Firearm Lubricant Scent: Does it Scare off Game? Mark Nyholm | Oct 24, 2018 10:30 AM Have you ever heard the saying, “the nose knows?” Some of us have bigger noses than others, but in general animals have a far more advanced sense of smell than the humans who hunt them. If you’re a seasoned hunter, you know that your clothing, your choice of hunting products and your hunting spot all help determine whether you go home empty-handed or dine on fresh meat that evening. How well can animals smell? We humans don’t survive by our noses. Unless, of course, you’re a professional candle tester with a calibrated nose able to detect the faintest fragrance. In contrast, most animals use their noses for security. How good is their sense of smell? It’s said the average dog can identify smells more than 1,000 better than us . Of course, we don’t hunt dogs. What about bears? Of all the animals in the woods, bears have the best sense of smell and can detect a r