This day in age, there are a million & 1 tips and experts on scent control. Some, IMO, are more credible than others. Micro fiber this - electro fiber that, this chew – that smoke, spray this, wash that…, you get the point. Some buy into high dollar clothing promising to eliminate detection from the weariest free ranging whitetail. Truth be known, I am guilty of falling for some of the latest & greatest in the past. Anything to up my chances, right? Well, through my years of hunting public land, extremely pressured (thus educated) whitetail, l try to toot my own horn by saying I have selected a few tips (of the many) that have made me successful in the woods.
(Disclaimer: I am not en expert, I am not a scientist, I am not a “professional” – I AM A HUNTER with experience!)
Bowhunters, especially, tend to spend countle$$ of money, time, and effort in trying to up our chances to bag our dream buck and/or fill our freezer year after year. The greater part should be in scent “management”! It does absolutely ZERO good to have that fanciest of everything if you can’t put it to use. Sometimes, we blame soaps, sprays, carbon clothing, for our failures. Scent control/management means that – NOT eliminating! We will never get rid of human scent 100%. But how we manage human scent, can make the difference of a deer smelling you way before you even know it’s there or getting it close enough for a bowshot because it thought you were still far away or long gone.
I am not going into the obvious hoping you have already looked in to the following: washing clothing with scent eliminating products, shower with scent eliminating products, “hunt” the wind, keep your clothing in scent free bins/bags, so on & so forth. There are a lot of quality books/authors that get into depth with the topics above. However, I want to throw in some food for thought:
• Wallet & Cell Phone: Do you follow a strict scent management regime only to take your STINKY wallet & phone into the woods with you? Think about placing these items (or just your DL, Hunting license, etc.) in a scent free zip-loc. We pull the wallet, especially the cell out during work, shopping, etc., carry them (in my case) in a Tide washed & Bounty tumbled dried pants. A touch of cologne and what not are odors we don’t pay mind and will get you picked off before you know it. (Don’t forget to set your phone on vibrator)
• Jewelry: I love my bracelet, watch, necklace, and wedding ring my wife gave me with so much love. HOWEVER, but (I love those but’s), these are items that are exposed to foreign scents you just might want to consider leaving behind every time you hit the woods. Thank goodness my wife is familiar with the deer’s smelling phenomena, because it is the only exception she makes in allowing me to remove that significant hardware on my left index finger. Too, make sure you don’t lose anything or your significant other might start to object.
• Undies & socks: If you are like me, have a full time job, don’t have time to go home & do the shower thing, but head straight to the woods to sneak in a hunt – CHANGE YOUR undergear, too! Always keep a few extra in your scent free bin/bag. You’re already in a hurry, probably broke a sweat (or two, lol!), chances of doing your “business” have occurred, REFRAIN from changing into your scent-free hunting clothes while keeping your stinky undergear on. Don’t be afraid of a sponge bath with some moist scent- free field towels.
• Bike ride, long walk?: Consider going afield with the bear minimum on and changing a couple of hundred yards away from your hunting spot. Make sure where you do the changing is not a travel path for deer. Example, I load up my bike with my bow, stand, and backpack. I take 1.5 mile bike ride to reach the spot where I change. I cool off, re-spray, and change as needed to allow me to walk without breaking a sweat.
• Bottle your Business: A tough topic. I’ve argued this one with many a hunters that swear it makes no difference (not to mention it may be more difficult for a female). However, because I hunt pressured public land whitetails, human urine is just an added foreign odor that NEEDS to be kept out of your hunting equation and be made part of scent management. Period! 10 hours in the stand only to blow a dream whitetail because we are confident our business doesn’t matter or too lazy to take an extra step. Really?!!! Not me. It may be mental, but I put in too much work and time to ruin a hunt over an added (in the scope of things) few minutes of effort per hunt.
Hunting is special. Bowhunting is even more special due to the proximity of shot execution for a quick, clean, and humane kill. For a fact, all tips are good until they don’t work, lol! But on a serious note, nothing is a guarantee, just a chance to increase your odds. In all, the most critical point (or advice) I strictly preach is to pay attention to the wind. The wind is, AND WILL ALWAYS BE a hunter’s best friend!! Good luck this season, and happy & safe hunting to all.
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