Scent Control for saddle hunters

[SloMo]

I finally posted some info on my system for keeping things organized, scent free and easy using portable ozone .

Enjoy!

 

[Plebe]

Thanks for sharing.

I'm currently wearing Muck boots and know many others use rubber boots too. You mention ozone and rubber don't play well.

Anyone have a specific regimen for de-scenting boots, other than just dry after each hunt?

I was thinking about getting some activated carbon pads maybe to put inside them between hunts. I keep them in airtight storage. Is there a better approach?

I know, I know...play the wind...but the wind can swirl, so I'd like to take extra precautions to combat "stinky feet."

 

[neonomad]

Thanks for sharing.

I'm currently wearing Muck boots and know many others use rubber boots too. You mention ozone and rubber don't play well.

Anyone have a specific regimen for de-scenting boots, other than just dry after each hunt?

I was thinking about getting some activated carbon pads maybe to put inside them between hunts. I keep them in airtight storage. Is there a better approach?

I know, I know...play the wind...but the wind can swirl, so I'd like to take extra precautions to combat "stinky feet."

Last year I started doing this, although I haven’t been able to interview any deer to see if it works: (1) using foot antiperspirant to reduce the source of the smell... last year the cream I bought worked fantastic but had a menthol smell, I’ve actually continued to use that when I work outside in the summer, swamp foot problem solved. For season I’m using a different scentless product, doesn’t seem to work as well but doesn’t have the menthol odor. (2) wash and rinse the boots, maybe ideally you put them in a tub of soil / pine needles / wood / leaves for a long time but I haven’t done that, (3) I bought a bag of activated charcoal powder, after use the boots go into a sealed plastic bin and I use a paintbrush to heavily dust them top to bottom with the charcoal, and the bottom of the bin has a layer of the powder as well. I haven’t yet addressed the inside of the boots so interested to see what others say.

 

[Loopwing]

Thanks for sharing.

I'm currently wearing Muck boots and know many others use rubber boots too. You mention ozone and rubber don't play well.

Anyone have a specific regimen for de-scenting boots, other than just dry after each hunt?

I was thinking about getting some activated carbon pads maybe to put inside them between hunts. I keep them in airtight storage. Is there a better approach?

I know, I know...play the wind...but the wind can swirl, so I'd like to take extra precautions to combat "stinky feet."

I agree. I love these guys that hunt in places where the wind blows one direction all day long and the deer always come in from the same direction. I use the fresh earth spray all day long. As soon as I stop smelling dirt, I spray more.

Thank you Slo Mo for posting this!

 

[Sniper4hire]

Last year I started doing this, although I haven’t been able to interview any deer to see if it works: (1) using foot antiperspirant to reduce the source of the smell... last year the cream I bought worked fantastic but had a menthol smell, I’ve actually continued to use that when I work outside in the summer, swamp foot problem solved. For season I’m using a different scentless product, doesn’t seem to work as well but doesn’t have the menthol odor. (2) wash and rinse the boots, maybe ideally you put them in a tub of soil / pine needles / wood / leaves for a long time but I haven’t done that, (3) I bought a bag of activated charcoal powder, after use the boots go into a sealed plastic bin and I use a paintbrush to heavily dust them top to bottom with the charcoal, and the bottom of the bin has a layer of the powder as well. I haven’t yet addressed the inside of the boots so interested to see what others say.

I grind my soles into the dirt or vegetation right at the truck and a natural puddle is the best. I use the dirt soles to rub the sides as best I can and never pass an opportunity to grind them into fresh deer scat when i cross it.
I'm a huge, can't fool a deers nose guy but I like to try to keep my rub off stink to a minimum none the less

 

[Plebe]

Thanks all, some ideas to consider.

I used to "kick the dirt up" a bit, but got concerned that fresh earth smell wafting from 20+ might be suspicious, albeit no where near as suspicious as human scent wafting from 20+. I certainly think deer and earth smells are natural ground scent covers and it's hard of course to know how deer process scent migrating from elevated sources. I never had negative reactions to these scents when elevated, so maybe I've overthought that. I don't really expose my boots to much human scent externally now, and they're old enough they don't smell (to me) of rubber, so its the smell from within that is my primary concern. But...if you can kill two birds with one stone I'm all in.

Addressing feet themselves is an interesting approach. Certainly moisture is at the root of the foot stink problem.

Wether or not scentlok works...and I have and do wear the socks...I find my boot liners absorb moisture and even when dried after a hunt, ultimately develop odor. I'd like to eliminate that for sure.

 

[Sniper4hire]

Thanks all, some ideas to consider.

I used to "kick the dirt up" a bit, but got concerned that fresh earth smell wafting from 20+ might be suspicious, albeit no where near as suspicious as human scent wafting from 20+. I certainly think deer and earth smells are natural ground scent covers and it's hard of course to know how deer process scent migrating from elevated sources. I never had negative reactions to these scents when elevated, so maybe I've overthought that. I don't really expose my boots to much human scent externally now, and they're old enough they don't smell (to me) of rubber, so its the smell from within that is my primary concern. But...if you can kill two birds with one stone I'm all in.

Addressing feet themselves is an interesting approach. Certainly moisture is at the root of the foot stink problem.

Wether or not scentlok works...and I have and do wear the socks...I find my boot liners absorb moisture and even when dried after a hunt, ultimately develop odor. I'd like to eliminate that for sure.

Great point on the dirt or poop thing 20 feet up. Back to square one

 

[Loopwing]

I am not to sure they can pin point a smell up in a tree as they would just think it was blowing in the breeze. Besides if they are close enough to pin point the smell in the tree, they are already dead.

 

[Drix22]

As a fellow MA resident- where does everyone get their deer processed?

This is literally the one thing that keeps me from hunting at home- I have no idea where to bring the deer and I don't have the space to process it myself.

 

[Loopwing]

You might want to start a completely new post with that as your subject.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Just have to watch what you expose to ozone. My Helium saddle (new) explicitly says no ozone exposure.

 

[FLYIN_HAYN]

As a fellow MA resident- where does everyone get their deer processed?

This is literally the one thing that keeps me from hunting at home- I have no idea where to bring the deer and I don't have the space to process it myself.

It really doesn’t take much space to process. Give me a 5x5 tarp and I’m golden....

 

[JPS]

Thanks for sharing.

I'm currently wearing Muck boots and know many others use rubber boots too. You mention ozone and rubber don't play well.

Anyone have a specific regimen for de-scenting boots, other than just dry after each hunt?

I was thinking about getting some activated carbon pads maybe to put inside them between hunts. I keep them in airtight storage. Is there a better approach?

I know, I know...play the wind...but the wind can swirl, so I'd like to take extra precautions to combat "stinky feet."

If you put the active carbon pants OUTSIDE your boots, the carbon will absorb the odor as it comes out of the boot

 

[Plebe]

If you put the active carbon pants OUTSIDE your boots, the carbon will absorb the odor as it comes out of the boot

Sure thing, though I'm not in the market for Scentlok pants at the moment. I wear Sitka bibs. I do wear them outside the boots to help limit the scent bellow.

I was going to put Scentlok carbon pads inside my boots. They cost like $20.

 

[JPS]

Sure thing, though I'm not in the market for Scentlok pants at the moment. I wear Sitka bibs. I do wear them outside the boots to help limit the scent bellow.

I was going to put Scentlok carbon pads inside my boots. They cost like $20.

Gotcha.

In that case, remember that the odor does not come from inside your feet, but from the bacteria that grows in the surface. So, any treatment to limit bacterial growth in your feet and inside your boots will mitigate (although, never make disappear) odors.

Absorbing odors is ok. Preventing them paired with absorption is idea. Use antibacterial garments as base layers and air your boots well. Wash your feet with antibacterial soap.

 

[farmlegend]

Thanks for sharing.

I'm currently wearing Muck boots and know many others use rubber boots too. You mention ozone and rubber don't play well.

Anyone have a specific regimen for de-scenting boots, other than just dry after each hunt?

I was thinking about getting some activated carbon pads maybe to put inside them between hunts. I keep them in airtight storage. Is there a better approach?

I know, I know...play the wind...but the wind can swirl, so I'd like to take extra precautions to combat "stinky feet."

Gotcha.

In that case, remember that the odor does not come from inside your feet, but from the bacteria that grows in the surface. So, any treatment to limit bacterial growth in your feet and inside your boots will mitigate (although, never make disappear) odors.

Absorbing odors is ok. Preventing them paired with absorption is idea. Use antibacterial garments as base layers and air your boots well. Wash your feet with antibacterial soap.

Anyone ever sat around a campfire? Wind changes direction all the damn time. Scent control, for me, is a must.

 

[JPS]

Anyone ever sat around a campfire? Wind changes direction all the damn time. Scent control, for me, is a must.

Agree. I used to be a "just play the wind" guy. After all that is what I learned gun hunting boars and red stag as a child and teenager.

But bowhunting is a totally different game. And i convinced myself on the need for scent control when using milkweed/cattails as wind indicators from my stand year ago. Let one littke piecevof milkweed fly every few minutes and watch it...

So now I try to control scent as much as possible. Of course I stll pay attention to wind. But I dont rely solely on that for bowhunting.

 

[Buckkillr]

Hunting down wind is the only way. If that's not possible then only hunt when thermals are rising. All that scent free stuff might help for a few xtra seconds sometimes but that's about it. Those ozone things do work at de-scenting but it doesn't draw enough vaccum to de-scent your whole body