So last night, i washed all my hunting clothes in scent away detergent for my morning hunt today. I also showered this morning with scent away. I had a buck come through about 50 yards down wind from me, and he busted me like no other. He just stopped and took off snorting. What the hell am i spending all this money on these products for if they don't even work.
nope he was on the opposite side that i came in, and yes i desented my boots. I use a lot of spray before i start my walking. A bottle usually last me about 4 days.
Scent products can not completely eliminate human odor. You still have to play it careful. I put on my base layer in doors and then everything else I put on outside. In between each layer i spray down with a scent eliminator. My hunting boots remain outside year round. Before walking to the stand I spray them down with earth cover scent and any time I cross a trail I spray the earth cover scent where I walked.
if you had wind at your back no matter how much scent killer you use, you will more than likey get busted every time. those products like mentioned already only help to cut down on our scent, not totally eliminate it.
Scent Elimination Controlling scent is difficult considering the various odors you have to avoid. Pet odor, exhaust pipe odor, human body odor and many other odors that deer consider foreign or a possible threat. Eliminating these odors entirely is impossible, but with the scent elimination process you can significantly decrease the amount of scent you carry. It sounds like you need to do two things. One, strengthen your scent elimination methods, which I will post my process below. Two, play the wind because you cannot beat a whitetail's nose even if you practice heavy scent elimination. Try to have the wind in your favor. Scent Elimination Process: 1) Scent Away Laundry detergent (spray down the inside of the washer to eliminate odors produced by dirty clothes)- wash once and rinse twice. Use Scent Away dryer sheets when drying. 2) Use scent elimination spray on clothing then fold camo neatly into air-tight plastic bag and place inside a Tinks Carbon Scent Eliminator bag. Take the carbon bag with camo clothes inside and place them in a large plastic bin. 3) When traveling to your treestand, dress in the field if the weather permits you to do so. Avoid exhaust pipe contact or petting your dog. On hot days dress under your treestand to avoid sweating while walking out to your stand. 4) Spray scent eliminating solution (Recommendation: Scent Killer or Evolve 3D) before walking to treestand and also once you are sitting in your treestand. Spray your boots (Recommendation: Rubber boots hold less scent) heavily whenever you are walking in your hunting area. Hopefully, I didn't miss anything because I have an extensive process when it comes to scent elimination. these steps should help you on your next hunt, but it is also important that you play the wind as well. Scent Elimination is not a 100% sure-fire tactic to avoid getting busted. Goodluck and happy hunting!
Like said already, the sprays only help a little. Human scent comes from well, your body, and your body is constantly creating it. Nothing you will do will prevent that. That deer most likely smelled YOU, not your clothing. Just further proof that hunting the correct wind is the only solution to this age old problem.
I agree with everyone's comments. did you get dressed before you got into your truck/car? I always get dressed in the field, and I bring a rug to stand on while in my socks.
alright, i will have to pick up some scent proof containers to keep my hunting clothes in. Right now i just throw them in a trash bag when i get home. Thanks for the help everyone
Like the others have said, it's a good idea to not wear your hunting clothes/footwear until you're at your spot. Also, breath carries a lot of scent, if I'm wearing a facemask I about kill myself with my own coffee breath unless I chew some gum. There is scent killer gum that works pretty good.
I was just going to say breath but Christine beat me to it. Did you brush your teeth? Drive in your vehicle with your camo on? Were up in the stand eating Jalepeno cheese crackers? A thermos of coffee? A spicy breakfast burrito and it get to your stomache? It may sound like a grunt but it don't smell like one I don't know what it was it could of even been something else not related to you that he smelled. Good luck buddy
I brush my teeth before I go, and don't eat in my stand haha. But I do wear my clothes on the way there. Maybe the my problem, and I usually have a dip of cope straight in while stiing. That should help with the breathe right? Haha
Another thing to try is some sort of cover scent. I use deer dander i spray it on the tree at the bottom of my stand and then on the tree once I get into it. Also when you spray down your supposed to almost soke your clothes so they absorb the bad smells. Also you can use scent wafers, put it on your bag or hat. Sometimes spraying just isnt enough especially when a deer is down wind of you. This is the smartest animal probably in the world to hunt!
When deer are directly down wind of you getting busted is very likely regardless of what precautions you take
Maybe you're using too much of that spray.... Could be possible. Maybe you're working up a sweat to your stand.... use more deodorant... scent free, and pace a bit more as to not build a sweat. I use a trashbag to carry my clothes, seems to work fine. Like muzzy said, the only real way to beat a deer's nose is to hunt the wind. Though, some estrus doe scent sure worked for me last weekend. As it not only masked my scent, but brought in a few deer with a grunt and a bleat. 4 of them from different directions, down wind.
Here is what I do to help save money. Wash my clothes in scent free / dye free detergent I also put in a couple of shakes of baking soda with it. After they dry I put them away in a sealed garbage bag. When I go to hunt I shower with nutrogena unscented soap (its cheap) and put on my base layer. When I get to my hunting spot I dress out at the truck and spray down with a mixture of baking soda and water, then spray with some Dead Down Wind. Keep a small spray bottle of DDW in stand and spray down every two hours. I did this saturday evening and sweated my butt off walking to stand and had a doe and fawn down wind of me from 10 yrds to 50 yrds and back and didn't get busted until she was right under me getting video taped. Never once did she or her fawn smell me.
Nothing can eliminate scent, just lessen it. All the strategies in the world are useless at least once. Just do as much as you can as all have stated. Everyone has stated good things, but one more is cholorophyll tablets or liquid for the weeks leading up to the season and during. Natural body purifier and odor eliminator.
I never hear any mention of oral hygeine in these discussions.I brush my teeth with baking soda before every hunt.It doesn't make sense to go through all of this scent elimination ,and then get in a tree stand and blow camp chili breath all over your hunting area!!!
