Human Scent

[dave6x6]

I guess i was right about our "good hunter" scale being different. I know a bunch of jack arrsas that think that emptying their 12 auto at a running deer from 175yrds. is a ton of fun and they do it every chance they get. Your way is noble and i can tell you ARE a good hunter but your way does nothing for me personally. You will never hear me run you down for what you do or wear or look like when your after your trophy though. Hopefully we can both post up our pictures here in a couple of weeks, (you in your wool and me in my synthetic Scent-lok) and we can say to each other " Awesome job brother, tell me how it went down" .

[docbob]

I think I would agree with nyslowhand. I live in an area of fruit orchards and hardwoods. Deer become accustomed to the activities of humans and the sounds of machinery and very often are not alarmed by human scent unless some movement seems directed toward them. They then run a short distance to see if they are being pursued and if not, stop and resume what they were doing.

In the woods I use a ground blind and in the last couple of years have had deer walk to within 10 yards of the blind. However last year I got busted by a very large mature buck right after first light. I still don't know if it was my scent or slight movement inside the blind.

[nyantler]

I think I would agree with nyslowhand. I live in an area of fruit orchards and hardwoods. Deer become accustomed to the activities of humans and the sounds of machinery and very often are not alarmed by human scent unless some movement seems directed toward them. They then run a short distance to see if they are being pursued and if not, stop and resume what they were doing.

In the woods I use a ground blind and in the last couple of years have had deer walk to within 10 yards of the blind. However last year I got busted by a very large mature buck right after first light. I still don't know if it was my scent or slight movement inside the blind.

I think the difference is that a big buck will always be more cautious than other deer... except maybe when he's chasing a doe... but the big boys don't take many chances.. thats how they got to be big boys.

[arrow nocker]

chemical suit (N.B.C or jslist overgarment) of ebay.25.00 pluss shipping.I have 2.Had many deer walk right downwind from me and never bust me.I am working on one now that is asat camo.I will be posting a diy thread when i get done.I also make my own scent killer.there is 1000 threads on it all over the internent.then i cover up with some homemade cover scent.Boiled acorns and such and might even throw some vanilla in there too.

there is so much hype on all the "store bought"stuff and when you think about it,none if it is even prooved effective to the point of deffinate science.We all know it helps but they can still bust you if the wind is just right.

Eliminating as much as possible is our gaol.No matter how you go about it.DIY or spending a load of money.I have 6 kids.1 hunts and next year my next hunter will be 12.i have to keep them interested by seeing deer so i have to get creative with the techniques of not getting busted such as scent killers and home made open pattern camo.So that i can still pay for cable for the rest of the house.

The first thing they learn is how to hunt the wind and read a compass.

I also wear just my base layer to my stand and pack in my warm clothes.I spry with the homade scent killer then dress up at stand in my carbon suit.when ground hunting i hunt the wind and move extreemly slow to keep from sweating.

[gjs4]

Scent lok and the others cannot work- I have used carbon for air and water filtration in a real commercial setting; just not happening and your suit would burst into flames before you "reactivated it"...could spend days on why and proof...but just trust me here

Chlorophyll pills- cheap and help some

Ozone- some work to a certain degree at least on the down wind side or removing human odors from clothes in a tote....does nothing on where you walked etc....another mild success

cover scent- do you really think youre going to beat an animal that finds and avoids everything with its nose....

So what is the answer? How expensive is it? What brand? ..............

Play the wind including entry and exit.....anything you have to rebuttle this is an excuse or an area that cannot be hunted your way without an outrageous amount of work....if it is hard to figure out; you have just realized why mature deer like it. Pick some milk weeds- use the floaters to wind map your stands, save your money, kill some mature bucks and then whether you care or not abotu peoples deer pics on here you will have a few with more antler than argument

[dave6x6]

gjs, I understand and agree with almost everything you said. However I've done my own very unscientific experiments by putting stinky objects in scent-lok socks or whatever and taken a sniff with my very inefficient human nose, and it works. I don't know how, I don't care how. "just trust me here". So i do wear the stuff in the field for whatever slight reduction i may get. I also agree with your comment about trying to make a stand work that probably shouldn't be hunted. I think you nailed why many people buy the stuff after getting busted yr. after yr. Truth is they should move the stand with the wind advantage that they need, even if it doesn't appear to be as promising an area. They're success rates will certainly go up as opposed to trying to force the issue in an iffy wind stand .

So just a few more comments and then i'll shut up. (maybe) I don't think the Scent-lok stuff is all that expensive.. Thats because i would never pay full price for any of it and neither should any of you. You can always find the stuff at 50% off or more at Cabelas. with the bargain cave and coupons, you can buy most of the pieces for about the same price as you would for stuff at Dicks or even Walmart. Also i find their garments fit and function to be worth the price anyway. So for me it works. I'll continue to hunt the wind and i'll continue to hang my stands at 20' or higher and hopefully i'll continue to shot mature deer, but if i do and it happens to have come in from down wind, i'm never going to be one of those guys that gives ALL the credit to some suit or scent eliminator. I'm humble enough to know that when you shoot a mature deer, there were probably a few unforseen events that worked in your favor that allowed everything to fall in to place. Some people do think that just putting the suit on is all they need. But there are also guys like me who already do all those tecniques that are essential to being a SMART hunter and then add the scent prevention on top of that. To me it's a no loose way of thinking.

[nyantler]

The reason ScentLok works is because its carbon fiber woven into a fabric... its not the same as the carbon you would use for air and water filtration... the military has been using carbon filled suits for decades with the same results... thats where the idea actually came from...I do agree that playing the wind gets the best results when talking about bigger bucks.. the less chance your scent has of getting to their nose the better... ScentLok or not

[Doc]

I do have a question about scent-loc suits. They cost a jillion dollars, so if you buy one, most likely you are going to wear it. Most likely you will even become dependant on it. So what happens in the early part of bow season when the daytime temperatures get kind of hot and even a bit oppressive. I actually remember an October bow hunt where I had to take off my shirt. The temp got up into the 80's and I was just plain cooking. So I guess on those particular days, you just simply would not wear it? I suppose in some of the more moderate cases you could carry it in in a pack and put it on after you have cooled down a bit. I have no idea how hot those suits actually are.

[dave6x6]

nyantler.. +1... Doc, suits probably is not the right word to discribe these outfits. It certainly conjours up thoughts of being hot and oppressive. They come in every temp range and are made in synthetic materials as well as cotton blends. They are single layer materials that you can get no thicker than your favorite t-shirt. The concerns you raise are really a non-issue. Of course if it is 80 degrees out then you are going to be uncomfortable no matter what you wear. As far as the prices go, i think alot of people are exaggerating that issue quite a bit. They really are not that much more expensive than most quality outfits and they certainly are not as much as a good quality wool piece. And there is never, ever, any reason for anyone out there to pay full price for any hunting gear. (unless something wears out or breaks in the middle of the season) With a bit of effort you can get top quality gear at greatly reduced prices by shopping off season or through places like the bargain cave. So thats not an issue either.

[nyantler]

Yes the suits are a far cry from their original suits from the 90's... I use to die in them some days... back then you wore an under suit and then an over suit... man were they hot... now they have everything you can imagine. I no longer wear one because I just don't like the price tag... but when I did they worked very very well. I still have a few suits but I think they are too old now to reactivate and have lost their zip!

Edited September 25, 2011 by nyantler

[Littlesunray]

I agree the same as camo clothes for deer hunting,when we started deer hunting many years ago we wore woolrich red and black plad or orange head to toe.We got our bucks and does every year ( at that time party permits) for the does.We wore the same clothes small game hunting and always filled our bags.

with this wool rich red black was the norm in the pass. I remember my father going out hunting with these when i was young.

i have a question would the brown and black wool cammo at Ganger be the same as the old red and black, only in different colors?

not exactly the one i was referring to but also wool

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?i=426828&pdesc=Columbia_Mens_Monarch_Pass_Wool_Jacket&aID=501A2B&merchID=4006

Edited September 26, 2011 by Littlesunray