Methods for lowering your level of scent output and other such stuff

[NBK]

Some of the very best woodsmen I know are trappers.  I often wear rubber hip boots and rubber gloves to my stand.  I launder my clothes in baking soda, and line dry, and keep them stored separate.  I shower with regular unscented soap.  The rest of my time is spent checking the weather/wind forecast and planning accordingly.  The last thing is everytime I get settled into a stand I use a puff bottle to see how my scent is going to disperse.  It shows the area where "you're gonna have to make the shot before he gets to this point".

[pukwana]

I shower and wash everything with the scent killing soaps, dress when I get there, spit out my chew and put in a piece of apple flavored gum, and lastly, a couple squirts of fox urine on my ghillie suit.

[nineworlds9]

I use enzymatic soap on my clothes and body.  Hunting clothes get washed/dried and stored in trash bags with earth scent wafers.  My hunting boots only get used in the woods, also stored in bags with wafers.  I spray scent killer inside them prior to wearing and right after wearing.  I used unscented antiperspirant.  Brush teeth and gargle real good with natural mint products.  I've heard bad breath can give you away.  I also spray doe piss on the soles of my boots before heading on the trail.  Last season I encountered two bucks by doing that and doubling back on my trail.

[Bjorn]

Hunting success isn't just about smell you have to work at being the whole package. Turkeys can't smell but they can still humiliate you!

[ChuckC]

nine. .  just make sure you don't mix up the boot spray and the gargle and you should be alright !

I used to worry like hell about everything.  Not as much any more.  Hunt the wind.

I HAVE had several innteresting encounters over the years.  Wearing a ghillie suit over a set of light waders (I use them to access the back area I mostly hunt).  Normally once I cross the water, I change and put on knee high boots.  Sometimes, when I am taking a couple hours off work and running out for the last bit of day, I just wear the waders.  

I have had deer, including a buck with his head to the trail, walking right up to me and spook just before bumping into me (I was facing the wrong way). When he spooked, he jumped a dozen or so yards away and watched me.  Obviously didn't smell me.

The ghillie fairly stunk of cow elk wafer so that likely helped.

ChuckC

[Knawbone]

My system for scent control, if you want to call it that, is not much different than whats been  stated by others here. I wash my cloths in sport wash, and then hang them outside away from human and unnatural odors. I keep two pairs of light weight, uninsulated rubber boots of nee high length. I wash them with sports wash by hand and dry them outside also. By having two pair of boots, I can keep one pair clean. By clean, I mean as scent free as I can possibly get them where my human scent is concerned. After washing I sprinkle baking soda liberally inside my boots once they are dry and well aired out. I allow no less than two week hang time for cloths and keep my boots outside year round. If during the season, I do happen to get cloths or boots sweaty, they once again get the one two punch for scent elimination. Any of my other equipment such as back packs or safety straps get the same treatment. All of my gear other than bow and arrows go's in my well ventilated 8x9 scent free outbuilding, which is located well away from human activity. Once placed in the building, they remain there until it is deemed ness. to clean them again. Most everything stays in the building year round.


More later....                       mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm                                  mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[TxAg]

dang

[DennyK]

Dial scent free soap when showering and baking soda to wash my clothing in. Be careful of the wind direction and thermals.

[NOMAD88]

I definitely feel the type of food you eat has a lot to do with the amount of odor a person puts out. Drink lots of water and stay away from strong smelling food during the season. Baking soda to me seems to help a lot with boots and clothing. I like the idea of using clay on the clothing like the article in Traditional Bowhunter tells about. I think that would help a lot with scent too. There's nothing better than being downwind of your game though  

[nineworlds9]

Originally posted by NOMAD88:
I definitely feel the type of food you eat has a lot to do with the amount of odor a person puts out. Drink lots of water and stay away from strong smelling food during the season. Baking soda to me seems to help a lot with boots and clothing. I like the idea of using clay on the clothing like the article in Traditional Bowhunter tells about. I think that would help a lot with scent too. There's nothing better than being downwind of your game though      

Yup 'wind control' is more important than 'scent control' for sure.

[sabas silva]

I use the chloraphyl capsules but there was a post of a product that controlled your breath as well  I am going to look into it as well

[will_hunt]

There is no such thing as scent control. if you want to hunt something that wont smell you, go over to a bird dog or duck hunting chat room. Otherwise, use the wind in your favor and GOOD LUCK!!!

[Izzy]

No chile for dinner the night before a hunt. Or sauer kraut or wings or burritos and never chinese.   :rolleyes:

[michigan bill]

the old timer told me long ago, "a world of opportunities awaits upwind.  but nothing waits downwind."
Bill

[Knawbone]

Hunting down wind is of coarse the #1 thing to do to avoid a deers nose. But we all know that is only possible 50% of the time at best, unless you have steady winds and are positive the deer will come from up wind. Where I hunt the winds are normally swapping and swirling. I like to hunt mature bucks and to do that I need every advantage I can get on his nose. Usually this means hunting from a tree stand and having a good Idea from which way the buck is coming and the wind. Thermals also have to be taken into account.

All that aside, let's talk about the ways to, and the importance of lowering our scent. I know dang well there have been deer, bucks especially, that I never would have killed had I not taken the precautions

[Knawbone]

opps, hit the add reply button by accident

  I do. One big thing that is important is to change into your hunting cloths upon reaching your stand. I always shower with scentless soap and dry with a scentless towel. I then put on scentless cloths and immediately head out the door. When I get to my cloths shed, I strip down and change into the scentless cloths I will wear to walk to my stand. I spray my boots  with scent killer before starting to my stand. The cloths I will hunt in go in a scentless backpack and I change into these upon reaching my stand.    

break time.....

[ChuckC]

That don't make no scents at all.

ChuckC

[Knawbone]

The Idea here is to stay as scent free as possible. If you put on smelly cloths after your shower then you have defeated the purpose. I keep cloths just for this purpose and then dress into clean cloths that I wear to walk to my stand site. Dress as lightly as possible, you don't want to freeze, but you don't want to get to warm as that will produce body odor.You probably think I'm over doing it, but it works for me. By changing cloths 3 times, I'm not transfering smells from house to walking cloths and I'm not transfering body odor that has built up in my walking cloths to my hunting cloths. Keep all cloths separate and in there own scentless bags so as not to transfer smells onto the backpack.

[Knawbone]

Upon nearing my stand site, and after choosing the best approach to it, I now change into my hunting cloths.I once again dress as lightly as the weather will allow. 50 to 100 yds. from my stand is when I change into my hunting cloths. the idea here is to get to the stand leaving as little ground scent as possible. If a buck crosses this path in route to my stand, he may smell me, but with the level of scent so low, he most likely will think it an old track and of no great concern.The main part of my system here is what I wear for an outer garment. You want something that will CONTAIN your scent, and not allow it to become air or wind driven. My chose for this is my DRY PLUS rain suit from Cabela's. It has a rubberized lining with watertight zippers,draw strings, and a hood. Once I put it on and spray myself down with my scent killer I'm ready to approach and climb into my stand. I have now left very little ground scent, and the wind can't blow THREW my cloths and become air born scent.

[Knawbone]

The next part of the formula is how to limit breath odor.......