Hi...

[Theo]

Hi There My name is Steve I joined this site a while back and have just been lurking and reading everyone's posts.

I Started hunting 4 years ago and have to admit after my first time I was hooked, Like most of you I can't wait till the season opens and it always seems to short... Since I'm still new to the sport I have some questions.

I was just curious what everyone's feeling is about scent control, I've talked to several different people about it and everyone has different views and ideas.

Some don't even worry about it and just go hunting the way they are.

Some wash all there clothes several time with no detergent trying to omit any smell.

And of course some wash with special detergent, use the pit stick, Spray... Basically the whole nine yards.

I'm a rifle hunter and like to walk the cut lines or sit in a clearing, just trying to get some info on what I should do to help my odds or what everyone here does?

Thanks in advance

Steve

[Kirby]

I personally don't subsrcribe to the theory of getting super controlish about smells. I do wash my clothes, and have used scent netralizer, but I don't think anything but the wind in the right direction will help.
Watch the wind, and hunt with it.

Kirby

[todbartell]

I wash in a non-scent wash (hunting clothes) and I sometimes use pine scent blocker spray too.

welcome to the site :mrgreen:

[Steeleco]

Same here, don't wash in scented soap and keep the wind in your face. And Welcome.

[Theo]

Just thought I would ask... I bumped into a guy last year that had this little fan attached to his head. he said he managed to walk right up to a bedded down doe!!! Not that I want to walk around with a fan on my head, I just never gave scent much of a thought!

[todbartell]

why the hell did he have a fan :neutral: :rolleyes:

[MB_Boy]

why the hell did he have a fan :neutral: :rolleyes:

Fly-in hunt??? :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[Steeleco]

Me thinks he's pulling your leg, animals can be bumped into in their beds. I'd say it's because any movement on their part will give them away and they don't think they've been seen. Maybe the guy was out of shape and needed something to cool him down??

[Theo]

He said it was some sort of scent eliminator... He wasn't to sure about it but his buddy said it would work and I guess it did!

[Hanrahan]

I'm with Kirby on this one. I've never bothered with scent control. Keeping the wind in your favour I think is all you really need to do when stalking. Of course I don't claim to be a world class hunter. I guess i don't know how many animals have winded me and taken off without me ever knowing. I do (usually) manage to fill my tags, so I've never bothered to try it. If it does make a huge difference then I guess I'd try it out. Sorry, looks like you're not getting much info out of me on this one.

[Thunderstix]

More important than scent control for me is aluminun Foil completely covering my head under my hunting hat. Believe it or not, but this totally blocks out any chance of deer reading your thoughts.

[Steeleco]

More important than scent control for me is aluminun Foil completely covering my head under my hunting hat. Believe it or not, but this totally blocks out any chance of deer reading your thoughts.

Is that with the shiny side in or out.??

LMAO:smile::smile:

[todbartell]

More important than scent control for me is aluminun Foil completely covering my head under my hunting hat. Believe it or not, but this totally blocks out any chance of deer reading your thoughts.



haha :D :lol:

[bsa30-06]

thats what i'm doing wrong, no foil.

[brotherjack]

Before I started bowhunting this year, I was always of the "go as you are, and watch the wind" camp. However, after this year, I tried some stuff because I kept getting busted for scent by the critters, with some WOW results.

Clothes - wash them in baking soda. Hang outside on a tree overnight to dry. Me, wash thouroughly, and use scent-free hunting deodorant (because "scent free" at Wal-Mart, isn't). Douse clothes in baking soda, dump into a trash bag, and shake thouroughly. Hose down clothes, and everything else I'm taking with me that might smell like anything other than nothing with Wildlife Research ScentEliminator (I think it's called). Brush teeth with baking soda. And, hang up a rag doused in cover scent near the hunting site (I used Wildlife Research Trail's End - supposed to attract deer all season. Dunno if it attracted any, but it stunk bad and didn't spook the ones that showed up).

After all that work, being meticulous about every last detail, I've had more than a few doe's walk through my downwind under 15 yards away and not even blink (if I was game to shoot doe's with fawns, oh, how fast the tags would go..). The closest I ever came to getting busted, was one super-suspicious doe who came in downwind from about 8 yards away with two fawns, who though something was amiss, and walked right up to me and had a loud snort of my shoulder to see what I was all about (I didn't even breathe while all this was going on!). She decided she didn't like me all that well, but she never blew or stomped at me, just pranced off about 20 yards away before she settled down to feed.

Prior to all that work, I got busted 4 times in 2 days by EVERYTHING that got even remotely downwind of me.

For rifle hunting, I don't get all that carried away. Wash the clothes in baking soda, dry outside. Wash me, scent free deodorant, and ScentEliminator on the boots and sweaty areas, and I'm ready to go. Dump clothes in with baking soda in a trash bag after wearing but prior to next washing (I hunt every day, wash them about every 3). Other than having to think about hanging them outside after washing, it's really no more complicated than taking a shower.


As I said, I used to scoff at all the crazy things people will do to eliminate and mask their scent - but you know what, I seen the positive results with my own two eyes, and I got the meat in the freezer and the antlers drying to prove that it does do something good. :mrgreen:

[rock]

You forgot about the shades so they don't see your eyes8-)
More important than scent control for me is aluminun Foil completely covering my head under my hunting hat. Believe it or not, but this totally blocks out any chance of deer reading your thoughts.

[Marc]

Not just any shades, but those camo ones that don't give off any glare.

[Hanrahan]

More important than scent control for me is aluminun Foil completely covering my head under my hunting hat. Believe it or not, but this totally blocks out any chance of deer reading your thoughts.


I've also heard that shaving your head to make better contact with the tinfoil helps. And all this time I thought you were naturally bald!:razz:

[ruger#1]

do you get radio stations with that on your head. must sound funny in the rain.

[ratherbefishin]

I'm amazed at how close you can get to an animal [feet] with the wind in your face-and how far away even a fawn can scent you[a couple of hundred yards] when the wind is at your back.

[scouterjames]

Maybe the fan on the head is how they hunt in Holland?

[pete_k]

Can't believe there are no fart jokes yet.

Anyways. Keep it simple and have fun. ie: Keep the wind in your face.
I prefer to keep hunting less complicated. Hunting is hard enough as it is. I've learned alot (my own techniques) just by following a few basic rules.

But I do like the fan on head idea. Is it mounted horizontaly?

[Barracuda]

dont eat or drink anything that will stink when you sweat it out and if you do the first thing you must do is roll around in the frst wallow you find to mask the scent:mrgreen:.

doing a bear hunt this spring ? keep down wind of what you are hunting and make sure your tinfoil hat is shiny side in :wink:

[Spy]

Don't open the windows of your truck, Thats a sure way of been busted while hunting!:wink: :wink:

[muledeercrazy]

i try to keep my boots covered in scent eliminator if i am hunting an area on a regular basis. I even use a bit of cover scent sometimes. I try not to leave the scents on the ground where they last, and other than that just worry about the wind as much as i can. Thats a tought one too, because the wind can do funny things. You can count on thermals being somewhat consistant, and get used to hunting an area with the wind a little bit.

[gibblewabble]

I use scent control laundry soap (1 bottle has lasted 5 years) but walking against the wind is your best bet and when I come across ungulate poo I always rub my feet in it, in my mind that is the best cover scentthere is and its free.

[bearhunter338-06]

Just thought I would ask... I bumped into a guy last year that had this little fan attached to his head. he said he managed to walk right up to a bedded down doe!!! Not that I want to walk around with a fan on my head, I just never gave scent much of a thought!




I walked right into the middle of a dozen does with no sent blocker or fan on my head. Kept the wind in my face, 2-3 steps, stop, slowly look around, repeat, repeat, deer jump up all around you, shite pants, shoulder rifle, spot buck intime for it to disappear. God that was exciting. I sat with the wind in my face and my back to a tree watching a doe and fawn play in a grassy clearing for a couple hours. That was with no sent blocker ether.

[Mr. Dean]

I was just curious what everyone's feeling is about scent control, I've talked to several different people about it and everyone has different views and ideas.


And of course some wash with special detergent, use the pit stick, Spray... Basically the whole nine yards.



Hi :smile:

A good hunter always keeps his nose into the wind; worry about that and it won't matter how stinky you are. As for detergent, I make certain the stuff I use doesn't contain any phosphates > Dull-n-Dingy is my motto.

[Bow Walker]

All the time I've been bow hunting I've always paid special attention to the wind. I also use a cover scent, sprayed on when I leave the vehicle - usually the one that smells like fresh dug earth. Been up close and plenty personal with a few animals over the years.

[Mr. Dean]

All the time I've been bow hunting I've always paid special attention to the wind. I also use a cover scent, sprayed on when I leave the vehicle - usually the one that smells like fresh dug earth. Been up close and plenty personal with a few animals over the years.

The last deer I killed (5pt Muley) was on a game trail @ 7 meters/20 feet - Ripped em' a new one w/ the 300 Winny :tongue:

I say save your money for good tequila, instead. :mrgreen:

[Bow Walker]

A 300 win mag? You could probably rip him a new one at almost 2 kilometers! Us bow hunters have to get up close and personal before we can shoot. Up close and personal happens a lot easier when a person prepares for it.

Kinda like going on a date....:wink: :tongue:

[proguide66]

Steve , next time you run into a guy with a fan on his head and a firearm in his hands...RUN !

As far as cover scent goes , its NOT POSSIBLE to cover your scent...IMPOSSIBLE.So whatever you sploosh on yourself as a 'scent' , the animal you are hunting (actually all animals with noses) are going to smell YOU and the scent you have put on...
BUT , many times I have gone hunting while sweating out beer and have killed a bit of shit , try drinking beer the night before the hunt , I'll bet its worked for many guys on here!;-)

[Barracuda]

pretty sure he has that part covered LOL!!:lol::lol: