Been reading a book "Whitetail Bowhunting". Got to a part where the author started talking about hiding any human scent from deer. Using only one brand of carbon filter clothes, keeping them in a sealed container in his van, several pair of rubber boots for the seasons, showering every morning before going out with odor free soap and then washing down with baking soda. Wiping down with scent free cloths before changing in his hunting clothes in a special area in the back of his van. Everything has to be scent free, including his breath. Claims when you walk into your stand you leave a cloud of human scent behind. Now, I can understand that the deer can detect human scent from a good distance but getting this carried away is just a big hype for the company he is getting the kickbacks from and mostly BS. Never once has anything been mentioned about how the human scent is neutralized or blended with all the other scents that are out there. Before I go that far into buying all that expensive clothing, boots, ozone generators or what ever they are called, I will quit hunting as it will not be fun any more.
I agree It can get a bit carried away and impractical for the average guy with time constraints but I do believe that a lot can be done to lessen your scent footprint. I probably fall somewhere in the middle. I use ozone and shower before I go out. Try to swish with hydrogen peroxide and use field spray. I try not to touch stinky stuff but I don’t wear a hazmat suit to my hunting spot and get dressed in a clean room. For those that have that level of time and dedication, more power to them. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Read what he said a read it again! I go even farther than that Ain't been busted in years. Had 7-8 does and 2 bucks walk 10-20 yardsdownwind just an hour ago. Narry a one stopped to sniff. Super pain in the ass to do the whole regiment but on limited acres, it's very important.
It is important that being said I do not have to travel to hunt. I will not hunt without taking a shower and using socks underpants towel base layers all washed in scent free soap and spraying and ozone and using the wind, it does get to be a bit much if the season goes on but on small acres you have to do it.
We're all wired a little different I guess. Attention to detail is part of who I am. I don't mind doing any of those things and frankly I don't think it costs much more to do so. When I head out to the field I have a plan in mind. Scent control is part of the plan. I hunt the way I want for me and me alone.
As was said, to each his own. My point is the time involved and the expense. "Don't cost much more to do so" ? ? Don't know where you acquire your carbon filter clothes but when I checked it is darn expensive. Not to mention several pair of rubber boots that don't get used for anything else. I guess if you have that kind of money to throw out for a short term use, go for it but my income level is not near that high. I don't care about bragging rights either. Guess I will just be a stinky hunter as I refuse to go through all of that BS just to go have some enjoyable time with nature. U have had does within 10 yds of when in a ground blind and never spooked. This has happened several times just not in the position for a clean kill shot.
I have been busted less in my berber fleece than I did in carbon lined clothing. You can take a major cost off there by not buying into unprovable "technology"
I have much better success when I follow a scent elimination process. I have also had good luck with smoking my clothes. Do that and keep your one pair of boots clean and you would have more enjoyment in the woods if your goal is to see more game. Without scent control, you have no idea what you are not seeing.
It is not that I don't believe in scent control, I just don't see going into extremes with it. I spray scent control on all my hunting clothes, usually the evening prior to going out. If I hunt 3 or 4 mornings in a row I spray everything once. My hunting is a walk from the house on 3 stands and short drive to the 4th. When I get within about 300 yds from the stand I spray my boots, or shoes with Nose Jammer. Except for one 12-14 A patch of timber, the other 2 stands are in narrow strip or real small patch of timber on travel routes. By strips I mean 30 yd wide or a small stand of timber about the size of an average house. The ground blind is in a fence corner that may or may not be used this year. Use a turkey vest, pants from Wal-Mart, couple camo pull over T's and a Real Tree shirt that I found at an Army Surplus store. A nice heavy camo hoodie from a Farm & Home store. I go on the cheap side when ever I can. There is no way a period of time can be duplicated in a stand, one with full blown scent control and another with the cheaper version, to be able to prove or support any statement about seeing more game with one method than the other. It will all depend on how the game are traveling that point in time. One time something may have alerted the deer, like a coyote, to make them a lot more cautious and that is why you may get busted with the full blown scent control. If that coyote had not been there you may not have been busted with simple spray on scent control. Yes, I got busted once but that was because of movement. I turned to glass some deer crossing an open hill side 1/2 mile away. When I turned back the doe head was just above the grass over the hump. She took off. From that same ground blind had a does walk within 10 yds, and saw a set of antlers through the weeds/brush behind her. The doe walked on down the fence row and the buck watched, then he went back the other way, cross the timber strip and walked out across open grass to timber the opposite way. From this, I think my scent control is adequate for my type/area of hunting. Rambled on enough. Would like to see some hard evidence that strong scent control regime is far better than spray on. Have not seen any yet. Only opinions. Thanks for all the feed back on this.
I do not really believe in the entire scent control thing, though I do take some cheap precautions just in case I'm wrong. I wash with scent free detergent. I spray my boots and have used evercalm on them. I try to walk through mud or animal poop on my way in. I place my stand where it will be good on pretty much any day where a front is not passing through south of me causing a wind out of the east.
Scent control is more of a mindset than an expense. It’s only expensive if you let it be. There are actually a lot of ways to “mimic the gimmicks” very cost effectively. I think Spray can be made with baking soda and water and a little scent free soap. Arm and hammer and others make scent-free detergent (doesn’t have to be ddw or scent killer gold). You can store your clean clothes in a clean airtight container and get a cheap coverall/jumpsuit to wear until you get to your hunting spot to get dressed. There are a lot cheaper ways than the expensive marketing lures that those company’s cast in front of our hungry wallets. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
While sage advice, that's not necessarily always possible. Wind directions change, winds swirl, Deer come from the least expected directions. If hunting the wind is your only form of scent control, you run just as much risk of busting a deer as someone hunting the wrong wind if the conditions change. I'm not a huge scent control freak, just stating that theoretically hunting the wind is correct, but real life situations are much more complex than that.
A scent free bag or tote that I put all my whitetail hunting cloths and the only time they come out of the bag indoors is to wash them. I have an old towel to lay on the ground when I change into them outside the vehicle. I bought my clothes when I was single with a decent job at about a grand for everything I wouldn’t go that route again. I would buy wool for it natural scent free ability, you can find some good prices for non name brand wool that can be any color for your base layers. I did treated myself to an ozonics this year, haven’t had that moment yet to convince me it’s worth it but I will throw that in my bag when I leave and but it on dry wash. Can definitely smell the difference from when I starts to when it ends. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Before we had all this fancy high priced scent control stuff available, what did we do ? ? And it worked too didn't it. None of this was heard of 40 years ago when I shot my first deer with a 30# recurve and cedar arrows from Herters. Didn't have to go 30 up in a tree either. About 12 ft. if I remember right. 2X4's nailed to a tree for steps. A 3' square wood platform nailed to a tree. No line, harnesses, scent control, camo, etc., etc. Wasn't a pass through but it did come out the other side. She ran past trees to break the ends of the arrow off. 30 yds and laid down next to a log and died. And I bet there are a lot of other older hunters that have done the same thing, in the same fashion. That F U N !!!
I agree with this totally. I wash all my clothes. Dry them outside (When I can), store them all in a bin, shower before I hunt, and spray with scent killer spray when I remember to. This year more than ever I've hunted the wind when I can.
I used doe estrus for mouth wash, EverCalm as deodorant, and mineral powder to dust my bits and creases. Problem solved.
I'll wash my clothes and use scent spray... Maybe hang my clothes outside if it's not raining or snowing. Have showered maybe a time or 2 in my 16 years of hunting as I always head to the stand straight after work. Might be the reason why I only have 1 120" on the wall, but so be it. I'm not that worried about it to be honest. There's something that gets taken away from the whole "hunting" aspect of it when there's an ozonics fan humming/buzzing by your ear on the first frosty morning of the year. Or when you have to fill a "closet" full of every hunting item I own to make sure the ozone gets the smell out. I know a deers nose is better than the thousands of dollars I could spend on gadgets to help my scent. Can't bash any guy that goes the mile and uses everything possible though. Whatever a guy thinks works for him I say go for it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
