"Human Scent" vs. "Scents Humans use"

[LondonDave]

So we all spend a lot of time trying to mask our scent. Is the scent we are tying to mask our actual body odour or is it the scents of the products we use or a little bit of both?

We use all sorts of smelly products (shampoos, detergents, deoderants, toothpastes, etc). Are we trying to eliminate all of these smells or is it just the actual odour of our bodies?

Would bathing with Vanilla scented shampoos and soaps be a good thing or a bad thing?

Washing our hunting clothes in "Spring Fresh" Downey....Good or bad?

Buck Bomb and others make "curiousity scents" and someone in the product review thread talked about using Lysol as a cover scent/attractant.

Should I be bringing a nice scented candle out to blind or stand with me?

What are your thoughts?

Dave

[VixChix]

Great thread ,Dave. I've been wondering the same thing. I love vanilla scented anything (soap, candles, lotion, etc.) but when I hunt I wash for no scent at all. I stop using almost all scented products on days between hunts. I've often wondered if my favorite vanilla body spray would be a good thing or a bad thing in the deer woods?

[sumner4991]

I beleive it's this . . .whatever you were wearing when you got "busted" by a smartarse nanny is what you need to avoid.

Anything out of the "ordinary" for a deer needs to be eliminated. Otherwise, they are checking you out.

[VixChix]

Sumner - that nanny has got to be relocated pronto . Preferably to your freezer!

[DanO]

I used the "earth scent" wafers you pin on the outside of your clothing last year and I swear the deer used that smell to bust me. I didn't use any cover scents this year except the Scent Away on the boots and I didn't get busted even once. I did wash the clothing in scent eliminators and bagged them. I think play ing the wind is the key no matter how much scent managing you do. IMO

Dan O.

[Pydpiper]

I go for no scent, fresh shower just before leaving, a towel that was treated the same way as my hunting clothes. As the hunt progress I may need to try a cover scent, usually on my boots for travelling and the odd shot of buck bomb if my wind is going somewhere undesirable.
I would doubt that any daily scent like a vanilla body spray or other scented items meant for household use actually smell that way to a deer, they are usually chemical contraptions designed to fool a humans nose, a far easier task than a deers.
I have a trail cam set up over various foods and scents to see what they prefer. Along with various types of apples I have a stick dipped in peanut butter and one in vanilla extract, just for curiosity sakes.
I use the wafers too, fresh dirt seems to work well where I hunt.

[one shot scott]

Nothing will scare a whitetail deer more than human BO.

Even fresh out of the shower each and every one of us are loaded to the hilt with human BO, it will not wash off.

In my opinion some folks concentrate too much on scent eliminating clothing (and so forth) when the clothing isn't what's causing the stink.

I'm not saying human scent can't be controlled...I'm saying it can't be eliminated. Since there is always going to be some, a hunter must use the wind regardless of all the "Specialty Items" ($$$$) they may be donning.

I was led to beleive that you treat the clothing to contain the human stink. I spray it on my cloths heavy, let it dry, and when I head out to the feild I spray again. Its very rare that I get busted. My buddy got busted almost every time hunting in my stands last year. This year I told him how to treat his clothing gear like mine, and he got his first doe.

[Hoss]

Pydpiper and Bstout are right on the money...not trying to take away from anyone’s hunting abilities. I believe SCENT products are a joke. I have-- we have all spent a lot of money on stuff we should never buy. There is no suit that’s going to make you scent free. no spray, no scented candles etc...Fooling a deer’s nose is almost impossible. Your just fooling yourself, However anything you do in preparation for your hunt that makes you more confident the better. There is a lot of stupid doe that are out there...same with Gomer Pyle bucks they are out there, and young deer make a lot of mistakes. They avoid warning signs out of curiosity as we all know they are very curious animals.. Well during the rut they all get stupid as a rock .I think a lot of the reasons I have killed deer in the past looking back was because they made a mistake and overlooked a warning sign! They should have been more careful...I’m sure of it...PLAY the wind is what my gramps taught me...And for what its worth the are very social animals they do not want to be alone...strength in numbers...so try-- blow-- one time-- a doe bleat in the morn or eve and wait..I usually get a lone doe or 2 coming and looking for a friend to be with and if the wind is right she’s going in the freezer...SCENT of any kind that is not in there environment every day is a BIG red flag to mature deer...even that proclaimed earth scent or dirt scent. Just cause it smells like dirt and there is a lot of dirt in the woods doesn’t mean its OK...they know what there house smells like and they know they are on the menu...so you can bet the look at things way different than we do. Think if you had a nose, eyes, and ears like they do and you where on the menu how would you be? The ghost of the woods is doing the same X 1000..Any scent outa the norm is a bad thing...play the wind, don’t hunt the same stand to much. Try to stay quite and stealthy... They have to get up every 6-7 hours to feed and drink..so wait them out. …the best way to kill a mature deer is ambush! no noise.. I see more deer setting on a travel route and doing nothing. Be smart trust your instincs and don’t second guess yourself...remember past successful hunts..good luck..Im done rambling..

[ninepointer]

There are countless potions in bottles that are incredibly effective.... effective at separating hunters from their money.

[hunter 740]

Hoss I think your spot on.I've tried the rubber boots the sprays the scents all that stuff.I still think if a deer gets down wind your busted.One thing I know willl work if the thermals are in your favor is hunt high above them on a steep bank and your scent will go over their nose ,this is only when you get a cross wind compaired to their travel route.

[Rich]

Well said Hoss, we think the same.

Rich

[one shot scott]

I know everyone will have a thousand opinions on this topic, but a gotta say this, if you buy the scent elimination products it is not money thrown away. We all spend $ on cloths,bows,tags, bolts, the latest broadheads, etc etc etc.. 20 bucks a year for scent elimination is not money that has been wasted. I am not saying because you spray yourself with scent eliminator your now invisible any a deer down wind will not scent you. of course their nose will pick you up. But it been described to me like this: scent control is just that, control. You still have scent, just to a lesser extent. that deer that smells you may only pick up a % of your b.o. this makes them think you are further away than you actually are. as a result they are at a alert, but not as much as if you had nothing in your favor. I have a cheap ghillie suit that smells of burlap. I can hardly stand to have that suit in the house. When I sprayed it with scent eliminator the stink was gone for a day. No one can tell me that the stuff does not work. when it comes to trying to fool the animals best tool against us, I will try anything that helps my odds. Just my opinion. Not trying to change anyone elses. Neil.

[crazyfarmer]

scott, i wish i spent only 20bucks I buy atleast 5 things of the big containers of scent away spray which is usually 12bucks each. They normally will last me the whole season.

Now for the soaps, clothing wash, and other things I dont even bother with. I do wear the scent lok shirts and so forth. They help, but they arent cheap. One reason I buy mine when they are 50% off after season I mainly like the scent lok stuff because its soft and quiet, along with the latest camo patterns.

Ive never bothered with showering before going out hunting just to get rid of scent to hunt. Never bothered with washing my clothes in stuff to get rid of scent. Never put my clothes in a scent proof bag, and put them on in the stand.

My typical hunt consists of me wearing my normal working clothes, putting scent lok clothes on over that, and then spraying down with scent away. Thats it folks... 80% of the stuff you see the pros do on TV is just because those companies dump money into their shows. Now if its hot out, chances are deer will bust you 3 times quicker than in the cold air.

as said above, check the weather channel and see what the winds doing.. I have 25 stands up and each has a special wind to hunt them on. I know some believe in washing with soaps and etc, but im running out of wall space using none of that stuff and just hunting the wind Half the deer ive killed have come straight from downwind and none of noticed me being there, unless it was a HOT day out.

but you can use all the soaps in the world, but you will still have some type of smell thats not like a deer.. thats the way I look at it

[MADMAX2]

The native americans used to go into the sweathouse before the hunt as tradition I wonder if it also had someting to do with scent control?

[hetichunter]

I gave up spending my money on all this stuff. You just can't fool a deers nose!

I agree with the others who say to play the wind correctly.

And with all the money I am saving I can buy a crossbow when Illinois gets its head out of its ass.