hunting clothes in the dryer

[boo711]

Finally got all unpacked last weekend after the move into new house. Washed mine and my son's hunting clothes monday and hung them on the line at my parents house. Unfortunately it rained monday and Tuesday night and not looking to good for the rest of the week either. We are ready to hit the woods this weekend but need to get clothes dried. Anyone ever use the dryer w/out a dryer sheet of course to dry there hunting clothes? Just didn't know if using dryer sheets with regular clothes a couple times a week would leave a scent that could get picked up by hunting clothes if you use a dryer to dry them. Always dried my on the line so have never had to use the dryer before.

[thphm]

They sell dryer sheets for your hunting clothes , Dicks has them.

[chiefbkt]

I have never used a dryer.  I would try to hang them up in a garage or basement if you could.  If you need to use the dryer, I would use the most delicate drying cycle possible.  

[DeerDuck]

I use the dryer. Then hang them outside. If they're damp they will pick up a mildew scent after awhile. The dryer sheets that smell like earth are made for hunting clothes and work well from my experience. I also usually just throw 1 of them or a scent wafer in the tub with my stuff. They're made by the same company and can be bought at Dicks.

[Bow Addict]

I always use the dryer.We use scent free dryer sheets on all our clothes.it doesn't make sense to hang your clothes in the garage or basement.Your going to get tons more odor on them than in the dryer.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Bow Addict

[WNYBuckHunter]

I use the scent killer clothes wash, and before I do a load in the dryer with the scent free dryer sheets, I get a towel that has been washed in scent free, and soap it up with scent free detergent and water, and wipe down the inside of the dryer, including the door. If you have a lint trap inside and not on top of the dryer, clean that out as well. Then I dry a load of towels washed in scent free before I do my hunting clothes. Works great. Had deer downwind from me all this past weekend. No issues.

[Taylormike]

I never use dryer and will never use the dryer.  Why risk contamination.  Hang in Shed, garage, porch, anywhere rain won't contact.

[Bow Addict]

I never use dryer and will never use the dryer.  Why risk contamination.  Hang in Shed, garage, porch, anywhere rain won't contact.

How does hanging your hunting clothes in the garage keep them scent free? Garages have all jkinds of nasty odors.

[phade]

I use the scent killer clothes wash, and before I do a load in the dryer with the scent free dryer sheets, I get a towel that has been washed in scent free, and soap it up with scent free detergent and water, and wipe down the inside of the dryer, including the door. If you have a lint trap inside and not on top of the dryer, clean that out as well. Then I dry a load of towels washed in scent free before I do my hunting clothes. Works great. Had deer downwind from me all this past weekend. No issues.

 

Similar process I use when I need to.

[grampy]

I too use the dead down wind clothes wash and dryer sheets. Then out of the dryer and into a scent free covered bin until I'm ready to use them. I spray down before heading out and have many times had deer within feet of me in natural ground blind.

[airedale]

• Deer have seven glands that are used primarily for scent communication.

The nose of a whitetail deer has up to 297 million olfactory receptors, dogs have 220 million with humans limiting out with just five million… [in other words] the whitetail deer’s sense of smell is nearly 1/3 greater than that of a canine [and unfathomably greater than ours].

whitetail deer have two giant olfactory bulbs attached to the brain which decode every smell they encounter. The bulbs weigh around 60 grams, four times as much as human olfactory bulbs.

In tests dogs have been able to pick up chemical solutions that form one or two parts in a trillion. That is the equivalent of smelling one bad apple in two billion barrels. This is relative to a whitetail deer’s sense of smell as[this part is important] some hunters believe they can cover their human scent with cover up scents. Wrong!

Dogs can detect odors that are up to 40 feet underground, thus deer can detect them even deeper than that depth.

Estimates state that a whitetail deer can detect human scent for up to 10 days after it’s left.

As far as dogs and whitetail deer are concerned, all humans have a unique smell. They can pick people out according to body and other odors …Therefore, the deer your hunting may quite possibly know the difference between how the farmer smells that works in the field that is NOT a threat to them, and you the hunter–

[another key point regarding cover scents] If you are the hunter that wears cover scents then know the whitetail deer are probably associating your cover scents with those of a predator. Cover scents will hurt you more than help you.

…dogs can track human smells over long distances. Scientists think they can pick up on the difference in odors from different footprints to work out which direction their prey is headed. They can do this twenty minutes after a person has passed by, even though the footprints are made a single second apart. If this is accurate, then again with the whitetail deer having a keener sense of smell – it is very possible whitetail deer can smell which way you are headed and avoid you by going the other direction.

Based on 42 trials it has been concluded that scent absorbing suits with carbon lining had little to no affect on a dog’s ability to track human beings. However environmental factors such as the wind did effect the dog’s ability to locate. This information suggests carbon lined clothing as odor absorbing suits may not keep a whitetail deer from detecting the hunter.

It is a scientific fact that it takes 600 degree [heat] for carbon to reactivate, however the modern day clothing dryer averages 175 degrees maximum temperature. Thus you aren’t reactivating your carbon lined clothing whether or not you think you are.

Conclusion

There is no [scientifically proven] way to reduce human scent 100%. [This fact is especially true when dealing with whitetail deer.]

[skeets716]

I've packed my hunting clothes after being washed (usually air dry) in a garbage bag with Pine boughs and Leaves.  Try to leave them in for at least a couple of days.  Then again, had two Doe within 20 yds of me last week with some Brush Buster jeans I just had out of the wash. 

[DirtTime]

I have to agree about the garage. Most garages ( even though we are used to the smells and don't notice anymore ) at minimum will smell like gas and oil. 

[Geno C]

i never just put clothes in the dryer without 2 scent killer sheets.

 

i usually run the drier for a bit with a towel or something while my clothes are being washed to dry and burn out some of the smell from the wife cleaning the clothes...

 

once dried i usually take em outside and give it a spray and hang outside for a bit then bag it up in my carbon bags

[WNYBuckHunter]

 

• Deer have seven glands that are used primarily for scent communication.
• The nose of a whitetail deer has up to 297 million olfactory receptors, dogs have 220 million with humans limiting out with just five million… [in other words] the whitetail deer’s sense of smell is nearly 1/3 greater than that of a canine [and unfathomably greater than ours].
• whitetail deer have two giant olfactory bulbs attached to the brain which decode every smell they encounter. The bulbs weigh around 60 grams, four times as much as human olfactory bulbs.
• In tests dogs have been able to pick up chemical solutions that form one or two parts in a trillion. That is the equivalent of smelling one bad apple in two billion barrels. This is relative to a whitetail deer’s sense of smell as[this part is important] some hunters believe they can cover their human scent with cover up scents. Wrong!
• Dogs can detect odors that are up to 40 feet underground, thus deer can detect them even deeper than that depth.
• Estimates state that a whitetail deer can detect human scent for up to 10 days after it’s left.
• As far as dogs and whitetail deer are concerned, all humans have a unique smell. They can pick people out according to body and other odors …Therefore, the deer your hunting may quite possibly know the difference between how the farmer smells that works in the field that is NOT a threat to them, and you the hunter–
• [another key point regarding cover scents] If you are the hunter that wears cover scents then know the whitetail deer are probably associating your cover scents with those of a predator. Cover scents will hurt you more than help you.
• …dogs can track human smells over long distances. Scientists think they can pick up on the difference in odors from different footprints to work out which direction their prey is headed. They can do this twenty minutes after a person has passed by, even though the footprints are made a single second apart. If this is accurate, then again with the whitetail deer having a keener sense of smell – it is very possible whitetail deer can smell which way you are headed and avoid you by going the other direction.
• Based on 42 trials it has been concluded that scent absorbing suits with carbon lining had little to no affect on a dog’s ability to track human beings. However environmental factors such as the wind did effect the dog’s ability to locate. This information suggests carbon lined clothing as odor absorbing suits may not keep a whitetail deer from detecting the hunter.
• It is a scientific fact that it takes 600 degree [heat] for carbon to reactivate, however the modern day clothing dryer averages 175 degrees maximum temperature. Thus you aren’t reactivating your carbon lined clothing whether or not you think you are.

Conclusion

There is no [scientifically proven] way to reduce human scent 100%. [This fact is especially true when dealing with whitetail deer.]

 

 

You are exactly right, and I dont think that all of the scent free stuff I go through will ever get rid of my scent completely. I do however believe that it significantly reduces it, and more than likely, causes the deer to interpret that what they are smelling is alot further away than it really is.

 

[Fantail]

Last week I used two of those dryer sheets for the first time. The ones that are included with the carbon spray and cloths wash kit-box. Reason being, headed back up to camp that night. That was a Tuesday, the following Friday I filled a Tag, three doe came in. The particular stand is 19' up but the point is if they would have smelled anything it would have been lets say a 'side' oder from those hot/garlic wings the night before.

[BKhunter]

If you have scent free clothing it is due to some carbon element. After awhile the carbon absorbs the maximum amount of scent before it is "full" in order to reactivate the carbon you need to use heat i.e. the dryer. I have read this in a few books. I would say go for it and use the dryer sheets that are discussed above.

[jjb4900]

I just use unscented dryer sheets, never been a problem.......I would think wet clothes would pick up more scent hanging indoors to dry.

[nyslowhand]

I use the scent killer clothes wash, and before I do a load in the dryer with the scent free dryer sheets, I get a towel that has been washed in scent free, and soap it up with scent free detergent and water, and wipe down the inside of the dryer, including the door. If you have a lint trap inside and not on top of the dryer, clean that out as well. Then I dry a load of towels washed in scent free before I do my hunting clothes. Works great. Had deer downwind from me all this past weekend. No issues.

Ditto! I usually keep a couple of towels specifically for use after a scent-free shower. Those go thru scent-free wash & dry cycles before any hunting clothing gets washed &/or dried.

[biggamefish]

 I don't use any of the washes etc.  I wash my clothes with borax and baking soda.  I then throw them into the dryer with no fabric sheet then hang them out to blow in the wind under and eve where they can't get wet etc.  I do spray them down when I initially  hang them out but I don't use any spray or anything when hunting.  

 

   I do wash my clothes every week.  This works I had deer directly behind my this weekend and the wind was blowing right to them swirling all around never got busted.