Scent control - what is your system?

[faustus]

Well, I am pretty new to the forum and this is my first real question here.

I have been shooting a longbow for about 5 years now and I am feeling comfortable that I could take a whitetail deer with it if I can get close enough (within 20 meters).
I have never shot a big game animal before ... ( only a couple of grouse)  ... so this is all new to me.
I was wondering what you guys are doing for scent control. What is your "system"?

- Do you take a shower before going out .... ?
- Do you wash you clothes with some special product ... ?
- Do you use cover scents ....?
- Carbon clothing ?
- Do you spray yourself with scent eliminators?
- etc.

Also, hunting with a traditional bow is bit like hunting the old/traditional way ... right?
So, if you have any traditional scent tricks to share I would appreciate it.
By this I mean, tricks or products that could have been used 50 to 100 years ago (or even further back). I know there are thousands of commercial scent products (carbon clothing included) on the market that one can buy, but I would like to stay with simple, time proven methods. Tricks or products that match the spirit of the longbow ....

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge & experience ...

---------
Faustus

[lpcjon2]

They had a post about cover scents a couple of days ago and they had a mix you could use for helping to de-scent that I am going to try, look a couple of days back for the post.And yes to the shower,yes to clothes wash(baking soda and hang outside),yes to cov.scen.(natural only),No 2 carbon(X-scent under garment only 4 me),Yes to scent elim.(but there is controversy about if they work,spray on bottom of the boots for sure),and keep on this site you will learn a lot like I have.most of what you need to know you will learn on your own by trial and error and that's hunting! Good Luck

[Terry Green]

Don't have a 'system'....but I do smoke cigars before, during, and after hunting.  

I use to 'jump' through hoops' to be scent free, but then I wintessed something over and over stalking hogs in south GA that debunked all my efforts....so I concentrait on my set up more for wind directions.  

You aint gonna beat a deer's, bear's, or hog's nose at 30 yards no matter how 'scent free' you 'think' you are.  Least that's my take.

[shakeyslim]

stay clean and use wind

[Zradix]

The wind makes or breaks ya

[David Lewis]

Use the wind... it's your best defense.

[Raven]

Play the wind!! I do shower and my hunting gear stays in our tipi, so it all smell like smoke. Deer and other game don't seem to mind.

 Good luck!

 Raven

 >>>>------->

[Onions]

Wash all my clothes in baking soda. Hang them outside to dry. Keep them in a separate container. In the container I add some pieces of rotted log and leaves.
I use non-secented Arm and Hammer deoderant.
But, most importantly I hunt the wind!! At least a quartering wind, but preferably straight on wind, and if possible the sun at my back!

chris <><

[WindWalker-AK]

Mr. Faustus,
We use the simplest (and least expensive) system of all:  Stay down wind of your prey.
Best Wishes

[George D. Stout]

All of the senseless, scent-less products you can buy will be no better than working the wind, and maybe some home gathered stuff.
The shirt pocket makes a handy holder for crushed mint or allspice.  I've had them downwind at fifteen yards this year and they didn't spook.  

But you may have already been hooked by the mindless zealots that push the stuff all over television land, so feel free to ignore me 8^).

[jacobsladder]

play the wind ..it's that simple...you cannot fool a whitetails nose.... obviously treestand hunting helps to keep your scent high...but on the ground play the wind period...dont waste your money on these products and take your wife out to the movies...that will provide additonal hunting time.

[Charlie Lamb]

An old timer taught me this simple,cheap and timeless method of scent control... stick your forefinger in your mouth up to the first knuckle and wet it well with saliva. Take it out and hold it up in the air over your head.
The cold side is where the wind is coming from.
  :D  

Back in the day when I went to extremes with scent control I used this regimine.

Clothes washed in UV, scent free detergent. Kept in bag with local fragrant foliage... sage, sassafras, cedar, etc. Depending on locale.

Bathe with scent free soap... Phisoderm, H.S. Scents, Scent Away. Ivory is not a fragrence free soap.

No scent spray on boots and clothes... especially pant legs.

Daily use of Chlorophyl capsules... could go for days without noticable body odor.

PHILOSOPHY AND OBSERVATIONS... no product will keep you from getting busted if the wind is wrong.

Attention to scent control will minimize your impact on your hunting area... be careless with your scent and every deer in your hunting area will know when you hunt and where you hunt after a few days.

When using the chlorophyl deer seemed to pay less attention to my scent from long range and were less upset by it at closer range.

[SteveB]

Just hunt the wind? I want to hunt where some of you hunt where the wind never varies and thermals never switch.

Fact is you cannot eliminate or cover your scent.
But you can reduce it a bit to where you are percieved as a more distant threat then you actually are.

Therefore I shower with ivory or a nuetralscent soap, wash my cloths with the same, and spray liberally with the homemade scent killer (again - NOT COVER as it is impossible to do). I truly believe this helps me in the field. And as Charlie said, it helps reduce your scent "impact" in your area.

Steve

[wingnut]

Hunt the wind or you can do like they say on tv.

FORGET THE WIND . . .GO BOWLING!!

Mike

[Bowspirit]

Originally posted by Charlie Lamb:

Daily use of Chlorophyl capsules... could go for days without noticable body odor.
 

Went that route this year...thought I was dying within a month. Never had a day where my stomach wasn't killing me. When I finally swore off 'em, that's when I started seeing deer. Not saying they don't work, or work well. Just irony for you...

[KentuckyTJ]

Wash bod and clothes with scent free soap, spray everything with my homemade scent killer and wear knee high rubber boots. Still won't hunt a stand if I believe wind is wrong.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

What T.J. said and keep the wind in your face.  As many others have said, it doesn't hurt to be as scent free as you can but don't break the bank trying to do it because keeping the wind right is the most important.  Remember when deer smell a foreign scent they don't think that's a human or that's a fire, they associate with dangerous or safe.  As for the carbon suits they're just an overpriced gimmick in my oppinion, and I'm sure many others here will agree.

[jhg]

I've never tried to become "scentless". That always seemed an impossible goal.
You can smell like a lot of things and look like a lot of things and if those things are not in the animal's vocabulary for concern most of the time they will treat you like a curiosity or just another unaccountable "thing" out there in the woods already full of weird stuff like old cars, trash, falling down structures balloons, ladies under-garments and etc.


Blend in. Blend in your scent too.

Joshua

[mustoffa]

i belive in scent controll but like terry green i smoke also.but i wash my cloth in baking soda let hang outside or cover scent bag diffently shower i think body funk will get you frist and your friend will like you better also.i think it about being in the right place at the right time. have fun and dont get discouraged

[George D. Stout]

I tried clorophyl once, but I kept having this urge to shed my leaves and sleep for the winter, so I stopped.      

Some of those rituals are just mind-boggling.  Oooops....I did say to ignore me 8^).