Scent Control Archery?

[ridgerunner88]

I came across a John Eberhart video where he talks about the importance of scent control. He goes to pretty extreme with it.

 

I also noticed ScentLok has a pair of pants and jacket with his name associated with them.

 

I dont want to pay all that money for that gear. Being a military guy I am all to familiar with MOPP Gear and happened to find a site that sells suits for $25. If one were to wear a suit to hide scent, this is it.. its designed to be worn in chemical warfare environments.

 

For archery specific, how careful is everyone with their scent control? I like the idea of just playing the wind, think its a fruitless effort to try and hide my human scent from a wild animal.

 

However if many of you swear by it, if I were to adopt some scent control processes, this may be one of the items I utilize.

 

 

 

 

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[land 1]

i play the wind if its not right for a certain spot i go to another spot, and do nothing extra, i do believe u can reduce your scent and perhaps the deer feels u are farther away but there is no way you can hide all your scent...

[GreeneHunter]

49 minutes ago, ridgerunner88 said:

 

I came across a John Eberhart video where he talks about the importance of scent control. He goes to pretty extreme with it.

 

I also noticed ScentLok has a pair of pants and jacket with his name associated with them.

 

I dont want to pay all that money for that gear. Being a military guy I am all to familiar with MOPP Gear and happened to find a site that sells suits for $25. If one were to wear a suit to hide scent, this is it.. its designed to be worn in chemical warfare environments.

 

For archery specific, how careful is everyone with their scent control? I like the idea of just playing the wind, think its a fruitless effort to try and hide my human scent from a wild animal.

 

However if many of you swear by it, if I were to adopt some scent control processes, this may be one of the items I utilize.

 

 

 

 

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Boy did I hate putting on the MOPP Gear , sweat like a Pig in Mississippi / Gulfport or LeJeune !

[crappyice]

I came across a John Eberhart video where he talks about the importance of scent control. He goes to pretty extreme with it.
 
I also noticed ScentLok has a pair of pants and jacket with his name associated with them.
 
I dont want to pay all that money for that gear. Being a military guy I am all to familiar with MOPP Gear and happened to find a site that sells suits for $25. If one were to wear a suit to hide scent, this is it.. its designed to be worn in chemical warfare environments.
 
For archery specific, how careful is everyone with their scent control? I like the idea of just playing the wind, think its a fruitless effort to try and hide my human scent from a wild animal.
 
However if many of you swear by it, if I were to adopt some scent control processes, this may be one of the items I utilize.
 
 

 
 
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Well that seems to be a pretty sweet deal why so cheap? Just because it lacks a logo with big bone on it?


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[ridgerunner88]

Well that seems to be a pretty sweet deal why so cheap? Just because it lacks a logo with big bone on it?


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Not 100% sure but I think once opened it is only good for 14 days. So 25-50 bucks for a year isnt too bad.

Yes the ventilation would be an issue.


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[Arcade Hunter]

1 hour ago, ridgerunner88 said:

 

I came across a John Eberhart video where he talks about the importance of scent control. He goes to pretty extreme with it.

 

I also noticed ScentLok has a pair of pants and jacket with his name associated with them.

 

I dont want to pay all that money for that gear. Being a military guy I am all to familiar with MOPP Gear and happened to find a site that sells suits for $25. If one were to wear a suit to hide scent, this is it.. its designed to be worn in chemical warfare environments.

 

For archery specific, how careful is everyone with their scent control? I like the idea of just playing the wind, think its a fruitless effort to try and hide my human scent from a wild animal.

 

However if many of you swear by it, if I were to adopt some scent control processes, this may be one of the items I utilize.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Ive see a lot of John Eberhart's videos and he sure does take scent control very serious.  Based on his scent control process, I have come up with my own version.  Starting around sept 1st, I switch my laundry detergent to scent free stuff and I put the dryer sheets away.  That gives the washer and dryer a month to de-scent before I wash any hiunting clothes.  I grabbed three totes from walmart, similar to what John uses... they have hinged covers, wheels and a rubber gasket that seals the lid when closed.  Two of them are black, the third is green.  Foul cold weather gear goes in one of the black ones, the mild nice weather gear goes in the other black one.  Everything in the black totes has been washed scent free and not worn yet.  Once the gear gets worn, it will go in the green bin until it hits the washing machine again.

Sometimes Ill wear the the stuff from the green bin a second time depending if I got it all sweated up or not.  It is easy for me to keep track of clean and dirty stuff plus piece of mind of knowing Ive done the best I can do for scent control (without buying hundreds of dollars of fancy scent control hunting gear) when I hit the woods.

Ive done really well getting close to deer on public from the ground using this method along with very strict play the wind tactics.  Most times out, I cant get to the spot I want to be in but when the wind works in my favor, I usuaully see deer.  I took a decent buck a few years back using this scent free process and playing the wind.... Long and short of it, I think you can come up with a similar system, something that you feel will work, and play the wind.

One more important note to add is where to set up.  I  am able to get close by getting well brushed in.  Most of my setups, there is no way to shoot from there... I would have to move a few feet (or more) to be able to draw the bow etc.  Im Watching the deer and moving when it cant see me...  Really makes your heart pound!

[Swamp_bucks]

All I do is watch wind and thermals and use a bunch of milk weed. You can sometimes fool a younger deers nose but unless your in a vacuum sealed suit a mature buck and doe will pick you out 90% of the time.  The very little I try to do is wash my clothes in scent free laundry soap air dry and spray with the tick stuff and that’s it otherwise I’m  in and out of my truck,gas stations, ext. 

get a deer that’s all rutted up you could set off fireworks some days and they wouldn’t care what’s going on in the area.  I also feel that if my grandpa could consistently kill mature bucks from the 50s-80s smelling like a barn and tractor grease and wearing flannel clothes while smoking his cigarettes I don’t need to spend my money on scent away stuff.

[BizCT]

We only use non-scented detergent year round anyway, but come hunting season i only use unscented soap/shampoo. I don't drink coffee before morning hunts. I leave my hunting clothes outside overnight or in my truck during the season. I usually spray them down unscented the night before hunting. I've had a ton of close encounters with deer on the ground (no blind) that never spooked, so I'm sticking with what I have always done.

Yes, playing the wind certainly helps as well. So does sound. Many times if my bowhunt walk in is under 250 yards ill bring nothing except my bow, quiver, binocs, and cell phone. Less is more. I can always go back to truck to get my tracking, dragging and gutting stuff.

I don't have the balls or the deer herd to pull a @Nomad and wear Coolwater cologne when hunting!

Edited July 28, 2022 by BizCT

[Arcade Hunter]

To be certain, I really do not know if my method works, of anyone elses for that matter.  I cant see it being a detriment but I do feel better knowing that I did take some sort of action concerning scent control.

One more tidbit...  I wont leave the house without having a plan.  Looking up the weather, wind ect, then figuring out where to park to get where I want to go based on on that.  Its not foolproof for sure.  If theres a lot of cars parked there already I may change the plan up as I see fit.  Im starting to pattern certain "regulars" at this public and I usuaully know what area they go to.  Dont really have to worry about that on private, but it throws a wrench in the works sometimes.  Earrly bow season is my favorite time because for some reason, the hunting pressure is very light.

[Robhuntandfish]

For $25 worth a try and some extra hunting clothes at the least.  I use this in between the morning and afternoon hunt.  Love it .  I have stands set up for different wind directions so i have choices to play when needed. 

Edited July 28, 2022 by Robhuntandfish

[GreeneHunter]

Not to bust anyone's bubble but back when I used to smoke (quit 10 years ago ) I used to have to put my cigarette down to take a shot and after the shot finish the cigarette and go dress the Deer out , drag 15-20 feet smoke drag 15-20 feet and so on and so forth till I ended up at the car !

[AuburnNYC]

I do a couple of things that I think help but at the end of the day if a deer is alert and sitting right downwind that's probably not going to be fixed by any amount of scent control.

1. Isolate Clothes: Outer layers of hunting clothes have their own large plastic tote they stay in until I'm out of the car and putting them on
2. Ozone: I have a cheap ozone generator in that tote that I run off an inverter in the vehicle. I run the ozone for a short period between hunts and over night. I'll also run it periodically in my hunting vehicles.
3. Scent Free Health Products: I use scent free detergent, soap, shampoo, and deodorant during the season
4. Caffeine Pills instead of coffee: Not sure if this actually does anything but figured I'm doing the other stuff might as well do this also

[Five Seasons]

I'm a big scent control guy. I wont name names, but a few that I see responding here are gun only hunters so take their opinions with a grain of salt.

I'll summarize this tired argument and debate with this.

If the wind is right can you smell like a donkey and kill a nice buck? yes.

Are bigger bucks harder to kill if you smell like a donkey? yes. And if you smell like a donkey how many bucks did you never even see that you didn't know were there? It's a tired argument by the cig smoking irish spring guys of the bunch. Good enough land and you'll get your deer.

It's generally believed that there is no scent elimination trick out there, but that good scent control can make scent appear to a deer as if it was once there and has left. Sort of like an old odor.

Scent control can also decrease the size and range of your scent cone.

If you have great scent control and a deer comes in downwind you can still be easily busted, and i've had it where I wasn't busted. So many variables like thermals, hunting pressure etc affect this.

And scent free soap, scent free (and non-uv detergent) and scent eliminating spray is cheap. Maybe $20 a season and you're showering anyhow right? The companies that advertise odor reducing gear that cost more than army surplus often also make good comfortable gear that I want anyhow. Every hunter of course should use what they can afford.

At the end of the day Mark Kenyon put it best. If good scent control increases my odds even 3% I'm doing it. I will take literally any advantage I can get.

PS the allergy free, scent free laundry stuff works just as good as the stuff with a big buck on the bottle.

[BizCT]

23 minutes ago, GreeneHunter said:

Not to bust anyone's bubble but back when I used to smoke (quit 10 years ago ) I used to have to put my cigarette down to take a shot and after the shot finish the cigarette and go dress the Deer out , drag 15-20 feet smoke drag 15-20 feet and so on and so forth till I ended up at the car !

Maybe just a good population of deer where you hunt and minimal pressure?

[Robhuntandfish]

Also a good tool is a hunting app. I use huntstand and it shows where your wind will be from any of your stands. Although I will still check the forecasted hourly wind direction for changes coming up while I'm in the stand.


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[BowmanMike]

I don't do a lot for scent control but watch the wind a lot. And the thermals. And I wonder how many big bucks have smelled me that I have never seen,haha.

I base my approach on the wind and if it changes while I am in my spot i will change spots.

I also think one just changes things by percentage points when taking scent control serious. I don't want to put all that effort into it to have it a working system,that is not fun for me.

Young deer will be curious sometimes about ground disturbance and scent,I even had an older doe follow my trail in once she crossed it,but I doubt a mature buck would do that. 

[grampy]

I do use scent free soap, shampoo, detergent and so on. But rely mostly of having multiple set ups in good spots, to move to when the wind changes. There is NOTHING you can do, to where a deer can't smell you!

Play the wind!!!! 

[G-Man]

I just play the wind..  indians were adept at playing wind and close shots with weak bows yet they survived.. 

Todays bow can shoot very far and the wind a constant.. 

[Lawdwaz]

8 hours ago, BizCT said:

We only use non-scented detergent year round anyway, but come hunting season i only use unscented soap/shampoo. I don't drink coffee before morning hunts. I leave my hunting clothes outside overnight or in my truck during the season. I usually spray them down unscented the night before hunting. I've had a ton of close encounters with deer on the ground (no blind) that never spooked, so I'm sticking with what I have always done.

Yes, playing the wind certainly helps as well. So does sound. Many times if my bowhunt walk in is under 250 yards ill bring nothing except my bow, quiver, binocs, and cell phone. Less is more. I can always go back to truck to get my tracking, dragging and gutting stuff.

I don't have the balls or the deer herd to pull a @Nomad and wear Coolwater cologne when hunting!

You take this stuff serious! 

[wolc123]

I do similar to what grampy does, paying primary attention to the wind, plus scent free soap, etc..    One trick with the wind, is to use an enclosed vehicle to get downwind of where the deer are prior to my walk in, rather than walking around or using an open atv.. 

 
Also,  especially on mature buck’s and does, I have had very good success with one particular cover scent - Evercalm deer herd scent.  The only problem with that is the waxy yellow marks it leaves around your spots.  I have always wiped some on the heels of my boots,  prior to walking in, then wiped some on branches or on the walls of my blinds.  
 

To eliminate that ugly yellow streaking, this year I am going to keep using it on my boots, but just pop the top off the dispenser, and lay it down on top of or near my blinds when I get there.  That will eliminate the steaks and stretch the supply a little farther.  
 

Last season was probably the best example that I have seen of the power of that stuff.  A 3.5 year old 9-point approached my stand, 5 minutes after sunset (good thing they changed the rules on that last year).   When he crossed the trail that I took on my walk in (with my boot heels wiped Evercalm), he stopped broadside at 4O yards, plenty long enough for me to put a slug thru his rib cage. 
 

it was snowing that day, and it took me a while to clear the snow from my scope, so that I could see him thru it.  Without that Evercalm, I probably would  not have had a decent shot at him.  The only year in the last (5), that I didn’t take a 3.5 year old buck, was the year I skipped the Evercalm.  The only way that’s going to happen again is if they stop making it.

 I tossed half of a stick in the freezer, at the the end of last season, so I should be good thru early ML season anyhow.  It don’t keep from year to year if you don’t freeze it.   

[G-Man]

Do the opposite . Apple scented body wash and shampoo..deer just walk in salavating....

[Jeremy K]

Dan infalt wears deep woods off and shoots monsters . He also openly mocks eberhart for his over zealous scent control rituals.

[Nomad]

Bow Hunter since ‘88 I think . I admit prior to the season I wash all my camo in scent free soap, but as the season goes on , I’m not sure I wash the outer layers again . Base layers get tossed in with the normal wash as needed .

I drive down and back in my camo , drinking coffee and eating a PBJ . 
 

Ive enclosed a picture of how I store my camo , along with some bow bucks .

Many years back I used all the “ scent free “ stuff, changed at my land ,used totes all that ,then a guy I consider one of the best bow hunters I know gave me a box of those products . I asked why, he said it was given to him and he doesn’t use any of that “ stuff…”

So I basically stopped . It’s so much simpler and enjoyable. I used to get mildly upset if my buddy drank coffee in route or stopped for gas lol .
 

[Nomad]

2 hours ago, Jeremy K said:

Dan infalt wears deep woods off and shoots monsters . He also openly mocks eberhart for his over zealous scent control rituals.

Thanks, now the shelves will be empty of Deep Woods off .

[BizCT]

14 minutes ago, Nomad said:

Bow Hunter since ‘88 I think . I admit prior to the season I wash all my camo in scent free soap, but as the season goes on , I’m not sure I wash the outer layers again . Base layers get tossed in with the normal wash as needed .

I drive down and back in my camo , drinking coffee and eating a PBJ . 
 

Ive enclosed a picture of how I store my camo , along with some bow bucks .

Many years back I used all the “ scent free “ stuff, changed at my land ,used totes all that ,then a guy I consider one of the best bow hunters I know gave me a box of those products . I asked why, he said it was given to him and he doesn’t use any of that “ stuff…”

So I basically stopped . It’s so much simpler and enjoyable. I used to get mildly upset if my buddy drank coffee in route or stopped for gas lol .
 

cool example of genetics- those first 3 bucks on left are so similiar.