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Scent controll

SDbuckmaster

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Jul 20, 2013
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Whitewood S.D.
Just wondering when i see so many hunting shows where people start fires to warm up. Was wondering if you ever worried about the smoke smell on clothes.
 
I would wager that since scent control became an option MANY more game animals have been taken without than with. I have purchased and used a couple of products but have noticed ZERO impact.. Deer sometimes come right to me even when I have not bathed for a week, it happens. More to the original post, light a fire. Smoke is natural. More natural than Irish Spring, beef jerky and scented wipes.
 
The wind is scent control ,as is staying clean while hunting(or anytimeLOL).
I have tried a few things and still rub stinky elk stuff if I find some.
I was on my only ever guided elk hunt with buddy at his ranch,LO tag. I had a smoke with my cuppa @ o'darkthirty outside ranch house.(Try drawing a CA elk tag,LOL)
I do still smoke(rollmyown) sometimes and we were waiting for them to come to water we were sitting.
He made a comment about the tobacco smell possibility from 2 hrs earlier.....I laughed at him as all I could smell was his "Irish Spring" and hair gunk he reeked of .
And I filled my cow tag when one came within range.

My hunt clothes are for hunting,I change if not hunting and keep them as scent free as possible.
 
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If conditions warrant a fire, I'll start a fire. I've done it more to dry out in the rain/wet snow than just to warm up. When this photo was taken there was a large herd of elk just over the ridge behind me. When the rain let up the elk started moving we got right back in 'em.

The following year same hunting buddy & I sat out a heavy wet snow squall for a couple hours over a fire. 30 min. after the squall passed and we left our fire I called a bull to 20 yds. & my buddy killed him.
 

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Scent control is great when stand or blind hunting and I would have worries in those areas but as far as anything spot and stalk wind is always your best friend.
 
Scent control works very well to separate a hunter from his/her money to fund another's needs.
Dan

Just another unnecessary product being pushed on hunting shows for the sponsors. Watched a show the other day and they showed the hunter stopping to spray himself down before taking a shot from several hundred yards away, and of course they focused on the label. Really?
 
I think scent control makes sense if you are hunting a small parcel of ground in the eastern U.S. Where you are hunting a few animals that live in a relatively small area and the presence of humans as predators is the primary concern of game animals. Getting winded by a buck in MI/PA might mean he will leave a property for days, weeks or the whole season.

My experience is that I get winded generally less often with it, but it isn't absolute. The thing is it takes a lot of effort and near constant washing while minimizing exertion in the field to make it worth while. I definitely use it in a treestand in Illinois, but don't even bother with it out west because it isn't reasonable to keep it maintained.
 
Just another unnecessary product being pushed on hunting shows for the sponsors. Watched a show the other day and they showed the hunter stopping to spray himself down before taking a shot from several hundred yards away, and of course they focused on the label. Really?

So are you saying my ozone machine and scent killer mister both mounted on my selfie stick is overkill...LOL
 
I'm with Flatland, it works for me to a point when hunting whitetails in the Midwest from treestands or blinds. I don't go crazy with every product, but I do shower with scent free soaps, and always store all of my hunting clothes in a scent free bag in my truck after washing them with scent free soaps. IMO they don't have to be fancy high dollar clothing, they just have to be kept clean and not worn to McDonalds or the gas station on the way to the field. Rubber knee boots are always part of my gear and if I had only one piece of "scent-Lok" type product it would be a head covering as I believe the sweat from my bald head after hiking in causes more scent than my body under multiple layers. For this reason I stop often on my way to the stand and keep my core temp down by wearing as few clothes as possible and dressing at the stand when I get there. Playing the wind and not hunting particular stands in marginal winds is by far more important to me than any clothing care or product.

On western hunts I throw it all out the window, the hikes are too long and sweaty and when backpacking for a week you are gonna stink, period. We play the wind and thermals the best we can and we get busted, just part of the game. My guess is the game can still detect a sweaty human whether he is covered with smoke or not .
 
I used to smoke, and killed deer with rifle and bow while, lit up. Built fires to warm up. didnt seem to bother that side either, Actually had a bear dig in a fire i had put out and came back thru in about two hours .
( Trick learned for bear ) :hump:
Yes Ive bought spray, and a scent blocker outfit. Did they work? IDK I have killed with it on, and busted with it on.

IMO Use the Wind and Slow Movements. are the key..... Followed by a earth cover scent of the general are your in that day.
 
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I think scent control makes sense if you are hunting a small parcel of ground in the eastern U.S. Where you are hunting a few animals that live in a relatively small area and the presence of humans as predators is the primary concern of game animals. Getting winded by a buck in MI/PA might mean he will leave a property for days, weeks or the whole season.

My experience is that I get winded generally less often with it, but it isn't absolute. The thing is it takes a lot of effort and near constant washing while minimizing exertion in the field to make it worth while. I definitely use it in a treestand in Illinois, but don't even bother with it out west because it isn't reasonable to keep it maintained.


I agree with this statement.
 
I have played the scent control game too. I know smoke from a fire seems to not bother them. Always play the wind. I have participated in several herd reduction hunts where you are basically assigned a small area or even a particular tree to hunt in. You can move around, you have to hunt that spot no matter what the wind. I have found that Nose Jammer has worked better than anything else. I have had bucks come into me from down wind on those hunts as well as others in the woods of MN and WI. I have had enough success with it I would likely bring it on my next hunt out west.
 
Its funny to see almost a perfect West vs East divide on this topic. I think its very location specific in the same way that an Eastern hunter likely doesn't care about rifle ballistics, quartering game in the field or the value of light weight gear the way a western hunter does.

I think there are a few misconceptions about scent control products. First is that it has to eliminate all scent to work well. The thing I have seen the most is a sort of confusion and more snorting over the course of a minute or so before a deer blows out. That minute may mean the difference of a shot opportunity. The other thing is that if your scent is reduced and a deer crosses your path they may assume that you crossed that location a day ago and be OK with that fact. Out west you pick the approach to your game, but in the East the game approaches you so your scent path is very important.

Think of scent control like closing the lid on a trash can, it doesn't make the smell go away 100%, but it reduces it to a tolerable level. Adding a cover scent is like spraying cologne in a high school locker room, it makes it a little better but it will still not smell right.

I'm admittedly skeptical of the advertising claims made by the scent control companies and they seem to do a huge amount of marketing, but generally speaking the techniques and materials used in scent control are commonly used and proven in industrial and lab applications. It the same stuff you filter water with and remember air and water both follow the same rules of fluid dynamics. I think you would have a very hard time saying that they do nothing to reduce human scent at some level.

To what extent scent control has utility is entirely up to debate as products don't succeed in the hunting market place unless they are highly practical. Under Armor markets their scent control products quite heavily in the Midwest market while their Western focused Ridge Reaper line doesn't advertise it all. Like them or not they are a very savvy company when it comes to marketing and recognize market trends whether those are purely scientific or social.

My general point is that there isn't a disadvantage to using scent control if circumstances around a hunt make it feasible and you can afford $100 in scent control base layers and $15/year in scent free detergent/soap. You still hunt the wind and plan your entry/exit routes carefully. Really its no different than wearing camo for deer who are colorblind and generally only sensitive to movement. The added cost to have camo gear vs solid colors is relatively minimal and is quite commonly available.
 
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