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Post by ecgreen on Nov 18, 2008 18:20:37 GMT -5
Hey guys!
I was going to post this in another forum, but you guys usually have better response ;D. How far do you guys take your scent control during deer season? I have had some wise old men that have told me "hang your clothes outside and stay down wind and thats all you need!" What do you think?
Sean
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Post by phade on Nov 18, 2008 19:10:51 GMT -5
Sean -
Deer hunting is something I know a little about...!
As far as scent control, I personally go to the limits of sane actions. That and stand placement/scouting are the two most important aspects of routinely successful deer hunting (especially via archery).
Scent control takes two paths with regard to clothing: carbon or non-carbon clothing. Not speaking on if they work or not, carbon clothing requires a different path of preparation.
Non-carbon clothing: 1. Buy clothing NOT made with UV brightners (Most asian products are, most US are not, but that it is not always true 100% of the time) 2. Rinse washer on one cycle empty. 3. Wash with hunting-directed detergent 4. Dry OUTSIDE on a line away from human odors (smoke, gas, etc.) 5. Buy a tote from wal-mart - the plastic kind with a lockable lid. Store clothes in it. Take a bunch of dried leaves from hunting ground (important not to use what is in backyard unless you hunt there). 6. Leave closed until hunt. *make sure to include a set of "to-from clothes"...you'll see later.
Carbon is similar process but dryed in dryer and put in tote with NO leaves/scent wafers.
Yourself: Wash towel along with your clothes...so its scent free Buy a $9.99 scent blocker kit from D*ck's (it's on sale now)...has everything you need and it'll last you two years if you hunt 10-15 field days a year. Shower/Dry/apply deodorant from kit Put on your "to-from" clothes.
Once you get to your locale: dress in the field/truck (sounds difficult at times, but it is worth it - you encounter ungodly amounts of scent in-between your travels - have a dog that rode in the truck? have a car fragrance? Plenty more scents than you want on your hunting clothes....that's what the "to-from" clothes are for.) Spray non-carbon clothing with scent killer (strongly suggest the hs specialties line - it's effective)
Store your boots in a separate tote with leaves, let them air dry outside before putting away if they get wet.
Some people will argue success with smoking on stand, no scent control, etc. I won't argue with them because that is their belief. I can only vouch for the fact that once I began practicing scent control, my hunting success went up EXPONENTIALLY. I've wrote enough articles about it that if you have specific questions, pm me and I can point you in the right direction.
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Post by ecgreen on Nov 18, 2008 20:34:51 GMT -5
WOW! What a response. So do you re-wash your clothes every day you hunt? Coat and all? I wear a lot, I mean a lot of layers on stand.
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Post by buckhunter649 on Nov 18, 2008 20:53:37 GMT -5
Basically, stay downwind of where you expect the deer to come from. As long as the wind is steady and not swirling, and don't forget about the thermals, they can BLOW against a strong steady wind from the opposite direction.
I think movement will give you away more often than scent. Be still, be quiet, move slowly. You will see more deer. Often a deer will smell you and try to find you with his eyes. Or snort and run a short distance, giving himself away.
If you want to hunt deer, get out of the tree and learn how to still hunt. Nothing better than dropping a buck right in his bed. Or jumping one and out smarting him getting to his escape corridor first. Sometimes you actually have to RUN while still hunting, believe me, it works.
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Post by phade on Nov 19, 2008 8:59:16 GMT -5
WOW! What a response. So do you re-wash your clothes every day you hunt? Coat and all? I wear a lot, I mean a lot of layers on stand. Carbon clothing has suggested wear rates before washing. I follow it unless I sweat. Sweat = wash. Non carbons...I pack out my outer layers if stand hunting. I put them on at the stand location real quickly (slip on the jacket and pants over boots). If that's the case for two-three hunts, you should be OK. Sweat at all....wash. I wash bottom layers each time. Mid layers all times, unless I was really inactive on stand. And paying attention the wind is definite. I don't know what stand I hunt until I check the wind that morning/evening.
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Post by trappermac on Nov 19, 2008 10:16:33 GMT -5
I pay very little attention to my clothes, I think the entire clothes thing is overdone and gimmicky (scent block) and makes people believe there is a shortcut to success, and they spend money foolishly believing so. I am primarily an archer and get close to my deer. Nothing takes the place of knowing your territory, knowing the deer movement in that territory (scouting) and then based upon wind direction, deciding on a stand or a direction to still-hunt.
Everytime you breathe you are giving off the human scent, you sweat, fart, pee, it's not the clothes. That deer is going to smell your human scent, he's not going to sniff and think..."oh, that smells like Tide or Woolite". That's not to say that you don't take care of your hunting clothes and keep them clean, but mask your clothes all you want...the minute you breathe that human odor goes right downwind
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Post by ecgreen on Nov 19, 2008 12:16:20 GMT -5
I think I started a polemic here
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Post by sixgunslinger on Nov 19, 2008 16:43:17 GMT -5
When I archery hunted, I would climb pretty high in a tree, 30 feet was about my norm. I would even smoke in the stand with deer standing directly below me, never phased them one bit.
Now on another note, my one friend was out in Illinois hunting last year, very avid hunter, he watched a group of does walk down a draw about 200 yards away from him. He then watched a big buck put his nose in the air, he said the buck was at least 600 yards from the doe, once he smelled them....boom right to the doe, so I'm guessing that will give you a little info on how well they can smell.
Archery hunting is about all I would worry about scent control, when gun hunting, I don't worry about it.
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