To pee, or not to pee?

[Roguedog]

Does anybody ever urinate while in the hunting woods? This may sound like a ridiculous question but I have read articles where some say it has no affect on deer, others say it does. I have not yet been able to put together any reliable data on my own to support a conclusion one way or the other. I guess the older I get, the more I realize that I am there more for the purpose of enjoyment than for killing. As a result, if I need to relieve myself, I generally do. I was simply curious as to whether any of you had an opinion on this subject or not. Should this practice be taboo if you really want to kill a deer?

Jeff

 

[trent/OH]

If it isn't frozen, I scratch a hole in the leaf litter and will pee onto the dirt. It soaks in fast and probably doesn't leave a lot of scent.

 

[fyrfyter43]

When ya gotta go, ya gotta go.

I've never noticed it to be a problem. But then again, I hunt in NJ where the deer are never far from humans and our scent. A few years ago I killed a buck with my fly still down - I had just finished taking a leak.

 

[Flint311]

I've heard both ways too ("urine is urine" vs "it's human urine"). If I have to go, I go. If you are concerned with scent control, watch the wind. :v

 

[RC]

I've heard no human scent in urine....evidently no deer scent in deer urine either cause they go on their hocks to get their smell to pawbed....never seen any evidence it bothered them at all...its like smokin..don't think smoke bothers them..but the movement sure do! so don't pee..an move! :wink:

 

[Rifleman1776]

As you say, theories vary. One former Arkansas outdoors sports write said he took baggies and urinated in them and carried it out of the woods at the end of the day. :barf: Not a practice I reccomend. I believe it does not bother them.
I once wrote a humor article for our state wide daily newspaper on the subject. e.g. I eat pepperoni as a trail food, I call it 'Italian jerky' and it attracts only Italian deer. My wife's perfume attracts gay deer, and so on. :grin:

 

[trent/OH]

I once wrote a humor article for our state wide daily newspaper on the subject. e.g. I eat pepperoni as a trail food, I call it 'Italian jerky' and it attracts only Italian deer. My wife's perfume attracts gay deer, and so on. :grin:

Maybe I'll start eating BUCKwheat pancakes during deer season! :rotf:

 

[B.Habermehl]

I am under the impression that human urine smells like a predators due to the meat in our diet. Similar to a dog or coyote. I try to not "go" within 30yds. or so of my stand sites, further is better, depending on how bad your hurtin after climbing out of the tree stand. BJH

 

[NJ Longbeard]

I nice carry an empty Gatorade bottle to go in ,nice screw on top wont leak and I empty it when I leave the woods. Try to leave as little evidence as possible that I was in the woods. Just me. :idunno:

 

[Walks with fire]

I bet Daniel Boone didn't worry about taking a wizz when he was out in the woods hunting. :grin:

 

[410-er]

I have gone in scrapes and it does drive them crazy.

 

[Cowboy2]

I do the same thing, or pee in a creek if one is handy. I don't know whether or not human urine bothers them, but its such an easy thing to deal with, why run the risk of ruining a hunt?

 

[RC]

I have gone in scrapes and it does drive them crazy.

Swampy will agree 100% with that,,he does it all the time,,says drives em crazy...
I couldn't find an active scrape to try it in...dang near wet my pants lookin! :redface:

 

[Mad Professor]

Most hunts would last about 30 min if I didn't :grin:

If I'm on a stand I try not to let loose to close

 

[Walks with fire]

I think they could smell it but how close would they have to be to do it. I know a whitetail can smell me at over 300 yards if the wind is blowing that way and for some reason they can smell cigarette smoke and it spooks them but a wood fire actually works to your advantange.

 

[RC]

my theory on cig/pipe smoke is movement alerts them..cause if they can smell yer cig they can smell you..actually thought smoke would help cover yer scent,,especially after I quit..seen way more deer when I was smokin...jus what I observed...

 

[roundball]

I've also heard pros & cons about it...the bottom line for me is not to do anything in the woods that could possibly be associated with humans.
Whatever goes in with me goes back out with me...no problem at all carrying a heavy duty ziploc bag back out to where I park.
Been doing that for about a quarter century, I'm lucky to punch my tags pretty regularly, and that's with deer in the 25-50yd range.
So for me, "if it ain't broke I ain't gonna fix it".

 

[Little Wattsy]

I have gone the route of taking a sealed bottle in with me and peeing into it to avoid scent but have reverted back; My philosophy is that once is of no consequence. I do NOT, however, think I would want to go two or three times in the same place scenting it up ALOT....

 

[larry wv]

I pee in a bottle and save it to herd the Deer to what ever area I think will help me. Its getting harder each year to pee in the bottle when it's really cold out. :redface: Larry

 

[nchawkeye]

Kinda standard practice for me to pee in a hot scrape and if I have one one me, pour a half a bottle of Tinks 69 into it...I've killed several bucks doing so...

I've peed off the stand for years and never had it spook a deer that I know of...

Years ago my brother was hunting in Canada with Dr James Kroll...He asked him this very question, according to him, deer actually can't tell a difference between human and deer pee...