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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: BRONZ on September 17, 2012, 08:43:00 PM
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Anybody not worry about scent control? I used to wash clothes with cover scent, put them in tubs with scent wafers, spray down, use cover scents...work hard at it and spend a lot of money doing it. I'm almost to a point that I'm tired of caring. I just want to wake up, shower, put the clothes on and head to a tree with the wind in my favor. Anyone else? I see Fred Eichler wear the same sweat-stained hat to hunt in everyday. You can't tell me it doesn't stink like human!
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I use sportwash so they don't smell like flowery crap and I shower with an unscented bar soap thats about it. Gave up the full spectrum scent control routine a couple years ago and haven't noticed a difference.
Rob
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Besides, that stuff is HARD on lucky hats! ;)
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Guys-I feel the same way. I'm tired of all the bs and don't seem to see a difference! I will still use the unscented shower soap but that is about it! This whole scent free or scent lock is very expensive eh? Thanks for bringing this subject up!
Kenny :bigsmyl:
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I wash with unscented soap and use unscented deodorant, but that is due to allergies and it is straight off the grocery store shelf. I spray my boots with scent killer and also smoke my clothes to leave less scent behind on brush etc. while I am getting to the stand. I mostly worry about the deer cutting my walk in trail. Smoking my clothes and using scent killer on the boots has done the trick more times than I can count for fooling their noses. I have seen many deer walk right in on the same path I used and never even remotely spook. I wish I would have shot better or sat still enough to not get busted at the last second!
You have to play the wind regardless once you are in the stand because you can't completely kill human scent. If they get downwind with a good thermal in their favor, you are done.
For me, it is all about leaving as little scent behind as possible walking into my hunting area. A number of African tribes people and native Americans stood in camp fire smoke prior to hunting. If it works well for them, I won't argue.
Your mileage may vary and I am sure there are other opinions.
God bless,
Charlie
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I use unsented shower soap and laundry detergent but thats about it. I hunt the wind and have no issues
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I have long believed the scent lok and all the sent stuff was over rated. I watches my dad smoke on his seat out Hunting and shoot deer year after year. My father never hunted from a tree or a pop up blind. He always sat in deadfalls or bushes.
So I never got into it myself. I chew at my set, spit on the ground and pee where I hunt. But I do play the wind. Also at deer camp in the evenings I'm around the campfire cooking, and having a merry ol time in te same clothes I'll be hunting in the next day.
Now, have I been winded? You betcha!!!! But I think I would have been winded in a scent lock also.
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i found out when i did all that i ruin it every time i light a smoke up in the tree...but i have killed alot of deer that i had to put a smoke out to shoot...i killed my biggest downwind on the ground smoking,cig.was on the ground smoking when i shot him he grossed 167 5/8...
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I have never bought into scent control. The human body just gives off odor and that's that in my opinion. I don't knock anybody for trying, its just that I don't think it can be done. Hunting the wind is the only scent control measure that I believe really works. Even with all that said, I still frequently use cover scents. Heck, it might not work but it doesn't hurt to try. Besides the scent control guys could be right.
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I learned years ago using all the scent lok and sent control precautions that if your upwind your busted just as if you wernt using it all. Now I do think it may let you get away with a little, but I don't think its enough to get a shot at a big buck that you wouldn't of without it. That said I think the biggest thing sent control does is give people the confidence to hunt spots on winds they wouldn't normally hunt. The wind does a lot of different things at times and this is what I realized. I thought I was hunting the wrong wind and the deer wernt smelling me when really my wind was going over the top of them or getting pushed put by a crosswind. It takes a lot of work and time to find these spots and situations were it feels like the wind is wrong when really something is happening downwind so the deer don't get your wind.
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I try to stay as clean as I can, and hunt the wind. I don't buy into the scent elimination/control products. Most don't work, and if they did, I wouldn't consider it fair chase.
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I worry about it a lot. Just differently than when I was younger.
I still try to stay clean. I still use the kind of scent control pads that (I believe) help control bacterial growth on my body.
But I now make religious use of a string wind indicator and hunt the wind. Always aware of it, always.
Even if fart proof clothing worked, and I don't believe it does, wearing it, and counting on it just detracts from me having achieved something on my own, relying instead on a magic crutch.
As I get older, I get more and more set against that premise.
ChuckC
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I've gotten to be the same way. I just shower with my normal soap and use the same deodorant I use everyday for work. I'm still killing as many as I did when I used all the scent control.
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I try to play the wind, thats it.
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Someone nailed it, do the scent free shower and put on your scent free clothes, plop your stinky favorite lucky hat and your smelly boots on and go hunting.
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Glad I'm not the only one. I agree, scent free soap and laundry detergent (also keeps camo away from color brighteners, which make you look like a glowworm), set up with the wind in your favor and shoot straight. Good luck this season fellas!
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I think most of us are hunting the same way,trying to play the wind.I think alot of the scent control items are made to sell not use.
A funny story that my brother,my dad and my self still laugh about.My brother is really in to the scent control products and we where walking in single file on a main trail before daylite one morning heading to our stands.My brother was just telling us about his new 300.00 set of scent control camo.My brother farted and about 5 seconds later my dad says in a low tone,"You need to see if you can get your money back".Makes you wonder doin't it.
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I realy think no matter what you do they still can smell you. you may have deer ,moose, hippo urine on you but they still smell the human in there also. I swet in the middle of winter. Keep the wind in your face. ect. Some time Im sure they just don't care . But have been winded buy coyotes and deer way out there.
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Play the wind and be thankful you are alive and hunting:) There is always tomorrow if it doesn't work out today:)
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I don't practice scent control. Only thing I do is tie a pod of milkweed to my bow so I can tell which way the air is moving at all times.
I just take into consideration they are going to smell me if downwind..and if I do see one before the current gets to it I try to not waste time.
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ever read about some of the Wensels talk on how big bucks move around.....or they dont till the wind changes. I'm not a huge proponent of scent control....but I have noticed seeing more deer back home when I do get the chance to hunt..... I think the more you do, the more likely you up your odds of seeing mature animals on a more regular basis.
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I never noticed a difference either. scent free soap and and my lucky hat.... and a good dose of prayer.
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Wind control...not scent control !
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To me it depends on where i'm hunting. IN SE PA your hunting sometimes less than 150 yards from houses or other buildings in small plots . I just picked up a new place to hunt and its about 22 acres completely sorrounded by homes . To most of these home owners the deer are a pest subsisting on their expensive shrubbery .
BUT Human scent is EVERYWHERE and they are USED TO IT . These deer are bedding down sometimes, within 40 yards of the houses. Absolutely no reason to worry about scent control. BUT when I go to my place up state in the mountains Scent is important . SO I try to watch the wind .
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I keep my clothes clean, clean base layer every time, wash with unscented detergent. Shower before I leave, and avoid getting sweaty on the way in. Just normal everyday hygiene.
I do leave my outer wear and layering gear outside if it's not raining. I put everything in tubs if I bring it in the house...more to avoid getting my nice wool covered in dog and cat hair though...lol.
The wind is the maker or breaker.
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Originally posted by Rob W.:
I use sportwash so they don't smell like flowery crap and I shower with an unscented bar soap thats about it. Gave up the full spectrum scent control routine a couple years ago and haven't noticed a difference.
Rob
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If I am in a stand or get to a stand and the winds wrong for where I think the deer will come, I change locations. I do wear knee high rubber boots and I think that helps quit a bit.
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Over here in Southeastern Kentucky in these hills, playing the wind is just about as big of joke as scent lock.
The wind will change directions 10 times within a minute sometimes. I just sit still and if the wind is at my back, sides or face, I just hope one is dumb enough to come right on in.
I've never hunted anywhere flat, so I assume playing the wind works there, but its about useless here with our odd swirling wind.
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In years gone past we used baking soda for clothing and bath/showering/teeth and IT still works(but it can fade camo) up wind they can't smell you, even if you took a bath in diesel. PLAY THE WIND
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If you deer hunt in very heavily pressured area's, scent control AND hunting proper winds is critical.
If one uses stinky shaving cream, stinky soap, then applies stinky deodorant, puts on clothing his wife washed in "spring clean" laundry soap and then pumps gas in his hunting clothing and boots, he's more apt to be the guy that has all the "ones that got away" stories.
Successful deer hunting isn't about doing things right, per se. Being a successful deer hunter is more about eliminating all the little things that can and do go wrong, one by one. And scent control and entry/exit are two of the big "little things". Don't forget, your scent can linger long after you've left the area, thus still spooking deer hours after you've walked out, if your exit is done improperly.
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Do any of you use fox urine at all? Experiences w/ it?
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It doesn't matter how much scent control you use if you are up wind of a deer it will smell you.
I used to use fox pee I got from a GA G&F friend of mine and used it successfully for many years. I've tried the store bought stuff and it never worked as well...or the deer have gotten used to the smell.
I've had deer follow my trail into a stand with their nose on the ground and have had foxes trail me to my tree when I used the stuff I got from my friend.
I don't use much commercial scents today because everyone else does. I'm sure deer have figured that with some commercial scents comes danger. I've never had luck with any "doe in heat" scents unless I took it right from the doe. For me the commercial stuff runs deer off.
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I try to stay clean, wash my hunting clothes and hang them out to dry when I can, and always watch the wind. Seems deverytime one of these threads come up, someone always has a story about how they violate all the principles of good hunting and kill huge deer. Some even advocate urinating on scrapes and around their stand area. Just makes no sense to me. I try hard to avoid being spotted because of my scent, but I still get busted a lot, and I am a good hunter.
Joe
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I really do not worry about scent control either. Just play the wind and pray.
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I know its hard to control scent when you got out on an evening hunt and it is over 90 degrees, I agree with most stay clean hunt the wind.
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Ive never stored my clothes in tubs or anything. I shower with scentless soap and use scentless deodarant. I do however ALWAYS spray down with some form of cover scent, I prefer Earth but have had great luck with Deer Dander. I killed a buck down wind of me at 10yds in 07 while wearing DD.
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The dumbest thing I can imagine are all of the liquid sprays guys use on TV. I have a science background and can't think of even one plausible way they can possibly work. Unless it is a full body latex spray :knothead:
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I used to be a fanatic about it...so much that if my wife was cooking something good I wouldn't come in the house for lunch for fear it would wreck my "scentlessness". What a load of crap. I missed some damn fine hot meals :)
So now I NEVER hunt a stand with a bad wind and wash my clothes in baking soda only. I use no cover scents. I think my success rates are better since dropping the wheels and spray-down bs and started hunting smarter!
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I was out doing a little glassing to check the deer activity on the farm. While there I saw the farmer and a couple of others, so I drove over to them. We sat around and emptied a Thermos of coffee for his neighbor along side the corn field that was going to get picked the next day. Afterwards I went out to the back fields to check along the creeks and from a hill looking back at the exact spot we were all parked and eating lunch was a nice 8 pointer with four lesser bucks milling around and picking at the fence line brush and in no hurry to go anywhere. Apparently, coffee remains, butt prints on the grass,chew and cigaret butts don't scare deer.
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I dont care who you are, wherre your from, how much money you make, who you vote for, if the deer are down wind, particularly good deer, theWILL smell you. All this junk we hunters pay for is worthless if you hunt when the wind is wrong.
I dont spend money on scent stuff, i think its a gimick. It may lessen a small degree of your infraction, but i garuantee you that they can still smell you.
I choose to blow my money on bows instead :knothead:
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Keeping me and my clothes clean and as odor free as possible is just another part of my hunt I enjoy doing it.I don't dress till I get to my hunting spot,don't wear my boots into the local
convience store. Can you remain absolutely scent
free no,but I think any little bit helps. I've
seen all to many times just how good a whitetails
nose is.
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My scent control consists of three things, other than just playing the wind.
1) I do wash my clothes in baking soda and change into them when I hit the woods.
2) I typically wear the old school hip boots if my access is less than ideal.
3) I use the powder wind checker when in the tree so than I can get a pretty good gauge on where my scent stream falls which tells me where I'd have to take the shot before they hit it.
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I don't even think about it anymore. Walk in cow pies and pay attention to the wind.
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My dad told me a long time ago if the deer were downwind they are probably gonna smell you. I try to get the wind right and don't worry about it.
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I clean my clothing in a scent free hunting soap - more to preserve the color than remove the scent. I store it in a plastic container, but put it on at home before leaving in my truck. I plan my hunting locations based on the wind direction. I do use scent eliminating spray when convenient.
I took a whiff of the inside of one of my rubber boots last week. Then I sprayed the inside with scent spray. There was a definite decrease in the smell!!! Not sure it will fool a deer's nose- but it did eliminate the smell for my sniffer.
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I try to stay clean and wash my clothes in unscented detergent but that is pretty much it. The lengths some folks go is just too much of a hassle and takes much of the fun out of it to me.
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I wear clean clothes washed in baking soda, take a shower, and play the wind. Any deer downwind will smell you no matter what you wear or wash with!! Sometimes, the deer are curious and will come looking for you, sometimes, they can't get away fast enough.
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I don't shower before i hunt,i wear leather boots,i don't wear camo half the time,i use my own urine in my mock scrapes,i don't hunt with the wind in my face half the time and i hunt from the ground most of the time.I do everything your not supposed to do and i kill deer every year and have for the last 27 years.Just get in the woods and hunt and enjoy it!
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A guy asked about fox urine I use to use it about 20 years ago not sure it worked but I did bag 3 red foxes trailing it to my tree. It's also good for office pranks a few squirts in a colleagues trash can gets a few laughs
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People smoke meat to keep bacteria from spoiling the meat. I figure if bacterial excretions are what make people stink then smoke might inhibit bacterial growth on humans and their clothes?
Also, carbon suits obviously have carbon in them. So does smoke.... I may be shooting in the dark, but I figure it can't hurt. Right?
Finally, wood smoke contains lignin and formaldehyde (basically). Lignin and formaldehyde kills and prevents the future growth of bacteria.
Just some thoughts,
Charlie
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I bought a nice custom recurve with the money I saved by not buying scent control products. :)
I hunt the critters that are upwind of me. Whatever is downwind ain't gonna die today.
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Like someone said earlier, just be cautious going in, dont let all the scent control hype ruin it for you, its all about the fun and relaxation of the hunt, if its meant to happen it will
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You can put perfume on a skunk, but you still smell the skunk.
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I always get a kick out of the hunting shows that push all the scent control products and then tell you to hunt the wind also. What's the point of all that spendy scent control gear if you have to hunt the wind anyway? Seems like a scam to me...
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Originally posted by gringol:
I always get a kick out of the hunting shows that push all the scent control products and then tell you to hunt the wind also. What's the point of all that spendy scent control gear if you have to hunt the wind anyway? Seems like a scam to me...
Exactly.
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Like many of the others, I wash my clothes in baking soda or sport wash. I keep the clothes on a line under my porch. I think most animals smell human breath and spook from that much more readily than any other human odor. I brush my teeth and occasionally use eat pepermint candy. Whenever possible, I breath through my nose.
This strategy, along with playing the wind and wearing rubber bottomed boots, has served me well for many years.
Bob.
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I wash my clothes in baking soda, I shower using plain old Ivery soap, and just play the wind.
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All of the stuff about scent free clothes, deer attractants and cover scents that we see on TV must be all true, otherwise it would not be on public airwaves or published so boldly about how good it all works. All the evidence is right on their tv shows, especially the ones that hunt in Iowa with governors tags every year. We should not be such skeptics and believe more of what we are told to believe. Can someone pass me the blue coolaid now?
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I've always felt that the average person can't begin to comprehend the ability of an animal whose very life depends on it's olfactory system.I've taken this next bit from a webpage describing the deers' sense of smell.
(Dogs can smell human fingerprints that are a week old. If dogs can do this then you must know that a whitetail deer’s ability to smell human scent must be far greater. That is why one shouldn’t be checking game cameras all the time or continue to ramble through your hunting area out of sheer curiosity. Estimates state that a whitetail deer can detect human scent for up to 10 days after it’s left.) All this being said you can minimize your scent,but if you are upwind the deer will smell you period. I've known of successful hunters who smell of diesel fuel,urinate or spit tobacco from their stands etc, Go figure.I've found the best scent control is the proverbial small feather tied to the bow tip.Hunt the wind. Here's an interesting link on Whitetail sense of smell.
http://www.imbmonsterbucks.com/info.php?id=243
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I wash and dry my clothes in scent free detergent and "earth" scented dryer sheets, store them in tubs with earth scent wafers, shower with scent free soap, use unscented deodorant and spray down with cover scent. Does it make one bit of difference to a deer? I have no clue. But what all that preparation does do, for me at least, is add to my anticipation and excitement for the hunt. It makes me feel as prepared as I can be. I use my wind checker powder as much as I can not only to know where my scent is going, but to try and anticipate which angle the deer is going to come in from. I was taught that "most" mature bucks like to quarter into the wind-theory is still out on that one as they have come from each and every angle.
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I have the wind checker bottle of powder as well. Dr. Schulz travel size foot powder. I have found that it works the best on my American Leathers shooting gloves to aid in a cleaner release. It has all of the essence of chemicalized clean feet. Glove powder and/or wind drift powder should come in a Tink's doe in heat formula. That way one will always watch to make sure that it is not used upwind of ones self, like grizzly spray.
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What Buckeye said I don't care how much scent away crap you wear if you have a steady breeze blowing to a bedding area no deer will come your way from there... I'm wanting to leave as little of a footprint behind for not only deer coming the same way I am but for deer that come by when I'm not around...I want my area to remain as natural as it can whether I'm walking in to hunt or its 2 in the morning when he walks by I don't want him to know I was there.
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Where I hunted last year has over 100 Black Agnus that have excess to where the deer feed/pass through and I make sure I step in cow patty's and get some of that natural scent that the deer are adjusted to and I try to smell like the Agnus and thinking of getting a job at Chick Filet so I can borrow the cow suit and "Become one with the herd" :D
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I don't get to bent on it anymore, for a few reasons. One is that you'll never eliminate scent, just tone it down some. Two is that in most of the places I hunt, deer are never more than a hundred or two yards from humans and dogs and cats and whatever else. It isn't really urban, and you can't see people much, but it isn't remote either. Human scent all over and they are used to it. Three is that they don't have a specific pattern in these places. They filter through almost at random, usually with little groups coming and going in different directions at the same time. However the breeze is blowing, you'll be upwind of some and downwind of some. That's here in Northwest Arkansas. Now, when I get to go visit a buddy and hunt uber-rural Kansas, totally different story. Disregard all I just said in that case.
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the one problem ic with not making the attempt especially if you're after a particular big deer...or any big buck, is the more you walk into the woods, the more you end up educating them. Scent control, playing the wind, where we hang our stands, how we get to them it all plays a roll....Even with a stacked deck one screw up and you may run one nocternal...yet you can still shoot deer every year. Growing up on a 400+ acrea farm that would make you drewl if you saw the bucks that ran the place...there was enough I could get away with a lot and still see them often! 2 months later when things were supposed to be good...they were no where to be found, atleast by me till the rut kicked off....i know better now. After sitting for almost an hour (and it almost ruined a relationship if you can believe this) 40 yards from a nice mature buck down wind in his bed! It made me a believer...since then I've had them down wind and not get busted...seen more deer over all in a much lower deer numbers than when I grew up, back than 15 or 20 a night in the fields was the norm not the acception. But what i do see now is those mature bucks that I only saw driving in or out....
its one piece to a bigger puzzle. I dont nessicarly believe you need to spend big money to do it, though you could. It will never elimnate your scent, however you might not reak like the mens locker room after a friday night game either ;) !
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My hunting cloths get washed after a kill. Otherwise, I put the same stuff on every day. I don't wear it all day, just when hunting. Keep the wind in your face and watch the thermals.
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does it matter if a deer smells you a little bit or a whole lot ??? 8^) .......... he's gonna leave the area either way .
if you do a poo poo in yer bathroom and then spray pine scent will the next person who walks into the bathroom think they just walked into a beautiful pine forest ? ........... naw they will think someone just crapped a christmas tree !............... :bigsmyl:
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Originally posted by Bob B.:
... Whenever possible, I breath through my nose...
Bob.
And normally, gills?!?!?! :bigsmyl:
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I just wash my gear in water during season. Hang them out on a line. Hit the woods and keep the wind in my face.
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smoke from local timber in the place that i hunt when i do go hunting
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When they first started coming out with all the scent free sprays I used them for a while. It seems like it was in the eighties. One day I took a shower with scent free soap, raced up the mountain, got out of my truck with my hair barely dry, sprayed down all my scent-free detergent washed camo to the point that it was wet with scent cover spray, then went and sat in a tree stand. About an hour later I watched a 3x3 from about 500 yards away approaching from downwind. He hit my scent stream from that far away and did an about face. Since' then I just watch where my scent is going and that is it. I don't believe you can cover it. It's just a waste of money. When hunting on the ground I use a scent checker wind feather and milk weed fluff to see where it is going. Gary
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I am re-thinking this one on carbon suits. Reason being is that most of what I consider the honest, public land bowhunter "celebs" that I put value in their mehtods (John Eberhart, Bobby Worthington, Pastor William Vale, etc.) ALL to a one of them uses carbon clothing. Their track records on public, high pressured hunting lands speak for themselves. Then the court actually through out the law suit against Scent Lok when they ordered them to send suits over to Rueters for testing and the results came back that Scent Lok was in the 95 and up% range for adsobing odors. They also found that re-activated carbon was still effective at adsorbing odors.
Now I don't believe anything will remove 100% but I have learned from trapping and hunting that it is concentration and newness of odors that usually alert animals. Even if scent lok only removes 25% of your released body odor that is bettern than nothing. Same with rubber boots, I know for a fact that my trapping canines is ALWAYS better when I wear rubber boots and rubber gloves. Is it 100% effective - probably not, but I believe it removes enough of the scent contamination that some game animals are not nearly as alert.
And I know all about tracking dogs and their abilities - but I have also seen the same dogs not be able to locate an escaped convict and I have had a few coon dogs lose a hot track on a bare footed coon.
I am going to keep an open mind on this one and retry some of these products/methods. Yes I will always pay attention to the wind as much as I am able but even if it works on only one P&Y buck is it worth it????
I still use (year round) scent free detergent and ivory soap. I hang my clothes to dry, smoke them with a bee smoker at times and I store them in seperate containers.... adding scent lok base layers shouldn't be much of a problem.
It has been stated repeatedly on this post that if a deer is downwind of you they will smell you no matter what....this simply is not always the case. There are eddies, updrafts and thermals that can carry scent right above that deers nose even if he is downwind. I have seen many deer downwind of me that should have but did not pick up my scent - sorry but it happens. And I would like to know just how it was determined that a deer detected 10 day old scent.... that also would have a lot to do with the conditions voer that 10 day period. If this was the case a tracking dog would always locate a missing person or escapee - just doesn't happen folks. I have scene tracking dogs that were unable to pick up, and/or follow even a 2 hour old track.
and like mentioned above - it is not only the scent left while you are there - it is the scent left behind that also alerts wary pressured bucks. A pressured mature whitetail that knows he is being hunted, at least where I hunt, is pretty much nocturnal even during most of the rut.
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BTW - I will be happy to send the court decision to anyone that would like to see it - don't know how to attach a PDF file.
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i try to wash with ivory soap and not buy gas in my hunting clothes and use some common sense but thats about it other than hunting with the wind the best i can.. in the past i got pretty involved with keeping everything as scent free as possible and such, but anymore i just wear the same ole hat and mainly hunt the wind and do about as good as i ever have...
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Originally posted by Rob W.:
I use sportwash so they don't smell like flowery crap and I shower with an unscented bar soap thats about it. Gave up the full spectrum scent control routine a couple years ago and haven't noticed a difference.
Rob
My routine is exactly same as Robs.
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I do what it sounds like most of you do. I wash with scent free body wash and use scent free deodorant. My clothes are washed in scent free detergent but stay in the garage during hunting season. I use the scent killer spray and hunt the wind. If I'm gonna be busted, its usually because they are down wind. Hunting the wind has been more successful than anything else for me but I still try to stay as scent free as I can.
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Originally posted by KentuckyTJ:
Originally posted by Rob W.:
I use sportwash so they don't smell like flowery crap and I shower with an unscented bar soap thats about it. Gave up the full spectrum scent control routine a couple years ago and haven't noticed a difference.
Rob
My routine is exactly same as Robs. [/b]
same here. maybe some Scent Killer spray on my boots if i have some. none if i don't.
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yup...I don't worry about it at all. except for trying to stay downwind of bedding areas. but then again...
I don't believe in carbon clothing, deer pee scents, scent killer sprays, any of it. I use straight grocery store ammonia for my mock scrapes. and don't treat my hunting clothes any different than any others...except maybe treating them with permethrin due to ticks being thick as thieves up here.
this buck visited and took over this mock scrape I made before the season opened, in my street close, wearing my running shoes. not only did he visit it that same night, he's visited it several times a week....and never seems to mind my scent. OH, BTW I started the scrape by kicking off the leaves with my shoes and peeing in it ...well, cause I had to go, and forgot my bottle of ammonia. lol
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/hickstick/20141011_193404_zps8e6737d6.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/hickstick/media/20141011_193404_zps8e6737d6.jpg.html)
here he is again on the second night after I used ammonia to refresh it...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/hickstick/WGI_0020_zpsad9d0330.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/hickstick/media/WGI_0020_zpsad9d0330.jpg.html)
I have actually had to put down a cup of coffee to shoot a deer.
I will add that I hunt suburban areas so the deer up here have been somewhat habituated to human activity. but I have friends that hunt morw rural have the same results.
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I do care about scent control. I wash all my clothes in scent free detergent. I make my wife use scent free detergent on the everyday wash too. I also shower in scent free soap before every hunt.
That's about it though. I don't use any cover scent (except maybe cow poop every once in a while). I rarely use scent sprays unless i'm in a situation where I can't take a shower before every hunt.
Play the wind. That is the key to success!
Bisch
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Originally posted by Rob W.:
I use sportwash so they don't smell like flowery crap and I shower with an unscented bar soap thats about it. Gave up the full spectrum scent control routine a couple years ago and haven't noticed a difference.
Rob
X2 the only thing I add on occasion is a cedar cover scent I make myself.
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I think being scent free is a lost cause. I used to buy the expensive scent control clothing back in the day, but just because you see correlation doesn't prove causation. You could be just getting lucky with the wind currents. I don't think you can have the wind moving from you to the deer and be successful, no matter what you do. I do think you can reduce the amount or strength of your scent, though. I use unscented soap and laundry detergent, but that's about it these days.
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Iv always used scent control to varying degrees. There is definitely an art to it. I believe the biggest problem most have in their attempts is not being able to smell their mistakes. I mainly use it to minimize the scent I leave in my hunting areas. I find it of great benefit. I also just like to go out and hunt without worrying about it, but I do that in areas I don't normally hunt. Iv never bought into the scent blocking clothes thing.
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This is what Rueters found when testing scent lok
sample time = 1 hour) % Reduction Odor Permeation
Fleece Balaclava w/out carbon 5%
Fleece Balaclava w/Scent-Lok® 99%
Base Layer w/out carbon 19%
Base Layer w/Scent-Lok® 98%
Hunting Jacket w/out carbon 11%
Hunting Jacket w/Scent-Lok® 97%
Hunting Pants w/out carbon 32%
Hunting Pants w/Scent-Lok® 98%
there does seem to be a rather large differnce between molecules trapped by carbon scent lok verses non-carbon clothing. They also tested the other carbon clothing which did no fair near as well.
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rubber boots, watch the wind....... Deer where I hunt use caution when they contact human scent but they dont go into a panic. Lots of exposure to farmers, loggers, well workers etc. They will usually just change direction and sneek out of the area if they get a real nose full. If you didnt spot them first you never would have seen them..........
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omg.....so they basically won their case by challenging what definition of 'literal falsity' the initial ruling judge used. this is laughable:
The judge presiding over the appeal ruled that ALS’s use of the terms “odor eliminating” and “reactivation” was not literally false. According to a press release issued by ALS, the judge ruled that “the district court had erred in ‘basing its determination of literal falsity on the most absolute of competing dictionary definitions of the word eliminate.’” Interestingly, the appellate court also gave substantial weight to the fact that ALS “introduced evidence of substantial customer satisfaction with ALS’s Scent Lok ™ products.” The court also ordered the dismissal of all claims for injunctive relief, stating “Plaintiffs failed to prove both the requisite irreparable injury and their core allegations that Defendants’ use of the terms ‘odor eliminating and reactivation’ were literally false.’”
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No the court had it tested by Rueters and it was scientifically proven to absorb 95%.... not sure what part of that you don't understand.The judgement was that the science proved that the initial claim was false and unproven. Rueters had no pony in the fight.
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The reason I posted at all is that a lot of people are claiming that it doesn't work (myself included for years) and yet science is now actually proving it does in fact adsorb 95-97% of human molecules... think I'll keep an open mind and trust thst Rueters findings are probably a little more accurate then personal opinions.
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Wash my clothes in baking soda and dry outside. Other then that I just pay attention to the wind.
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Originally posted by DaveT1963:
I am re-thinking this one on carbon suits. Reason being is that most of what I consider the honest, public land bowhunter "celebs" that I put value in their mehtods (John Eberhart, Bobby Worthington, Pastor William Vale, etc.) ALL to a one of them uses carbon clothing. Their track records on public, high pressured hunting lands speak for themselves. Then the court actually through out the law suit against Scent Lok when they ordered them to send suits over to Rueters for testing and the results came back that Scent Lok was in the 95 and up% range for adsobing
odors. They also found that re-activated carbon was still effective at adsorbing odors.
Now I don't believe anything will remove 100% but I have learned from trapping and hunting that it is concentration and newness of odors that usually alert animals. Even if scent lok only removes 25% of your released body odor that is bettern than nothing. Same with rubber boots, I know for a fact that my trapping canines is ALWAYS better when I wear rubber boots and rubber gloves. Is it 100% effective - probably not, but I believe it removes enough of the scent contamination that some game animals are not nearly as alert.
And I know all about tracking dogs and their abilities - but I have also seen the same dogs not be able to locate an escaped convict and I have had a few coon dogs lose a hot track on a bare footed coon.
I am going to keep an open mind on this one and retry some of these products/methods. Yes I will always pay attention to the wind as much as I am able but even if it works on only one P&Y buck is it worth it????
I still use (year round) scent free detergent and ivory soap. I hang my clothes to dry, smoke them with a bee smoker at times and I store them in seperate containers.... adding scent lok base layers shouldn't be much of a problem.
It has been stated repeatedly on this post that if a deer is downwind of you they will smell you no matter what....this simply is not always the case. There are eddies, updrafts and thermals that can carry scent right above that deers nose even if he is downwind. I have seen many deer downwind of me that should have but did not pick up my scent - sorry but it happens. And I would like to know just how it was determined that a deer detected 10 day old scent.... that also would have a lot to do with the conditions voer that 10 day period. If this was the case a tracking dog would always locate a missing person or escapee - just doesn't happen folks. I have scene tracking dogs that were unable to pick up, and/or follow even a 2 hour old track.
and like mentioned above - it is not only the scent left while you are there - it is the scent left behind that also alerts wary pressured bucks. A pressured mature whitetail that knows he is being hunted, at least where I hunt, is pretty much nocturnal even during most of the rut.
For the price at least, I'm not sure the carbon clothing is necessary,but nothing wrong with it for sure. The rest of what you said is a great summation and I couldn't agree more.
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Why worry about something that you can avoid. I play the wind. If it is blowing the wrong way I change my plans. If it changes while I am sitting, and I hunt the ground, I get out of there. It doesn't matter how long or how little I have been there, if the wind gets wacky I am out of there.
I do take certain precautions, clean clothes washed in scent-free detergent and hung outside to dry. Knee high rubber boots that get hosed down with scent killer spray. I try to not touch anything going into the area I am going to hunt and I will step in every pile of "wild deer berries" I come across heading in.
I do get a little crazy with diet as it gets close to Archery season.
I have not had any red meat since late August, I think your body gives off certain odors that are more alarming to deer when you eat red meat. Call me crazy, but I like getting close and this seems to work for me. I also eat a pile of apples this time of year, not because it is hunting season, I just like apples. Six or seven a day plus I am usually eating one on the way to my sit. I'm probably peeing apple cider.
If you can't get past there nose........game's over!
Good Hunting,
Craig
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I think most of the people on this site do enough hunting that you start to realize you can only get away with so much, so you may as well just take care of the basics (don't put on fresh Old Spice) and PLAY THE WIND!
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If use use an ozonics you don't have to worry about it. Just ax Lee and Tiffany
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I can't afford all that expensive stuff...I hang my camo outside for a day throw it on and hunt with wind on my favor...it works just fine
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Other then trying to play the wind, when I can, I do not even consider it. Of course I am not the most successful guy around either,lol.
Oops, just seeing that this is an old post,lol. At least I gave the same answer twice,lol.
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Yes its important to keep clean as you can just to minimize our scent.
Scentless soap and laundry detergent are a good thing.
But,
if the wind is wrong, they will smell us no matter what we do.
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I shower because I like to be clean. Same soap, same deodorant as any other time.
I washed my hunting cloths once last year...I think.
You can smell like a garbage truck if you're downwind, and any attempt to conceal your smell will fail if you are upwind. IMHO.
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For me, rubber boots to and from the stand are effective to reduce the amount of scent left behind. I have watched deer repetedly walk over trails I had crossed a day before and not show any alarm. Thay also seem to show no alarm over tracks left by rubber boots just an hour earler. The claim of 97% effectiveness of carbon is fine except for one thing. That means 3% is still active and deer may find that just as scary as anything more too. I hang my clothes outdoors on a hanger when not in use. My hat too. I wont even sit in a stand thats wrong for the wind on a given day. Been busted so many times even back when I was real careful that I decided it wasnt worth the effort.
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I stay as clean as I can, but not insane like I used to be. I do hunt smarter now, used the wind as best as I can and absolutely enjoy myself so much more.
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I wash my hunting clothes every time I hunt in them. After I take them out of the dryer I put them on the line for around 24 hours. Then in a Rubbermade container until I hunt in them. During hunting season I use Ivory soap on myself.
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My best hunting spots are where my deer like to hang out, or near where they like to hang out. The reason the deer like these spots is for one huge reason....swirling wind! I hunt the Allegheny hills of NY. At least 75% of the time you can't just play the wind. How many of you guys that JUST play the wind get busted at least as many times as you don't?The other problem with this discussion is wind dynamics in the area or areas of the part of the country you hunt. Also the seemingly endless factors where scent and scent control is concerned. I believe too many guys contaminate their gear and themselves unknowingly. Ask any canine trapper how Important scent control is to their success!!! Like I said, scent control is a learned art threw trial and error.I understand also that it's a lot easier and less work to "just play the wind".
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I shower with scent free soap,apple or vanilla shampoo, and spray on scent elliminator. My hunting cloths are washed scent free and hung out to dry then stored in plastic barrels with leaves. Still I get busted sometimes. Unless you can get delivered to your stand in a plastic bubble I dont think scent free or cover scents are foolproof.
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I play the wind and make sure me and my stuff isn't stinky. My wheel shooting buddy is a scent fanatic and let's just say he gets pretty upset about my lack of concern about scent and my ability to get right on top of critters versus his. The beauty of hunting with a stickbow is you have to get close, real close. As a result of that you spend a lot more time watching critters and seeing what they'll tolerate and what you can get away with. Bottom line is once they figure out something isn't right they'll circle around and catch your wind every time. Can't trick that nose no mater what you wrap yourself in or douse yourself with. We have a 10,000 acre NWR about 10 minutes from where I live. Drawing a five day buck tag in there is coveted, some of the best bucks in my neck of the woods call it home. I'd put in for an easy to draw doe tag every year. Go in there and play with the big boys. It's surprising what you'll do and can get away with when you can't throw an arrow at them. Best learning experience ever grunting rut crazed bucks in until they get right on top of you and figure it out. They get real mad when they've been had. It's supposed to be be fun, don't turn it into a job..........
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I'll take my chances and focus more effort on scent control. .. every little bit helps. Doesn't mean you pay less attention to other things but I am pretty sure, all else being equal, the man that pays attention to details like scent control will be consistently more successful IMHO
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Like Brother Knawbone, I LIKE hunting areas with swirly wind!!!!!
That being said... I've been at this Deer Huntin' game, for 40 years. Gun & Bow, From Central NY farmland, The woods of the Hudson River Valley, The Catskill Mountains, The Adirondacks, plus the mountains & cedar swamps of Maine. Tree stands, ground stands, still hunting, even getting on a "Big Buck" track and follow them up!!! The ONLY thing that is a "sure thing"... Deer, will ALWAYS smell you, no matter how hard you try to cover it up,or prevent it!!!
The BIG factor is, How do the deer react to it... Deer are animals,and every animal is differant! Some are just plain skittish, Some are curious, and some just seem to not give a $hi+!!! I've killed deer with the wind blowing right at them & I've had them spook when the wind was right in my face. Years ago, Gun hunting with family in the Catskill Mts. My Dad was sitting on the mountainside,looking down the mountain. Behind him, was a flat "bench" that was out of his sight. On that bench, no more than 50-60 yards away, was one of the biggest bucks I had ever seen on that mountain... Bedded down,with a big doe. The wind & morning thermals, were carrying my Dad's scent, right to them. They had not a care in the world!!! They knew where he was,and could hear him if he decided to come up over the bench,and be gone before he'd ever see them..... I watched the buck & doe for almost 2 hours. I even watched the big boy,lay his head down & take a nap! I couldn't shoot,because my Dad was in the line of fire,so I decided to try and sneak down and get them to move... Perhaps one of us could get a shot??? I SLOWLY, picked my way down to them on an angle... Suddenly, They both jumped up & lit out straight along the bench, STILL out of sight of my Dad!!!!! He never saw them.
Bottom line is, Deer are gonna smell you, LONG before you see them. Wind in your face is good, Wind on the back of your neck is BAD!!! If the wind is in your face,you have a pretty good chance of not being winded. If the wind is at your back, rest assured the deer will know you are,"Over there"... A swirling wind, which seems to be the most predominate wind during the season, tells them "Hmmm, somethings around". They do not know EXACTLY where you are, or even if you are still there!!! They are kinda "on guard" but certainly NOT "spooked"!!!!! This is where they rely on their sight & hearing senses. They get a wiff of something,but cannot tell EXACTLY WHERE it is. Or, even if it is still there!!! Like Turkeys that have AMAZING vision... If a Turkey spooked every time something in the woods moved... He'd be a total basket case,and dead from starvation in no time. Because he'd NEVER EAT!!!!! Deer are the same way... If a deer spooked & left the area, every time they smelled something, they'd be dead from exhuastion... Because they would never rest or eat!!!!! This is why I believe that cover scents and lures, sometimes work so well. They help to confuse them & kick in a deer's natural curiousity.....
A swirling wind,can be your best friend!!!!! Just HUNT!!!!! You can't kill deer on the couch... :thumbsup:
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Yep, I hunted in a creek bottom last night. It is at the head of a long deep ravine. Wind was suppose to be out of the N-NW which was going to make it a pretty good deal for the evening hunt.
Got all setup and feeling good about it. Had not been there more than an hour when I noticed the leaves blowing the wrong way,then leaves blowing both ways ?????
I thought I may as well stay put, how will the deer know where I am
with this crazy wind. Had two yearlings come down off the hill and barrel past me at about 7 yds. Crazy!
Good Hunting,
Craig
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Hunting and hunting big mature whitetails on pressured land are two totally different things. Deer have good vision but I would never say it equals that of a turkey, or most birds. Their hearing is better than most - their nose is their best defense - period. A deer will not always trust or be able to identify what it sees or hears - but a wiff of scent and that deer knows immediately what it is.
All good discussion, but there is so much more to hunting big whitetails then "just play the wind" that is only one factor..... especially mature pressured deer. You'd better pay attention to concealment, movement, entry/exit trails, pressure and many other things if you want to connect on mature bucks on most public land that gets hit hard. You don't have to wear rubber boots to kill a deer - but they can and do help. You don't have to rotate stands alot to kill a deer - but does it help if you don't hunt the same stand but once every 7-10 days? You don't have to pay attention to scent control - but does it help if a doe or younger deer hits your scent stream before the big buck shows???? SOme will say it doesn't matter - I say that if you are pursuing a mature buck (or doe) that has been pressured every little bit helps. My goal is always to try to pull off a hunt wihtou alerting the deer that I've been there.... and yes there are ways you can do this but it takes a lot of study and practice.... and a little luck doesn't hurt. The biggest mistake I use to make when I first started was I hunted where the best sign was and gave entry/exit a casual thought. Now the first thing I ask myself is can I get set up and exit here without alerting deer. First time in it may not matter much but after a couple trips in it difiently makes a big difference. I will pass the hottest looking spot if there is no good exit/entrance and settle for a good spot where I can get in and out without too much disturbance.
My scent Lok is on order and I am going to give it a couple seasons and see - but for now I will trust folks like John Eberhart, Bobby Worthington and a few others that says it does and always seem to have a knack for knocking down mature animals on pressured property.
I know one thing - It is not going to hurt my chances any to pay more attention to scent control - of that I am absolutely sure.
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Like what was said one time "wind is like water it follows a path thru the woods". I like to float dried milk weed on the wind, really lets you know when the thermals are working. I stay as clean as possible and try to hunt the wind for my stands but if they change I just stay put because I figure I will spook more deer leaving at prime time and just wait it out until dark. I still see deer... but just more cautious deer. I just hunt and enjoy. Good luck be safe.
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when hunting becomes work it becomes less fun.
Use good common sense rules, and hunt.
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Originally posted by BRONZ:
Anybody not worry about scent control? I used to wash clothes with cover scent, put them in tubs with scent wafers, spray down, use cover scents...work hard at it and spend a lot of money doing it. I'm almost to a point that I'm tired of caring. I just want to wake up, shower, put the clothes on and head to a tree with the wind in my favor. Anyone else? I see Fred Eichler wear the same sweat-stained hat to hunt in everyday. You can't tell me it doesn't stink like human!
I am not a scent control fanatic by any means. I do a few things that are, for me, the only scent control I need.
1. shower with whatever soap i have.
2. try to hang my clothes outside all night before I go hunting(if i don't, i don't sweat it).
3. try not to sweat walking in(dress light walking in, carry another layer in, walk as slow as possible)
4. HUNT THE WIND!
i for one don't believe that "scent control" actually works. the reason I saw this is as long as a man is alive, he is breathing, and his breath smells, now like I mentioned before, I do try my best to not amplify my smell by sweating profusely walking in, but other than that, I don't do much.
I have smoked my clothes before, but don't go out of my way to do it.
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What slickhead said!!!!! :thumbsup:
Think what you want... But, If I have to bust my A$$ to hunt,(when I'm SUPPOSSED to be ENJOYING myself) I might as well work & put money in my pocket!!!
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The folks I have known who killed a lot of mature bucks on public land were good hunters and hunted a lot. I think scent control is BS personally. Being able to read sign, know where to hang stands and then spending lots of time there is what I believe tilts the odds in your favor. Just my opinion. Don't want to make anyone mad.
Bonner
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Heck everytime I tried to go scent free I would just pee on myself when taking a leak and fart when on stand so I gave up. Alo use the same stinky face mask that I can smell so I'm sure the deer can smell it also. Now, I am a fanatic about wind and deer approach. I do wear rubber boots most of the time.
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Originally posted by woodchucker:
What slickhead said!!!!! :thumbsup:
Think what you want... But, If I have to bust my A$$ to hunt,(when I'm SUPPOSSED to be ENJOYING myself) I might as well work & put money in my pocket!!!
Guess it is all about perspective? Deer season to me is a 12 month a year passion and I enjoy every part of it. Using good scent control practices certainly doesn't reach the level of "busting my A$$" or "work" to me..... but then again I "ENJOY" spending hours going over aerial photos, clearing entry trails, scouting.....
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duplicate post
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Put me in the camp that if properly done it can make a real difference. When I used to go though all the steps necessary, I very rarely got winded.
Now I wash clothes and bath with scent free soap. Also store my clothes in a tub for organization.
Much prefer wool to carbon clothing. I do get winded much more often but I enjoy the hunting a lot more.
To effectively use carbon clothing its a real production. Now its a recurve on the ground, grab my bow and go. An all around more enjoyable and pure hunt for me.
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I think there are so many details that if we pay attention to them they increase our odds. I paid very little attention to how to get into and out of a setup when I first started. I just found the best sign and set up.... didn't even really consider how I would get in and out without spooking deer. Just figured I would get in way before daylight and leave long after they passed through. What I found was that first time in good, second time ok, third, fourth and fifth.... not so much. Then I talked to some more experienced hunters that were killing good bucks every year and they stressed to me the importance of getting in/out non-detected. This includes after the hunt when the deer were visiting these sites long after I was gone. The scent I was leaving on the entry/exit routes was giving me away. SO, I started really putting effort into getting into these spots undetected. Like using rubber boots, clearing brush during the summer on these trails, using waders and accessing ground via creek or lake, etc..... Now finding fresh sign is nice but if I cannot get in and out without spooking the deer I am not hunting it, I'll look for another spot close by where I can - my success rate started getting better, especially on the third/fourth time in. Over the years I started putting a lot of these "details" together and before long I was consistently taking better bucks on public land. The learning never stops and I enjoy trying new products and techniques to see if I can incorporate them into my game plan. Trail Cameras are one of those that I have begun using now that there is black flash technology..... but once again if I cannot get in and out with trail cameras without leaving a lot of residual scent I'll pass. Since I hunt primarily on public land I also have to pay attention to other hunters. I want to keep my locations hidden so I had to make changes to my equipment as I did not want to leave steps/tree stand in woods to be found by others. Also meant I had to come up with a portable ground blind system as there were to many times I would arrive only to find someone sitting in my ground blind or, in a few cases, someone had actually destroyed it
Scent control is just one of the many small details. Does it work 100% - probably not. Does it, along with other details increase your odds - I certainly think so.
The reason I pulled up this old thread was because for years I swore scent lok was never proved to work. I had tried it and I had good results with downwind deer but I blew it off as thermals or something. But now there is actually scientific evidence by a highly regarded independent researcher, that proves it actually is pretty highly effective at adsorbing (please notice how I spelled that as it is different than absorbing) odors. If you have tried it in the past and were busted perhaps there were other reasons? Did you use proper scent control on your tab/glove? Was your tree stand seat contaminated? Your bow? There is a lot of things we carry into the wood that have smell to them. Heck some rubber boots stink so bad that you can set them outside for a year and still they stink.
If you don't want to go to the effort of proper scent control that’s great. Play the wind and hopefully it will remain consistent for you. There is a lot of fun in just grabbing the bow and heading out, I typically do this when I want to still hunt. But if I have spent 100s of hours studying a buck, clearing shooting lanes and entry trails months in advance, picking the very best spot and waiting for the exact right time to slip in.... well then I am also going to do everything I can to remain undetected in case he doesn't show up the first time in. BTW - want to know one of the cheapest and yet most effective non-carbon scent control items you can wear???? Get one of those nylon wind breaker jump suits and wear it under your outer layer. These things really are not that noisy under hunting clothes and they block a LOT of vapor (human odor). Picked that tip up from Mr. Bobby Worthington and it works.
Anyways, I hope we all have fun when we hunt no matter what details we put into it. I like a good chess game :)
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Use disciplined movement along with the wind, sun, thermals, cover, and terrain to your best advantage. It's impossible to be scent free and invisible, but even if you've been living out of a pack for a week and in need of a shower and clean clothes, you can still get close and arrow game animals with the above discipline. As example, earlier this week I was butt on the ground near the top of a gnarly draw that ran just below the first shelf down from a ridge. Had all the above to my favor, but this was my third day camping and hunting in the same clothes. Had a full grown coyote run the top edge of the draw along the shelf 10 paces in front of me, he never noticed my presence, even at draw and release. I could say my dirty inside out underwear was the lucky gadget trick, but reality was finding the best place at the best time using the top noted discipline. This will always trump magic scent control clothing or concoctions.
Wear functional comfortable clothes that are quiet. Use plain water and baking soda for wash, spot clean blood when needed. Eat a healthy diet and drink ample water. If living out your pack for a week and you want to be able to live with yourself in a small tent, take a good clorophyll supplement.
Then if the above doesn't work, pull out you lucky inside out underwear!
Best :)
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Great advice Daddy Bear - nothing trumps smart hunting technique.
I don't really do the scent control stuff to keep from getting picked up by downwind animals although it has helped on several occassion. I try my best to use the wind to do that.
Where I have found that a good scent control protocol pays big dividends is when you hunt the same stand site several times. I am more concerned of the residual scent I am leaving in the area that the deer are picking up long after I am gone.
Now I might have to try the insideout lucky drawers thing :)
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I hunt what is upwind from me and don't worry about anything behind me. Hunting is supposed to be relaxing, I don't need the stress of trying to be scent free.
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The comments on paying particular attention to how you access your hunting area ring true. I have always felt that the scent I leave on the ground creates far more problems than the wind.
I often hunt in hip boots and will use water to my advantage when possible. Also use my canoe. I only hunt the same spot a couple of times a year.
I found a way of hunting that really works for me. I like to be able to hop around and loaf, cover some ground and spend the day afield. I hate the feeling of being bogged down by gear management.
Being retired also influences how I hunt. The largest problem most of us face is finding the time to hunt.
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I been thru the scent lok anal on scent control, it took the fun from hunting, it was just an excuse for my lack of knowledge I guess or new gear.
Does it work to some degree probbably.
It's to time consuming, takes the fun from the hunt.
I stopped all that and spent more time finding better places to hunt with big deer on public land.
I started to hunt with the wind in favor, and what happens start killing some big ones.
All that stuff is a gimmick, to make money in some ways.
I hunt public land and camp in a tent, it's impposible to stay scent free.
I try to shower when I can, wash my clothes in scent free soap when they are to dirty to wear again.
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None of this high tech scent stuff was around in the 20's up to the 50's. Yet many a deer were harvested.
Only thing I recommend is fresh clothes and a shower before going out.
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None of this high tech scent stuff was around in the 20's up to the 50's. Yet many a deer were harvested.
Only thing I recommend is fresh clothes and a shower before going out.
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You folks that only hunt the wind better never ever hunt in WV! If you don't like the way the wind is blowing now just wait five minutes! You either learn how to beat the deer's nose or sit at home on the couch!
On top of that we have the most wariest hardest hunted whitetails that inhabit North America. Fawns are born with their skulls 15 degrees above normal and taught to scan trees! Seriously if I only hunted when the wind is right I'd never hunt here. Got to learn to beat their noses WITH WIND BLOWN SCENT! It can be done. period.
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Originally posted by sidebuster:
None of this high tech scent stuff was around in the 20's up to the 50's. Yet many a deer were harvested.
Only thing I recommend is fresh clothes and a shower before going out.
Treestands weren't around either... nor so many hunters. Apples and oranges.
Im sticking with my scent control efforts because I know it works and yes I can and do still play the wind
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I do the scent-free shower and wash thing, hang my clothes outside, and maybe buy bottle of spray stuff every 2-3 years. I used to be more hard-core about scent, and other things, than I am now.
In central Pa., If I would change locations every time the wind shifted, I would end up sweaty, dizzy, and would probably go home.
Now, I just do as much scent-prep as I feel like doing that day, hunt where I think I have a chance, and gladly accept what happens.
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I get more from harvesting a deer using a primitive self bow without using any of the high tech items available today. No scent control other than wind, no calls, no fancy scent control clothes, etc etc.
To me I want to have as little advantage on the deer than he has on me. His advantage is his sight, nose and ears. I have the same but his are more acute. I want to be on even ground as possible to the deer. To me it's who can out smart the other. Sometimes I win and sometimes the deer wins. If he outsmarts me then I praise him for winning and I feel just as good for him had I won
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Sidebuster, I ride both sides of that fence, primitive and traditional, but when you hunt where the winds are fickle beating a deers nose is essential or you might as well stay home. Here in the NE such as WV, Pennsylvania,NY,the topography calls for using your head... and keeping it covered. Yes, scent control ( and I'm not talking carbon clothing) takes time and a little work, but to me it's required to harvest the mature deer I seek. And scent control is and can be completely primitive as well. Hunters have been using scent control methods for centuries!
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me and my stinky self had another buck in downwind, while I was drinking coffee in my stand. lol.
unfortunately, I 'passed him up - wide' after puttin my thermos lid down on the stand seat so I could take the shot. lol
you guys keep stressing about your scent....I'll keep missin deer. ;)
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Over the years I've approached scent control many different ways.
I'm primarily a morning hunter. I start with a shower, clean clothes (not washed with scented softners), and dress light to avoid sweating as I go in.
Where I hunt the deer are eating natural browse, forbs and grasses most of the time. They can bed almost any direction from where I choose to put my stands -- I can't predict it.
I've hunted crop lands in Indiana and it is nice to know the deer are coming from the woods in the PM and from the fields in the AM. Wind direction makes more sense too me there.
The biggest thing I've noticed over the years is the trail I leave when I walk in (rubber boots or leather with rubber soles -- doesn't matter). I've had deer ignore my walk in and others stop cold a step from my path. The biggest buck I've seen this year (maybe the biggest I've ever seen with a recurve in hand) did just that (stopped at my path) about 9 minutes before shooting time (6 yards away). He paused about 3 minutes and slowly reversed his course. He didn't leave in a hurry but he didn't like that I had walked where he was headed.
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Originally posted by hickstick:
me and my stinky self had another buck in downwind, while I was drinking coffee in my stand. lol.
unfortunately, I 'passed him up - wide' after puttin my thermos lid down on the stand seat so I could take the shot. lol
you guys keep stressing about your scent....I'll keep missin deer. ;)
Don't stress... not missing much these days either
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Hey DaveT...just noticed you are from Texas...I remember several conversations with Mike Westvang and Rusty 'Trashwood' Craine back in the day where they said your Texas deer are hyper spooky and constantly 'on edge'. if so, maybe your on the right track with the control....
for some reason, the deer up here in the north aren't nearly as high strung. I've never hunted down there so I can't say myself....not tryin to give you a hard time...just havin some fun. okay?
and FWIW...the buck today was my first miss in many years. :)
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These Texas public land deer are way more spooky then the montana bucks to use to chase. I got picked of Sunday in a tree with foliage at 22 feet up. ... they get hammered pretty hard.
I figured by your comments you were having some fun.
Btw I never miss. ... at least not publicly ;)
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Dave T1963
Just curious...
Which Scent control company do you work for?
Just kidding. :biglaugh:
I'm sure body chemistry varies a lot between individuals. I know that for some guys, the scent regime and products work to help reduce their scent.
For some guys it's always part of their routine and for others, well....everybody is different.
And all deer are different.
I believe that if you believe it helps....then it helps.
One interesting bit of research was recently read by me from Field and Stream.
Over the years, they would place a human in a wooden box and see if a trained drug sniffing dog could find him, then record how long it took.
No scent protection....19 seconds.
Scent free soap bath, full scent regimen with special treatments on clothing, etc....17 seconds
Ozonics unit placed in box....50 seconds.
Their summary is that the Ozonics is the first product they have tested so far that made a noticeable time difference....maybe enough extra time to pull back the string and make the shot.
Look it up on line, because i may not have all the facts straight.
I know a lot of guys use the suits and sprays and spend the time and money on all the products.
I'm not saying it doesn't help.
I'm just saying that Field and Stream says it doesn't work as well as Ozonics.
Maybe if it was you in the box, Dave, the results could have been different. Maybe your regime works and maybe you are one of the lucky guys whose body chemistry makes you cleaner smelling than other guys. Who knows?
I'm with you though...if it works for you, I surely would not change a thing.
That being said, I can see how Ozonics might work in a box,but as far as in a tree stand...that seems far fetched.
We are all pretty sure a steady wind is best but one can't always get that perfect condition.
That's just my opinion and after all, not being a deer, I can't say for sure which of you guys I will tolerate and for how long.
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Scent control doesn't just mean scent clothing. And like I said above my biggest concern is not if a dog or deer can find oursmell me.... it's about not leaving scent for deer to know I'm hunting them after I leave. ... especially entry and exit routes. I just am keeping an open mind on carbon sits now that they have actually been scientifically tested and proven to REDUCE scent
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play the wind for me. in years past ive used that scent killer spray, don't know if it helps or not...
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IMHO - hunting the wind is just very wise hunting practice. You will more then likely increase success if you keep the wind blowing from game to you.
However, that has really nothing to do with scent control. IMHO - scent control is reducing the actual scent contimination in an area while youa re hunting and long after you leave. Every hunter, no matter what they do, will at times get busted while hunting.... sorry it happens. But you can reduce the amount of scent you are giving off and leaving behind. The thing a large number of hunters never fully realize or appreciate is that they are gettign busted far more times long after the hunt is over then they are while sitting on a stand. Deer remain in the area 24/7 and the more scent you keep off the ground, off trees, off their normal travel patterns the more longer you will remian undetected. Sure, we can pay no attention to it at all and still kill deer - but I can honestly state my success has increased many times over as I became more aware of where I was/am leaving scent. For instance, it is hot as crap in Texas where I hunt primarily - and htus I hate wearing gloves and a facemask that restricts my breath. However, I had too many trail camera picks of older class deer (bucks and does) walking to my tree and sniffing the steps I had climbed two ro three days ago.
I am not advertising for any product. I did mention that i was going to re-test carbon clothing only from Scent Lok because there was significant testing and proof that it does actually cut down on scent molecules that are released. But that is only one small aspect of scent control. Gloves, freshly washed rubber boots, well thought out strategy on entrance and exit to stands, reduce breath vapor, covering the top of your head, wearing gloves.... all in themselves very subtle, minot changes... but synergistically, cobined togehter they can make the difference in a buck becoming aware that he is being hutned or not. It works for me and I really don't feel it is too much work or trouble - I just practice a routine until it gets to be habit. Now I will have to add in putting on the scent lok base layers. I take them out of the tub, put them on and then dress as normal. When I am done hunting, I take off my hunting clothes and put them in tub to be washed and my scent lok will go into a seperate tub until the next hunt. Not usre what is so hard about that?
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Thanks for allowing me to rib you a little.
A little harmless humor.
I agree completely about what you are saying re: keeping the deer from knowing you have been there.
As you say, it's not just the scent while in the stand or blind, but the trail going in and out, the tree steps, all of it.
After all, we are intruders to their home.
Some deer accept a certain amount of human scent, but more than likely the big, old smart ones will not.
A lot of guys tell me that the trophy bucks will not accept even the black out cameras...ie: one photo and then it's over...never to be seen for a good long period.
Also, I know some guys that practice all that you suggest but then go change cameras with no scent protection or gloves, anything. Not good.
Your posts are good tips on attempting to be invisible.
Deer and other critters live by their noses for sure.
Some guys are going to embrace scent control tactics to the nth degree, some will do part of it...maybe due to budget or their method working where and how they hunt?? No doubt that it all helps.
Thanks for your observations and ideas.
Great thread!