Opinions ?

[fearthebeard]

Was wonder if you guys have any tips or tricks you guys use for scent control for your hunting clothes an also what to use on your body as far as body washes an sprays thank you

[thphtm]

Keep the wind in your face and you will save a lot of money.

[grampy]

Keep the wind in your face and you will save a lot of money.

 

Couldn't say it any better!

[njg0621]

I am a sucker and have all scent free clothing but to be honest I think it is BS.  There are alot of companies making ALOT of money off of us stupid hunters

 

Anyways here is a test that I don't think can be argued with....

 

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2014/07/does-it-work-ozone-scent-control-vs-drug-sniffing-dog

[Curmudgeon]

A deer has something like 30% more scent receptors than a dog. And, dogs are not fooled by all the scent free products.

[DirtTime]

Keep the wind in your face and you will save a lot of money.

+1.

 

Last year I used a spray. Being a smoker I came to the conclusion I was wasting money. Light up in the woods and all that "stuff" you did to cover your smell is gone.

 

There are a ton of threads about this on here, and it's a debate that won't end. Do what ever you think helps, and makes you confident.

No matter what, keep the wind in your favor when you can, have a few set ups to deal with the wind, and hunt.

[jmg343]

I wash my stuff in no-scent/no UV brighter detergent and then keep it in a room in my basement away from household odors, my dogs, and such. I sprinkle some red fox urine or something similar in the leaves on my way out and smear my boots around in it. Aside from those few steps, I just try my best to play the wind on that given day.

[jmg343]

I also think, depending on the spot I am sitting, that getting up good and high in my tree helps too. And I try not to fart.

[jmg343]

Around here I honestly feel we're hiding more from other humans than we are from deer. Visually obviously, not pertaining to smell.

[mac]

since we Zero control of swirling winds and changes in direction mid-set you cant always have it in your favor so wasting $10 a year on some scent killer spray or soap and laundry detergent isnt going to kill me. if anything , it may neutralize some of our scent we pick up being inside a house before a hunt. i also leave several of my layers outside 24/7 during the season and put them in large containers outside during bad weather. theres no perfect science to any of it, we all have routines and hunting superstitions and this may one of mine

[mahnsba]

My thoughts are that if I can reduce my scent impact in the woods, I am going to do it.  I wash in scent free detergent and spray down fully before going out.  I get winded by most deer downwind of me.  The scent control (in my opinion) isn't meant to eliminate you getting winded by deer, I see it as cutting down on my human odor impact in the woods.  My brother and I say it "takes the edge off."

Edited November 13, 2015 by mahnsba

[philoshop]

If it makes you feel more confident in the woods, then go for it. Positive mental attitude counts for a lot.

That said, if the wind is wrong for you a deer will know what you had for breakfast before you even get out of your truck.

[growalot]

Hunter speciality body wash/shampoo...when l dry my hair ....I Open the bath room window and suck in the outside air to dry it....I leave all outer wear hunting clothes out side on the covered deck...all other clothes are no scent washed in no scent detergent then left down in the basement.

[HFBPA889]

As others have said, I use scent elimination products to help reduce the amount of odors in my scent stream. Of course these products are not 100% effective when deer are downwind, but it definitely helps deer feel more comfortable / tolerable of your presence. When it comes to hunting mature deer. You better try to keep the wind to your advantage, older bucks especially will not tolerate human smell whatsoever in my experience.

[Zag]

Ill wash my cloths with sometype of sent eliminator and i use those scented dryer sheets and store my cloths in  plastic tote with one of those earth scent waffers. Is it fool proof, nope but i hope it helps alittle. Playing the winds of course is your best option when setting up your stands.

On a spot I used to hunt I has a stand on the west side of a funnel and for every 100 deer that would pass upwind one would go down wind. I could have rolled in crap and been able to shoot a deer out of it.

[nyslowhand]

How were we ever able to shoot deer decades ago before all these scent-free products hit the market? One last consideration, hasn't the average bow kill distance been ~20yrds for the last 50+ years? Whatever seems to work, keep doing it. Short of Zag's "...rolled in crap..." theory!!!! Wait..there may be some merit to this?? Next time you see fresh deer droppings, pick it up & put it in your pocket! Gotta work, right!?! lol

[growalot]

Actually...farmers have known for years..going out smelling like the cow barns has been a great cover..I had great luck keeping my hunting clothes in the buck barn(goats)..That is until the coyotes circled me in the dark..That stopped! But I never miss stepping in a fresh pile of deer dung when hunting.

Edited November 14, 2015 by growalot

[genesee_mohican]

If your cloths and self reek of odor when you go to your stand, you will be more easily detected by a deer's nose and leave a lot more scent behind at your stand site tipping off more deer your long gone. There are simple and inexpensive ways to decrease the amount of scent you put off while in the woods making you less detectable and less alarming to a deer's nose.

 Of course playing the wind is a no brain-er but being less alarming to deer that come in downwind or as you walk to and from your stand can't hurt, so here are some simple things I do.

 

1) Wash all cloths with ALL free and clear laundry detergent. It's no more expensive than any of them and found in most stores.

2) Shower with Scent Away soap/shampoo, leaves no odor and also very inexpensive.

3) Brush teeth with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide (recommended by my dentist as well).

4) Store all hunting gear where they won't pick up strong odors.

5) Avoid taking in food that might have a lot of odor.

6) spray boots, pack, and other gear with a scent eliminating spray.

 

 Hope this helps and good luck featherbeard

 

[Doc]

Who says that opinions don't get changed on internet forums? .... lol. I have always been a proponent of the old argument that if you pay attention to your wind direction, that act alone will take care of any scent problems. And I have experienced situations that seemed to prove that. But the problem is all the swirling, ever changing wind directions would have you dashing all over the woods trying to chase wind direction. So, all you people who have been highlighting the fact that wind direction is not always something you can successfully handle, and all those who swear by scent prevention activities, now have changed my mind.

 

That doesn't mean that I am running out and spending my last dime buying every scent control product. It also doesn't mean that I will not be questioning how people determine what products work and which don't, or how on earth you determine whether or not a product is really doing anything but draining your wallet. But now I will have to admit that when I don't buy all the soaps and clothing that is designed to minimize your scent, and get all goofy and paranoid about scent removal, there definitely is a risk that goes along with that especially when hunting hill/valley country.

[G-Man]

Use the wind, and common sense, don't use fabric softners, cologne, they rest of the stuff are big gimmicks.

[ants]

Keep your clothes,boots and body as clean as possible (scent free soap and detergent) and play the wind, although the wind often shifts. I think cover scents and sprays help a little but being clean and using the wind is #1.

[reeltime]

while its true that you will never be 100% scent free, I do believe that you can get the scent level down to a point that it makes the animals believe that you may be farther away or had been through the area much earlier.

 

I am a scent control fanatic, have been for years and will not be changing my routine anytime soon.  I never wear a set of hunting clothes more than one set without rewashing them.  all are washed with scent free/uv free soap.  I have all of my suits in airtight containers and or scent free bags with earth wafers, from socks to coveralls or bibs, I never wear regular washed clothes while hunting. 

 

when I get to where I am hunting I spray down with scent killer spray, I spray the steps on the climbing sticks, and the leaves where I set the bow while I climb into the stand. 

 

with all I do I still play the wind, all those commercials for scent killer clothes and such and the "forget the wind just hunt" if you follow that philosophy you may be successful but i would bet that you will struggle to do so consistently and especially on mature deer.

 

Keeping your hunting area and yourself as clean as possible and as scent free as possible will be your greatest advantage to not alerting deer to your presence, I can say that almost every buck I have killed was done so either the first or second set in a stand.  

 

 

[Nomad]

I figure since I'm going to shower and wash my hunting clothes I might as well use the scent free stuff that's it other then the wind.

I read a few studies using police dogs and hiding guys in wood boxes out in fields , then spraying them down and doing all the scent control stuff , the dogs still ran right to the box that held the guy .

Oh and so you don't think they followed the path the guy walked to the box, they had guys walk to each box climb in and stay a bit , then all left but one ,the path to and from was opposite from where the dog was released , dog ran right to that box each time.

A guy all sprayed down inside a sealed plywood box and a dog with a much weaker nose than a deer ran right to it each time .

[WNYBuckHunter]

A deer has something like 30% more scent receptors than a dog. And, dogs are not fooled by all the scent free products.

 

But the dogs you are referring to are trained to track people. Theres a difference between a trained working animal purposely trying to find you, and an animal in the woods that catches a whiff of you.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I use the scent free soap, shampoo and deoderant from a week or so before season starts until its over. I wash my hunting clothes, washcloths, towels in scent free laundry detergent and scent free drier sheets. I spray down my base layers when I get out of the truck. My boots, outer layers and equipment are kept out in the garage in sealed tubs, and get a quick spray down while Im putting them on before I walk in to the stand. I play the wind as best as I can.

 

I dont think these products completely get rid of my scent, but I think that they do help reduce it, and cause the deer to think I am further away than I am, or was in the area a while ago rather than right then. I know that when I spray my boots and pants down thoroughly before I walk in, I have never had a deer spook from crossing my tracks, whether they had their noses to the ground or not. I have seen the opposite reaction quite a few times when I did not. When I used to smoke, I watched deer bed down less than 50 yards from me on my downwind side. As soon as I lit up a cig, I watched them jump up, and leave pretty quickly afterwards.

 

My decisions are based on personal experience, not marketing gimmicks.