scentlok/facepaint needed?

[shaman]

Count me in as one of the more vocal opponents of this whole carbon-clothing goofiness.   I'm not going to re-hash it all; you can read my opinions here and on my weblog.  I just wanted to give you a carbon-basher's view on this-- if not carbon, then what?

As long as insulation is not an issue, cotton is the way to go.  Read up on my  baking soda method:
Shamanic Baking Soda Method

It relies on washing your stuff in baking soda and using baking soda to permeate your clothes in sealed containers.  It's the way bow hunters were doing it before the carbon craze hit.  Cotton keeps a large amount of sodium bicarb in the fibers, and it responds well to washing.    Cotton's big downfall is that it provides zero insulation. Once it gets cold and wet, it becomes a quick ticket to hypothermia.  However, there is a lot of early season hunting and southern hunting that does not have to worry about cold.

After it starts to get cold, I switch to polyester.  I wear Sportsmansguide.com  or Army ECWS poly-pro underwear.  Polyester does not release human scent as well as cotton, but that just means you need to be more meticulous. 

In regards to  face masks vs. face paint :  I tried a lot of different ways to break up my form.  Face paint was hard to get off my skin, and I was working in a 3-piece suit environment in my day job early on.  I've made a study of this over the years.  If you're up a tree, and you're bowhunting, a face mask  is a huge boost.  Even more, if you can disguise the shape of your head that will be better.  What I use is an old cotton camo shirt. I make a facemask out of it (yes, I have my own sewing machine, but it can sew tent canvas, so that makes it butch)  and then put it over my hat and my head.   It makes a big blob that makes it harder for deer to make out as a human head. 

In rifle season,  I have to wear orange.  Under my orange hat, I wear a green military wool balaclava  It still does a passable job of keeping the deer from spotting me.    The important take-away is that deer WILL key on that head/arms/torso gestalt. The more you do to break it up, the better you will be able to disguise yourself.

[NC Deer Hunter]

you're dealing with the best nose in the buisness. your best stratagy will always be "playing the wind"

[bmorris]

If your using a face mask you are giving up any idea of scent control. You release more than half of your odors from the mouth and head.

I have some old Herters face paint sticks that I use once in a while for just the idea to see what design I can come up with. Most of the time I use it in a ground blind.

[badappleoutdoors]

Personally I have never used scent lock, I have taken my fair share of Nice bucks and does. I feel it is all about using the wind to your advantage and stand placement. Maybe I am wrong, but I am happy with the results so far.

[jonny5buck]

Not only is the wind critical,but something left unsaid here that can be usefull for new hunters is a wind puffer...i use one and think it is an asset...iknow you could use some leaves or yarn etc, im just stating what i use.

Most times on a morning hunt the earth is warming and wind currents rise...lifting your scent or blowing it up.....while evening hunts your scent is more likely to drift downward...not always but i would say mostly....the wind puffer can really help a novice hunter understand-- WHERE the wind is blowing is where your scent is going....keep in mind a predominantly west wind is a good generalization,but thermals and current breaks can get tricky just off ridges and esp. in valleys.....wish i had one when i first started hunting.

I almost forgot...what is scentblocker ?and what does woods walker think of it???....ohh man... im kidding guys cmon...that right there is funny!-[8D]

[bmorris]

Scent Blocker is "fools gold" designed as camoflauge clothing. I feel another rush coming on despite the court results

[freak nasty 145]

I always use face paint. Maybe it is just me, i just don't like mask around my face like that. I"ve never had a problem using the stuff.