. I probably had a dip in everytime i have shot a deer. I do spit in a bottle though and not on the ground.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Well... this weekend, I was spitting out of my stand and had a nice 4 point wander in. He walked right under my stand, gave the spot where I had been spitting a sniff and kept walking. All with me sitting there watching him. I could have spit and hit him if I'd wanted to. I usually smoke but I dip when I'm on the stand to avoid doing that. In the end, I'm out there to enjoy myself and if I all I can think about for 4 hours is the fact that I want a cigarette, I aint having fun.


But then...
Opinions vary...
And that's just mine...

Hunt well, hunt safe.
 
#6 ·
I have a dip in every time i go to the stand and have shot 4 deer this year. 3 does and 1 nice 8. i am however very carefull to pay attention to the wind. i have the advantage to have a larger piece of land to hunt with several stands and when the wind is bad for one stand it is great at another and i just "go where the wind takes me."
 
#7 ·
Chewing while hunting?

I always have a chew in. Now I chew copenhagen, and skoal wintergreen. I usually try to chew copenhagen when i am hunting because I belive it gives off less scent. But one particular morning i was out of cope so i chewed my wintergreen, and didnt see any deer. (this was when i had been seeing the same deer every morning.) That evening i went back and was chewing skoal still and saw a big 10 pointer, and shot a bigger 8 pointer. Does the smell throw off the deer?? I dont think so. MY OPPINON! But if your gonna chew, chew.
 
#8 ·
In my opinion, If you're going to dip/chew, you may as well cook up a pound of bacon and fill yer pockets too because
the only ones that think it's ok to dip/chew are the ones that do it.
When I was a smoker I thought the same way about my smoking, I never thought about how bad the smoke/odors
was affecting my hunts until I quit and now I see way more wildlife than I ever did.
Sorry to all you guys that do it but If a new hunter asks me if it's ok to dip/chew while he's hunting, I still have to answer
No because of the Deer's No-Fail nose. sorry guys but that's my opinion.

To those that do it I hope you all find a way to kick the habit not just for the hunt but for your good health as well.
Good Luck Guys.
 
#9 ·
Hey , guys, I wasn't going to say anything, but as long as Bruce mentioned it, you should consider kicking that habit whether you are hunting or not. :yucky: We want you to enjoy many more years of hunting, not to mention being with your families and doing all the other things you might like to do. Seems to me you should be worried about missing out on all of that and not just missing a shot at a deer. Good luck and good hunting!
 
#10 ·
in my opinion and its just that my opinion. the best option you diping wile hunting is cammle snus. it is a spitless tobacoo. you just throw it in your lip and forget about it. if you are in a position were the deer will smell it than they would smell your breath any way. and i would rather they smell my minty lip than my bacon breath. ( i love bacon)
 
G
#11 · (Edited)
I prefer your other

I prefer your other one. If you have the rifle on you, I don't think you need to worry about kepieng your 1911 concealed.Any Picture with a 1911 is a good picture.Still I must point out that you quite photogenic no matter the pic or pose.-Weer'd
 
#12 ·
dip opinion

I have A dip in everytime I'm in a stand, wheather or not I spit in a bottle or on the ground. I hunt with people that smmoke and dip in the stand and we kill more deer than you could think of. I had a pinch of skoal berry in and had this 225lbs 10pointer walk right up to me 50 yrds away and kept eating so I blasted him. I don't think it bothers them but just my opinion.
 
#13 ·
I can honestly say that in the last 15 years I have not killed a deer without a mouth full of Redman Golden Blend... I dont hunt with out it.
I actually have caught spittle in a jug for weeks on end and dumped it on the ground around my stand or dipped rags in it and hung them from a limb and the deer tear the groud up or pull the rag down. Ive watched a doe rear up on her hind legs to get at the Rag. Im just sayin!!!
 
#14 ·
I wouldn't do it. It would seem pretty pointless to me to spend all that time washing my clothes and gear in scent free stuff and then taking a hot shower in scent free soap and then spraying down with scent free spray and then throwing in a dip. I don't chew, but if I did, I wouldn't while hunting.
 
#15 ·
if u keep the wind in ur favor u have nothing to worry about ,i have killed a pile of deer and everyone i had either red man goldenblend or kodiak in my mouth,besides the is too much hype on scent, scent lok clothing is abunch of BS. shower ,wash ur clothes in scent wash,spray down and the golden rule keep the wind in ur favor and u will have no problems killing any deer
 
#16 ·
i use snuff or dip and i shot all my deer with a dip in my mouth the 11pt in my profile picture ran up to me while dipping and the wind was not in my favor i think its 60% luck and 40% skill so i do what i want and just hunt i know some guys take a bottle along to spit in . in rifle season i just spit out the back of the stand in archery season i'm am a bit more careful
 
#19 ·
I love this conversation. I say goahead stink all you want more bigons for me. We cant not smell. So smell as little as possible.:nerd:To make it more obvious:wallbash: ?? Would you drag your lawnmower (running)out to your tree stand and hunt over it ? :no: If you were in love with co2 SURE.
 
#22 ·
Be careful what you admit to online....

I am not with the DNR but I think they would frown upon anyone admitting to shooting from a vehicle. I thought there is something in the book that they give us every year in MN. A combine is a powered vehicle and I bet they would say it is not different then driving around offroad and shooting out of a pickup. I thought I read that this is listed as a no no. After saying all this I know of one other person that gets Deer while combining to. I think that they offer special permission for those with disabilities to hunt from an atv. Again I am not picking on you and I am gealious I don't get to do it.

Karl
 
#27 ·
after 30 years of a copenhagen habit, i woke up one morn about 5 months ago and said "today i quit". haven't had a pinch in all that time. no tobacco what so ever. no patch, no pill, nothing, but shear determination and will power. didn't gain any weight, actually even lost a couple pounds. everyone is still alive and well in the family. got to say it was darn hard at first for a couple weeks but i rarely miss it now.
:shocking: Congrats. Its tough quitting copenhagen. Best dip ever made in my book.
 
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