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DIY scent control

mschultz373

mschultz373

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
May 9, 2023
Messages
409
Location
SE LA
Obviously no one else is gonna do your scent control for you, but - I mean DIY as in, any and all scent control methods and concoctions that don’t involve buying specialized hunting garments or products. (I.e, exclude ScentLok, but include hypoallergenic soap that is scent free; exclude DDW, but include clothes stored with cedar/pine limbs…)

What have you tried, what works, what doesn’t, etc?

Also if anyone has any idea or can point to resources about what the Native Americans or earlier hunters for scent control, that would be fascinating to me.
 
I read/saw somewhere, cant recall where sorry, that Native Americans would cut the shanks off & keep the feet. They'd let the feet dry and scrape the metatarsal gland onto the ground. Not sure why because I think the metatarsal doesn't emit scent.

As for my clothes, they go in Tupperware bins with either baking soda or pine boughs. Depending on my location.
I keep my Scent lok in a storage bag in seperate tub.
Also bought an Ozonics few yrs back. Seems to work on bucks but dominant does seem confused by the lack of sniffing ability and blow like crazy. But on other hand have seen bucks within 20mins of her moving on.
 
The only thing I used to do (and occasionally do now) is carry baking soda and water in a fruit jar and a washcloth. After a morning hunt and scout early season I will be soaking wet with sweat when I get back to the truck, so I take the sweaty clothes off, put them in a garbage bag and wash down with the baking soda and water. Then when I am dry. I will dress in new clothes for the evening hunt. Seemed to work well enough but you still had to play the wind. I also used to break green pine needles and rub them into my clothing when I was hunting in piney areas.
 
My main thing is I tore down a pump shed and used the left over wood to build me an outside hunting closet. I believe it has done a lot to keep my hunting clothes out of the house smell, I have parcels of clothes that have never been inside at all. And I even try and not walk into gas stations on my way to hunt bc they are the worst for smell sticking to clothes. I only wash during season if I absolutely have to, not shy to get them around fire smoke.
 
[mention]WHW [/mention] I’ve always wondered what your scent control regiment was, and how it changed over the decades you’ve been hunting? Your experience would be particularly insightful for me as a fellow LA hunter


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There's several threads here about using smoke as a cover scent. I've never tried it but it is a DIY cover. Here's a link to one of them.

when to smoke

im going to be smoking my hunting clothes and gear out this year, and ive never really done it before, so i was wondering how far in advance do you usually smoke your clothes prior to hunting season and how often do you do it?
saddlehunter.com
 
mschultz373 said:
[mention]WHW [/mention] I’ve always wondered what your scent control regiment was, and how it changed over the decades you’ve been hunting? Your experience would be particularly insightful for me as a fellow LA hunter


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Nothing extensive, keep hunting clothes away from “society” as much as possible. Natural smells like burning wood or dirt or just being outside in the woods is always welcomed. I never bought in to the shelved scent control. I’ve always heard mixed responses about smoking or dipping in the stand and I don’t know the answer but I can tell you Apple skoal never hurts and I’ve killed deer with cigarette in mouth and or on multiple occasions have them come up or just “appear” as they do and me actively be having a cigarette and then not being bothered. The smoke tells me the wind direction also so it’s a win in my book, not for your health though lol as far as my truck I keep it clean but I also just keep earth smell pucks in it does it help? Who knows but it gives me peace of mind and it’s not a hassle. Smell was never a concern for me even though I do things that are by nature some sort of scent control but my main concern for me is movement, I don’t have problem sitting all day but it’s the fidgeting that gets me.
 
Does it make any difference what the source of the smoke is? I ask because I have some mesquite smoking chips I was thinking about using and then I wondered if that might not be good to smell like barbecue in the woods…


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If you smell like BB
mschultz373 said:
Does it make any difference what the source of the smoke is? I ask because I have some mesquite smoking chips I was thinking about using and then I wondered if that might not be good to smell like barbecue in the woods…


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If you smell like BBQ, the other hunters may show up, LOL.
 
I used to take clean hunting clothes and rake back ground liter in the woods I was going to be hunting in and roll the clothes in the dirt and duff before dressing. It seamed to help a bit, esp after the temps dropped some so I wouldnt get too sweaty getting to the tree. That was when I was hunting private 90% of the time. Now primarily hunting public, there are very few spots I can get too without getting completely sweated up until the temps get down in the 30's. Even then it is tough not to get a little sweaty. Milkweed is still the best tool imo.
 
I dont go eberhart crazy. I do the same keep them in a tote and away from everything else and agree with the dont pump gas in my hunting clothes. Ive played with different things as far as my tote...sometimes i throw pine needles in there, others i just use the fresh earth wafers. I have a buddy that swears by smoking his clothes and doesnt use or really do anything else. I know ive gone in the wood smelling like smoke from camp fires but never noticed if it was acting as a good or better cover scent than what i normally do...
 
I somewhat like the idea of changing at the tree, particularly if it is hot enough to get soaked - which it will be until December, and even then with a lot of layers you will -, but I would worry about sweaty clothes touching stuff or the scent drifting and sticking to things around the tree. Am I worrying too much?


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mschultz373 said:
I somewhat like the idea of changing at the tree, particularly if it is hot enough to get soaked - which it will be until December, and even then with a lot of layers you will -, but I would worry about sweaty clothes touching stuff or the scent drifting and sticking to things around the tree. Am I worrying too much?


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Ive started to just slow down going in when its warmer out. When i get where i need to be, i use those scent killer field wipes to wipe sweat from my neck and brow ,pits,etc...Im generally wearing those performance type shirts early season now and they seem to help with being soaking wet

edit*

I dont change at tree, i change when i park and keep my hoodie or longer sleeve shirt in my pack and then put that on if needed when i get ready to climb
 
I struggle with moving too quickly on my way into the stand, especially when I'm walking an easy path and not concerned about bumping deer. Last year I finally found what works for me. When I start feeling warm, I stop and set the timer on my phone. I'm not moving until it winds down. That's what it took to slow myself down.

Once I'm actually in "woods" and sneaking to my stand, it's not as hard to make myself slow down. But If I'm in "covering ground" mode, I just have one speed.
 
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