# odor control, what do you use



## fireline (Jun 14, 2007)

I started with a new program this year that I got off a coyote hunting video, 1 wash 2 bath towels with odor free soap
2 wash all my hunting clothes in with the 2 towels that I just washed
3 Put your clothes in the dryer and spray your cover sent on your 2 towels
4 1/2 way through the dryer cycle take your towels out and spray down again
5 when the dryer finishes take out 1 towel spray your cover sent on it and put in the bottom of your storage container put your clothes in and spray the 2nd towel and put it on top of your clothes and seal the box and this is good for 12 hours of hunting
I have had good luck with this but I have had a few deer down wind smell me
OK what does ever body else use


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## grabrick (Apr 24, 2008)

Washing your clothes and storing them properly is always a good thing. However, don't forget about the scent-free soap shower and scent-free deodorant. Perhaps I have OCD, but I never go into the field without a pre-hunt shower.


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

My routine:

1. Wash all clothes in Scent Away Laundry

2. Hang outside to air dry

3. Place dry clothes in a bag and then in a tote

4. Take a shower prior to going on hunt using scent away soap

5. Put on outer layers when I arrive at hunting area and get out of truck

I need a better system of dealing with my boots. For now, I just spray them. However, I think they need a good scent away washing as well.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

I utilize the only effective control.

The wind direction


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

I'll second wind direction. Also stand placement is important, you must consider wind direction and land contours to control scent dispersal. I fry food, smoke cigars, play with my dogs, poop and whatever else in my hunting clothes. I kill pope and young deer with all kinds of stink on me. All these scent control products trick more hunters than deer.


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## sporty (Apr 6, 2004)

I get leaves from around the base of the tree I plan to put my stand in and put them inside a plastic bag sprayed with sent killer inside a tote sprayed with sent killer then leave the tote in the woods until I am ready to dress for the hunt.

Not really . Like the last 2 posters, hunting the wind is vital.


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## Flippin 416 (Aug 18, 2005)

crittergitter said:


> My routine:
> 
> 1. Wash all clothes in Scent Away Laundry
> 
> ...


X'2 and spray down with Primos XP Silver...it seems to be very effective.


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## Stripers4Life (May 2, 2007)

can't go wrong with hunting the wind, however scent control is very important, if done right you'll see deer come from all directions, including down wind. 

Wash hunting clothes with scent wash
Dry with a scent killer dryer sheet. Most of us overlook the dryer sheets but it's very easy to pick up the flower smells from the load previously dryed.
Shower before with scent killer soap
Keep clothes in a airtight tote with leaves, and twigs.
Scent free deoderant, and powder, if you use powder.
NO SMOKING, that on is hard for me, but I get one in before my shower.
And finally spray down heavily with scent killer before you enter the woods.
Also while walking to the tree some of us work up a sweat, I use scent killer field wipes as well. 
This year I have used the primos xp system, and am very pleased with the results, I have seen more deer downwind this year than years in the past.


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## lg_mouth (Jun 7, 2004)

You guys must go through gallons of Scent Killer a season! I rinse my hunting clothes in the washer, no detergent. Put in dryer, no dryer sheet. Take immediately from dryer, put in trash bag with 3 earth scent wafers. Before I hunt, take shower in scent away, dry with regular towel from linen closet, put on clothes, spray down each layer with Scent Killer. Once I am in stand, I will spray down again. Seems to work for me. 

Lg_mouth


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## fireline (Jun 14, 2007)

This year I have been using Wild life Research sent killer, last year I used carbon spray but switched totally to the sent killer. I even spray inside my rubber boots and then put them on the boot dryer. When I get to my hunting location I strip to my jockeys and put on only clothes from my container. I always hunt out of a portable stand so i spray it and my bow down every time, and yes I go through a lot of spray. Do any of you use the carbon lined sent free clothes I have heard mixed reviews on this


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

Lundy said:


> I utilize the only effective control.
> 
> The wind direction


That's a fact!

I used to hunt with a few guys who went through all the products in the store but they smelled like the pepporoni pizza they ate the night before or the coffee they drank that morning.
I use oderless soap and laundry detergent but it only minimizes your odor.The most effective tool I've used for any scent control is rubber boots. Since I started wearing them maybe ten years ago, I've not had 1 deer spook on my scent trail.


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## billonthehill (Feb 6, 2009)

i stay in the woods for weeks, eventually they get used to me!!!
give it a try.


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## hawkwind5usa (Apr 28, 2009)

I used to buy all the cover sprays for going out smelling like the woods.Now I fill a spray bottle with Apple Cider. I spray my boots,pants,hands and whatever else, then I take a drinking bottle in the tree stand and dump some out on the branches where the wind can carry its smell. It tastes good too!! I turned my buddy onto this trick and the next week at work he was cursing me. He said the deer were right under his stand! :!


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## Stripers4Life (May 2, 2007)

hawkwind5usa said:


> I used to buy all the cover sprays for going out smelling like the woods.Now I fill a spray bottle with Apple Cider. I spray my boots,pants,hands and whatever else, then I take a drinking bottle in the tree stand and dump some out on the branches where the wind can carry its smell. It tastes good too!! I turned my buddy onto this trick and the next week at work he was cursing me. He said the deer were right under his stand! :!


can you use hard apple cider?


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## hawkwind5usa (Apr 28, 2009)

I can't imagine why not. It's still apple scent. Just don't drink too much of it in your tree stand!


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

When I was a kid in WVa without much cash, I used to cut an apple into 1/8-1/4 inch slices and wipe them all over my hunting clothes. This was 40 something years ago before all the scents and eliminators were popular. I saw lots of deer but since I was hunting with a 70 Lb. recurve which I could pull back but not hold, I was "close" but never got anything. 
Now all I do is wash clothes with a scent killer detergent and(since my financial condition hasn't changed much!), I spray fox urine (very potent stuff!) on the tree behind me to cover MY scent. I repeat the tree application abt. every hour. I've probably had above average success deer hunting, and I had recently had two young bucks sparring beneath my tree in a strong wind, so it must work. I buy fox pee at the end of season when W-mart clearances it since it's the only thing they still have left. IMO, most of this stuff is like new fishing lures, it "catches" sportsmen.
ps-My three female Brit. Spaniels just love me to death when I come back from the tree!!


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

I have used the dead down wind system this year have seen just as many deer withit as without it a gree play the wind but if you have eliminator it can't hurt i also have an eliminator base layer that seems to work ok but still have to play the wind if i am hunting in a strong wind or constantly swirling wind i will use skunk pee.....a dab will do ya just put a few drops on a cotton ball in a film case and seal when you get to your stand open up and put at base of tree has worked well for me.........except when i left my pack in the truck for my wife to find thought i hit a skunk and drove around with the awfull smell all day wasn't to happy when i told her it was just my hunting stuff.


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## OHBMQUINN (Sep 11, 2007)

Sent blocker + totaly aussom I have walked up to deer that were crossing a field while going to my stand they stoped snorted stomped and walked around me at 20 yards while I was at full draw trying to figure out what I was and the deer came in down wind three of them 2 does and basket 8 Now I am not sayin its fool proof and a pope and young is going to walk up and lick you or not to hunt the wind bacause I would be a fool but I will take evry advantage I can get and use it I do shower with sent-away sope and deoderant also keep clothes in a sent free duffel bag and rubber boots I also spray down with sent-away oder eliminating spray Ialso think alot of luk stand placement and the size of the deer in the area also does have a lott to do with this but I will again use this to my fullest advantage hope this helps in some way


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## BaddFish (Jun 20, 2009)

I use scent away and earth scent wafers and I usually eat an apple on the way in and smear the remaining on the tree next to the stand.

AND always use the wind.


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## TrevorJ (Nov 20, 2009)

Find deer and racoon poop in the woods and smear all over yourself before hunting!jk


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## RFrye (Apr 10, 2009)

I used to go through the descenting process... shower with scent free soap, wash clothes in an old 'wringer' type washer with scent free detergent, line dry, store in plastic bins, powder myself with baking soda, wear rubber boots, chew pine needles etc... they get down wind long enough and they will smell you anyway!

Now... still wash clothes in scent free tide & wear rubber boots to stand, take a shower if I have time, then relax in my stand and have a smoke... hey at least I know what direction they WON'T be coming from! ... but I have more fun, and still see tons of deer within bow range. But I also have 8 stands up, and pick the best stand based on wind direction that day.


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## 3 to 1 (Apr 27, 2009)

I'm a smoker and scent control can be a real problem in years past. I've been using 99% from wildlife research, maker of Special Golden Estrous. It has worked great for me. I harvested a potential "Buckeye Big Buck" in Oct. He came out into a cut cornfield at last legal light and walked from the south end of the field to the north end following a doe scent trail I layed out hour before hand. The light wind was at my back. I sprayed myself down before leaving the truck and then sat in a ground blind. I feel the 99% spray and the blind drasticly reduced my scent so much that the big buck did not feel threatened at 38 yrds. Plus I also feel that SOMETIMES there is too much importance on human scent. Let me explain, I hunt on properties where there is always some kind of activitie. Sometimes it people picking apples from the trees, mowing the grass or tractors harvesting corn from the field. There is always going to be some kind of scent in the field. So if I reduce my current scent by 50% its like someone was in the field earlier in the day, but not right at that moment. You can see my buck pic on the Big Buck contest forum. Go to OGF forum go to bucks and does and then big buck contest. While your there post a vote for your fav. pic. ( hopefully you vote for 3 to 1)


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## Boston30 (Nov 14, 2006)

I'm very scent conscience but the more i hunt, the more i rely on the wind. It's said that a deers nose may be 1000 times more sensative than ours and many times better than a Dog. Scent control surely helps but i never like to hunt a stand with a bad wind.


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## Waterline (Jan 20, 2007)

Many good ideas but I'll just mention one more. If your equipment is first class and you know how to use your climbing harness and feel confident with it, then I would recommend getting 25-30+ feet off the ground. It really has made a big difference in the amount of deer that won't smell you. You also have a great view and can often see deer movement farther away and know where to move your stand to get closer to the area that they are actively using at that time of year. Just a suggestion and of course, safety first!


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## Captain Kevin (Jun 24, 2006)

Odor control is critical, but the wind is still key. Here is my program for odor control.
1. I start by washing a load of regular clothes in Hunter's Specialties odorless detergent before washing my towels, washrags, underwear, and socks.
2. I use the Hunter's Specialties earth scent dryer sheets on all the loads from the 1st load of regular clothes until I am done with my camo.
3. After I have washed the 4-5 loads of "whites" I start with my camo, and insulated clothes I wear under my camo ( this will be an additional 4-5 loads of clothes), and still using the dryer sheets.
4. All "treated" clothes then go into "treated" 55 gallon Rubbermaid" totes. I put "whites" in one, and camo in 2 others.
5. All "Whites" and camo are used 1 time, until retreated. The reason is the human body, and sweat/water vapor, contain bacteria that will multiply in clothing causing odor. 
6. Starting about 2 weeks before bow season I will use nothing except Hunter's Specialties odorless soap/shampoo, and deodorant for every shower, I treat my downstairs bathroom, shower stall, and comb with the same soap so there is no perfume smell from regular soap.
7. I use odor eliminating spray on all my equipment prior to going to the woods from the inside of my boots, to my bow, and grunt tube.
8. Get a good "scent-Loc" type face mask to help "control" your breath odor. That is the one thing that will get you busted quicker than anything.
9. Don't pound the same stand every trip. Your "resident" odors will gather in the area, and the deer will be able to eventually "figure" you out
10. Some human odor in a deer's environment is normal. It's like you smelling the faint whiff of skunk in the distance, or the smell of one that just sprayed you. It's the same for deer.
11. Leave your cover scents at home. Use estrus scents during the rut, but a cover scent tells a deer that something is either smelling like food, or another animal. Either will cause them to go into"look" mode, and thats the last thing you want a deer doing when you are trying to kill it.

This my program, do with the information what you like, but it works very well for me. I still kill deer that come from downwind regularly. I am not sponsored by by, or paid to endorse any of the products mentioned, I just believe in them because they have worked for me. Good luck.

Kevin


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## sporty (Apr 6, 2004)

If I had to go through some of these scent control programs to deer hunt I would never go. Hunting is for relaxing.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Just think about how bad the economy woul be if you guys didn't practice your scent contol

gotta love free enterprise!!


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## Captain Kevin (Jun 24, 2006)

The economy for my taxidermist would be worse. Over a grand in the last few years in nice deer.  Something better than free enterprise , is free choice. I'll continue to do what works for me. I only bow hunt so I need to stack as many odds in my favor as I can.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Captain Kevin said:


> The economy for my taxidermist would be worse. Over a grand in the last few years in nice deer.  Something better than free enterprise , is free choice. I'll continue to do what works for me. I only bow hunt so I need to stack as many odds in my favor as I can.


Everyone should follow what THEY believe

if someone believes a product makes them a better hunter then it probably does make them a better hunter, real or percieved doesn't matter the results are similar


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## Captain Kevin (Jun 24, 2006)

Absolutely. If you have confidence in what your doing, you will be more Attentive to the "little Things" that can ruin a hunt, or fishing trip. Also, not everyone's situation is the same as far as lay of the land, access to good grounds, cover, equipment etc., so it really does boil down to personal preference, and circumstances.


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