scent control

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dstewart
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2009/09/06 08:25:45 (permalink)

scent control

how does everyone go about their scent control.  sprays,wafers, washes   i just purchased a scent kit from cabelas.  soap and spray and clothes wash but im still wondering if anybody has any other lil tips they learned over the years?
#1

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    Claypool313
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/06 10:08:17 (permalink)
    After washing and spraying, keep your clothes out of your house unless in plastic container or scent control bag.  After every hunt put back in bag and keep out of your vehicle.  Tool box or car trunk preferable.  If you sweat bad in early season, start over from scratch.  Otherwise I only wash once a year, but I do not use carbon clothes.  I try to refrain from even touching my outer garments during the season whenever I'm not actually in the woods.  My routine is as follows:

    -Wash in non-scented, non-UV detergent.  Hang dry or cool tumble with earth scent dryer sheets.
    -After drying, hang and liberally spray inside and out with non-scented, scent killer to prep.  Do this outside, garage, or basement, etc.
    -Repeat if desired after first drying.  I'm always afraid I added a lot of scent in the washer, so I double up here.
    -Pack into scent control or plastic container and apply an earth masking scent, wafer, spray, etc.  In the past I've even packed in dirt and leaves.
    -Before each hunt shower with scent free soap / shampoo and try to refrain from heavy deoderant / colgne, hair gel, whatever, the day before.  Once dressed, mist of non-scented, then earth mask lightly.  Don't forget your boots.
    -As stated earlier, pack away as soon as out of the woods.

    This has worked well for me.  Pay special attention to your hat, gloves, and face mask as these can really pick-up human scent fast, boots too.  Play the wind appropriately and you'll be fine in most situations.  Actually, that's better than any scent-away advice.
    #2
    dstewart
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/06 10:28:06 (permalink)
    i bought a rubber maid container to store my clothes in.  i realy dont think those 40 dollar carbon containers are worth it.   i spray the box thoughly before i store my clothes though
    #3
    Claypool313
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/06 11:13:41 (permalink)
    sounds like a good practice to me.

    i use a Tinks bag.  think i paid $25 for it 3 years ago.  mostly like it for the stowability vs a hard container.
    #4
    dstewart
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/06 11:31:55 (permalink)
    what about packs and boots   anyway you know of to scent store those items
    #5
    Claypool313
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/06 13:29:46 (permalink)
    Not sure I've seen anything specific to them before.

    I stuff my backpack in the Tinks bag.  Boots I just leave in the garage.  They are rubber so don't pick-up too much scent.  Couple squirts of earth cover scent on them before I head out.

    The other thing I forgot to mention is that I do not use any varmit pee cover scents.  Not saying they do not work, but I don't like the potential mess and I would prefer not to alert / train my deer to associate that smell with danger.  Personal preference.
    #6
    redneck steel
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/06 17:09:04 (permalink)
    Scent free showers and detergents are a must as far as I'm concerned. I wash my hunting clothes (scent lok savana) about once a week. Atleast I try to. I use scent killer every time I pull my clothes from the drier. Letting them air dry is better I think. I use scent proof bags as well. Leave em in the bed of the truck if its not raining. I like the earth scent the best but the non scent works just as good. The most important factor is the wind. Dont care wut anybody says. If you have a hot stand and the wind isnt good for hunting it, dont hunt it. This seems to work for me. Have had deer in the past lick the screw in steps and just walk away. Good luck to all.
    #7
    tippecanoe
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/08 08:40:06 (permalink)
    I'm down with scent control.

    I don't wear any fancy clothes, I feel that you are fine for the most part with about anything in that department.

    I wash my clothes in scent killer and then dry on the clothes line outside.  I spray the inside of a plastic tub with scent killer, and throw some leaves, and some good smelling dirt in the bottom of it.  I have a hand full of underclothes that I wear that I also wash in scent killer and hang outside.  I spray them with fall blend and store them as well.  Rubber boots should be fine sprayed on the outside.  I wear scentless deodorant, and always rub some on my hands. 

    I don't put on my outside layer until I am outside, and I usually give myself a quick spray when I do that. 

    watch the wind, and on very calm mornings and evenings, pay attention to the thermals.

    #8
    dstewart
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/08 10:44:20 (permalink)
    thermals confuse me at times.
    #9
    BIGSLICK
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/08 12:00:18 (permalink)
    I wash my clothes 2 times a season in the scent-away detergent...After washing, they go in my rubbermaid container which I spray down with scent-away and I also throw a few scent-away waffers in the bottom before sealing. I will wash my clothes again halfway through the season. I throw all my gear in the rubbermaid except for bow and climber....I shower with scent away soap and shampoo and brush my teeth with just baking soda. I also use scent away deoderant...I dont put my hunting clothes on until I am at my spot out of the truck. After clothes are on, I spray down with scent away and spray my bow and stand. After returning to my truck from the hunt, I remove clothes and they go right back into rubbermaid container.. Hunt the wind and I have never had a problem....I also don't buy into the scent-lok/scent blocker BS...
    post edited by BIGSLICK - 2009/09/08 12:02:14



    #10
    Deadbolt401
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/08 13:18:34 (permalink)
    I hunt in suburban area's and one is very close to a main highway. I'm not THAT concerned with scent control. I've personally seen people changing tires on the side of the road, and a buck standing 25 feet behind them.

    I do use the Scent spray on my gear though. I prefer any fall woods scent, Acorns or wintergreen boughs or something of the like.
    When it comes to cover scents, I try to use one that matches the scents around me, deer can defer different smells at once. So that fact alone is a reason why I don't completely cover myself in doe ****. Although it's funny to get looks after a hunt smelling like that.

    I do use Scent bombs and whatnot, and I always hide them, or cut the branch I'm hanging them on closest to the tree. A good friend of mine is a consistent 140 class+ hunter. He's serious about it, and he swears he's seen big, mature bucks see the bombs and leave. What would ya rather do, take and extra second and kinda hide them, or have that big boy run away as your about to release?

    I also hunt high stands, I believe this is a very consistent and effective way of being scent free. If your 12 feet in the air, the wind will blow your scent into a deer's brain. 20 feet is mostly good for me. Sometimes Higher. Next time you guys are in your stand and look up and think, what if? Try it. And please Remember to be safe and always wear a safety harness. I'm 21, and I am a know it all about everything according to my father, but I do know to use a **** harness, we've all fallen asleep and it took a CLOSE call for me to realize they're a  must.


    Good luck!
    post edited by Deadbolt401 - 2009/09/08 13:24:42
    #11
    tippecanoe
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/08 14:12:44 (permalink)
    Brushing your teeth with baking soda sounds like a great idea.  is there any gum out there that keeps your breathe from stinking?  I figure the air exchange in volume and concentration from your lungs is probably more then the air just blowing over you.  That wasn't worded very well.......  What I am trying to say is that maybe the smell of your breathe is the most important. 

    I also hunt as high in a climber as i can, and I purposely look for a tree that has a gentle taper, so that my stand doesn't start out like this ]/ and end up like this ]\  
    #12
    dstewart
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/08 14:30:09 (permalink)
    id like to go as high as i can but my climber was stolen out of my truck last fall. im limited to a lock on with climbing sticks. 14 -15 feet tops.
    #13
    Claypool313
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/08 19:33:15 (permalink)
    thermals confuse me at times.


    when it's still...morning warming air will trend up hill.  opposite in evening when cooling.  fortunately this is kinda the direction deer travel.

    avoid by hanging stand higher as others have suggested.  also try to stay out of gullies and head of hollows as wind tends to swirl there.  unfortunately this is also where you'll see a lot of sign.  best to set-up on edges of these.
    #14
    Ironhed
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/08 22:04:32 (permalink)
    It's pretty easy...
    Take a bath.
    Don't stink.
    Hunt the wind.

    You'll be fine.

    Ironhed
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    Claypool313
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/09 19:33:12 (permalink)
    oh yeah and get your morning farts out before getting dressed.
    #16
    BIGSLICK
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/09 22:26:00 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: Claypool313

    oh yeah and get your morning farts out before getting dressed.

     
    lol...easier said than done.....



    #17
    16506fish
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/09 22:48:30 (permalink)
    for the trolls that steal treestands,trailcams, etc.... that opens a whole nother huntn season for me!!!!
    #18
    MuskyMastr
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/10 18:22:45 (permalink)
    Well said Irnhead..

    Was with a scent free detergent or baking soda, store in plastic container, lined with a garbage bag ( so you can twist the top shut). I usually add some branches from the trees in the area I hunt. I do have carbon clothing, but did well with this method before I had them.
    Store rubber boots outside your clothes box, your feet stench stinks up the clothes in a hurry.

    I shower with dead down wind shampoo & body wash prior to hunting when possible. But use these throughout the season whenever I shower. I also use ddw shaving cream when I use it. A can usually lasts me a year (I just ran out from last year's can). I like the scent blocker deoderant (becuase it doesn't make my underarms feel like I dumped gorilla glue on them).

    NEVER NEVER NEVER wear your hunting clothes in your vehicle. This is the hardest part, but I stick to it. I change in the field when I am ready to leave the vehicle.

    They do make a gum that smells like either pine or alfalfa, to cover your breath. Both taste like, well chewing on either a pine tree or alfalfa. However if you focus on breathing through your nose, your breath doesn't pick up all the stench from your mouth & throat. I read an article once about it producing somewhere around 90% less scent.

    Last, hunt High...the higher the better.

    Better too far back, than too far forward.
    #19
    16506fish
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/10 19:12:28 (permalink)
    the past 3 big boys i've shot- havent been any higher than 15'..... if you got good concealment, no need to be half way up the tree... guess that would all depend in the type of area you hunt in...
    #20
    bingsbaits
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/10 20:30:53 (permalink)
    I use one of those plastic closets you can buy at chinamart for $25 bucks..
    It's a free standing closet that holds everything..
    I hang a couple dirt wafers inside and it all smells like fresh earth..(Now I just have to get the cat from trying to crap on my gear.).
     
    I just love to see those fellas in the restuarant in all their hunting clothes..Those deer smell them a mile away...
    post edited by bingsbaits - 2009/09/10 20:32:11

    "There is a pleasure in Angling that no one knows but the Angler himself". WB
     
     


    #21
    countryfisher
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/11 11:39:13 (permalink)
    last year walmart had some gum in the hunting dept that was made or at least endorsed by team realtree... i used i quite a bit and it was cheap, ill be watching for it again this season.  I am pretty sure it has clorophyll in it and it didnt taste bad.  Gum-O-Flauge is another breath scent control gum but I havent personally tried it.  It only makes sense that your breath puts out a lot of human odor... also watch the gas station breakfast burritos or you will be a gas station lol
    #22
    SilverKype
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/11 14:35:46 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: Claypool313

    thermals confuse me at times.


    when it's still...morning warming air will trend up hill.  opposite in evening when cooling.  fortunately this is kinda the direction deer travel.

    avoid by hanging stand higher as others have suggested.  also try to stay out of gullies and head of hollows as wind tends to swirl there.  unfortunately this is also where you'll see a lot of sign.  best to set-up on edges of these.


     
    Thumbs up !  Gaps are tough huntin but that's where they are.
     
    Find the sign, hunt the wind, and they'll come at some point.

    My reports and advice are for everyone to enjoy, not just the paying customers.
    #23
    bronzeback2
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/12 16:57:24 (permalink)
    Lots of good advice one other thing that I do if the sign is good I'll hunt the ridgetops, usually don't have to worry once your up the tree, bucks seem to like to cruise the tops right before the rut, and usually its a downhill drag.
    #24
    BIGHEAD
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    RE: scent control 2009/09/13 06:50:35 (permalink)
    I have been using scent-loc for years. And I'll say when i first started wearing them i was doing a lot of ground hunting and it did work and never had deer that close hunting from the ground. Hell almost got ran over a few times which was pretty cool. But had to put a arrow in them you know self defense LOL  I have had the same scent loc camo's for like ten years or more and they have lasted all this time well till this year. The zipper died on the jacket and starting to fall apart. Well worth the money i spent on them. As far as them really doing what they say may another thing. I think they work to a certin point. You still have to beware of your scent that generates from your hands,face,breath and use cover scents for those.But I bought the new scent-loc got both jacket and pants for a little over a $200.00 and just hope they last as long as the last ones did. always keep in the bag that came with the first set of scent_loc's with a couple waffers and spay all my gear every time I go out.

    KEEP"EM SCREAM"EM DAVE  ONLY CHILDERN and WOMAN use ALWIVES FOR STRIPER BAIT
    #25
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