IMO I would agree with both of you. Scent wicks that are covered in old scent, whether it be 2 weeks old or 2 months old, seem to not smell the same. But like mrbb said they could have winded you, maybe the wind just happened to be blowing in their direction and they got it at the right time. I personally don't like using scent wicks that have had the same scent on them for more than a few days, maybe just me. I have also switched to only using good quality scent when I use scent, I no longer use scent that has been sitting on store shelves for who knows how long. But I also don't use scent near as much as I use to, and like mrbb I have focused a lot on scent control for myself as well as my gear.