Managing scent in the woods

[wolfshadow]

1. Do scent eliminating sprays and detergents actually work?
2. Are scent blocking hunting clothes worth the money?
(I realize nothing is as effective as staying down wind from game, but we all know that is not always possible.)

[Bullchaser1]

I think scent killer spray can help, along with some common sense. I keep all my hunting clothes and boots in a plastic tub in the back of my truck. I never wear any of them in my truck. Get to my hunting spot, get dressed, and upon returning throw everything back in plastic tub. Ticks are bad in my area so helps with them too. Wash my clothes with scent killer etc detergent once a week. I don’t use scent lok clothing etc. Works well for me.

[GCook]

I think this is a subject that gets hashed and rehashed.  Those who use and believe in it and those who don't will never agree.

[Sam McMichael]

I'm not much of a believer in either one. However, I still play around with scent killers, cover scents, etc. I have found that crushing fresh garlic on my boots to be as effective as any commercial products I have used. On a number of occasions deer have followed my exact track through the woods with noses to the ground not showing any signs of concern. On the down side yellow jackets seem to be attracted to the garlic. I've also had deer spook from it. I'm not sure if there is any decisive resolution to this issue.  I have never used scent control clothes, as they are too expensive. Basically, if the wind is wrong, the deer is gonna smell you.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

My opinion..nope and nope.  If the wind is wrong I stay out of there.  If the wind is ALMOST wrong, well, that's when I plan on killing the big one.

R

[degabe]

It's all about the wind you can't hide your smell from a deer's nose.

[Tom0728]

My take is, if a guy with scent eliminator can be tracked by a dog, then it doesn't do anything to hide you from wild animals.

[BAK]

Well, if it gives you more confidence, then by all means use it.  The deer won't care one way or the other.   

[Pat B]

If you are down wind a deer can and will smell you, no matter what you wear or cover up with. 

[Trenton G.]

I think scent killer and scent free clothes can definitely help. I mainly use the scent killer on my boots, and I have lots of deer walk across my trail without noticing. Nothing beats playing the wind though. Using scent killer and scent free clothes certainly doesn't hurt anything though.

[JohnV]

I think both help to reduce odor but do not eliminate it.  I spay down my boots, use Unscented laundry and personal soap, but that is about it.  “Forget the wind, just hunt!” Is a big crock of dung.

[Wudstix]

I wash head and body with hunter soaps/scent free.  Wash my hunting clothes in baking soda and/or scent eliminator and play the wind.  Seems to cut down concentration of scent at least.

[howl]

Deer can smell gaseous odor coming directly off you regardless out to at least a couple hundred yards downwind.

Deer don't just notice you when you are present. They notice when a person is using an area over time versus when there are no people using an area.

I use scent killer soap on me starting a couple weeks in advance. Also scent free antiperspirant. Clothes I wash in baking soda and line dry.. This cuts down on the amount of scent I leave in the woods, resulting in fewer deer routing around where I go.

I suspect a vegetarian diet would help greatly also but that's just crazy talk.

[Steelhead]

Obviously playing the wind is the most important thing.We all know that.

Wind does shift and change and swirl when on stand.So playing the wind is not always gonna be full proof.I think someone mentioned concentration of scent above.I think if you minimize scent you wont alarm a deer as much and cause it to immediatly go on red alert and runout of thier and maybe not have a snort/blow fest.Perhaps allowing you to get a shot that you would not if you stink more.Deer may remain more calm and or not as on high alert. 

[Littlejake]

Does it work maybe, maybe not. But I don't see any reason it could hurt anything.

[John Cholin]

Here is my take on the issue.  Go out on a cold winter day and watch your breath as you exhale.  See that cloud of vapor?  That cloud is comprised of water vapor from you lungs that has mixed in small quantities of protein from the mucous membranes in your lungs.  That's the stuff scent is made of!  All the scent killer spray, scent locking suits, etc. address is the scent coming off the exterior surface of your body, but they don't address the scent that is being expelled with each breath.  You can only ignore the wind if you plan on not breathing for the time you plan on occupying your stand.

That's my take on it, for what its worth, which might not be much.

Stick a big one!

JMC

[Possum Head]

My opinion..nope and nope.  If the wind is wrong I stay out of there.  If the wind is ALMOST wrong, well, that's when I plan on killing the big one.

R

Agree

[howl]

One of the things I learned since starting to use trail cameras a couple years ago was how much time deer spend smelling where you were. Anything you directly touch or brush against can get checked out. They don't get alarmed or run off. To my mind, they're constantly sensing levels of predator activity in their habitat as whatever passes for a stream of consciousness in a deer.

This makes sense to me in terms of how a dog hunts. People think of a dog as hot or cold nosed. This isn't true. A dog is hot or cold brained. A hot brained dog is smelling the old scent but isn't excited until they smell hot scent. A deer would be the same way, recognizing what scent means danger is near and what scent means danger was near. An area where danger was near often will be routed around or approached differently than one where danger has not been detected recently enough to be part of the dynamic catalog of information.

Further, older deer know how to move through an area based on regular air currents. They're not going by the forecast says NW. They're going by where they pick up scent and how the air flows through. Another way of putting it is a river might run west to east, but you have to stay in the river as it meanders to fish in it. Just going west to eat will put you out of the water much of the time.

Pre-game camera I related to this more simply as control scent, play wind and kill the buck as soon as you find it. Otherwise it will detect you and change the time or way it uses the area to avoid you.

[Orion]

I dunno.  I agree with others who say our scent will out regardless.  But, if total scent control were really possible, I wouldn't use it.  Humans already have all sorts of advantages over critters.  How many more do we need to kill one?  I get more out of using woodsmanship than I do technology. YMMD.

[NY Yankee]

When I go deer hunting, I just try to be as clean as I can be. I wash my clothes in baking soda and wash myself with no scent soap made for hunters.  Ultimately, it's up to the deer to decide what works and what doesn't. They can smell you no matter what you do. They may frighten and bolt, they may get curious and come closer, or they may  not even give a darn and just keep eating.