How Smell Can Make Or Break Your Wyoming Hunting Season

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department's application process is winding down for 2026, and hunters will then wait to see what their draw will be. Will it be like Christmas morning, when you get every license you applied for, or will it be like Christmas when you weren't a good little boy or girl, and you got coal in your stocking? Meaning, you don't draw squat.

Either way, if you put in, good luck, and may the hunting Gods shine on you this year.

If you've been a hunter for a long time, there's a good chance you've been busted in the field by the animal you're stalking because of your smell. Don't be offended, I'm not saying you stink, I'm saying the animal smelled something that wasn't there a minute ago, and it was spooked.

The noses of big game animals are incredible. Even if you're not a hunter, you probably are aware of that, too. The animals on your ranch or the pets around the house can tell something is different by smell.

Interestingly, the senses of all animals are not all created equal. Just like in humans, different animals have stronger senses than others.

One animal species may be able to see you blink from 100 yards away, and others may only see you when they run into you.

The same thing goes for smell; one creature can smell you when you break wind in the car a mile away, and others can only smell you when they bump into your knee.

I stumbled across a graphic from Moose Calling 101 that breaks down how well, or not so well, certain animals can smell to give you an idea of how important eliminating your scent is when you're hunting an animal.

If you're not harvesting, your scent could be the reason.