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Save your money on “Scent Control”

I have thought that most of your sent comes out of your mouth. In his book Come November, Gene Wensel wrote about a couple guy's he knew that went vegetarian during bow season, so they did not smell like a predator. I phoned Gene and asked for the guy's names and numbers because I wanted to learn more. One guy was from PA and the other from Mich. These guys were sent extremists. They wore two layers of sent control clothing, went vegetarian., did not put on there hunting clothes until they parked the truck and so on. They both felt that this helped, but they both said they still have deer smell them. Now I agree that a hunter should do everything they can to reduce odor. The biggest buck I have ever shot was on a trail 20 yards down wind. I was 20 feet up in a tree, the buck smelled me, but probably did not realize I was that close.
Breath odor is a great illustration that most of us should be able to relate to in terms of detectable odor.
Bad breath comes from poor oral hygiene and even a human nose can detect bad breath. If you are face to face with bad breath its actually repulsive. If you are a few feet away, you might still smell it but it doesn't make you gag. A little further away, and you cant smell it at all.

On the other hand, you can suck face with a clean mouth and it's sweet.
Compare that to that invisible line out there where our odor dissipates and is less alarming to deer. We can reduce our overall odors to the point that a deer 150 yards away may not bolt when they get a whiff of us. That same hunter with poor hygiene and odor practices might get busted at 300 yards. Those fringe deer are the ones that may or may not end up in our shooting lanes...if they didn't already smell a rat when they were 200 yards away.
It's not about becoming completely odorless, its about improving the situation in anyway you can.
 
As far as the video and dogs.....trained to smell and seek or find certain scent regardless of strength. Deer may......tolerate human scent according to strength.....300 million receptors probably can discern strength and therefore know how close or old it might be. I personally don't use spray or carbon clothing but I'm fairly certain that they do reduce odors. Deer may react to more scent so reducing it is possible and good. But me, I watch entry, exits and wind thru milk weed and thermals. The wind in your face will work! You can smell like gum shorts if you have the wind in your face and NOT swirling. But deer don't always follow the script, come from everywhere so I love that part of it now.....match wits, plan, do your best....that's why ita called hunting you know! Woodsmanship is worth the effort!
 
I will also mention the value of scent control in educating deer about your presence hunting smaller pieces of land more repeatedly vs hunting a large block of public. And I think reducing your odor to some percentage helps “muddy the waters” some as to a deer coming by after you’ve left and being able to pinpoint exactly when you were there. He’s still going to smell you, but maybe he thinks it was a day or more earlier and not make him as nervous about comeing back in the area in daylight.
 
As far as breath odor goes some of us scent fanatics (probably John Eberhart included) use an odor reducing toothpaste before going into the woods and a scent lok face mask over our nose and mouth to help reduce the amount of breath odor we produce. Notice I didn't say eliminate. I feel every little bit helps and I can't remember when the last time I got busted except when I got spotted moving too much in my stand or drawing on a deer.
 
There definitely is conditioning going on at all levels of intensity in the deer woods. That's why I wear rubber boots, spray down before I hunt, wash my clothes in scentless laundry detergent or Atsko's detergent (forgot what its called), and use milkweed etc. but I spend more time determining access routes, determining the best wind or thermals as possible for when I plan on hunting and also the element of surprise to keep them guessing. They know or sense there are more humanoids now in their haunts during season its just making them believe we are hunting the same areas and walking in the same places so they "know" where we are.
 
Or do as much scent control wise as possible and play the wind. Not sure where the anti-scent control people hunt but I've never hunted somewhere that the wind blows the same direction for the duration of a hunt. Why would you not do both?

This is a great point and I think the best thing to do is try to minimize your scent as best as possible. I run Scentlok gear, use scent free detergents, etc. However, I do not believe in adding any cover scents on. I believe that will ultimately make you stick out more to deer because now you have this odd cover scent and your human scent. To me, it seems like you would be sticking out even more. But, at the end of the day, who knows.
 
As far as the video and dogs.....trained to smell and seek or find certain scent regardless of strength. Deer may......tolerate human scent according to strength.....300 million receptors probably can discern strength and therefore know how close or old it might be. I personally don't use spray or carbon clothing but I'm fairly certain that they do reduce odors. Deer may react to more scent so reducing it is possible and good. But me, I watch entry, exits and wind thru milk weed and thermals. The wind in your face will work! You can smell like gum shorts if you have the wind in your face and NOT swirling. But deer don't always follow the script, come from everywhere so I love that part of it now.....match wits, plan, do your best....that's why ita called hunting you know! Woodsmanship is worth the effort!
I'd like to clarify my statement here.......I fully believe that most of the scent control products help with reducing odors! But I tried to use alot of them......but I know that my enjoyment factor went south......maybe I got to OCD. I really enjoyed being clean.....spraying my boots for the walk in, and doing what I previously spoke of and let it go. My enjoyment has returned. Planning has replaced scent control. Just ask any back country hunters with no way for scent control other than wind.....success can be achieved with planning and learning about wind currents. If you are loving your way of hunting...more power to you! Trad hunting is for some.....not for others......crossbows for some...not others. Choose your enjoyment factor.....chase the animals with your best! Me, I am finding my niche with much of the old ways in my arsenal......and with the apps available now to help......its wonderful to apply to woodsmanship today! As a great friend of mine whose made videos in years past and is very well known in bowhunting circles once told me "I really just love chasing them!" Success now measured in the chase as much as the kills.
 
I have no problem with Youtubers making this content because I realize it’s part of their career and brand. I would expect this did not tip the scales on anybody’s opinion toward scent control. It was almost predictable how this forum was going to play out. Some guys being extreme scent control freaks. Some guys dismissing the concept entirely. And then some guys occasionally spraying themselves down to be somewhere in the middle of the whole argument.

Different deer react differently to human scent. I hunt a public area that has a lot of dog walkers in it and last year I had a doe walk straight down my scent stream into 12 yards. Following behind her was a mature buck that would not come closer than 60 yards because he knew I was there. Both of those deer obviously could smell me. They both came from the same direction at the same time. One was much more dismissive of my scent than the other. The buck ended up making a large loop around me so he could reunite with the doe. In my mind, the buck won. I expected him to come from a different bedding area than the one he came from. Good for him. I’ll hunt him again this year or his brother if he didn’t make it. The cat and mouse is part of the fun.

For what it’s worth I don’t believe sent control products work to any significant degree. Certainly not to the point where you can fool a deer’s nose on a consistent basis. I’m actually starting to believe that deer have begun to associate scent killing product odors with predators. If I can smell it, so can they. If I can’t smell it, it’s probably water.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It was almost predictable how this forum was going to play out. Some guys being extreme scent control freaks. Some guys dismissing the concept entirely. And then some guys occasionally spraying themselves down to be somewhere in the middle of the whole argument.

:tearsofjoy: Just, "almost predictable." :tearsofjoy:

Is there another play here? Maybe, undecided?
 
:tearsofjoy: Just, "almost predictable." :tearsofjoy:

Is there another play here? Maybe, undecided?

True. I was more meaning the conviction with which the arguments were made rather than the actual arguments. I mean, the video was made attempting to be conclusive and even they admit the the flaws in the experiment.

Hunters are “fully persuaded” about everything we believe until we believe something else.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
i see no point worying about scent control at my current newbie level. i'm more concerned with sweat and sound control. I can't take 5 steps without sweating, seemingly regardless of the temperature so it doesn't make much use what i spray myself down with before i walk in, i basically need to bring a second set of clothes in a bag to change into in the tree.


edit: yes i know, spray THOSE ones down.. but i'm not there yet. may not ever be.
 
Years ago, I did my own dog test. I ordered a sent control shirt & pants on line. It arrived one afternoon and I tried it on. We had two dogs at the time, they were curious at the box, but when they realized it was nothing for them, they lost interest. I folded up the shirts and pants and let them sit on a couch in the family room. Now this is a couch that the dogs never get on, they always lay next to us in our chairs.

The next morning, my wife walked the dogs, so I went over to the shirt and opened it up with the inside facing up. I then went to the kitchen and got a milk bone dog biscuit. If you have ever smelled a milk bone, you know to us it smells like nothing. I laid the dog biscuit on the shirt without touching the shirt. Then I went and washed my hands twice. Then I folded the shirt over the biscuit four times, so I had four layers of this super-duper magic sent control fabric over the biscuit.

I sat back in my recliner and when my wife got back, the dogs entered the family room, and within two seconds, there noises lifted into the air and they made a bee line to the shirt, putting their noises into the fabric.

Now we never give our dogs a treat in the morning, only after supper so they were not expecting anything. So, if they could smell the biscuit, there is no way a magic suite is going to stop a deer from smelling me. I sent the magic suite back.

I have read that a deer can smell better then a dog, I do not know if this is true, but being an ex-military guy, I have seen what drug dogs can do, so I know voodoo when I see it.

Know I am not saying you should not try and reduce your sent as much as possible, but to rely on a magic suite?
 
Scent free detergent on all my clothes, not just hunting clothes. Its nothing huge but it's better than when I used to use regular detergent and then turn around in the next load and wash hunting clothes using scent free detergent but the washer still has residue from prior wash. Scent free soap/shampoo shower right before hunt. Keep clothes in sealed tote (must have rubber gasket and seal tight). Dress in the field. No boots or hunting clothes in stores/restaurants etc. Normal stuff but it's all part of scent control in my book.
Gator that's pretty much what I do . I feel like anything I can do as easily as you mentioned has got to decrease odor . How much I don`t know. I can tell you I have been doing this regimen so long it's really become second nature now . I use odor control clothing too . Does it work? I believe it does . How well? I only use two spray liquids . Permethrin when bugs are big and Scent killer dry on spray my boots only . Am I wasting money and time on scent control ? I don`t know . Man I wish wish deer could talk....
 
Years ago, I did my own dog test. I ordered a sent control shirt & pants on line. It arrived one afternoon and I tried it on. We had two dogs at the time, they were curious at the box, but when they realized it was nothing for them, they lost interest. I folded up the shirts and pants and let them sit on a couch in the family room. Now this is a couch that the dogs never get on, they always lay next to us in our chairs.

The next morning, my wife walked the dogs, so I went over to the shirt and opened it up with the inside facing up. I then went to the kitchen and got a milk bone dog biscuit. If you have ever smelled a milk bone, you know to us it smells like nothing. I laid the dog biscuit on the shirt without touching the shirt. Then I went and washed my hands twice. Then I folded the shirt over the biscuit four times, so I had four layers of this super-duper magic sent control fabric over the biscuit.

I sat back in my recliner and when my wife got back, the dogs entered the family room, and within two seconds, there noises lifted into the air and they made a bee line to the shirt, putting their noises into the fabric.

Now we never give our dogs a treat in the morning, only after supper so they were not expecting anything. So, if they could smell the biscuit, there is no way a magic suite is going to stop a deer from smelling me. I sent the magic suite back.

I have read that a deer can smell better then a dog, I do not know if this is true, but being an ex-military guy, I have seen what drug dogs can do, so I know voodoo when I see it.

Know I am not saying you should not try and reduce your sent as much as possible, but to rely on a magic suite?

Not picking a fight but again this doesn’t relate to a real hunting scenario. So here are a couple. First let me say I practice scent control and have been using properly cared for scentlok clothes over a decade. This first buck was shot on heavily pressured land in PA on Election Day last year. He followed my trail right to the base of my tree stood there for two minutes scent checking the wind then turned and walked away giving me a quartering away shot. He went 30 yards and fell over dead. The second buck I shot on pressured land but in Ohio. It was 73 degrees out (you can see the sweat on my forehead) and he walked 10 yards downwind of me and crossed my entrance trail. Never spooked or paused from his gate. Shot him perfectly broadside double lung. He jumped looked back stuck his nose in the air to smell what just happened and fell over dead. I have taken 12 mature bucks in 10 straight years on pressured land (3 P&Y the biggest 156”) none of them have smelled me and several walked over my trail or were down wind of me before taken. If during this time I kept getting winded I would no longer be using this technique. If properly done you CAN get away with more than you think. I pay no attention to any tests done that are not real hunting scenarios and you shouldn’t either. Good luck to all this season.
 

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Scent free detergent on all my clothes, not just hunting clothes. Its nothing huge but it's better than when I used to use regular detergent and then turn around in the next load and wash hunting clothes using scent free detergent but the washer still has residue from prior wash. Scent free soap/shampoo shower right before hunt. Keep clothes in sealed tote (must have rubber gasket and seal tight). Dress in the field. No boots or hunting clothes in stores/restaurants etc. Normal stuff but it's all part of scent control in my book.
I was in stand a few years ago and I could smell the neighbors doing laundry 350 yards upwind, the scented stuff. It’s strong, after going to scent free laundry detergent I’ll never go back, even if I didn’t hunt.
 
I read somewhere a deer can differentiate up to 25 smells at once. So if you spray yourself down now they smell you and the cover scent. That means they still have room to smell 23 other things.

I guess if you use an scent eliminator it would be a little different but then again your body is just making more scent. So not sure it helps.

I will say this. I haven't used scent control the last 3 years and they have been the best 3 years of hunting I have ever had. Maybe because I am more experienced....maybe luck....maybe because I play the wind more than ever.....maybe a little of all of it.
Just curious, what if your cover scent has 25 different smelling things in it? Lol that’s a joke but I have often pondered if that was the intention of cover scent as opposed to “scent elimination”. Have enough overwhelming smells that are not “red flag” smells for deer. And hope it confuses them enough to mask your scent. I personally like that theory but I don’t see it necessarily working. I know deer have even better noses than blood hounds, for that reason I think minimize your smell to the best of your ability but in a hunting situation, the wind is your best friend. If you place yourself where wind direction is in your favor, it increases your odds in my mind. However you can’t help what direction an animal chooses to come in from. I have set myself on the north east side of a game trail on a south west wind, and had the dang deer come in from a whole different direction. Hogs still came in from the other direction, but I’ve seen hogs walk into an area and stop, circle around the palms until they were down wind of that same area to sniff test it before going out and rooting up acorns and hickory nuts. They are some smart jokers.
 
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