Scent Control

[NYarcher]

Myself, not having lots of money to spend on gear year in and year out I cannot afford carbon clothing (yet). So I do as follows. At the beginning of every season I wash ALL my hunting clothes in a scent eliminating detergent and use cover scent dryer sheets. I then take those clothes and place them all in a tote which also contains more dryer sheets for absorbsion along with perferated bags of leaves, pine boughs, etc.. whatever is natural to where you hunt. This is for storage obviously. My body I use a non-scented soap for bathing as well as a non-scented deodorant. When I get dressed to hunt I spray down thuroughly with a scent eliminator, clothes, inside and outside of hat, even my face and rubber boots. Then Im ready to go! Almost forgot, I got a hot tip last year on here from some fella named woodsy about chlorophyl tablets. Not sure if they work but what the heck right?

[hunt4fun]

Good point NYarcher... I just put pine boughs in my totes last year, and at the end of the year I had a mess of needles to clean up.  Putting stuff like that in perforated bags would definitely help.  Also, I had a friend point out something I was missing last year.  I never used to spray my release with scent eliminator.  He reminded me of all the hot days over the summer when we were sweating shooting bows, and I felt dumb for forgetting this.  With season fast approaching, I hope no one else forgets this.

[USN_Sam1385]

ORIGINAL: east_coast_redneck

Hey my friend, I know that there wasn't any disrespect intended in your response.  In fact I apologize if that's the way is came across.  I appreciate the tip about using ice on the back of my neck, I'll give it a try.  Thanks again!!

Awesome. Keep us updated on how that works for ya. Good luck hunting.

[Goose]

ORIGINAL: hunt4fun

 Also, I had a friend point out something I was missing last year.  I never used to spray my release with scent eliminator.  He reminded me of all the hot days over the summer when we were sweating shooting bows, and I felt dumb for forgetting this.  With season fast approaching, I hope no one else forgets this.

 
Right on....dont forget all of your other equipment as well like rangefinder, binos, bow, bow case ect......

[NYarcher]

ORIGINAL: Goose

ORIGINAL: hunt4fun

Also, I had a friend point out something I was missing last year.  I never used to spray my release with scent eliminator.  He reminded me of all the hot days over the summer when we were sweating shooting bows, and I felt dumb for forgetting this.  With season fast approaching, I hope no one else forgets this.

Right on....dont forget all of your other equipment as well like rangefinder, binos, bow, bow case ect......

great advise guys. Easy to forget these things when your so concentrated on your clothing and body.

[buckhunter21]

I haven't seen that episode yet, but I agree with the quality of this work...Keep it up!

[ranwin33]

It was a good episode.  I'm not one who get's realy carried away with scent control, but I'm thinking this year I just might take it a bit more seriously and see if it makes a difference.  Have seen tons of deer the past couple of years, and taken 130 and 140 class bucks, but have never seen anything bigger. 

[Goose]

Many people will have similar stories like yours. I too could share stories of years ago when I just put out a cigarette and shot a nice 2.5 ect....but when I really dissect it, I realize that the wind was absolutely perfect, so he could not have winded my smoke, and he was also totally focused on the doe he was chasing. So if they would have come from a different direction, my smoking could have ruined everything.
 
I recently listened to a webinar by Charlie Alsheimer and this was brought up but instead of chocolate it was smoking.
His answer was something of this effect: Yes it is possible that younger deer will be a little more curious and that may get the best of them, but mature, older deer will FREAK out if they smell anything that is not "normal", they will turn inside out when they smell anything out of the norm.
 
If sipping on hot chocolate makes you happy, then by all means do it, but if you are hunting older deer-I think we all are kidding ourselves if we think it doesn't bother deer if they get a full nose of it.
 
Don't take this the wrong way, I am just trying to be honest with ya.

[Ohio farms]

I agree with Goose.  I too used to smoke, but shot a deer or two while a salem was burning, but how many did I not see who smelled the smoke and just left. As for the hot choc...young deer may be curious, but deer that associate the smell with hunters or just unnatural may not tolerate it. When I smoked, I had to smoke or I would have left my treestand (sad). It is a matter of priorities. For many reasons, I'm glad I quit.   

[huntinut]

These are the kind of answers I was looking for. And I feel the same way, any unusual odor is going to spook em. But when it's really cold, for me, hot chocolate is the difference between sitting in the stand or sitting in the truck. It was only an observation I made last winter. And probably more a coincedence than anything. Several times during the season I had seen deer while sipping hot chocolate. And on the last day of the season, single digit temps, dead calm, here comes this shooter buck right under my stand. Never got a shot, cause I didn't have a plan what to do with my cup in the event a deer showed up.[:@]stupid, stupid, stupid! This thing must have came out of a hole in the ground. Didn't see him till he was ten yards away and closing. I could only sit and watch as he strolled past. Admittedly, I froze up. I didn't know what to do. Where the heck am I gonna put this cup?! I just sat and wondered, "why in the world would this buck walk right past a steaming cup? He has to smell this, maybe not." This is the scene that has been playing in my head the entire off season. Now, with just a few days until bow opener, it's time to redeem myself. I've learned my lesson.
Hunt on
Huntin-nut