Do you think this would work for scent control?

[ApexerER]

Do you think this would be a good idea or a waste of time and $$$....I feel like I have a very hard time making my hunting stuff scent free. I wash it in scent free soap etc but I can't imagine that works as well as I would like considering all the other stuff that gets washed in regular detergent. Also there are lost of things I bring in the woods that don't get washed. Bow, Bino's, Range finder, Release etc.  I also spray down...aside from that...I don't do much. I have been looking at the scent crusher. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/scent-crusher-ozone-go?a=1883851 I have scene it cheaper than $49.00. My thought is I could set my blind up in the garage and close all the windows. Lay all my stuff out on a rack, including my bow, boots etc and plug the scent crusher into my jump box basically making an ozone closet. Stupid idea? Or maybe worth the time and $40 bucks to try?

[grampy]

We just had an ozone topic a week or so ago, so more info over there too. I'm not familiar with using ozone, so this is just my opinion. It's your money, if it gives you a confidence boost, go for it! But just remember that hunters have been killing deer for many hundreds of years, with no scent control at all. The ancient ones just paid close attention to wind direction. They mostly only bathed a few times a year. Smelled of wood smoke and what ever the last couple of meals were. Their clothes were seldom washed. But yet they killed enough deer to survive! By using superior woodsmanship skills. 

This is in no way a slam on ANYONE! Just a reminder that sometimes we ALL get caught up with our gadjets and forget that hunting does not need to be so complicated.

[wooly]

8 minutes ago, grampy said:

We just had an ozone topic a week or so ago, so more info over there too. I'm not familiar with using ozone, so this is just my opinion. It's your money, if it gives you a confidence boost, go for it! But just remember that hunters have been killing deer for many hundreds of years, with no scent control at all. The ancient ones just paid close attention to wind direction. They mostly only bathed a few times a year. Smelled of wood smoke and what ever the last couple of meals were. Their clothes were seldom washed. But yet they killed enough deer to survive! By using superior woodsmanship skills. 

This is in no way a slam on ANYONE! Just a reminder that sometimes we ALL get caught up with our gadjets and forget that hunting does not need to be so complicated.

BINGO!

Lock this one up- there's your answer!

[ApexerER]

20 minutes ago, grampy said:

We just had an ozone topic a week or so ago, so more info over there too. I'm not familiar with using ozone, so this is just my opinion. It's your money, if it gives you a confidence boost, go for it! But just remember that hunters have been killing deer for many hundreds of years, with no scent control at all. The ancient ones just paid close attention to wind direction. They mostly only bathed a few times a year. Smelled of wood smoke and what ever the last couple of meals were. Their clothes were seldom washed. But yet they killed enough deer to survive! By using superior woodsmanship skills. 

This is in no way a slam on ANYONE! Just a reminder that sometimes we ALL get caught up with our gadjets and forget that hunting does not need to be so complicated.

Grampy, I agree with you 100%....When I was younger and I hunted with my Dad I didn't even know there was such a thing as scent control. We would leave camp smelling like breakfast, a coal stove and didn't take a shower while we were at camp. The thing is, nobody at camp was a woodsman. I didn't know it at the time but everyone was a terrible hunter. We would see and kill a couple deer but it was all being in the right place at the right time and luck. That is what I thought hunting was for my first 15 years or so. Go out, find a comfy log to sit on and hope a deer would wander through. I never thought about wind direction, scent, scouting or anything basically. ( I wouldn't trade those years for anything). When my father stopped hunting about 15 years ago a friend of mine got me on a lease with a group of guys who have all since become my friends. I would go out in the woods at 7ish maybe 8 and find a log to sit on that looked like a nice spot and sit there....Well that worked out for me about as well as it sounds. After a couple of years of being made fun off these guys took me under their wing a little bit and started teaching me about the woods, sign, deer trails, etc. It took a while but it seemed like every year I would learn something else. Scent control, etc has kind of been the last steps. Playing the wind is very hard where we hunt. We don't have a lot of land and the deer come from every direction. With the help of my hunting buddies I have my stand placed in a great area and I have scene more deer the last couple of years than I ever have. I have seen deer come and go from all 4 corners of my tree stand so I am thinking if I can work on scent control, I won't always be eliminating a direction deer can come from. I am not a very good woodsman, but I love hunting and if I can make my experience better I would like too...

[Bowguy 1]

Hunt the wind including thermals n think about your exit n entrance strategy  

[Bowguy 1]

1 hour ago, grampy said:

We just had an ozone topic a week or so ago, so more info over there too. I'm not familiar with using ozone, so this is just my opinion. It's your money, if it gives you a confidence boost, go for it! But just remember that hunters have been killing deer for many hundreds of years, with no scent control at all. The ancient ones just paid close attention to wind direction. They mostly only bathed a few times a year. Smelled of wood smoke and what ever the last couple of meals were. Their clothes were seldom washed. But yet they killed enough deer to survive! By using superior woodsmanship skills. 

This is in no way a slam on ANYONE! Just a reminder that sometimes we ALL get caught up with our gadjets and forget that hunting does not need to be so complicated.

Great post Grampy

[DirtTime]

The wind is a big factor, as mentioned.

Walking in you will sweat, and setting up a climber. I really don't think there is much you can do to cover that, sweat stinks. If you take a break for breakfast or lunch and go to a diner/restaurant with your hunting clothes on you will pick up the smells from that. Just because we love the smell of burnt bacon or sausage, over cooked eggs, and the smell of coffee that would put hair on a bears backside, doesn't mean the deer will like it. Or worse, the waitress might smell great to you, but I doubt deer are into the latest perfumes.

 

Un-sented soap,  keep your clothes at least in a plastic bag and put them on when you get to your area, and take them back off for the ride home. (Unless you can just walk out of your house and hunt )

 

Play the wind and enjoy hunting. 

 

Edited September 20, 2016 by ....rob

[ApexerER]

Everyone says to play the wind....This doesn't seem like that easy of a thing to do to me. I have been sitting in my treestand for 3 seasons now. This will be the 4th. The deer routinely come in from the gully behind and to my left, walking behind me to my right and loop out in front of me on my right. They come in following this same path in reverse. They also come in from my front left, walking the top of the ridge basically on the edge of the gully staying on my left and exiting out behind me. Most of the time the wind is from my right to my left. How am I suppose to play the wind on a stand that deer come from all 4 directions? I feel like with any wind I am removing 25 % of my deer sightings. I generally can only hunt on Sundays so if I skip a day no matter what the wind is doing I don't hunt for another week....

[DirtTime]

That's why most of us have more then one place to sit. The wind can change and be different in a 10 foot gully then it is on top. by "playing the wind" you are trying to make it work in your favor. One spot I sit has a thick row of brush and trees at my back, wind usually swirls a bit and it's never constant, and looks over a small swamp with the deer coming from my right, can't hunt that with a bow as I am right handed and a deer to my left is what I need to limit movement. Watched more then a few does walk through there last season. But, if the wind was really bad, I would go 300 yards away and set up in a different gully half way down, the wind usually hits me in the face, but not every time. My favorite spot has places I can sit on all four sides of a small creek bottom. Generally I like that spot best when the wind is NW as I can sit behind a big log with the wind in my face.

It's all about location of deer and where you put your stands. I would set up another stand or blind over looking the same area so you at least have two choices.

JMO.

[hunterman7956]

If in a tree stand go HIGHER ...25 -35 FT .....should reduce odor spreading down on deer ...

[grampy]

37 minutes ago, ApexerER said:

Everyone says to play the wind....This doesn't seem like that easy of a thing to do to me. I have been sitting in my treestand for 3 seasons now. This will be the 4th. The deer routinely come in from the gully behind and to my left, walking behind me to my right and loop out in front of me on my right. They come in following this same path in reverse. They also come in from my front left, walking the top of the ridge basically on the edge of the gully staying on my left and exiting out behind me. Most of the time the wind is from my right to my left. How am I suppose to play the wind on a stand that deer come from all 4 directions? I feel like with any wind I am removing 25 % of my deer sightings. I generally can only hunt on Sundays so if I skip a day no matter what the wind is doing I don't hunt for another week....

From your description, and I hope I get this right cause I'm trying to help you. In this particular set up if you stayed facing the same direction you are now. And move back, BEHIND where you are seeing deer emerge from the gully. So now when they follow the ridge on your left, towards you, they still will not smell you, with the wind direction that you gave. And you should still see pretty much the same deer, coming and going from the gully, right? Sorry to go off topic.

[ApexerER]

17 hours ago, grampy said:

From your description, and I hope I get this right cause I'm trying to help you. In this particular set up if you stayed facing the same direction you are now. And move back, BEHIND where you are seeing deer emerge from the gully. So now when they follow the ridge on your left, towards you, they still will not smell you, with the wind direction that you gave. And you should still see pretty much the same deer, coming and going from the gully, right? Sorry to go off topic.

Grampy,

Thank you, that actually makes a lot of sense and as stupid as it sounds now to me I would not have thought about being able to do that. I can't move back though. I am sitting in the first mature tree. Right behind me and coming around my right side is immature forest. Its not brush, it is all trees but nothing larger than say three to four inches in diameter and most much smaller. Nothing I could put my tree stand against. I could though, when I go there, see what my view would be like from a blind placed where you recommended. Maybe I should start another topic for this but if I was to describe my spot. I would say I have mature hard woods in front of me for about 100 yds. Beyond that is mature pines. To my left there is a ravine running parallel to my stand with an old logging trail to my left right at the top of the ridge. Once the ravine gets behind me it circles around behind me and to my right behind me but I can't see it...it is too far away. Directly behind me and wrapping out to my to my right is immature forest and beyond that is the pine planting. The deer seem like they like to stay in the immature forest behind and to my right. I would say 75% of the deer I see are taking that path. Some do walk the top of the ridge as well. Thinking about this as I am typing, I am not sure my view would be very good through the immature forest but I will have to see. Maybe I will have to think about making some shooting lanes and a ground blind for next year. I don't think I want to tear it all up this year...this close to the season

 

[ApexerER]

18 hours ago, hunterman7956 said:

If in a tree stand go HIGHER ...25 -35 FT .....should reduce odor spreading down on deer ...

I have a large two man ladder stand...I like the large stands because I am afraid of heights and I feel comfortable in the large stand with a large platform. If I was up that high, I don't think I would enjoy myself very much and if I could get myself that high, would probably be afraid to move....lol

[ApexerER]

18 hours ago, ....rob said:

That's why most of us have more then one place to sit. The wind can change and be different in a 10 foot gully then it is on top. by "playing the wind" you are trying to make it work in your favor. One spot I sit has a thick row of brush and trees at my back, wind usually swirls a bit and it's never constant, and looks over a small swamp with the deer coming from my right, can't hunt that with a bow as I am right handed and a deer to my left is what I need to limit movement. Watched more then a few does walk through there last season. But, if the wind was really bad, I would go 300 yards away and set up in a different gully half way down, the wind usually hits me in the face, but not every time. My favorite spot has places I can sit on all four sides of a small creek bottom. Generally I like that spot best when the wind is NW as I can sit behind a big log with the wind in my face.

It's all about location of deer and where you put your stands. I would set up another stand or blind over looking the same area so you at least have two choices.

JMO.

I agree that more places to sit would be great so you could make choices. I really do not have an argument for that other than 1, I am superstitious and I would be positive if I didn't sit in my stand on that particular day, that would be the day that the big boy would walk through and 2. We have too many guys on a small lease. All of us know there are too many guys, but how do you get rid of your hunting buddies. We all have our stands set up in different areas of the property, and while nobody says you can't sit in my stand, it is kind of a respect we have for eachother not to do it. There are a few stands that we have put out in other places on the property...we have 11 guys and I believe there are 15 stands. Now that being said, I have never once hunted with all 11 on the same day. I think for the rifle opener last year we had 7 guys. But it does become a pretty high pressure property with all of us hunting 164 acres

[jjb4900]

I use that scent killer stuff on my hands, head and face before I start grabbing my stand and gear and once again once I'm settled in, hasn't hurt so far.

[grampy]

19 minutes ago, ApexerER said:

Grampy,

Thank you, that actually makes a lot of sense and as stupid as it sounds now to me I would not have thought about being able to do that. I can't move back though. I am sitting in the first mature tree. Right behind me and coming around my right side is immature forest. Its not brush, it is all trees but nothing larger than say three to four inches in diameter and most much smaller. Nothing I could put my tree stand against. I could though, when I go there, see what my view would be like from a blind placed where you recommended. Maybe I should start another topic for this but if I was to describe my spot. I would say I have mature hard woods in front of me for about 100 yds. Beyond that is mature pines. To my left there is a ravine running parallel to my stand with an old logging trail to my left right at the top of the ridge. Once the ravine gets behind me it circles around behind me and to my right behind me but I can't see it...it is too far away. Directly behind me and wrapping out to my to my right is immature forest and beyond that is the pine planting. The deer seem like they like to stay in the immature forest behind and to my right. I would say 75% of the deer I see are taking that path. Some do walk the top of the ridge as well. Thinking about this as I am typing, I am not sure my view would be very good through the immature forest but I will have to see. Maybe I will have to think about making some shooting lanes and a ground blind for next year. I don't think I want to tear it all up this year...this close to the season

 

It's awesome that you are applying our #1 advantage over the deer. Our Brain!! No matter how good my set up is, I'm always THINKING how it could be better, based on what I'm seeing. "Where are the deer mostly coming from"? "What is the most frequent wind direction and how is that affecting the deer movement"? "Would a slight movement of the set up, increase or decrease my opportunities"? "Ground blind or ladder stand"? "Add another shooting lane"? "Go higher or lower, from where I am set up now"? Always keep using that #1 advantage! As the years go by, your past successes and failures in the deer woods will give you more of the answers to the questions you ask yourself. Never stop learning and thinking! Let the game we hunt be your best teachers! I sincerely wish you the best of luck this season. Hope it will be your best ever!

[ApexerER]

33 minutes ago, grampy said:

It's awesome that you are applying our #1 advantage over the deer. Our Brain!! No matter how good my set up is, I'm always THINKING how it could be better, based on what I'm seeing. "Where are the deer mostly coming from"? "What is the most frequent wind direction and how is that affecting the deer movement"? "Would a slight movement of the set up, increase or decrease my opportunities"? "Ground blind or ladder stand"? "Add another shooting lane"? "Go higher or lower, from where I am set up now"? Always keep using that #1 advantage! As the years go by, your past successes and failures in the deer woods will give you more of the answers to the questions you ask yourself. Never stop learning and thinking! Let the game we hunt be your best teachers! I sincerely wish you the best of luck this season. Hope it will be your best ever!

Thanks Grampy, and thank you for always giving valuable advice. Last season was my best ever, I got a big doe and a 5pt with the bow...The 5pt was my biggest deer ever until I got the 8pt in my avatar on opening day of rifle. If this season somehow goes better than that...I will be even more hooked than I am now...