Scent Control Products - How important?

[WapitiTalk1]

Just curious, how far do you cats take your scent control measures before and during your time in the elk woods? In your opinion, how important are scent control products to you? I'm talking washing hunting clothes in scent free soap, using only scent free deodorant/toothpaste/body wash, spraying down with scent free spray prior to heading out on a hunt, etc. Super scientific poll added for your vote Please provide some comments or discussion points when you vote.

[Mike_Parson]

i have not hunted in a situation were i needed scent control until last year. I did find it very helpful when sitting on a water hole and i had a herd of cattle come in and pass right by me at about 5 yards. they saw me and were curious but never spooked and ran cause they couldn't smell me. We also had a bear com into the water and he played and then passed us at about 7 yards and he never indicated he saw or smelled us, even after getting downwind of us in a fairly good wind. i will continue to wash in scent free detergent and keep things stored properly and i will spray down with scent free spray before leaving camp. it doesn't seem to hurt so why not try it.

[Swede]

I am pretty careful about minimizing my scent. I perch fairly high in a tree, mostly to minimize opportunity for my scent to come to the ground near my stand. I take a sponge bath or shower daily and wash again later where most scent comes from. I use scent free soap, Arm & Hammer scent free detergent, and spray my cloths with scent killer. I also rub some pine, juniper or sage on my clothes sometimes. I think it all helps, but is not a perfect solution. Is minimizing scent important to me?

[Northman]

I use arm & hammer to wash my clothes and use scent free deoderant. I'll spay down my boots and clothes before I leave camp. I watch the wind religiosly and for the most part know animals up wind won't smell me. Animals down wind will. I had a time when I was hunting elk years ago and the forest service was doing a control burn. The smoke from the burn had settled into the basin I was in and it was magical. Those elk couldn't smell me even when they were down wind. I've reflected on that experiance over the years and wondered if Fred Bear had it right using campfire smoke as a cover scent. Elk will go into a burn area the following year to eat the fresh chow. I wonder if we associate smoke scent as "bad" just because we can smell it.

[Ben Nicholson]

I do my best to minimize human scent (scent free soap, deodorant, even a few sprays of dead down wind), but I'm not going to pay extra for scent blocker. I'm certainly not going "forget the wind just hunt". Nothing will replace playing the wind.

[Lefty]

I'm a scent control freak. All my clothes are washed in scent free silver soap including boot inserts then stored in a enclosed plastic box generally with sagebrush.
I wash my body in scent free soaps. During hunting season I only use antiperspirant no colognes or aftershaves I shave with scent-free soap all month long I bathe daily on most hunts
I even changed my diet slightly during the elk hunt I reduced the red meat and certain types of spices like garlic I also use Alfalfa pills like they do an old folks home. I don't heat with wood at camp I have individual sle
My sleeping bag and tent is washed the week before elk hunt, I wipe down or bathe before bedtime, then change into clean sleeping clothes I've had the luxury of having camp at my truck and a new set of clothes for each day
I have always had spray inside the blind I have also dumped geolite on the floor I also use an ozone generator wild bear hunting anyway
My goal is s to reduce my scent plume downwind

[Lefty]

I'm writing this in the back of car bouncing down the highway
My goal isn't a trick to nose of a bull elk just to reduce the size of the scent plume.
I don't really know how many elk I have busted down wind but I've had a lot of big bucks and bulls down wind.
I've had a bull stick its nose in the blind and blow snot on my face. cows and calves rubbing on the edge of the Box blind just inches away
The past few years I've had too many coyotes around my camp and I just can't think but that my reduced scent gace coyotes the courage to get closer

[mongopino915]

Always on the move and sweating so there is no sense in using scent control. Just the good old wind direction each and every time.

I worried more about my scent bothering me than the elk. At the end of day, I do wipe down so I feel cleaner.

[Lefty]

Always on the move and sweating so there is no sense in using scent control. Just the good old wind direction each and every time.
I worried more about my scent bothering me than the elk. At the end of day, I do wipe down so I feel cleaner.

But why not reduce the strength of body /human odor!
My first 6 years archery hunting I hunted Idaho desert I often got hot and sweaty, and eventually stinky, OK maybe I was lucky I had water
and a few times this was my relief. With about 80 PSI at the hydrant cooling off. Or carried 55 gallons of water in my truck

IMG_4725 (Small).JPG (101.78 KiB) Viewed 16335 times

BO and clothing stink are often caused by bacteria on the skin and clothing combining with moisture. Silver and other minerals , Salts/baking soda, Hydrogen peroxide are cheap
All the clothes that went hunting with me from mid august - to the second week in November All my body wash etc,.. If paying regular price would have been under $30
Ok I did get some items on sale,.

alfalfa pellets 300 for less than $5.00
underarm deodorant,.. yes I use it on my crotch too, $3.00 bucks for 2 months Last week at Walmart .50
and hydrogen peroxide or baby or hunters wipes for the backside,.. What ever you want to pay,.. but 32 oz of Hydrogen peroxide is less than a buck
Hunters hair and body soaps on sale last week at Walmart,. for 2.50 about 1/2 the cost of Axe body wash.
Cost generally isnt the issue
Fridays or the night I leave for a hunt I shower and get into clean clothes When I get to the area I hunt,.. I get my gear ready and change into fresh clothes
My under garments become part of my bed clothes. If Ive slept too warm, I wipe down before I get out of my sleeping bag
After a day of hunting,.. back at camp I wipe down as much as possible, with body sprays and wipes, I spray my hat, face mask and an clothing that may have been used if it will be worn again such as jackets shirts, rain gear or even my camo shirt

Wind cant be trusted.
Sit on a bear honey burn,.. I have yet to have a honey burn and sit under 150 yards and sometime during the burn it will be smelled,.
. If just once that bull doesnt identify me as a threat that can make for a whole knew hunt

[welka]

Worry about the wind and thermals. Worry about the wind. Worry about the wind. I am sweating within the first 5 minutes in any state so no real chance to be odor free!

[mongopino915]

Always on the move and sweating so there is no sense in using scent control. Just the good old wind direction each and every time.
I worried more about my scent bothering me than the elk. At the end of day, I do wipe down so I feel cleaner.

But why not reduce the strength of body /human odor!
My first 6 years archery hunting I hunted Idaho desert I often got hot and sweaty, and eventually stinky, OK maybe I was lucky I had water
and a few times this was my relief. With about 80 PSI at the hydrant cooling off. Or carried 55 gallons of water in my truck

IMG_4725 (Small).JPG

BO and clothing stink are often caused by bacteria on the skin and clothing combining with moisture. Silver and other minerals , Salts/baking soda, Hydrogen peroxide are cheap
All the clothes that went hunting with me from mid august - to the second week in November All my body wash etc,.. If paying regular price would have been under $30
Ok I did get some items on sale,.

alfalfa pellets 300 for less than $5.00
underarm deodorant,.. yes I use it on my crotch too, $3.00 bucks for 2 months Last week at Walmart .50
and hydrogen peroxide or baby or hunters wipes for the backside,.. What ever you want to pay,.. but 32 oz of Hydrogen peroxide is less than a buck
Hunters hair and body soaps on sale last week at Walmart,. for 2.50 about 1/2 the cost of Axe body wash.
Cost generally isnt the issue
Fridays or the night I leave for a hunt I shower and get into clean clothes When I get to the area I hunt,.. I get my gear ready and change into fresh clothes
My under garments become part of my bed clothes. If Ive slept too warm, I wipe down before I get out of my sleeping bag
After a day of hunting,.. back at camp I wipe down as much as possible, with body sprays and wipes, I spray my hat, face mask and an clothing that may have been used if it will be worn again such as jackets shirts, rain gear or even my camo shirt

Wind cant be trusted.
Sit on a bear honey burn,.. I have yet to have a honey burn and sit under 150 yards and sometime during the burn it will be smelled,.
. If just once that bull doesnt identify me as a threat that can make for a whole knew hunt

Lefty, I see that you take scent control very seriously. Some might call it OCD but nothing wrong with trying to get every edge possible. Good Luck comes September.

[Lefty]

Lefty, I see that you take scent control very seriously. Some might call it OCD but nothing wrong with trying to get every edge possible. Good Luck comes September.

sure do,. a fat guy needs to have some advantage
Yeah maybe a bit of OCD
Ive hunted with rifle hunters that just didnt wash their" hunting clothes". While packing one year, a son opened is hunting clothing box.. and he made the comment,.. Smells like elk hunting to me. The previous year they packed a two year-old tent away wet and had to buy a synthetic wall tent Everything smelled of smoke and other scank.And they used elk pee for cover scent,.. wow what a year of aging did for the boys clothes:lol:

Ive been close to a lot of big bulls that have been down wind and a few herds passing under 60 yards down wind. My 2nd year archery elk I had two 350 plus bulls walk 14 yards down wind of a box blind, zeolite on the floor of the blind and clean everything else. The next week I cut a shooting hole on that side of the blind

[saddlesore]

Years ago,I tried a lot of that stuff.Finally came to the conclusion that you can't get rid of all the different odors. If you stink a little, ,average, or a whole bunch,if you don't pay attention to the wind,you will get busted.I kill an elk every year and have done so for many years, without using anything except that scent free soap in camp.That is because it is more conveinent in the squirt type bottle.

I keep myself clean all the time and do a sponge bath every night .I have had bulls and cows within 2-3 feet of me using the same methods.
In my opinion all this scent block stuff is just a marketing ploy, the same as camo clothing

[Osprey]

I live in Whitetail country in the Midwest and hunt heavily hunted public land so naturally I have learned a few things on scent control. Sure you can kill animals without using scent control methods but I never understood why someone would not do what they can to reduce scent to a degree you only benefit from trying to be as scent free as possible. Does this mean drop a bunch of money on highly advertised products, no. It is absolutely impossible to be completely scent free BUT you can get to a level where the game is either ok with it or thinks your farther than you really are. Also the less stink your leaving in the air jus makes it harder for game to pick it up with swirling winds. Merino base layers, using scent free deodorant, shower or washing down when possible, anything you can do to reduce stink will help to a degree. I try to take every advantage of what I can but you still need to hunt the wind, I don't take as much precaution for Elk as I do when whitetail hunting since your limited in the backcountry to what you can do not to mention hiking around and sweating days on end in the same clothes your just going to stink to some degree no matter what you do Elk hunting. This past season while still hunting timber in CO 3rd rifle I had cows at 20 yds even after not showering for 7 days and wearing the same clothes. I do not use cover scents anymore I experimented on deer with even pure deer herd smells and honestly I had better results without it, I shave my arm pits since hair holds scent more, I use mitchum scent free deodorant, I use all natural scent free detergant with no UV enhancers I get 4x as much compared to the deer hunting brands for the same price, as for soaps I use the scentaway hair and body wash. What ever you try smell it if it has a scent I don't use it, dead down wind has sort of a off smell to me I had better reults with other products, some scent free products have off smells to me. If I was deer hunting I would be a lot more scent cautious fresh clothes out of scent proof bag, shower every day etc but elk hunting I just do what I can.

[Indian Summer]

Why can't I ever view the results on these polls Rory???

I'll choose D: "Not important at all (nothing disguises human scent; I just watch the wind/thermals closely)"

Although I do want my clothes clean and scent free at the beginning of a hunt.

If we are talking whitetails from a treestand then it is way more important because you spend so much time in the same spot. So my deer clothes are always clean and I keep them sealed up with pine bows in there. That's it though. If you don't have the wind you ain't killin' much if anything.

[stringunner]

Are white tails from a tree stand much different than elk from a tree stand? So if you were hunting elk from a tree stand would you use the same scent free tactics as you do when white tail hunting? Just curious as some have said their white tail tactics are different and I think the tree stand use is the primary difference?

I hunt elk primarily from tree stands. I take about as much precaution as many have said on here. I wash daily, each morning with scent free soap (I camp with my rv so I can do this easily), I carry a bottle of scent free spray and will spray down once in the stand. I try and access the stands from the same trail so as to eliminate as much scent in the area as possible. I wear clean clothes daily.

When I hunt from the ground, "running and gunning", I hunt the wind always, as many have said, I'm sweating while doing so and there is no way that I have found, to hunt that way without sweating.

[Swede]

I have been around Stringunner when he is hunting. I never pick up an odor of any kind from him. I have been around hunters that smell strong of smoke and unwashed body. I know we can't stay "scent free" all day running and gunning, but we don't need to smell like a Billy goat either. I know, if I stay down wind and have a strong smell, I may get away with it. Still I would rather minimize my scent and limit the effects.
Rory started a tracking thread the other day. I mentioned that I have found elk in the evening by walking below where I expected to find them, and catching their scent, so think of it this way: I found the elk because of its strong smell. Do you think I could find a rabbit that way? Why? Or think of the difference between being downwind of a paper sack with an old sandwich and banana in it and being downwind of a garbage dump. You get the idea.

[saddlesore]

One thing,we don't build campfires. I know it's a big tradition in camps,but I hate the smell of smoke.The other thing about unwashed bodies is keeping clean. I always had bigger wall tent when I packed in to hunt, but now hunt from a truck camper.Both ways,I always I do a complete body wash every night. If one is close to water,enough to drink, there is enough to wash. Even if the scent blockers or? worked,they are not going to cover body odor from guys that go a week without washing. I have met backpackers that smell bad enough to gag a maggot on trails and see them spraying that stuff on or maybe wiping down with one of those little WET ONES.

Personal hygiene goes a long ways in controlling scent ,but I suspect some guys don't even practice it at home.

It is no sin to wash out your long johns etc., either while out hunting

[jmez]

I'm in the not important at all crowd. Hunt the wind and thermals. I follow the same philosophy in the midwest whitetail woods.

I've been full circle on this. When I started there was no such concept. Then there was washing the hunting clothes in backing soda and storing them in a plastic trash bag with various plants from the hunting area. Then dedicated scent free soaps and washes and rubbermaid totes. Finally scent free clothing and electronic devices to place in the stand. I quit prior to the clothing and electronic devices.

I progressed to the point of washing all my hunting clothing in scent free soaps. Hanging on the line to dry. Putting in Rubbermaid outside, never opening a tote inside. Showering prior to a hunt, drying with a towel that had been through the descentng regime, putting on a pair or sweat pants and shirt that had been through the regime. Drive to hunting area. Remove all clothing outside, spray down with scent killer, apply new clothing, spray down with scent killer, go hunting. Back to truck, disrobe, spray clothing down with scent killer and place in a new rubermaid for clothes that had been worn but might need again before I had time to rewash. Get home, take out worn clothing, spray down again with scent killer and hang on clothes line until dry. Spray down with scent killer and replace in rubbermaid. Etc.

I eventually got tired of this and less persistent. My deer sightings never went down. Was visiting with a hunting buddy one day, at the time he and I hunted pretty much the same farms. He sees and shoots bigger deer than I do without fail. Always has. One day I asked him what products he used to wash his hunting clothes. He looked at me kind of funny and said I don't know, Tide, Cheer whatever is on the washer why? He simply replied no, pay attention to the wind. That was kind of my aha moment both with scent control and deer hunting. It is for the hunter, marketing works, and like everything else, some people are just better at it than others.

I've pretty much quit all scent control now. In the mountains it isn't even a consideration. At home, my hunting stuff gets washed in a scent free detergent once a year. I dress in the house before I leave. Some days I can sneak out of work early, I just change into hunting clothes and go, no shower, regular old deodorant. I do pay much more attention to wind and especially thermals than I did in the past. I really don't see any difference when hunting.

Sometimes deer come in directly downwind of me and never even look around. They did the same when I was a scent nazi. Sometimes I can hear them snorting over 100 yards away when they are down wind of me and I never see them. They did the same when I was a scent nazi. You will never trick or fool an animals nose. Sometimes they care when they smell you and sometimes they don't.

[CurlyTail]

I would echo jmez.

Yes scent is important, but it is not practical or possible to eliminate it enough to make a difference.

Plus, I do not enjoy the scent reduction procedures, and they do not add to my enjoyment of the hunt.

I play the wind, and find the thermals in my area to be fairly reliable.

I show up in camp with a tub full of scent free hunting clothes. I change clothes about every other day. I do not spray down. I do take a shower every couple of days and use scent free soap and shampoo, scent free antipersperant. That is about it.

[rowdycwby1]

I try to stay sent free as possible all my clothes get washed in sent free soaps and get put in a scent lock bag with a earth wafer in it until hunting season. I wash every morning before going out in nose jammer soaps and use dead down wind spray down with nose jammer spray and really try to work wind and thermals. I've been downwind of several animal using nose jammer and haven't got busted by smell but the sudden movement of me drawing back got me busted. They my notes work all the time but I'll take any advantage I can.

[VT Sasquatch]

I have no experience with elk but I have a good bit of experience with whitetails and have spent a lot of time around bird dogs. In my opinion, you cannot cover your scent. I have had times where I have been in the woods after using scent eliminator, odor free soap, etc. and have had my dog let out of the cabin by hunting buddies. My dogs have followed my scent trail at least a half mile right to my tree. If the dog can follow it so easily, no one can convince me that a deer couldn't smell it too.

I believe the thermals and breeze can be a huge asset though. I have had so many times where I have been sitting on the ground while making no effort to cover my scent (like while turkey hunting) and had deer walk right past me that I think wind and thermals are much more important than scent products.

I Also think it is an issue of magnitude. If a deer (or probably an elk) encounters a scent trail from a person passing by, I suspect that it doesn't get them too riled up. If they smell the odor of someone being in close quarters, that's different.

I gave up bothering with scent-eliminating products about 10 years ago and my level of success has not changed.

[Swede]

I hope this is informative and not just arguing. Scent control does not need to be all or nothing. Minimizing your scent will mean you are not smelled as far away, and you will have a narrower scent trail. Your scent does not spread out as far if you are careful. There is just not as much odor to be detected at a distance. You can use my garbage dump analogy if you like. You can smell a dump a lot farther and wider than one ripe banana. Also strength of scent makes a huge difference too. An ounce of skunk scent can be detected much farther away than an ounce of lemon juice. Can you get busted even with minimal odor. Of coarse, but there are many who have had elk pass by down wind and not spooked them because they were minimizing their scent. Either the elk were far enough away, or the scent window was narrow enough that they were not detected.
I have read a good dog can detect scent 1 million times better than a human, so we are not going to fool a dog on our trail. We don't need to. Scent carries in the wind and spreads out. In the navy I learned that I could smell land before we could see it. The scent of an island, like Hawaii carries a long way out to sea. The island is a huge source of odor. A nearby ship at sea could not smelled even when we were down wind. There was just not enough scent to carry that far.
I have a friend that, I believe has given up on bow hunting because he never shot anything more animated than a bale of hay. He smoked and did not bathe often. He sat in the exact same tree stands I and others did, where we got game on a regular basis. I am sure scent is what ruined his hunts. If I was on his downwind side, I could smell him at least 10 feet away. Not good. All he shot in the season was hay.

[husky390]

Worry about the wind and thermals. Worry about the wind. Worry about the wind. I am sweating within the first 5 minutes in any state so no real chance to be odor free!

^^^^This. I'd take a different stance if it was November whitetail hunting in a treestand 500 yards from the truck. For elk, it's too hot and I hike too much to even bother with it.

[njdoxie]

I do nothing to control scent, I have a fire every night, and never bother to clean anything for 8 to 10 days at a time, I backpack hunt, it's too much trouble, I'm too tired, I get my opportunities to kill elk. When I get back to camp at night, it's all I can do to build a fire, fix dinner, fill my water bottles, get my food ready for tomorrow, and about 20 other things.

[ElkNut1]

Guys, this is the Elk Forum!! Hound dogs, Deer & other critters are a different animal! As far as Elk go, your scent is diminished in 20 minutes or less, this is from countless encounters over many years not an isolated case! Big difference between a trained hound dog & elk! Good luck all!

ElkNut1

[Da White Shoe]

I start out with freshly washed clothes. That's about it.
Scent control for elk, to me is... keep the wind in your face.

[Jamieastle]

I have always been a play the wind guy, but have not used sent control in the past. Last season I was sitting a meadow that has a wallow in it that I have taken several elk out of. Two really nice bulls came down into the meadow and were working their way into my shooting lane. I have a blind that I have cut out of the trees over the years and I needed to move to the right about one step, I drew and was getting ready to take the step for my shot and 50 yards or so behind the first two bulls was a rag horn that I did not see and he pegged me. I had to freeze until he lost interest, in the mean time the two bulls were getting closer to being down wind. They caught my wind and the gig was up. That ended up being my last chance at a nice bull last year. I don't know if it will work but I think I will take scent control with me from now on.

[Swede]

What I am wondering is if the elk don't care if I left some residual scent, as long as the scent is slight and not direct from me, or do they just not smell a human? They usually don't react to my scent. I used to worry about the matter, but don't much now. I worry more about the wind direction when I walk to my stand, and where my scent is being carried.
I cut and pasted this question from the other thread on scent. What I am picking up from Paul's post is that it really doesn't matter. That is probably right for the short term, but Is repeated long term scent a factor in causing elk to leave a heavily hunted area? Maybe that does not matter either. Anyway I look at it the elk are gone by early September. ????