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John Eberhart’s scent control method

R

Rodney H

New Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2019
Messages
4
I appreciate what John Eberhart has done in sharing his methods and strategies. It has helped me be a better hunter and it has made me a saddle hunter.

In interviews he scoffs at the idea of paying attention to wind and describes how meticulous he is with scent control - scent lok (mask, gloves and hat included), pants untucked from the boots, no hair hanging out, no face paint, cloths stored in airtight totes, dress on site, shower before a hunt, washed pack etc.

I would not mind the extra work and cost if it meant being able to disregard the wind, but I don’t want to spend the time and money on it and still find out i still have to play the wind.

Although, I would appreciate all thoughtful comments, I am most interested in hearing from those who have tried this level of scent control without cutting corners. What has been your results?
 
I’m trying it this year just to see how it works. I haven’t been able to really test it yet though because I still play the wind.
 
I have given scentlok an honest try. I will tell you from my experiences with it that it's not a magic suit. I have been winded in it more than once and yes I was wearing the head cover, gloves, the whole suit. I follow Dan Infalt and utilize his hunting tactics but I figured scentlok may be another tool for the toolbox that may be the difference in killing a deer and not. I do believe that it helps to some degree but the question is how much. I think other factors come into play that dictate how well the suit actually works. Things like the hunting environment, the climate, how much that individual hunter sweats or smells, the wind, etc. In my opinion it doesn't make sense for a southern hunter. It's too hot to wear that stuff and even if you can bear it you will sweat through it in a short amount of time. Scentlok makes nice hunting clothes but to me that's about the extent of it. In my opinion the only full proof scent control is planning your routes and hunting the wind.
 
Last weekend I walked up on a mature bedded buck, 25 yards dead down wind. He didn’t smell me and stand up for 15 minutes, I couldn’t believe it. I had just showered at camp and all my clothes were fresh outta the scent free bag. I’ve never believed in beating a deers nose, but I do believe in minimizing scent, that might win an extra opportunity here and there, and those add up. Never had a shot at that buck, too many briars in the way.
 
It’s not just the clothing, he washes and stores everything he takes into the field in a scent free bag/container. And doesn’t handle anything without gloves on. I think the more you do to reduce your scent profile the better chance you have of making a deer think you a further away than you are at the time it smells you. There have been other posts on SH about deer being able to determine the distance of a threat based on the intensity of the scent.
 
ericabbott said:
It’s not just the clothing, he washes and stores everything he takes into the field in a scent free bag/container. And doesn’t handle anything without gloves on. I think the more you do to reduce your scent profile the better chance you have of making a deer think you a further away than you are at the time it smells you. There have been other posts on SH about deer being able to determine the distance of a threat based on the intensity of the scent.
Click to expand...

I’m with u

Some scent minimization to reduce scent intensity

I have no idea whether or not deer think the scent is old or that I’m further away but I do pretty good for hunting public in FL & have plenty of deer walking close by & even directly under me





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The only change I made to the method is what I eat (my wife is Asian so garlic is a staple in my household), but I already was doing most of what John says, just not with scentlok gear. I also treat my bow and sticks the same way. I decided to switch to scentlok gear to give it a try(and it fits me well) and I saw more deer my last hunt than I ever have at one time. Three bucks and two does over a 3 hour period, ALL of them came in downwind of me and I was sitting in the middle of a thermal that was drawing my scent straight down to the ground and towards them. These were mature does and 3ish year old bucks. Two of the bucks and one of the does walked straight at my tree, beneath it and continued on down the trail. One of the does I took at 15 yards as she was grazing. There's no way that would have happened prior to scent lok. Magic pill or no, I'm sticking with it. To me it doesn't mean I can be careless nor does it eliminate scent but it sure helps.
 
I've been using scentlok and following a scent control routine that I based off John's method for 10 years now. I'm 100% positive that it helps. It's not magic though. You need to have a system in place to minimize your odor. If you don't keep your scentlok clean and you go get fastfood before the hunt it's not going to work. While I do put more work into my system than just getting dressed and going hunting, I don't feel like my routine is burdensome.

1. Shower with scentless soap and shampoo all season
2. Keep all hunting clothes clean and in airtight storage.
3. Get dressed at truck.
4. Wear rubber boots
5. Keep saddle and pack clean by running in a tub with ozone as needed.
6. Keep all hunting equipment in an airtight tub with activated charcoal.

When I have to layer up I pack my outer layers in and dress at the tree to avoid sweat as much as possible. During the early season I rotate clothing out after almost every hunt if I sweated and wash the batch when I need fresh clothes.
 
redsquirrel said:
I've been using scentlok and following a scent control routine that I based off John's method for 10 years now. I'm 100% positive that it helps. It's not magic though. You need to have a system in place to minimize your odor. If you don't keep your scentlok clean and you go get fastfood before the hunt it's not going to work. While I do put more work into my system than just getting dressed and going hunting, I don't feel like my routine is burdensome.

1. Shower with scentless soap and shampoo all season
2. Keep all hunting clothes clean and in airtight storage.
3. Get dressed at truck.
4. Wear rubber boots
5. Keep saddle and pack clean by running in a tub with ozone as needed.
6. Keep all hunting equipment in an airtight tub with activated charcoal.

When I have to layer up I pack my outer layers in and dress at the tree to avoid sweat as much as possible. During the early season I rotate clothing out after almost every hunt if I sweated and wash the batch when I need fresh clothes.
Click to expand...
Started using the ozone in the tub this year, like that better than having to wash everything especially when it gets cold up in the NE. What activated charcoal are you using in the tub?
 
ericabbott said:
Started using the ozone in the tub this year, like that better than having to wash everything especially when it gets cold up in the NE. What activated charcoal are you using in the tub?
Click to expand...
I buy it granular on ebay, like this https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Lbs-Bulk...838426?hash=item23b021769a:g:QwkAAOSwFVFdCmBm
I have some poured into a panty hose that I keep in my gear tub. I also have a small bucket of some that I pour into my boots after they dry as needed. I put my boots on the boot dryer after every hunt, but particularly in the early season they get pretty nasty if I forget to dry them out one night. It's amazing how after letting them sit with that stuff in them they come out odorless.
 
Great question. I am short of that level, but I am close enough that I believe it 100%. I have hunted the wrong wind a couple of times because it was the best stand choice and was willing to take the chance. I believe it was successful.
 
redsquirrel said:
I buy it granular on ebay, like this https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Lbs-Bulk...838426?hash=item23b021769a:g:QwkAAOSwFVFdCmBm
I have some poured into a panty hose that I keep in my gear tub. I also have a small bucket of some that I pour into my boots after they dry as needed. I put my boots on the boot dryer after every hunt, but particularly in the early season they get pretty nasty if I forget to dry them out one night. It's amazing how after letting them sit with that stuff in them they come out odorless.
Click to expand...
Boot dryers are a must for keeping rubber boots fresh smelling.
One other thing I do is poke the hose of my O3 generator into the intake vent of my boot dryer. I dry the boots AND treat with O3 at the same time...2 birds with one stone.
My success at crossing deer trails without being busted is nearly 100%.
 
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