Sent control and wool

[Sticks2117]

I have wanted to buy wool for quite some time but I am worried about scent control. For those of you that wear wool how do you wash it.

[doug77]

I wash mine every other year by hand and store in zip lock bags with bakeing soda. My long johns I wash by hand 2 or 3 time a season and hang dry out side.

doug77

[Cookus]

Rarely do I wash it...   When I do it's in baking soda and dried outside.   More emphasis is spent on stand placement!   Make sure that the wind is blowing in your face watching the way you expect the deer to come from!   In my opinion, wool does not tend to hold body odors like synthetics.

[Overspined]

You are being too cautious. I threw all my scent lock out (donated it) and use wool undergarment and outer as well. Silk base layer. no washing is necessary for outerwear. Just spray it and wear it. I don't get scented anyore than with the carbon suits. Wearing it cleans it. Hang outside for airing it out. I have KOM, day 1 and like em both. Also the wool underwear u can wash and dry. And it doesn't melt like fleece or synthetics. Ulfrotte is awesome. Only in really hot weather do I wear cotton

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Wool has a natural scent control built in from the lanolin so unless you just fall in a mud hole or a gut pile no need to really. Just hang it out to air out and your good to go.

[YORNOC]

What Cookus said,  it's ALL stand placement. If the wind is right he'll walk right up to you if your covered in crap. If its wrong he'll bust you wearing six layered carbon suits head to toe. Some young bucks are dumb and will hang around even if nervous, but Mr. Big got that way from using the wind. I wear wool all the time, and only air it out. When I get blood on it I'll dry clean it, or wash it in cold water and air dry it depending on the quality, but it always shrinks a bit so watch it.  Some guys will say they had a huge buck down wind wearing a carbon suit and it didn't know they were there, but I've experimented plenty with it. I imagine the thermals probably carried their scent over the deer, or they are just telling stories.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I have two wool sets, cold and colder weather. I never wash either and just hang them out one day every week during season. I use scent killer every hunt, 100% coverage. Its the only "gimmick" in my bag of tricks. I wont feild dress deer with my wool on so I dont dirty it. As stated above, wind in the chops and your good to go with anything on.

[Don Stokes]

I wear washable Merino wool long underwear for two reasons, warmth and because it doesn't absorb odors. I can hunt several days without washing them.

[wahoo]

I never wash my KOM or My Filson. I just hang them outside and if I think they may need a little help I hang them by the fire while I am camping.

You want to stink funny, just try wearing the old poly long johns for a week straight.  You will find that the wool has that nice pleasant sheep smell after that.  We wash are wools with the dry clean in your drier kit. Works good enough.

[pacopperhead]

Originally posted by Overspined:
You are being too cautious. I threw all my scent lock out (donated it) and use wool undergarment and outer as well. Silk base layer. no washing is necessary for outerwear. Just spray it and wear it. I don't get scented anyore than with the carbon suits. Wearing it cleans it. Hang outside for airing it out. I have KOM, day 1 and like em both. Also the wool underwear u can wash and dry. And it doesn't melt like fleece or synthetics. Ulfrotte is awesome. Only in really hot weather do I wear cotton

ulfrotte is AWESOME !!!!!!!!

[buckeye_hunter]

I can tell you definitively that wool WILL NOT cause you any problems and have video to prove it. I had two does and a 3 1/2 year old buck walk right down the path I walked in on and they never hesitated. This is after I had been wearing the same wool bibs and shirt out hunting at camp for a week! No washing. All I did was smoke them in the campfire in the evenings when done hunting. Like I said, I have the video proof. No BS on this one and it was public land with spooky deer!

I also had literally a dozen- 2 dozen more deer come into my stand with all the same info as above.

Make sure your boots are scent free (step in a puddle and/or mud them up)and play the wind. Wear the wool. You won't have a worry and will be toasty warm.

Also, I had a lot of climbing to do to get to my hunting location. I was sweating often and in quantity. Never caused me a problem.


Let me reitterate, Make sure your boots are scent free (step in a puddle and/or mud them up)and play the wind. Most important part. Don't give scent and wool a second thought.

I agree with the don't wash it. If you do wash it, just throw it in a pillow case in cold water in the washer and then line dry it or dry flat.

[njloco]

You could also use an ozoneator, it's a machine that produces ozone, it will get rid of any odor and it does not effect the material at all.

[ThePushArchery]

Little Trick I've been using for a couple seasons now...

Large Rubbermaid tote - Put all the hunting clothes in the tote.

Then get those Scent Wafers - Earth Scent.

Throw a single wafer in the tub with the clothes. You will smell like dirt all the time. Come out of the woods, just throw the wool and other clothes back in the tote. Once the wafer starts losing its punch, (About 3 months) Throw another wafer in there...

Had a good many come in directly downwind this season!

[Mr.Magoo]

Rag wool sweaters just go in the washing machine.  Good wool never gets washed unless it's obviously dirty, then it would go to the dry cleaners.

If I think about it, I'll try to hang my hunting clothes outside overnight to air-out.

But I've killed deer in clothes that have been lying in the 'clothes pile' for a week.

Scent control is much more about the wind than what you're wearing.

[Mint]

I never wash my wool since i found out it doesn't need it very often. I just hang outside and it becomes basically scent free on its own.