Anti Scent Sprays

[andrewheth]

I was just wondering what everybody else is using for scent eliminators. I seen some nice animals last weekend but got scented a few times by these damn mulies. I am using dead down wind scent eliminator spray but I think it sucks. Any suggestions?

[Gateholio]

Wind direction and thermals (scent rises as the temperature warms, and drops as temperature cools)

Scent eliminator products are for catching hunters, not deer.:-D

[andrewheth]

The funny thing is I got snort wheezed twice with the wind in my face. It was the first time this has happened to me.

[brian]

I figure as long as you are breathing, you can't eliminate your scent. Wind is my scent control. Maybe he saw you?

[muledeercrazy]

him snorting could have been a sign that he actually saw you or heard you, I think. That is the warning for the other deer. If the deer was upwind of you its not likely it actuallly scented you.

I use the scent eliminator on my boots in areas I hunt regularly, to try to keep the scent down. I dont think its worth getting really carried away with.

[moose2]

I use " bucks-n-does " complete scent elimination kits I beleive they work well. I know it has given me the few extra seconds that I needed on many occasions. I have been using this product for about ten years and have had a lot of success with it. I use the laundry wash , bodywash, deorderant, and then one of the forest scent covers my favorite is the spruce blend. Animals have 3 key senses that save their lives. Sight , smell , and hearing. Mess with at least 2 of these and chances are good. Messing with all 3 ups the odds even more. Camo , Scent eliminaton and wind direction, Calls , rattling ,scraping trees , and changing walking patterns.
MIKE

[urbanhermit]

I watched a video where a guy was testing the scent eliminators, he went through the whole routine with the laundry soap, body wash etc, sprayed boots clothes and everything. he walked into a woodlot he had never visited before and his wife took their beagle in an opposite direction. she drove the mutt around a bit then took him to the down wind side of this, "strange to him", woodlot. got the dog out of the car and told him to go get daddy. When she unleashed him he trotted the 200 yrds or so right to the guy, tail wagging. Good luck with the anti scent sprays, manage the wind i say.

[wolverine]

I think it's easier and works better to not try and eliminate your scent but to smell like something they are used to smelling and managing the wind the best you can. For example, if you can handle the smell all day, next deer you get cut off the scent glands and thread a string through them and bag them in zip locks and put them in the freezer for next year. Then the following season when you're ready to go out in the field take them out of the freezer and tie the strings to the eyelets on your boots and let them drag behind a couple of inches or just fasten them to the back of the boot. Your going to stink but it's something they don't run from when the wind shifts. If you do that always be sure to check your back track often as they tend to follow that scent with their heads down a bit. I did it once but I couldn't stand the smell all day long. My boots still stunk up the truck... but.. I did get a nice buck that afternoon. Was it the glands that helped....don't know for sure but it didn't hurt.

[steelheadSABO]

i just use my natural stench

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Spray yourself from head to toe in the stuff. Use the whole bottle......then crawl into a big ziplock bag...and close 'er up real tight!!:)

SSS

[Hank Hunter]

[quote=Gatehouse;

Scent eliminator products are for catching hunters, not deer.:-D[/quote]

X2 on that

[goatdancer]

You could do like the elk do and piss all over yourself.....

[cinnabear]

i've also heard that the scent glands work great and can actually get bucks to follow your trail

[coyotejoe]

LOL @ Stone sheep Steve...

I use the scenting stuff too recently, not sure how good it works. I washed my stuff in a Sport Chemical to reestablish the water proofing and such. Than I hung it out to dry, but before hanging it all I sprayed it all down with the descent stuff, so it dries on the fabric... not sure if it will work. This was the simple 99 Scent stuff from a hunting store; I think walmart caries it too.

But... if you really want an option that works well - takes a little time though. something I didn't have time to do this year. After a regular wash do the following
1 - WASH AGAIN, BUT put washer into dual rinse cycle with just water - nothing else.
2- prepare your soaking water...
3-the soaking water is the hard work... take your largest pot and fill it with water, cut local cedar branches off the tree... taking cedar needles, and some of the branch's twig parts, wouldn't hurt to grab a piece of bark too.
Stuff it into the pot to boil with lid on it. I use at least 3 to 4 liters. Boil for a while - 10 15 minutes.
4 - Once laundry is done and very well spun out grab clothes and soak them individually in the COOLED soaking water. plunging them a few times to the bottom of your pot, or I use a Large tote container.
5- hang to dry... this will take a while. you could spin them off in your machine, but i typically hang them right away, dripping soaking wet... Never got to ask about if my scent would get onto the clothes after soaking them.
6- once dry place into a large zip lock bag and seal till you put them on; its a great idea to place large cedar branches in with the clotes to... for scenting and to scare off bugs (should you be storing your clothes like this for the next season.

Alder, vine maple, and Birch can work too - I have found Cedar to last the longest though.
And for the smokers - grab cedar ends (the fresh new nubs/leaves) or new tig ends on Alders and chew on them like gum... it will help hide your breath scent; not totally but somewhat.

Does it work - I would argue yes. Once again this is an old indian trick taught to me by no other than an Elder of mine.

Sharing the knowledge...

[MuleyMadness]

Wind direction and thermals (scent rises as the temperature warms, and drops as temperature cools)

Scent eliminator products are for catching hunters, not deer.:-D

That's right...especially as you have to breathe, and that is stinky to an animal.

An outstanding deer and elk hunter once told me, beyond anything else, have the utmost respect for an animals sense of smell, and ALWAYS pay attention to the wind. If you do that, you should not need any cover scents.

He's shot several 200+ class bucks, including one at just over 231 and never ever used any cover scent, so I believe he knows that of which he speaks.

I do think it's a good idea though to wash your sweaty hunting clothes (believe me some guys don't), because our body odours are very strong to an animal, and clothes are fantastic at holding the scent in them. Just find a non scented or 'hunter's' laundry detergent to do it, and if temperature allows, hang them to dry.

[Bistchen]

In my opinion, scent sprays are for heavily pressured hunting areas, and not the ones in Canada, but in for example; Texas, and Pennsylvania and the likes of those states. Warmer weather, more people, more cautious White-tail deer etc.
The only time I used it was for my boots, to eliminate a trail. Don't even really know if it works. Like the other guys were saying, if you're downwind, your one step ahead.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

keep downwind ... I'll use a cover scent before I will use a scent eliminator ...just make sure you use a cover scent that is aplicible to the area that you hunt .... eg: if you hunt high Alpine its doubtfull that there would be an apple orchord there ..so stay away from Apple scents ... go with pee smells ... if you can handle it ....
It always turned my wife on when I came home smelling like Elk piss ;)
well My wife turned on the hose is more like it ;)

[gitnadoix]

IMHO they are a joke,..... I mean just think about it with a rational mind even for one second......spraying some magical elixir on your hunting boots is going to stop the oils and dead skin cells from being exuded from every single square inch of your body every single second of your life... and then there is your breath. all those microscopic particles are wafting off of your body every second you are alive. And no magic spray is gonna stop one of the basic proccess of your body..... A human has about 5 million scent receptors in our nose, a dog about 200 million....it has been sugested that dogs may even smell cancer in a humans breath.....many of natures animals that hve been evolving and surviving on the strength of their nose are believed to be smelling in the neighbour hood of parts per trillion.....ya think a little spray is gonna stop every single trillion cells and molicuels that fall of you in the next hour.........if you beleive that hey I have these beans I would like to sell they are really special....

[brad ferris]

First and foremost pay attention to the wind. This is a no brainer. Having said that I do use sent eliminator sprays and also try to keep my clothes and gear as clean and scent free as possible. My goal. Is not to neutralize the trillions of scent molecules but to reduce them below the alarm threshold of my prey. Most of the game in this province smell human activity fairly often and they stil go about there normal routine the trick is to be at 30 yards but smell like you're at 800

[lindy rig]

i wasnt really a beleiver in the spray until i was cutting an onion up and i had a really strong onion smell on my fingers. a couple sprays of dead down wind on my hand changed my mind. it took that rank onion smell out right away. having said that i always try to stay downwind but it is not always possible. i think if nothing else it can buy you a few extra seconds, which can make a huge difference sometimes. good luck this year eh.