Scent Managment

[carpedium]

What do you bowhunters do to manage your scent? I know there are a lot of commercial products out there.. but do any of them seem to work for you?

I know an old timer that stores his hunting clothes in a bag of leaves from the forest floor, hay and horse crap. Anyone else hear of this?

[Gator]

The four biggest deer of my life have come since I started wearing Scent-Lok six years ago. Coincidence? Maybe. Am I becoming a better hunter? Probably not

But I'm seeing more and bigger deer. After watching several deer cut my trail and react violently...boots got something on them?...150 yards from my stand where I walked in...it became clear just how sensitive a deer's nose is. The problem with most hunters, me included, is that if you smell bad, you'll never know it. You generally won't see the deer spook. You just won't see the deer.

BTW, I got new boots that night. And watched deer cut my trail the next day with a complete lack of concern.

I don't think it matters whether you use expensive activated carbon silver fiber impregnated sewn by virgins camo or just roll in deer crap in the backyard, minimizing human scent is probably the most important factor in determining success.

Okay, second most important...to dumb luck.

[goin deep]

I agree w/ Gator. I do a lot of deer hunting (Pa, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio) and in my opinion a carbon suit alone will not help much with scent control. I am a fanatic when it comes to scent control and I personally do not use a carbon suit. I wash ALL of my clothes in unscented laundry detergent including my underware, hat, socks, gloves, backpack etc. I also keep my outer hunting clothes outside or in a scent proof container if they go inside. Knee high rubber boots are a must. Before I take to the field, I take a shower w/ scent free soap followed up with scent free deoderant. I put my outer hunting clothes on when I get to my hunting spot not before. I then spray myself down with a scent killing spray. One very important thing to remember is to play the wind when chosing your hunting spot each time you go hunting. I don't think you can eliminate scent but you can minimize it.

Brian

[chowder]

Shower w/ 'Dead Down Wind' (DDW), dry yourself w/ a towel that was washed in DDW. Put on clean understuff washed in DDW. DO NOT PUT ON YOUR CAMO LAYERS YET. Keep a scent free towel on your seat & drive to parking spot. Toss down a non scented mat and put on the rest of your costume (I try to keep fresh face masks & gloves (yep, washed in DDW) for my earliest hunts (or till I've killed a couple & don't really care as much!). I'm also careful to;

a.) -put on a 2cd pair of scent free socks after parking.

b.) always leave your boots wrapped in scent free plastic bag-never wear anywhere except to go in to stalk or stand.

c.) keep outer layers in one scent free bag and inner layers in a seperate scent free bag. Keep back pack in another scent free bag. Wash these parts of your costume regularly, especially if it's warm. WALK IN WITH THE MINIMUM ON, this keeps perspiration & scent to a minimum. Rest of stuff stays in back pack till you cool off (good idea to put on a head cover asap & prepare for shot opportunity asap)

d.) spray down boots, bow,arrows etc w/ DDW

Next step is to proceed to stands or stalking area in a manner that avoids allowing your scent (especially foot tracks -that's right , remember YOU STILL STINK!) to deter prey that may travel to or from your hide.

NEVER hunt a spot with wind traveling towards your preys most likely travel route.ONE TIME DOING THIS AND THAT SPOT IS SHOT FOR HUNTING MATURE BUCKS - THEY DON"T MAKE VERY MANY MISTAKES!

IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF PREP & WORK - IT IS, and that's why I don't carry on like this very much anymore. But when I did I was able to target and kill mature bucks on a fairly regular basis as long as I kept the protocols the same and hunted productive territory smart & often. Now I hunt much more with my kids and although we follow as many of these guidelines as often as possible, I am no longer a big buck 'nazi' but I am a happier man.

Good Luck! -Andy

[carpedium]

Wow, very informative responses. Thanks a lot guys

[Gill-T]

I used to place all my stuff in a bag with pine boughs in. On my way into my stand I would snap off pine branches and rub them on my clothes as I walked. Thought I was pretty smart smelling like a pine tree.......but I kept getting busted! Then one day while watching my dog roll in bird crap it hit me.......when you wipe something on your person the smell is magnified to the 100th degree. I could not smell the bird crap in the lawn, but once it was on my dog's neck.........whew! I could smell him from 15 yards away. I believe you don't want to smell like anything.....if possible. Wash your clothes in free-and-clear unscented laundry detergent and keep external wear in a separate bag. Use fresh undergarments and long johns for every hunt (washed in free-and-clear). I use NO cover scents. I shave my head anyway, but noticed I stopped getting busted when I started buzzing my armpits also. I use unscented over-the-counter "Secret" deodorant. I shower before every hunt....so twice a day for morning and evening hunts. HUNT THE WIND. All these crazy tricks mean nothing if your set-up is all wrong. Use drainages to hide your movements and scent as you come and go to your stand. Ok Ray you can start the jokes.

[Mortigan]

Manscaping prior to hunting? I quit.

[carpedium]

I heard ray doesn't wear undergarments, so that makes it a lot easier in the morning while getting ready

[Mortigan]

Yeah, but he mentioned pink speedos once.

[Legacy]

Think scent free...

everything you bring into the woods must be scent free. backpack, gloves, calls, bow, arrows, everything must be sprayed. During the entire deer season i only use scent free soap, shampoo, and deordorant. Everything i wear is on a scheduled to be washed twice a week in scent free laundry soap. Once everything is washed it is placed in a rubbermaid storage container and stored there between uses. My base layers are scent lokk which do a great job in wicking away moisture and also controling human scent. I also try to carry my outer layers to the stand so im not sweating up a storm before arrival. Although my clothes may be scent free i always spray down when i arrive. Everything going with me gets sprayed. Rubber boots are also a must. They do a great job of keeping your walk in scent free. The best thing to do is to control scent at every possible level. There are plenty of companies selling scent control products and for the most part they all do the same thing. Ultimately the wind will dictate your success and you must play the wind smart but scent control will definetely give you an advantage.

[ray koziatek]

I try to smoke at least a pack of smokes before prime time toss the butts all over take a leak or two . Then I get out of my buddies stand spray down and run to mine before he gets there...Hmm maybe ill dig out some old salmon let it rot for a week and give ita roll or two ,Thanks Chad...............

[Gill-T]

I try to smoke at least a pack of smokes before prime time toss the butts all over take a leak or two

Sounds vaguely like your fishing technique.

[woody 184]

Gill, One year I thought I would be Smart and break open an apple and smear it on my camo before heading out with the bow... I was not very Successful that year.... I never thought about the dog rolling in the crap scenario but you hit the nail on the head with that.. My Chocolate Lab would find anything to roll in, Phew, you cold smell him 20 yards from the front door of the house... LOL

[JakeyBaby]

You simpley need to play the the wind!! Not only while sitting but going to and from your stand location also!!!!I wash all my clothes a few times a week and wear scent blocker clothes,boots,gloves,and mask. But they can still get ya, the wind is everything.My #1 rule is DO NOT tuck your pant legs inside your boots!!!!!!!!!!!Your feet have odor no matter what you might think If you put your pants in your boots walk to and from your stand plus sit your stand for hours then get back to your truck and put all your "Scent FREE clothes" back in your bag and seal it up! Now all your clothes that you try and make as scent free as possible smell like your feet, just from your pants from the knees down.Trust me i used to do it and would get busted and now that i ALWAYS wear them outside the boots what a differnce .Also i will put my clothes in leaves but only if they are extremly dry. If they are wet at all they will leave a musty odor so make sure they are very dry.One other tip is buy the fresh earth dryer sheets,they work.I always wash my inner clothes first then do a seperate load with my camo, bags, ect.. Then dry them seprate also, your washer and dryer smell like flowers or whatever scent you might have in there allyear long. Thats why my camo goes last so hopefully that scent you dont want gets washed away b4 it gets exposed to it.

Matt

-Jakey Baby-

[Gator]

That's a really great observation! I never considered it, but feet sweat something like a liter a day. If even part of that wicks up your pants, it's like a neon sign to the deer. Nicely done, and thanks!

[W.W.IV.]

If you pull your pantlegs over your boots the smell is going to go up farther so you have to put an electrical tie under your collar and pull it real tight to keep the smell in, or spray the inside of your boots before you put them on. If you want to know if your sent spray works spray a smelly sneaker with it and smell to see if the oder is gone. .

[JakeyBaby]

The Scent Blocker boots I have come with a "odor catcher"..? that you can wash and recharge.Also they have a rip cord that pulls tight at the top of the boot that locks the scent in leaving only your socks to accumulate scent. Plus they are very light waight and comfortable.For the $100.00 i payed for them very well worth it!

Matt

-Jakey Baby-

[salmonite]

also i use a homemade recipe for the scent elimination spray. I use distilled water ( a must tap has a smell), baking soda, scent free soap, and hydrodget peroxide. mix it up good then let it sit for a couple days. I really did not believe it was working till my dog got sprayed by a skunk and this recipe was the only thing that got the stink off

also you can make gallons of this stuff for around 8 bucks... mighty helpful when those stupid sprays cost 15 bucks for 16ozs

gal distilled water....1/2 pint hydogen peroxide...1/4 cup baking soda....

mix and keep it down appx 3/4 of the gal jug...let it set couple of days.

keep top loose.

[sidewinder]

I Agree with everyone about boots!!!! I recommend Muck boots. Light weight comfortable and Warm!!!!( like wearing a sneaker) They offer A lighter version for early season or warm days as, well as a heavier for when it gets colder!!! The bottom is rubber. Rubber will not leave a trail of your scent and, the upper is made of neoprene. I also find getting them one size larger helps with keeping you warmer. Scent-loc clothes are a plus but, being on the down wind side of deer trails I believe is a must! To this day I dont know of any product to get rid of Human breath odor. You dont need to be a deer to smell that. Good Luck !!!!!

[Billy V]

I wear Scent Lok clothing, not because it's carbon activated, but because I feel it's the best hunting clothing out there. Their new Head Hunter suit is incredibly well made. If it helps with scent elimination then that's an added bonus for me - I'm not sure if it helps keep me scent free all by itself or not. I like to think that the other things I do help more than just wearing a scent lok suit. Like a lot of the guys above, I also shower with scent free soap, wash all of my clothes with scent free detergent, spray down every inch of everything that's going into the woods with me and then store my hunting clothes on my porch all fall - they never come inside the house. I also play the wind to the best of my ability, but sometimes a deer will come in from down wind and throw all that out the window. My system seems to work for me as I can't recall the last time I was busted.

I hunted the opener in KY over Labor Day weekend and it was HOT and really humid. 105 degrees for the high each day, and 85 degrees as we walked into the stand each morning. I was soaked with sweat just walking to the stand each morning, but I had several deer cross directly over where we had walked in on the first morning and not one of them reacted negatively, so maybe the Scent Lok clothing helped - I cant imagine I was totally scent free with all the sweat pouring off me as we walked in.

[JakeyBaby]

Billy V,

Did you happen to kill any thing...???

[Billy V]

Nope - could've shot a few does but it was ungodly hot and I couldn't see how we were gonna get any meat out before it went bad. There was literally nothing moving other than the first hour of the day. Kind of a bummer but it still felt good to be back up in the tree with my Elite.

[chowder]

I Agree with everyone about boots!!!! I recommend Muck boots. Light weight comfortable and Warm!!!!( like wearing a sneaker) They offer A lighter version for early season or warm days as, well as a heavier for when it gets colder!!! The bottom is rubber. Rubber will not leave a trail of your scent and, the upper is made of neoprene. I also find getting them one size larger helps with keeping you warmer. Scent-loc clothes are a plus but, being on the down wind side of deer trails I believe is a must! To this day I dont know of any product to get rid of Human breath odor. You dont need to be a deer to smell that. Good Luck !!!!!

Forgot to mention that if I'm taking an archery hunt seriously I always brush w/ baking soda. Another thing to remember about all this stuff is that humid,low pressure, conditions greatly facilitate a white tail deer's olfactory senses, while dry,high pressure conditions diminish their ability to pick process scent. Back when I targeted mature bucks exclusively I noticed that several bucks I hunted would simply avoid moving very much at all on very dry days.

[Reel Doc]

For breath odor control I always take some apple slices to suck on. Maybe it helps but in cold weather when you see your breath I think you may be busted downwind by an alert deer

[ Post made via Android ]

[Knotlost]

Its funny to read all those posts, and all that work and one fart ruins it all... The activated carbon is a joke, the science isn't there, carbon loads, and once its loaded it gives off as much as it absorbs. That's the facts folks and nothing will change that, the amount of AC in the fabric is very little and will load very quickly, once loaded it has to be "removed" and that's not an easy task to do right. I would bet the AC in those fabrics will load in 30 minutes or less 50% of the time.

Fact is you will not fool a smart buck if he crosses your sent in any form, you have to hunt the wind, or hope he makes a mistake. One of the best deer hunters in the world taught me that you will never shoot a careful buck, only those making a mistake.

Im all for doing whats reasonable, keep everything clean including yourself but then you have to be concerned with the wind it will always give you away, unless the deer are used to smelling people, and in some cases they are.

I am refering to deer in the deep woods where I hunt, they are never fooled by anyone with any type of sent control.