School me on scent control?

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  • jmiller676

    Master
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    2   0   0
    Mar 16, 2009
    3,882
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    18 feet up
    Play the wind and you'll be fine. You can spend all your money on fancy scent covers but if you don't play the wind and they get down wind of you...game over.
     

    shooter1054

    Master
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    1   0   0
    Jan 22, 2011
    1,573
    38
    South Indianapolis
    Is scent control important? Absolutly. Is it the be all end all? no. Be smart in your scent control. Don't fiil your gas tank on the way to hunt. Fill up the night before. Take a shower with "hunting soap and shampoo" as well as use a "hunting anti-perspirant". If you have a long hike in the woods, carry your camo in a backpack untill you get to your stand. Cool off and then get your camo on. If you walk in and you are sweating when you get to your stand, all the scent control you did before is moot. Also I always wash my hunting clothes in scent control detergent and use a scent control dryer sheet. Scent control is more important on private land than on public because public land deer are used to seeing people. just MHO.
     

    snapping turtle

    Grandmaster
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    6   0   0
    Dec 5, 2009
    6,456
    113
    Madison county
    Walnut hulls made into a walnut die. It takes old camo clothing that you can buy cheap and take the white treads and turn them back into dark spot Afterwards i throw a couple ot walnut in my cloths box and it keeps the bad scents down. Take a black light to your camo and see all the white sparkly stuff. The deer can see this stuff. So it works for darkening clothes and scent control and it is cheap/free if you can find walnuts.

    A few hard candies can help with bad breath ect. Most of my hunting is during firearms season where it is not as critical as bow season up and close.

    As far as special carbon fiber stuff and expensive cover scentts i don;t waste much money on it. The biggest bow deer I have ever taken was shot after a hard days work in a pair of blue jeans a tee shirt and a flannel over shirt wearing a pair of Chuck Taylor converse all stars in bright red. Not really a high tech setup.
     

    Mike H

    Expert
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    0   0   0
    Jan 3, 2009
    1,486
    36
    Vincennes
    Also, do not under estimate a deer's ability to smell you. Under ideal conditions deer can smell a man from pretty far off. I've read estimates of +400yds.
    One must also be mindfull of odors left behind. I try to avoid touching branches, etc. with a bare hand.
    Pee is another story though...I just let 'er fly when ever the urge hits. Works good in refreshing scrapes too.
     

    KEHO

    Sharpshooter
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    71   0   0
    May 17, 2010
    318
    18
    Noblesville
    Another tid-bit to remember is to pay attention to the expected temperature trend during your hunt. If you're going to be up in a tree, remember warm air rises. So, in the AM as it gets warmer, some of your scent will ride the convection current up - this is good. However if a cold front is expected to push through that day and temperatures don't warm up, you might not get that benefit or worse, the opposite may hold true if the temperature drops enough.

    As others have said: Pay attention to the wind, keep your camo separate from the regular laundry, try not to touch anything on the way in or out of your stand location, and if you're going to use scent control spray do it right before to walk out to your stand and pay close attention to your boots - top & bottom.

    Oh yeah - Pay attention to the wind.

    Hunt Hard - Hunt Safe!
     

    Mike H

    Expert
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    0   0   0
    Jan 3, 2009
    1,486
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    Vincennes
    Here is one more thing you can check.
    Use a black light to check your clothing for UV brighteners. If they are present your clothing will glow. Thats what a deer sees. At dawn and dusk they will pick you out fast.
     

    JamesZX1100

    Shooter
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Feb 20, 2010
    50
    6
    NE INDY
    +1

    Here is one more thing you can check.
    Use a black light to check your clothing for UV brighteners. If they are present your clothing will glow. Thats what a deer sees. At dawn and dusk they will pick you out fast.

    This is a very good tip! I've heard this many times! Just like everyone said.. Pay CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE WIND!!!
     

    rhart

    Sharpshooter
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    0   0   0
    Jun 11, 2009
    693
    16
    Avon
    I dont think you can become completely scent free to a deer. However you can improve how much you smell to them. Sure, guys can smoke in thier stands, not clean themselves or their clothes, wear jeans and whatever and get a deer. Some of these guys are probably detected by lots of deer that they never even see. A blind hog however will eventually find an acorn.
    There are a lot of things to consider. Temperature, humidity, wind, wind currents etc.
    I do everything in my power to improve my odds.
    I wash my clothes in scent killing soap. As mentioned, no UV brightners. If you have before, you can get UV killer. Its cheap or you can make your own. Google it.
    I then air dry my clothes outside, then they go in a big rubber waterproof bag (or garbage bag) I use for canoeing.
    I dont put the clothes on untill I get to my hunting spot. I then spray with the nonscent spray. ( its like 4 bucks and that lasts me 2-3 years)
    I do my best to wear rubber boots when its not to cold.
    I also use non scent deoderant.
    Iis my opinion that I improve my odds useing these methods and I have been pretty lucky and learned a lot with years experience.
    Try some different ideas and use what gives you confidence.
    Good luck
     

    VanillaThunder

    Shooter
    Rating - 94.5%
    52   3   0
    Aug 13, 2008
    364
    18
    Fort Wayne
    You're never going to be completely "scent free". You're trying to deceive the best nose in the woods... Using any scent control will buy you seconds, at best, but that can be the difference between getting skunked and dragging out a deer.

    I wash all my clothes and gear in scent free soap and scent free dryer sheets. Before i do that, I usually run several empty loads without soap through the washer and dryer to get rid of as much residual soap from our regular family use. Then all that gear goes in an airtight Scentote.

    I also keep an eye on my diet for several days before I hunt. NO onions, NO garlic, etc. That stuff will seep from your pores when you sweat. Use scent free soaps/shampoo for a few days before hunting too.

    I spray down with scent killer when I get out of the truck or leave the cabin. I have heard that the scent killer spray breaks down after a year, so at $4-$5 a bottle, it's worth it to me to buy a new bottle every season.

    Don't forget to spray or wipe down your bow or firearm! Those hold smells too (black powder residue, etc).

    Most importantly, BE SAFE and share the hunt with a child if you can.
     

    JamesZX1100

    Shooter
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Feb 20, 2010
    50
    6
    NE INDY
    Just make sure you play the wind right buddy! Yes, you should definitely use all the scent-a-way laundry detergents, shampoo and deodorant also.... but again, MOST IMPORTANATLY, know or get to know your wind direction and have a different area to hunt for different wind directions
     

    clfergus

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    49   0   0
    Mar 9, 2009
    1,464
    38
    Southeast Indy
    I try and adjust tand location as much as I can on the property I hunt based on wind. As far as product, I use HSS scent-away products based on 3 things. One, I read a test done in a lab using it vs a bunch of other scent eliminators including homemade versions and HSS came out on top. I think it was posted on Deer and Deer hunting.

    Second, I can go to Wally World and buy a fresh kit for 19.99 each season. It comes with laundry soap (no UV), dryer sheets, deodarant, bar of soap and a scent free bag to transport your clothes to the field. That way I can get up, eat then shower. Already have my clothes washed and dryed in the bag with some leaves from the yard.

    Third, I have done this for the last 4 years and have had deer come right by me each year even when the wind wasn't in my favor. I'll keep doing it if I get results.
     
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