Scent and Scent Blocker

[Swede]

We go over this every now and again, but it has been awhile so I am recycling it for those that are new, and for cohunter who has a hard time getting this sorted out. What do you use and how much good does it do?

I use some natural pine, sage, or juniper scent on occasion. I wash my clothes in Arm & Hammer unscented soap with no ultraviolet brighteners. I wash myself thoroughly every day and use unscented soaps and deodorant. I think keeping my scent down generally helps. I don't fool an animal directly down wind, but I my scent doesn't linger long either.

[saddlesore]

I use to do all that stuff and I killed elk. I quit doing it and I still killed elk. It doesn't matter if you stink a little or stink a lot. I If an elk smells you,you are busted.Same with camo. The only reason I have any at all is that is the only color some hunting clothes come in, but generally I wear blue jeans and hunter orange.. Not so much as I have aged and can't move around in the thick stuff,but even though I hunt with a firearm I killed most elk with in bow range.

I do take a sponge bath or if the weather is warm a shower every night.That is more for me keeping clean and not smelling bad for my hunting partners also.

[Lefty]

What do you use and how much good does it do?.

Under garments I purposely use silver ion soaps and washes. Im surprised we dont see more undergarments made with silver. The technology and science has existed for decades about killing body bacteria.
I use underarm deodorant,.. along my crotch too. I was told all the twist up deodorants,.. no matter the name are all made in the same plant,.. just different dispensers and labels and formulas. I buy what ever I get on sale,.. and use it through out the year.
I do use any brand of clothing laundry wash "deodorizer" scent killer what ever I get cheap. We need to wash our clothes anyway.As a kid we use to use Borax
I dont use scent killer gum or lip chap-stick.
I might be going to the extreme, but I reduce red meats and a more vegetarian diet.
I do use alfalfa pills too
While at camp I often use some of the sprays, wipes or peroxide on clothes and my body. And I do wipe my backside at camp , or finish up with wipes

Everything I own, sleeping bags, tents, packs boots all are washed before the season.
Has all that killed anything for me the past 15 years. Nope,....But I have had close encounters that most will never have.
I have had deer elk coyotes fox bust out hard. I have also ( sorry some of you get to hear this again) I have had elk at arms length,. herds stroll by close, and down wind, A6x6 bull with his nose 6 inches away and blow snot on me. a year ago October I sat up wind for nearly an hour from 3 bull moose19-40 yards away, . Stuck in the middle of over 100 deer as the slowly feed all around me,some actually stepping over my legs, sniffing my boots . Fox and coyotes and a blacktail, white tail , muliy bucks closer than the front sight of my gun, Two , 350 bulls 14 yards feed past me down wind.
when I hunted in the desert I showered and drove to where I hunted in shorts with the AC on. I changed into all fresh clothes just before hunting

Not all situations are equal either.
We all know winds tend to swirl at the most inconvenient times. Maybe the elk only got some smell , just not enough to fully alarm them. And you have an opportunity. Or the wind swirls,.. and the elk dont identify you,.. just for a moment.
I believe elk can miss identify human scent frequently at closer distances,.. but dont think your going to fool a bear or wolf under 150 yards
Just my opinion based on observations.
While it does take some effort the coast is minimal,. yes and at the end of the day I might still stink


I believe that scent reduction helps ,.. not in all situation or all elk but it does help sometimes

[Beendare]

I work hard on scent control on hunts like hunting whitetails where its a short walk to your stand.

I think its impossible to be scent free on a mtn hunt, I think the guys that think they can control scent on those hunts are overly optimistic.

The way i see it, its all or nothing with scent control. I used to do hog depredation with dogs and when my dogs would kill a skunk (just wreaking so bad your eyes were watering!!!) ........and then 15 minutes later track down a hog...... that tells you something about scent and scent cover up products.

[Brendan]

I'm pretty detailed about it for whitetail hunting. When I'm Elk hunting I try to clean myself up daily with dried out body-wipes that I carry with me, brush teeth morning and night, wear merino wool for all baselayers, and then play the wind...

I've never used a tree-stand for Elk, I get enough of that during whitetail season...

But - I don't think it's "All or nothing" in every scenario. For example - out east deer get accustomed to the smell of people - Walkers, Bikers, Hikers, people in back yards. If you can reduce your scent signature enough that they perceive you as further away or not a direct threat, I think that's an improvement. I'm very sure though that it would be different in an area where game animals rarely if ever smell a human unless it's a threat.

[cohunter]

Wow... thanks, Swede! Actually, scent is the one thing I'm most confident about. Swede just jumped all over me once because I said cover scents were worthless and then proceeded to enumerate the ways I reduce my scent on another thread. Yes, I probably was less than clear, but I think Swede was just looking for somebody to pick on! Would somebody reign this guy in!! Anybody? Mods? How do you let this guy get away with this stuff? What's that? You say Swede is on the Moderator team?

I'll try to communicate my opinion to Swede's level of expectation in three simple points:

1. Wind is most important - without the wind in your favor, you'd have to be very lucky to get within bow range of an elk. With fickle mountain winds, even a steady breeze is not a guarantee of success. We've all had an unexpected eddy or whirl alert an animal and watched them take off.

2. Minimizing scent is important - We all stink. Some stink more than others. The less stinky we are, the more tolerable we are - I teach 8th-12th grade; you cannot argue this point with me. I'm sure the elk agree.

3. Cover scents are worthless at best - I teach high school chemistry and my olfactory senses can be better described as damaged than discerning. If I can tell a cover scent isn't quite right or smells out of place imagine what an elk is going to do! Or consider this: if a student starts to hold something over a bunsen burner that doesn't belong there, it doesn't take long for this ammonia-burned olfactory bulb to be on high alert for the infraction.

If you want to read the thread Swede's referring to, it's right here : viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7881

[Swede]

I really apologize for offending you Cohunter. As I read your take on scent, I must admit I completely agree. I am no moderator, but more of an agitator. That thread was intended to be totally tongue in cheek. I think I will go back to harassing Stringunner and Oly.

[N2mywake]

I'm pretty fanatical when it comes to scent "control". I'm a flatlander that typically hunts whitetails, so when in the back country I do the best I can. I prep all my clothes via washing in whatever scent free detergent I can get my hands on (I prep the washer getting all the gain I can out of it for several weeks prior) my wife loves the switch to tide free for all laundry in the fall... , this season I will ozone treat all my clothes before bagging them in space bags for the trip (I always do this part). In the back country we use scent free soaps and I've rigged a zodi camp shower for use when we can make it back to camp mid-day. In between those times I try to use powders and deodorants as well as scent sprays every day. Does it help? I think so but that's just my opinion.

[cohunter]

No, No... don't apologize Swede! I just had to give a little in return. How about a sarcasm emoji, Phantom?

[Swede]

No, No... don't apologize Swede! I just had to give a little in return. How about a sarcasm emoji, Phantom?

I think you and Stringunner are starting to gang up on me. I enjoy being harassed just as well as I enjoy dishing it out. You can always tell it is friends around the campfire by the level of the revelry that that is coming out. You got me Cohunter, just like Stringunner did yesterday. Thanks

I am going to have to start plotting again.

[ElkNut1]

I don't use any scent blockers, like others I play the wind religiously!

ElkNut1

[Lefty]

I don't use any scent blockers, like others I play the wind religiously! ElkNut1

No real scent blockers, or drug smugglers would be using them. Humans are terrible at using their noses, or even how to effectively,
The winds play is unfairly

[Lefty]

There are few situations where wind is a constant. As a trapper we played the wind at every trap location for canines. In the upper Midwest we generally made sets up wind of the prevailing winds or the NW corner. However winds are seldom absolutely constant from one specific direction at all times. Wind is fluid,.. pressures ( think of squeezing a water balloon or throwing a water balloon or baseball ) impact the direction or flow. Plenty of times track in the snow shows how an animal worked into a set. Or watch a hound or your bird dog!!!!
Today was a good example that my wife noticed, we have an approaching storm. Driving home from church she mentioned "look at the flag, the wind is from the east" then all of a sudden the flag wrapped around the pole. Last week I caught the weather vane on our barn back a quarter turn and rotate 440 degrees( hmm right before this storm )

Ask any coyote hunter,.. if a coyote works to the side, why did it bust at 90 degrees to the wind( yep he smells you) Yesterday I was visiting with another fellow. a coyote walked in on his track , he was set up wind. 200 yards out the coyote track in fresh snow told the story the coyote rolled around, peed, pooped walked in circles sat and likely watched him while at the stand, and obviously smelled him.

Since were talking elk, ever have an elk nervous grunt or bark at you a coyote challenge bark at a 1000 yards, 500 yards, 200 yards or 40 yards??? Or a white-tail or antelope stomp her feet ( I just realized it is always those demanding does) ( sort of like those human does ) generally with me it is smell not sight,
Bear hunting off of baits has taught me a tremendous amount. Sitting up hill and down wind almost always (This year I will keep track) maybe always at some time sitting you will smell the burn.
For me it is scent reduction sometimes extreme scent reduction. If the amount is reduced enough that an animal doesn't notice or isnt alarmed by a reduced scent plume, thats my goal

Many white-tail hunters switched to rubber boots walking in on stands mostly and eastern technique , scent reduction. I learned that the hard way. Another trapper and I were running a canine line (40 years ago) He was a firm believer in rubber boots, I wasnt convinced. But the record showed of 400 sets each of our first nights trap set he out caught me on coyotes, until I put on rubber boots,..
Now elk are not white-tails or coyotes and I m generalizing my beliefs and expieriences

[js80138]

This is a great discussion. With all of the over the counter products that are on the market I have often wondered what works and what doesn't. For the sake of discussion I will simply say that I take all the previous mentioned precautions prior to making camp. Once I am on the mountain I typically spot and stalk for ten-twelve hours. At the end of the day I stink. I wash up after every hunt with Dead Down Wind soap. My dirty clothes go into a sealed bag and my fresh clothes are in another bag for the next day. I sleep in a the same gear every night and do a wipe down when I wake with non scented wipes. I use scent control spray in the morning on all the pit areas. My hunting buddy uses those attachable wafers that just don't seem to be natural.

I realize now that nothing will compare to being in the correct wind position but I have used and debate every day of the hunt if the estrus products work or are they just an old gimmick. I have to admit that its hard to smell anything other than estrus once I have sprayed the white wafers. I spray them periodically during the day to keep the odor fresh however I do not use them for every hunt. My question is am I wasting time and money? Have I fallen for the oldest trick in hunting?

[Swede]

I personally believe in minimizing scent. It is easier to smell a garbage dump than a single sardine can. Sure they both stink, but the dump can be smelled farther and wider. The natural scents won't prevent something directly downwind from smelling you, but could give you a second chance in marginal situations.

[>>>---WW---->]

No doubt, the wind can be your best friend or it can be your worse enemy. I have never believed in cover scents. But, some scent eliminators may have a little merit. Case in point: Several years ago my dog got a full blast from a polecat. It was terrible! so I mixed up a double dose batch of peroxide and baking soda with just a small dab of liquid soap for a binder. I got the dog down an scrubbed him with the potion. It worked so good that we allowed the poor little critter to sleep in the house that same evening.

So I figure if it could get rid of skunk odor it might just help in human scent elimination. Or at least tone down human odor.

[N2mywake]

So I figure if it could get rid of skunk odor it might just help in human scent elimination. Or at least tone down human odor.

I'm not sure the sprays will eliminate all smells but I have to say they do wonders on my base layers hotspots after about 4 days of use

[Scorpyd shooter]

sure won't work on coyote, bet deer n elk know what you are ,if you use scent blocker, being down wind is only way, does ozium generators work?

[Swede]

I have no experience with the generators, but would think they could help if you are hunting out of a popup ground blind.

[Scorpyd shooter]

lol, how about setting one on the top of a back pack as you stalk? crazy idea maybe

[Swede]

Maybe, but you could be the first here to try it and report back on how well it works.

[Scorpyd shooter]

I would need 400$ to try it, better spend it on supplies for hunting, lol
coyote trapping I use scentless deodorant no after shave, they still know you were there for maybe a week

[Charina]

It's Wal-Mart clearance season. I use whatever I find on clearance. Just loaded up on a couple years supply of scent killer products. Spray, laundry deterg, antiperspirant, and body soap. I have heard good reviews of those products with silver, but I'll take whatever bargain I can get.

[Swede]

I buy scent blocker when I run out, but I got a formula for homemade scent blocker off the internet. MalWart clearance is great too. I get some of my stuff there on clearance too. Camofire is probably a very hard to best source also.

[Scorpyd shooter]

good to know, thanks

[twinkieman]

Treestand hunting for elk, something I've never done, I can see where scent elimination might play in. Hiking, and covering ground, you're going to sweat, you're going to smell, so the wind in my favor is all I worry about. I do shower, wipe down everyday with unscented baby wipes, and where Merino base layers.

[saddlesore]

I still contend that elk don't care if you stink a little bit or a bunch.They smell that little bit and they are gone. I don't use any chemicals. In the past I have slept in the same tent I cooked in. Now I sleep in a pop up camper that I live and cook in. I sponge bath every night. I use stock to ride in to the hunt area,and pack. I know a lot of that smell is attached to me. Yet I kill an elk every year and have done so for many years. Many at arrow killings distance , but with a rifle or ML. The mfgr's of scent blockers and camo are laughing all the way to the bank. Pay attention to the wind and keep clean and you will kill elk.

I have killed at least 6 elk by sneaking up to them and shooting them while they were sleeping. I have had cow elk within a foot of my boots sniffing me and have had bull elk come around a tree and look at me.However,I have had herds of elk a hundred yards from me spook from the wind blowing from me to them.

[N2mywake]

does ozium generators work?

I don't have one of the field units but one I've rigged in a cabinet to prep all my clothes in. What convinced me was I had a dead mouse in my little work car. I didn't drive it for a couple of months the stinch was so bad. I ran the ozone machine in there for 60 minutes, it smelled like the smell after a spring rain (lightning generates ozone). I drive the car everyday and the mouse smell has not come back. pretty impressive.

[Scorpyd shooter]

Electrolux quit using ozone generator in their air purifier, could be bad for lungs

[N2mywake]

could be bad for lungs

ozone is a lung irritant. I tend to let things air out after running the ozone on them (ie my hunting clothes closet I setup, I run the ozone the night before a hunt for an hour, the clothes are ready the next morning).

[Roosiebull]

I do what I can for scent control, I realize you cannot get around smelling like a person hiking around the mountains, but I do think it helps. on the coast we don't have thermals, and often have swirling winds as the constant wind direction....that's just how it is, south wind is the worst.

I think along the lines of Swede, try to make my scent trail as small as possible. once I get within range, it's usually like i'm on a wind timer....whatever is going on now, likely isn't going to last long, but I have been winded without elk bolting, and once was winded by a bull that smelled me, but finally settled back down and he had a big skunk cabbage leaf in his mouth when I killed him....maybe that saved my bacon

I do not pack in where I hunt...it would be very pointless, it's tough to get more than a couple miles from some sort of road...and often will come home for a couple hours in the heat of the day, I usually shower a second time before heading back out.

there for sure is no downside to trying to manage your stench.

[Lefty]

I spray them periodically during the day to keep the odor fresh however I do not use them for every hunt. My question is am I wasting time and money? Have I fallen for the oldest trick in hunting?

Certain products obtain different outcomes and work differently, some such as enzymes and sodium cant be mixed they neutralize their effects
, Much is simple science that has be around in some cases well over 100 years.
Charcoal , Zolite and "Baking soda are absorbents sucking up some stink,.. covering up a problem that ready exists. Some of the spray on your body and clothes are a combination of absorbents and bacteria toxin.
Ozone,.. I should let someone else tackle this one something to do with molecules attaching themselve s but only works fro some things
Boraax ( an d Baking soda) has been know to get rid of stink for over 150 years. Some odor is absorbed and is toxic to bacteria but most is rinsed away


Laundry detergent remove the stinky oils and some prevent bacteria from growing including silvers
Nono silver and other metals along with sodium based products make a hostile environment for bacteria to grow( your stink) for a while anyway
I buy all my scent reducer supplies on sale,.. believe it or not for a fraction or regular detergents, soaps, antiperspirants/deodorants ,
I bought Silver laundry detergent at 6% of lowest retail; about 20% of the cost of bargain laundry detergent
Underarm antiperspirants,. I gotta wear unscented at work anyway , still less than other brands
Iodine(clear) OK it would be funny to use the red stuff and hydrogen peroxide kill and maintain a toxic environment for bacteria
Generally no, you dont get to stand upwind of the herd of elk even with scent reduction,.. But every once in a while it happens

Iv spent a week in camp with rifle hunters. You dont get to shower until you kill an elk,.. I killed my elk the 2nd day and moved into an unheated tent the third week of November Every night was sub zero in Montana

[Scorpyd shooter]

brr, sounds cold, I'm having trouble with my toes, burned them with cold several times, now some toes swell if exposed to 30-35 degrees, I might need foot warmers every day

[Swede]

there for sure is no downside to trying to manage your stench.

That is a very true statement.

One September afternoon I was sitting in my tree stand when a bear passed by. It crossed the trail I walked down a few minutes earlier, but had no reaction. A minute later it came running back past my stand like it had been shot at. I had watched the bear as there was nothing else going on then. The bear turned and ran when it hit the trail 80-90 yards away which my friend followed going down to a another lower stand. My friend had a strong odor. The bear was frightened by the scent of my friend, who had passed at least 15 minutes earlier.
I have heard of other accounts where game was spooked when it came to a place a hunter had passed by earlier. I have not experienced that, and have had deer, elk and bear come by shortly after I walked down a trail. I am convinced that light natural odor dissipated much faster than stink.
I have another friend that smokes. He does not wash up often either. He believes I am very lucky and can get elk in the "stupidest" places. I am not particularly lucky. I stay as odor free as I reasonably can. That friend, I think has quit bow hunting as he Never got a shot for years at anything live.

[saddlesore]

I have noticed on this thread,that a lot of the ones that are referred to as stinking are those that don't wash much or not at all. Simply taking a sponge bath or washing up at night and changing clothes often is going minimize most scent.At least it has for me.Those that don't wash much or not at all, get weeded out pretty fast in my camp.

Hunting partners deserve the same scent reducing actions from others in camp as the elk do

[cohunter]

Hunting partners deserve the same scent reducing actions from others in camp as the elk do

This is absolutely true!

[N2mywake]

Simply taking a sponge bath or washing up at night and changing clothes often is going minimize most scent.

I agree with this. I REALLY value my zodi shower setup. We use sprays, wipes and powers every day but after 3-4 days that luke warm shower is pretty sweet. I've been in camps where guys make fun of the shower until they want to use it... lol

[jmez]

I've come full circle on the scent control. When I started hunting there wasn't any such thing. I went from doing nothing to washing all my clothes in scent free detergent. Hanging them outside to dry for a week or so. Storing them in rubber totes. Never opening one of the totes in the house. Shower in am in scent free soap, put on clothes that had been washed in scent free soap, drive to hunting area strip down naked an spray down with scent killer, redress in hunting clothes. Arrive at stand and once again spray down with scent killer. Periodically spray down with scent killer during the hunt.

I eventually started getting sick of that routine, especially when it was cold outside. Gradually started letting things slide a little. I noticed that sometimes deer were down wind of me and didn't care and sometimes deer were down wind of me and cared a great deal no matter the measures I was taking. I didn't notice any difference in sighting numbers or opportunities so let it slip a little more.

Then I began elk hunting. First back pack trip had a bar or unscented soap and a big bottle of scent killer spray in the pack. By day two I was no longer packing around spray. By the end of the trip I had figured out there was no such thing as scent control in the back country. I dumped out the spray and carried the empty bottle back. I also learned on that trip that I really didn't have a good understanding of wind and especially thermals and how the two interact. I also learned you'll never beat an elk's nose. You have two options, hunt the wind or don't kill one.

I've since started applying my knowledge of wind, thermals and how terrain effects wind. I set my stands accordingly and I hunt the wind. I don't do anything special for scent control anymore when deer hunting. As far as I can tell it hasn't had a negative effect on my results.

[saddlesore]

Same thing here jmez. Ditto