Scent Control Archery?

[UpStateRedNeck]

17 hours ago, grampy said:

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!!!! 

Yeah, this.  I think of it like footsteps in the snow:. If you reduce you're overall scent, you leave less of a "trail" behind you, and they can't smell you from as far away.  But I don't think anything you do, short of maybe those ozone releasing things, is going to keep a big buck or doe from winding you if they're downwind from WELL outside of bow range.  So I take reasonable steps:. Scent free bodywash, detergent, and spray my boots down before I go out.  Keep the clothes in totes I've wiped down with scent free wipes.  You still gotta play the wind.  

[loworange88]

I like to think I don’t go crazy…wash all my clothes with scent free detergent.  I shower with scent free soap either the night before or the morning of a hunt. Clothes are stored in a regular plastic tote from Walmart all season long, between the truck bed and garage.  Rewash base layers frequently, outer wear gets washed maybe once or twice throughout the season.  Usually I spray down quickly with a mixture of baking soda and water before I walk in.  And definitely play the wind on what stand/spot I head to.  
 

side note:  outer wear gets sprayed with permethrin and let set overnight before going back in the tote.

[Jeremy K]

1 hour ago, Nomad said:

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

Shelves have been empty for the last 2 years ...

[Five Seasons]

12 hours ago, G-Man said:

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.. 

it's also well documented that they would change their diet during hunting season, rub themselves down with mud and much of their hunting "clothing" was made of natural elements like skins and leaves. 

It is unlikely these guys were smoking their peace pipes during the hunt or using soaps and detergents with labels such as dove, tide and head and shoulders.

Do they play the wind? Of course. Did they add foreign odors like our soaps of today for no reason that would hurt them? No. Were they hunting in packs and a very different animal then that of the ones we hunt today? Of course. 

[Five Seasons]

I think there are levels to this.

Billy Bob and his 870 - doesn't give a flying flock of geese about his odor. Eats and smokes what he likes, has a few go to ladder stands that have been there for 20+ years but he plays the wind. You will find Billy fueling up his f150 in his full blaze orange jump suit with his hunting boots on. Billy's truck interior is littered with cig butts and old McDonald's wrappers and his back seat is covered in dog hair (it's a shitzu btw). Billy has been hunting for 40 years and has 2 nice bucks on the wall which he uses as examples that he's a good hunter and scent control doesn't matter, but really Billy plays the wind and during gun season anything can happen. Billy is super excited about this new crossbow thing.

Basic - uses scent free soap and detergent, careful about not getting pet odor, smoke or gas like odors on their gear, but dresses in his full gear in the morning and drives to his hunting land.

Advanced - using scent free soaps and detergents, spraying down occasionally, stores clothes carefully but isn't obsessive about it, still drinks his morning coffee and has a snack he likes in the stand. Tries to keep his outer layers in a bag or tote and puts these on after he parks. Probably has at least one layer of scent control clothing.

Hardcore - advanced plus uses scent free storage, being careful with food and drink in stand. His outer layers don't get washed much (to keep that outdoor scent) and they stay in scent free storage in the truck or home, often they're hung outside and only put on and off in the field. He pays attention to odor that might be on his watch and washes it with scent free or baking soda. Sprays everything down, all the time. Goes 3 or 4 hunts before he washes all base and mid layers. May use ozone for storage. Has at least 1 layer of scent control clothing, but likely 2. Most likely a facemask with scent control. 

Extreme - hardcore plus ozone for sure and probably even in the field, dresses even his mid layers outside, changes his diet and is not drinking coffee. Pees in a bottle in the stand. Washes his bed sheets and bath towel in scent free soap. Cleans out his truck and even sprays down the interior and seats. Once bought scent free toothpaste and mouthwash. Has scent free chapstick in his bag. Other than maybe some merino wool, all his gear has some level of scent control "marketing" attached to it, even his socks. 

 

PS if it isn't obvious, I'm having some fun here. Hunt how you want. Nobody here should care what another hunter washes his ass crack with. 

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by Belo

[grampy]

When I started out, the very best hunters I knew all smoked and did not use any scent control. I know that one in particular, that only showered once a week! All old farmers, who were really into deer hunting, back when there were far fewer deer than today. All four of them killed mature bucks most every year. But were masters at playing the wind, used honest woodsmanship, and payed attention to how they entered and exited the spots they hunted. Some of those spots were also on VERY crowded public land too.

I agree with scent control to a point. Anything to get a slight advantage, right? But only to a point. As I truly believe that the examples of those old guys from long ago are still very valid today. And no matter what we do for scent control, the downwind deer will ALWAYS smell us. Perhaps "maybe" a little less for the strict scent control hunters. But smell us ALL they will.

As Belo stated, if strict scent control gives you confidence then by all means go for it! For the majority of us, use your woodsmanship skills, and play the wind to your best advantage.

[ncountry]

5 hours ago, Belo said:

I think there are levels to this.

Billy Bob and his 870 - doesn't give a flying flock of geese about his odor. Eats and smokes what he likes, has a few go to ladder stands that have been there for 20+ years but he plays the wind. You will find Billy fueling up his f150 in his full blaze orange jump suit with his hunting boots on. Billy's truck interior is littered with cig butts and old McDonald's wrappers and his back seat is covered in dog hair (it's a shitzu btw). Billy has been hunting for 40 years and has 2 nice bucks on the wall which he uses as examples that he's a good hunter and scent control doesn't matter, but really Billy plays the wind and during gun season anything can happen. Billy is super excited about this new crossbow thing.

Basic - uses scent free soap and detergent, careful about not getting pet odor, smoke or gas like odors on their gear, but dresses in his full gear in the morning and drives to his hunting land.

Advanced - using scent free soaps and detergents, spraying down occasionally, stores clothes carefully but isn't obsessive about it, still drinks his morning coffee and has a snack he likes in the stand. Tries to keep his outer layers in a bag or tote and puts these on after he parks. Probably has at least one layer of scent control clothing.

Hardcore - advanced plus uses scent free storage, being careful with food and drink in stand. His outer layers don't get washed much (to keep that outdoor scent) and they stay in scent free storage in the truck or home, often they're hung outside and only put on and off in the field. He pays attention to odor that might be on his watch and washes it with scent free or baking soda. Sprays everything down, all the time. Goes 3 or 4 hunts before he washes all base and mid layers. May use ozone for storage. Has at least 1 layer of scent control clothing, but likely 2. Most likely a facemask with scent control. 

Extreme - hardcore plus ozone for sure and probably even in the field, dresses even his mid layers outside, changes his diet and is not drinking coffee. Pees in a bottle in the stand. Washes his bed sheets and bath towel in scent free soap. Cleans out his truck and even sprays down the interior and seats. Once bought scent free toothpaste and mouthwash. Has scent free chapstick in his bag. Other than maybe some merino wool, all his gear has some level of scent control "marketing" attached to it, even his socks. 

 

PS if it isn't obvious, I'm having some fun here. Hunt how you want. Nobody here should care what another hunter washes his ass crack with. 

 

Ha.  ha.  ha . Love it! I guess you can call me Billy Bob . I seem to have more in common with him, except I don't smoke and have a few more than 2 nice bucks .

[G-Man]

I do not worry about pet oder as my cats are outside 90 %  of the time..  deer dont mind them at all..  best smell  like my cat if anything. 

As for the aple scented shampoo ..it works  just like a cover scent or attractant.. that neing said  my hunting clothes get washed once every 5 years wether they need it or not...  the only exception was when i took a bear.. had to wash them 4 or 5 times to get rid of that smell.   

Honestly  trying not to smell  is much harder than just trying to smell like a food  or another animal..  and  that is much cheaper as well than trying to be scent free.. 

[Nomad]

8 hours ago, BizCT said:

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

They were taken in three different parts of the state ….

haha , 1,3 were shot 50 yards or so apart from two different ladders a couple years apart ,#2 was oh 100 yards off from both from a LW hang on . The six Pt on the end was a good 150 yards away from them and the one and only deer I killed with Rage BH, poor performance ( I’m a  cut on contract guy ) I sent the remaining ones to I think Larry in Buffalo , odd since I Iike him .

[Five Seasons]

8 hours ago, grampy said:

When I started out, the very best hunters I knew all smoked and did not use any scent control. I know that one in particular, that only showered once a week! All old farmers, who were really into deer hunting, back when there were far fewer deer than today. All four of them killed mature bucks most every year. But were masters at playing the wind, used honest woodsmanship, and payed attention to how they entered and exited the spots they hunted. Some of those spots were also on VERY crowded public land too.

I agree with scent control to a point. Anything to get a slight advantage, right? But only to a point. As I truly believe that the examples of those old guys from long ago are still very valid today. And no matter what we do for scent control, the downwind deer will ALWAYS smell us. Perhaps "maybe" a little less for the strict scent control hunters. But smell us ALL they will.

As Belo stated, if strict scent control gives you confidence then by all means go for it! For the majority of us, use your woodsmanship skills, and play the wind to your best advantage.

when you mention old farmers I have to wonder if they were hunting some nice farms and also gun hunters. The tricky part comes with archery, with gun I pay a lot less attention to my scent. And of course the right land really hel

[phade]

I will use scent free detergent - I suggest everyone confirm those non-hunting brands do not incorporate UV brighteners. Some of the advertised big brands might be allergy free, scent free etc but still contain UV brighteners. I typically will by the hunting brands on clearance after season cheaper than I can get the non-hunting versions. I avoid DDW because it contains decaying vegetable matter, which will go bad/has a limited shelf life. I do the same with deodorant/antiperspirants after season. Pretty cheap at various places on clearance.

I use the HS Scents green soap. Again, clearance buy post season. The stuff is actually good soap and doesn't dry out skin. It's made by one of the major soap manufacturers here in the NE US.

I take care to wash my clothes often - mostly because I sweat alot. If I don't perspire, I'll re-use outer layers. Bases layers get washed each use. I store in totes and generally will change at the truck.

Do I believe I can fool a buck's nose? No. But I do think at times, the prep can make the very smallest of difference and those margins for me are worth the effort. A leg moving forward or that half a second hold from a buck while picking you up can mean the difference between a release and a full quiver. I am a fan of getting an ROI for my time spend, but I cannot cut corners here because it leads to other corners cut in other areas, too. 

JE has done well for himself, and I think some of his tactics are good learnings, but his scent prep is bananas. Absolute bananas. It's just a good example that people can find different paths to the same pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

[GreeneHunter]

Years ago I tried a little experiment , I took a 16 oz. bottle of apple juice with me into the woods - climbed up my ladder stand and poured it down the side of the tree . I have no clue if it helped but I did score with a nice deer , unsure if it was because of the juice or not !

[Jeremy K]

Unscented Castille soap for clothes and body during the season.

[SWEDE]

On 7/28/2022 at 12:57 PM, crappyice said:

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


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm thinkin hard about this. I have some scent loc stuff but at this price an early season extra might not hurt. Anybody try.if so how's fit

[SWEDE]

The colemans surplus charcoal suit that is. Also big fan of military brown camo.

[Judoka95]

On 7/28/2022 at 1:47 PM, 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!

Wait one minute... You don't drink coffee in the morning? What kind of a psychopath gets up at 4am when it's 32* outside and doesn't have a cup of coffee? 

I literally bring 2 thermoses of black coffee with me after I finish my morning coffee. 

[BizCT]

15 minutes ago, Judoka95 said:

Wait one minute... You don't drink coffee in the morning? What kind of a psychopath gets up at 4am when it's 32* outside and doesn't have a cup of coffee? 

I literally bring 2 thermoses of black coffee with me after I finish my morning coffee. 

I love iced coffee straight black. I'm a coffee snob. I drink several cups everyday year round. Except the mornings I hunt. I usually drink a monster or red bull instead and wash it down with water. Coffee smell is so strong. Sometimes I pack coffee and leave it in truck for ride home though.

Edited August 16, 2022 by BizCT

[AuburnNYC]

On 7/28/2022 at 3:15 PM, Belo said:

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.

This is an important point. I've had bucks several times wind me after I see them - and then just slink off without making a sound whereas does seem more likely to blow when you're detected. I'm sure some I never even saw.

[Kmartinson]

I believe it's very hard to trick a mature deers nose. They smell fresh earth and human separately at the same time. I also think people don't realize thermals play such a large roll in scent movement.  After the sun comes up and the air starts to warm up your scent is going straight up in the air, many guys think this is because of the clothes they wear or soap they use....

I think keeping your scent as clean as possible is good, however deer don't ever smell fresh dirt in a tree, and I don't think ozone is all that natural in the woods.

If you really want to control your scent you would have to stop breathing..... for some of you guys that would really be a good tip..... jk

[Five Seasons]

21 hours ago, Kmartinson said:

I believe it's very hard to trick a mature deers nose. They smell fresh earth and human separately at the same time. I also think people don't realize thermals play such a large roll in scent movement.  After the sun comes up and the air starts to warm up your scent is going straight up in the air, many guys think this is because of the clothes they wear or soap they use....

I think keeping your scent as clean as possible is good, however deer don't ever smell fresh dirt in a tree, and I don't think ozone is all that natural in the woods.

If you really want to control your scent you would have to stop breathing..... for some of you guys that would really be a good tip..... jk

I'm not an ozone in the tree guy, but felt like I should add that there is some science with ozone. Like, in real industry use of ozone in mechanical processes. I wont type it all out here but ozone isn't necessarily masking odor, but the 03 molecule "mingles" with existing scents to bind too and sort of "destroy" those odors. This is a very high level non-technical explanation of it. There is quite a bit of real scientific data that supports it as fact.

Where it gets interesting though is using ozone in the great outdoors with swirling winds vs the controlled vacuum sealed lab. Most would agree that it would be impossible to destroy odor in the outdoor environment, which is why the best selling units have big ass blowers trying to cover as much of the hunter as possible. It's important to note that o3 exposure can also be a safety issue. The bin storage unit and car unit I have are very clear about the risks with using them in a closed room.

[Kmartinson]

1 hour ago, Belo said:

I'm not an ozone in the tree guy, but felt like I should add that there is some science with ozone. Like, in real industry use of ozone in mechanical processes. I wont type it all out here but ozone isn't necessarily masking odor, but the 03 molecule "mingles" with existing scents to bind too and sort of "destroy" those odors. This is a very high level non-technical explanation of it. There is quite a bit of real scientific data that supports it as fact.

Where it gets interesting though is using ozone in the great outdoors with swirling winds vs the controlled vacuum sealed lab. Most would agree that it would be impossible to destroy odor in the outdoor environment, which is why the best selling units have big ass blowers trying to cover as much of the hunter as possible. It's important to note that o3 exposure can also be a safety issue. The bin storage unit and car unit I have are very clear about the risks with using them in a closed room.

Lol so some of these guys need an o3 mask to stop there breath scent. All Sounds good to me. I have a friend who swears by ozonics, I was raised by Woolrich wearing, tobacco chewing, cig smoking guys. They taught me good wind for you is bad for the deer, good wind for the deer is bad for you so you have to either sit in acrosswind in a ambush location, or drive deer with the wind, pushers start up wind real quiet and slow. 

[Five Seasons]

2 hours ago, Kmartinson said:

Lol so some of these guys need an o3 mask to stop there breath scent. All Sounds good to me. I have a friend who swears by ozonics, I was raised by Woolrich wearing, tobacco chewing, cig smoking guys. They taught me good wind for you is bad for the deer, good wind for the deer is bad for you so you have to either sit in acrosswind in a ambush location, or drive deer with the wind, pushers start up wind real quiet and slow. 

both groups are probably right. there is no replacement for good wind and thermals, but there is an edge for those calm days or swirling days where irish spring or cigs is hurting you. Even if it's not helping, the scent free stuff sure doesn't hurt.

[ridgerunner88]

1 hour ago, Belo said:

both groups are probably right. there is no replacement for good wind and thermals, but there is an edge for those calm days or swirling days where irish spring or cigs is hurting you. Even if it's not helping, the scent free stuff sure doesn't hurt.

 

Doesnt hurt as long as you dont throw caution to the wind.. pun intended 

Plus this may just be speculation but I think if you take wind into consideration, it leads to you thinking more critically about your setup and leads to you considering other factors thus leading to you being in a better spot than you would if you just went the wash with scent free soap route

[Merlot]

Washing every stitch with something like "Dead Downwind" detergent and keeping the camo outside on the cabin porch is about all i do.