"Human Scent" vs. "Scents Humans use"

[Pydpiper]

Great thread!
My opinion is so split on this topic..
I have all the gizmo's, sprays and soaps, and I will admit that if nothing else they inspire confidence, and that is right at the top of my list of things a guy or gal needs when pursuing a deer.
I typically shower before a hunt, no-scent soaps and shampoo then move to my office to gear up, my cloths are scent free as a guy or gal could hope for, washed clean then hung to dry in the wind. When I get home I drop all my clothes on the lawn, usually in the leaves this time of year and head in. After I explain to the family why they shouldn't be looking out the window for my harvest I hang my clothes again, then off to my storage bin where they sit with small nylon bags full of autumn leaves until my next hunt.
I have no doubt that a deer up wind will pick me out like a flashing light, but that is not why I go through this ritual. It is the journey from spot to spot that makes me want to stay clean or covered to the best of my ability. The bush I hunt is small, I often have to let my wind drift in to that bush to get to a spot I am comfortable with, and I am 100% certain that my money and time has been well spent when I do that trip. I may not fool the deer in to thinking he is alone, but I absolutely can lessen his will to run for higher ground. It isn't always about making him think you are not there, it can also be about presenting different smells to keep his interest while you pass by, or at the very least give him something to think about besides Polo cologne and yesterdays burritos.
For me it is about staying in control, I know I can not fool the nose of my prey, but I do know for a fact that with the right application of the right gear at the right time, I can buy an extra few minutes of that deers time. Unfortunatly, those few seconds do come at a cost.

[chris4570]

Scent control isn't just about playing the wind. I use scent free or odour neutralizing detergents/sprays/body wash etc. I wear rubber boots. I know if the wind is wrong it won't matter anyways.

Scent control isn't just about the scent that is being dispersed from where you are hunting but also from where you have travelled to get there. That's where the rubber boots come into play. That's where the sprays can help. I'm sure you have come into contact with brush on the way to your stand and have seen deer freeze or bolt when they smell human on a twig.

A couple years ago I watched four deer stop as though they hit a brick wall. The reason they stopped? I had travelled through the flooded timber more than an hour prior. I must have brushed up against some ceders. They stood there for 3/4 of an hour before going any further. For this reason I try to control the odours coming from my clothes or my person. You can't always predict where the deer will come from.

[Mike P]

It would sure be a lousy world if we all thought the same don't you think? I know just about everyone is going to have an opinion regarding scent and scent control. I have vacillated back and forth so many times on this subject that I would have to write a small book to tell you all the stages I have gone through.

For about the last fifteen years I have hunted only antlers with any true vigor. I did kill doe's up until a couple of years ago, but they were just side thoughts, they just happened to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time.

In the beginning I tried just about everything. Any hunting scent associated item was sure to find its way into my shopping cart. And slowly over the years I have used less and less until I now use none. The only concession I make to scent is wearing rubber boots, and then not all the time. True, a buck is able to pick up my route into my hunting spot. But if I do my homework correctly, that will not be a factor. I always plan my hunts and access to my spots in such a manner that the direction the deer should come from will not intersect my travel path to my spot.

The only thing I insist on regarding scent pertains to one of my partners, Becker the attorney. I insist that he shower prior to riding in the truck with me when we go out to the farm. He uses this cologne called "Club Man" that they have at his athletic club and he reeks of the stuff. Just being near him your clothes get impregnated with the cologne. We would be better off stopping at Wal-Mart on the way to the farm and troll for hot grannies then we would try to hunt deer when he wears that stuff.

Aside from that, here is my bottom line. Nothing I can buy or use will shield me from the nose of a four year old buck or older. Hell, they bust me when they can't smell me or see me. They have a sixth sense of that I am sure.

But hey, the outdoor market needs you to buy these things. How else are we going to see all those great bucks harvested every week on the TV shows sponsored by these products?

And next year you will have an additional choice. I have invented a product called "Boob Bomb." It is only to be set off on Friday nights in Wal-Mart during the rut.

[Limbs and Sticks]

WHEN THE WINDS WRONG IT'S WRONG NO SPRAY, SOAP, POWDER,I DON'T CARE IF YOU FLOAT TO YOUR STAND YOUR BUSTED,SO SAVE YOUR MONEY UNLESS YOU GOT A HOT DATE



WES

[crazyfarmer]

WHEN THE WINDS WRONG IT'S WRONG NO SPRAY, SOAP, POWDER,I DON'T CARE IF YOU FLOAT TO YOUR STAND YOUR BUSTED,SO SAVE YOUR MONEY UNLESS YOU GOT A HOT DATE



WES

Wes, is your cap lock button always on or are you always yelling at everyone here

hahahahahha

but ill agree 100% with you... the money I save, i take the better half out for dinner always good to get bonus points

[Limbs and Sticks]

hell no the damn button sticks i'am getting ready to spray it with some smelly stuff or something :


wes

[crazyfarmer]

hell no the damn button sticks i'am getting ready to spray it with some smelly stuff or something :


wes

some doe estrus will take care of it;)

[Boo]

Camo and Scent control are the two of the most successful marketing campaigns in the world. The owner of ScentLok(?) was interviewed in front of a camera and was asked repeatedly if a deer could smell you in a complete suit if the deer was down wind. He danced around it and would not say no. Simply put I believe you are better to just play the wind. The closest I got to a deer was about 3'! I sat on the snow against a fence post wearing a dark green jacket, black pants and no mask. I made a squeeking noises with my lips and got a mule deer doe so close I could see it's whiskers bristle. When it got 3' away I yelled HEY! I did it for fun but realized later the importance of playing the wind and not moving over scent control products and camo. The only thing I regret is not letting the doe get closer and smacking it's nose.

[Mike P]

It would have been more fun Boo to see him dance if they asked the question "What temperature is required to reactivate the charcoal material in the scentlok product?"

From what I understand, there is no clothes dryer in the world that is capable of reaching the actual temperatures required to reactivate the scent absorbing material found in most all "scent control" clothing.

I had an engineer at DuPont tell me that all the scent control clothing out there may absorb odors, but only for a short while and then you just have normal clothes.

I forget the actual temp for "reactivation" he told me was needed, but I thought at the time that it was high enough to melt the clothing!

[Boo]

Mike, that was another question that was posed to him which made him look bad. I wish I remembered which show it was on. I do remember the Discovery Channel show that had people trying to hide from a dog. No matter what was done (scent control) the dog always found the person and a deer's olfactory organs are quiet a lot more sensitive.

[Pydpiper]

My last deer was taken at 15 yards, I was wearing bluejeans and a typical fall coat. I was standing in the middle of a farmers lane and it came from the beans, looked right at me scanned around and just carried on. After the shot her buddies came out to investigate the sound, they too scanned right over me in my jeans at 15 yards.
I wear camo because it helps keep the rest of the woods quiet, the squirrels and blue jays don't sound off their repulsive alarms as much and other wood bound creatures tend to to let you pass by without alarming them, it has a lot to do with the deer, but not always directly.
Scents.. I use cover scents to cover my tracks, a bit of buck bomb on a boot and a deer will have a different reaction crossing that path then he would if I just came from the local gas station.
There is a place in the woods for camo and cover scents, but they certainly do not make a guy/gal invisible like the marketing techniques try to push.
Watching the wind is a pipe dream for me, it is simply just not possible on my primary property. I hunt the top of a large ravine over the Nith river, the wind completely changes direction about 3 times per minute coming up that 80 yard bank, even on otherwise calm days I have had extreme gusts going in every direction as the wind tries to make it's way up the river. I practice the best scent control I can and never been busted there. Invisible? nope, less repulsive to a deer? I would bet my tag on it!

[DaGriz]

Humans, especially city people, give off a very offensive odor to animals. You cannot wash it away, cover it with any commercial scent blocker. It's all about what you eat!!
North American Indian people would fast for several days before a hunt and spent at least a couple of times in the sweat lodge to rid their bodies of odors created by eating meat. In Viet Nam the gooks could smell GI's from a long way off because of what they ate. I never ate anything but rice for over two years, while in SE Asia.
In many areas deer are acustomed to the foul stench of humans and are not too alramed by the smell. They are more alarmed by movement and seeing something that is new in their area!

Whether you chose to believe this or not makes no difference to me, but it is dang well the facts!

[B-Logger]

Hi folks!

I wasn't going to post here because I know how these things usually go and knew what the answers would be before I read them! However, I'll give it a shot anyway.

Background. My first deer hunt was in 1958, so I have seen a few seasons and have had a couple encounters with a few deer. I've been all sweaty and dressed in camo or non-camo and had deer come right down wind of me and never know I was there!

On the other hand, I've had the exact opposite happen too. I've done all the things right and been busted with deer upwind from me too!

On the Scent-lok thing. I know this is a hot subject but my feelings are a bit different. Will this stuff make you scent free? Absolutely not!!!! Do I use it. Absolutely!

Nothing will make you scent free. If you think about the scent-lok clothing and others like it, what about the parts of your body that aren't covered? What about where you've touched the material while dressing? And for goodness sake, don't spray that stuff! Worse thing you can do to it.

I also use the sprays before hunting and while hunting. Sometimes things work and sometimes things don't work.

Here is one thing that most people miss. All the scent-lok, scent-spray, baking soda, washing bodies, etc. will do is make your scent just a little bit less noticeable to animals. There is the point. If it will give you just a little edge, maybe even a couple more seconds....it is worth every dollar.

I am also convinced that it is your breath more than anything else that gives you away! And the Scent-lok hoods do help on this.

I've experimented a lot but one instance really stands out: I hunted from my wife's blind one morning and the wind was right. I wore no Scent-lok clothing nor did I spray. I got busted when a deer went the wrong way and winded me.

Same blind, different day. I showered, as normal, and donned my Scent-lok clothing. I had no less than 20 deer go downwind from me at 20-30 yards...and I never got busted. I had one deer at 5 yards! So, was it the Scent-lok that helped? I don't know, but I do know this has happened more than once. I also know that I've been busted wearing the stuff too! Sometimes things work, sometimes they don't.

As for me, I'll shower before hunting, wear scent-lok clothing, wear rubber boots, spray scent shield, etc and I'll also hunt the wind! In short, I'll do whatever I can to give me that slight advantage.

So scoff if you will, but don't put others down and quit putting companies down. Each has their place, just like Excalibur does. After all, they can be put down the same as Scent-lok and are by many. Does that make them bad? Absolutely not.

Now go take a shower and go hunting.

[one shot scott]

As an automotive tech, I beleive I have an advantage. I smell of engine oil, and all things car related. They cant smell the human through the machine stink.Its beautiful cover scent!!!! Ever notice how deer dont seem concerned with machinery?

[Quickshot]

Total scent eliminination is impossible to acheive, we can only do so much to keep our human scent down as much as possible. The bottom line is that to fool a deers sense of smell you MUST have the wind, you can use all types of products that can help lower your scent or maybe mask it a little but the wind is your only true method of fooling a deers sense of smell. This is what I believe and follow.