Ok well I have always just used cheap walmart mossy oak camo and every now and then a deer gets down wind and busts me . I have been wanting to upgrade my clothes but didn't know what to go with ! Do I want a set of clothes that will help control odor or just comfortable clothes that have a great camo pattern and keep me warm? Seems most of the gear nowadays is so pricey ! And I liked the idea of the scent lock suit ! Would you guys say it's worth the money ? Or do you have any other brands to suggest ? And also are the suits a pain and a hassle to keep up? What are the pros and cons to them ? Thanks and sorry for all the odd questions guys ! Just trying real hard to make up my mind here real soon!
For scent control purposes? Absolutely not. Don't buy into the hype and hunt the wind, best scent control there is. That said, scentlok and scent blocker both make excellent quality gear that lasts a while and is comparable to other companies on cost. If you want to go that route, it's by no means a bad option.
i agree with hunting the wind. But also i've had deer down wind with using scentblocker and they never picked me up. scent control is very important, just as much as hunting the wind.
Down wind is a vague term. You're mouth puts out 10x the scent your body ever dreamed of. I get wanting to use every advantage possible, but no amount of iffy science will keep a deer from smelling you if your scent stream truly is swirling down into his nostrils (activated carbon is legit... REactivated carbon in a household dryer on the other hand). Layer up with whatever high quality garments ya want, and try to keep the wind good. It's all we can really do if we are being honest.
I think it works. I never killed a big buck until I started being as clean and scent free as possible and this includes using Scent Lok. Since I've been doing this, I have 4 deer on my wall, one of which is a gross 170, all from public land in NY (and have seen many others that I couldn't close the deal on). I don't think you can ever totally eliminate your scent but you can reduce it to the point that the deer think you are further away than you really are or they think you were there a while ago. Kind of like when you smell a skunk. If its faint, you notice but don't pay much attention to it. If its strong you're on high alert looking for a skunk. I also see that you're from Ohio. If you hunt those hills, don't even try to bother hunting the wind. It will change direction 10 times an hour. Hunting the wind is for flatlanders! Another thing that has piqued my interest lately is the use of smoke on your clothes. One of these days I may give it a try.
Huh? Tell that to the millions of hunters out west in the mountains. It's a great mental edge for many hunters, as an objective thinker I can't help but doubt it's real world difference though. Many guys totally redefine their hunting practices when they upgrade to scentlok, and then sell themselves short on their accomplishments as a hunter by giving all the credit to a sweatshirt with a black liner in it.
No suit out there is going to beat a deers nose. I dont care what anyone says. A deer has a better sniffer than a dog. A dog can smell a gram of cocaine submerged in a gallon of gas. Now lets talk about carbon suits. By the time you buy it, the carbon in the suit is saturated. It will absorb no more scent. They claim you can put it in the dryer and "re-activate" the carbon. That is a pure lie and it should not be allowed to be advertised. In order to reactivate carbon, it must be heated to over 900 degrees. I dont think your dryer is even coming close.
Scent-Lok makes excellent quality hunting clothes. Eventually carbon will absorb enough that it no longer works. Re-Activating carbon is a little iffy as it usually takes extremely high temps to re-activate. Now they are selling you clothes and saying they will re-activate at lower temps. Temps that can be achieved in a dryer. I can't say if it does or does not re-activate. I wouldn't hesitate to buy Scent-Lok clothes at a discount, but I'm not paying full price for it. Consider this product to use in combination with all your other scent control. It's extremely versatile. You can use it as a powder and dust your hunting clothes, you can mix it with water and spray it on. It's active carbon and will absorb odor. The best part is it's not built into the clothing so it can be used on anything and reapplied as needed. Carbon Synergy
Skywalker nailed my thoughts exactly. Carbon synergy washing is a habitual thing with me and I also a lot of times will wear an activated carbon mask to breath through (as noted mouth exhibits large amount of scent). As for Scent Lok I love the stuff, but a big part of that is due to them being the only one of the big three scent garment companies offering my favorite Camo (Vertigo Grey). I also don't doubt the science behind carbon clothing because I've researched enough to feel it is true, but like Sky said it does reach an absorption limit and I don't feel a household dryer could truly 100% reactivate it (not hot enough). Only problem with activated carbon powder is that it is messy crap and will change your hunting clothes color some, just fyi, but worth it in my opinion. As for the "hunt the wind" comments I 100% agree that predominant winds should ALWAYS be considered when choosing a stand site....however winds constantly swing, shift and drive in/through/around topography in a way that can totally differ at your stand when compared to the wind your weather app says. If it is as easy as hunting the wind I'd "sit around a bonfire" based on it as well and never smell like a bonfire. :D **oh and the biggest thing is I don't expect to beat a deer's nose...that's naive thinking...I just want to fool for a minute or trick it into thinking it's an old scent signature hitting their nose.
Unless you're hunting on the very top of the mountain, your scent will be swirling around. 99% of the guys out west spot and stalk....that's a whole different story when it comes to hunting the wind. If you're sitting in a treestand and the wind changes direction every 15 minutes, how do you hunt the wind direction?
IMHO, buy clothing for the quality and functionality, not the advertised benefits. I don't care how much scent killing detergents, sprays, or clothes you use, you will not fool an animals nose.
JMHO......keep the cheap WalMart camo and think about this...... Scent Smoker Scent Elimination System scentsmoker I now have some decent older Scent Blocker and ScentLok outfits that didn't work as good as the first year that now smell like smoke. You have nothing to lose by giving it a try, even if you built a bon-fire and got it smoking good. Also check out the thread on here: http://forums.bowhunting.com/bowhunting-talk/63881-scent-smoker.html
Is it worth the money? Yes and no. They make pretty good garments but I wouldn't pay full price for them based on their scent blocking ability. That's just plain bunk. Hunt the wind? Good advice but not always possible. Anyone that actually believes that just because the wind is blowing from them to a deer "downwind" from them and it didn't wind them doesn't really understand wind currents. The wind may be blowing from your back but there is no way that you can know what that wind does once it is past you. It may go directly to that deer or it may go up, to the left, to the right, where ever. You really don't know. But to believe that because your wearing scent blocker clothing and the deer didn't smell you is foolish. So scent reducing/blocker garments are worth the money for their quality but no, not for their ability to block your scent.
These discussions always go the same way. 50/50 split on whether it can be reactived or not and 100% agreement on quality. I have used Scent-lok since 1998. I also upgraded my scent control techniques in the process. As for whether it works or not, it has been proven in court and by scientists that carbon clothing can be reactivated. Unless you were part of the study, or a scientist doing your own studies, I don't feel any of us are qualified to say its "bunk" or a waste of money. Scentlok and scentblocker wouldn't have made it this long unless it was somewhat effective. Too many people, much smarter that most of us, have consistently proven otherwise.
Care to share a link to any of these studies or court cases? Not being a smart ***, I'm genuinely interested. I have done a lot of research on it myself and have never found anything scientific remotely backing up the claims of these companies (lowering the reactivation temperature of activated carbon). You hunt stands for the predominant wind directions based on when you arrive at a spot. You should have stands or sets for 2-3 different winds so that on arrival to the property you can determine the best stand. You then hope for the best. Winds swirling and even blowing "downwind" towards an animal is by no means proof you beat his nose. Thermals play a huge role in what your scent does as well. Very easy for scent to blow right over a deer downwind when up in a stand and it never having a chance to sniff you.. I still strongly believe guys put way too much stock/credit into their clothing and not enough into their gameplan/planning/hunting skills.
I don't disagree with your hunt strategies and I hunt the same way. Wind direction is always a priority . I will do some searching and find u a link or two. Im just saying most of us are qualified to say its a lie or that it "absolutely" doesn't work. I know where those folks are coming from. Its easier to believe the naysayers on a lot of things.
Here Is a link to the comprehensive test by Rutgers University. Pretty informative and I think very convincing in favor of Scent Lok products. Hard to argue with at the very least. http://www.scentlok.com/wp-content/uploads/tech/ALS_Testing_Data.pdf
Well thanks for all the comments guys ! I think I have figured out what my mind was wondering! You have brought out some intresting points and also a few other great options were named ! Thanks Galen
That test really proves nothing. It takes two brand new suits and washes one of them twice then compares. No one is claiming washing/drying inactivates carbon... Just that a USED carbon suit can't then be reactivated by a house hold dryer. Place a similar density/thickness of material into a suit side by side with a carbon lined suit... Let both sit out for 6 months, then launder and test them for a truly comparable test on whether they can be reactivated. I'll get off the soap box though because in the end I still believe it's really nice garments that will last a long time and often worth the money. I just hate to see guys dish credit of a hard earned kill onto the shirt they are wearing, BH they are shooting, stand they sit in, etc...
