How do you control your scent?

J

jr8fish

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This may apply more to bow hunting but I wanted to throw this post up and get some opinions. I am asking these questions from the stand point of mule deer/elk archery hunting.

A couple of questions:

Do you believe that scent lok type garments work (essentially carbon linings)?

Are scent lok type garments worth the price even if they do work? If buying new camo, is it worth the extra $ to buy scent lok type garments? Or is camo even worth the price at all, compared to just buying army surplus generic camo?

Are scent eliminating sprays effective?

What routine do yo go through come hunting time to eliminate odors?

What do you consider more important visual camouflage or scent camouflage?

What is your favorite brand of visual camo?

Any other comments dealing with camo and scent control that you care to enlighten me on?

In general I think scent control is important and from a street clothes point of view... my merino wool underwear stink far less than polyester underwear after a workout.... So maybe there is reason for scent lok type garments.
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-21-13 AT 04:01PM (MST)[p]Well, here we go again.

I think the last 50 posts on this subject come down to taking a bath once in a while and trying to stay upwind. We will see what the results are of your same posts of this same question in the archery section and if they match with this thread.

Getting some popcorn now, Ill be back in a minute.
 
Scentlock garments, scent killer sprays, scent killer washes, work in a limite(d fashion. The animals can still smell you, but they have a problem pinpointing you location, so sometimes instead of busting right out of there, you might get an old doe that knows something is up and will investigate making your hunt a diaster. After extensive use of all these products I just got sick of spending all the time and money on these products. I have had hunts with little to no wind that deer have not smelled me even though they are downwind while using all the scent control measures you can think of. Any significant winds 5 mph or above scent control measures become increasingly ineffective as wind speeds increase.

The most important thing you can do camouflage wise is to wear a facemask!!! Deer/elk may not be able to tell what that camo blob is, but if they pinpoint your eyes and your face it is over. Cover your face!
 
Good point about covering the face. Eyes are about as universal as you can get. They see eyes they know something is up!
 
I'm no expert cause I have trouble with game smelling me.....I must naturally stink.
I don't use anything other than some spray. I don't think it helps much. I usually rub clothes all over a sappy pine tree to try and cover some odor. When hunting with bow or muzzleloader, I always have wind checker (powder) and just try to move into wind. Pretty tough when on a stalk and approach options are limited.

If anyone has the secret, let's hear it. I need it.

I'll start by taking a bath tonight!!!

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-21-13 AT 05:44PM (MST)[p]I have been using cover scents for years and they have worked well for me. My favorite is Moccasin Joe they have an oil base scent that lasts a long time and smells like the real stuff. I use Sage, Pine and Cedar most of the time. They have a lot of different scents and animal urine also. Plus lots of products for hunting. I put my washed clothes in a plastic bag with the scent on them for a week before I go hunting. Plus apply some in the field as needed. And put the clothes I will wear the next day back in the bag. And stay away from the Camp fire in the stuff you hunt in! I have taken Elk in Colorado during the muzzy hunt that makes you wear Hunter orange at less than 20 yards with this stuff on and never been busted until it was to late. Here is link for Moccasin Joe if you would like to try them.

http://moccasinjoedist.com/store/
 
#1. Stay Downwind as much as possible
#2. Bath yourself, one way or another, as much as possible. Especially if you are hiking hard. If you get sweating hard, and the wind is in the wrong direction, there is no mask scent that will hide you.
 
Do scent elimination products work?

No

What is the best camo pattern?

Any that break up your outline and are on sale!

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
I've stalked in on deer, and elk in the past without any scent spray or whatever, and usually I was wearing old army camo from Smith & Edwards. I have since started buying other camo patterns, but only when they are a good price. Not making eye contact and trying to conceal your face are great options.

As far as sprays, I can say that I used some Primos scent spray one time that my bro-in-law got as part of a trade. It smelled very Piney and we were going to move in on some bucks, so we thought, what the heck, lets see how it goes. We sprayed it ALL OVER. As we approached our ambush spot, the breeze suddenly went from moving uphill towards us, to coming over our shoulders and downhill, towards the bucks we knew were coming. We hung up and waited to see them run off, or hear them maybe. Instead, here they come, walking uphill still, definitely in a line where they shoulda smelt us, but hadn't. At 40 yards, my bro-in-law drew his bow, and fired. The better 4 point ducked the string and his arrow went just high. But, I'll be honest, I was shocked and amazed they had even come up towards us at all. Maybe is was the smell, maybe not. But, I haven't ever purchased the stuff since.

"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24
 
All natural and stay down wind. I use what ever is in the area I am hunting. I love hunting where sagebrush is. If you brake off some sage and rub it between your hands for awhile it starts to smell real strong, then I rub it all over me. I also do this with pines. If I am hunting a ground blind in the pines and cant get to green pines, I try to find a thick bed of pine needles and dig deep to moist dirt. The dirt has a very strong musty smell and is a natural smell of a bedding area. This doesnt always work 100% of the time, but it works good enough for me. I stopped buying all the cover up scents years ago, and my harvest rate has actuall increased, but maybe I am just getting better at hunting.
 
I have found that most of these scent elimination products we developed for and are primarily used by whitetial hunters that are either sitting in a tree or in a blind and therefore are perspiring very little. For most muley hunters that will be hiking around in rugged terrain and for that matter sweating profusely and in turn stinking profusely, these products are absolutely worthless.
 
Wool. It doesn't carry scent. Synthetic products start stinking immediately. I don't care what scent killer product you use, it doesn't hide your breath. If nothing else, our breath smells like a meat eating predator. I remember some guy a while back writing about going on a special diet. No meat, for about two weeks before the hunts started. He claimed it made a huge difference. Sorry, I can't go without meat that long. I think the most important thing is to have the wind in your favor, or you are going to get busted. Period!
 
i have been using a pillow case filled with sage brush and my hunting clothes, throw it in a dryer and let it spin,on low heat .
 
grab fresh sagebrush and rub on your crotch,feet and underarms and pack some in your back-pocket....
 
I used to do the fresh sage and pine thing it smells great and natural. I have found ticks in sagebrush and I hate ticks so I don't do that no more.
 
- clean clothes in non scent soap
-use only non scent clothes
-soak clothes in sage scent
-do NOT eat red meat
-wear a breathe capture device
-wash clothes after each trip out.

When I do that I have NEVER EVER been Smelled, when I keep the wind in my favor.

Hope that helps.
 
1. shower with unscented soap. You have to try and be clean

2. use unscented deodorant

3. use wool for clothing, no other clothing is as good at fighting scent as plain old wool. Its also quiet. The synthetic fibers in the higher end camo actually hold and grow more scent. polyester blends are the worst! Scent lock sucks as a camo pattern and sucks as a clothing product.

4. stay down wind


avatar_2528.jpg


who farted?
 
I have never used cover scents..I do it the old fashion way..Never let the wind at my back...I do like to rub sagebrush on my cloths....


Government doesn't fix anything and has spent trillions proving it!!!
Let's face it...After Monday and Tuesday, even the calender says WTF!
 
I just stay in the truck or ride the wheeler so fast that I am on the deer snad elks before they seen me or smelt me coming.

You white men kill me trying to figure out how to hunt. The ancient ways work the best, but you have to be taught them by the medicine man.

Fools.



"Pics or it didn't happen!"
 
I don't think there's any substitute for playing the wind. If the wind is not right, don't attempt a stalk, no matter how much spray or scentblock clothing you have on . . .
 
Stay down wind and watch the thermals that change throughout the day. I think thermals that change bust more hunters than anything.
 
Scent elimination: waste of money, try it on your dog if you don't believe me.

Scent cover: Has it's applications. It may mask your scent long enough to create confusion/curiousity from game giving you a window.

1)Wipe good with wet wipes
2)Shower as often as possible
3)Switch out stinky clothes as often as possible

but mostly, as everyone else mentioned, working the wind should always be on the forefront of your mind while hunting; otherwise, you aren't hunting very effectively.
 

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