Scent Killer

[Bear55]

If a person knows how to hunt and scout, tries to use the wind if possible, but goes out there stinking like cigarettes, booze, campfire, bacon, eggs, whatever.... in no way shape or form is that person more likely to see and or have success as a person who has similiar outdoor skills and is scent free. Could they get lucky once or twice? Sure. Is it more likely that other variables are at play?

I think you are under estimating the power of wind and thermals and overstating how importance of some scent killing products that can't possibly eliminate all your scent. If a deer smells just a little scent or a lot they are still getting your scent. Some animals will ignore you either way, others and likely older animals will freak out. I was a scent control geek for years, fooled plenty of young deer but every time a mature buck got downwind it was over.

I belive you said you hunt the same stand every day. I would never dream of hunting the same stand if the wind wasn't right, I rarely hunt the same tree two times in a row, sometimes only hunting my best locations once a season to keep my scent and pressure down. I do this because once you have hunted a spot you leave scent behind, it doesn't matter how much scent is there, the deer will smell you. Especially a mature buck, they will not tolerate it.

[Rippinlip]

Like most products, it is probably more attractive to the hunter than the deer.

I also think the areas you hunt play a part too.

Some of my areas are within alot of city people, traffic and so on.

There are days when I can smell the diesel from the semi's passing.

I plat the wind as much as possible, but there are days when I had to fight a bad wind that really wasn't condusive to that stand and still seen deer and mature ones.

Just hunt!

[ClownColor]

Here are some great articles about this subject...I'd spend my money elsewhere!

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/big-buck-zone/2010/05/scent-lok-showdown

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/h...-reducing-produ

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2011/07/sniff-test

[Fever]

I think you are under estimating the power of wind and thermals and overstating how importance of some scent killing products that can't possibly eliminate all your scent. If a deer smells just a little scent or a lot they are still getting your scent. Some animals will ignore you either way, others and likely older animals will freak out. I was a scent control geek for years, fooled plenty of young deer but every time a mature buck got downwind it was over.

I belive you said you hunt the same stand every day. I would never dream of hunting the same stand if the wind wasn't right, I rarely hunt the same tree two times in a row, sometimes only hunting my best locations once a season to keep my scent and pressure down. I do this because once you have hunted a spot you leave scent behind, it doesn't matter how much scent is there, the deer will smell you. Especially a mature buck, they will not tolerate it.

[psepuncher]

Here are some great articles about this subject...I'd spend my money elsewhere!

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/big-buck-zone/2010/05/scent-lok-showdown

Hi CC,

I have nothing against the links you provided. It's just some of it is outdated info. I do have several uncountles totes full of hunting clothing with maybe only one article being a carbon mask. I use that during late season when there's no wind and I may sit in a stand for hours. I don't have a suit or a bunch of carbon stuff so I can not elaborate on anything else. But For the oder from breath, it is very very prevalent in human stank. I feel the mask really helps in my particular situation...

This is an updated snippet of the carbon clothing used in hunting situations./

It's been more than 5 years since Scent-Lok was forced to defend the claims behind the effectiveness of their carbon hunting clothing. Now, nine federal lawsuits against them have been completely dismissed.

According to court documents, here are the legal "Findings Of Fact" that might be of interest to hunters:

- Carbon is a highly effective odor adsorbent.

- Expert testing found that, using highly elevated test odor concentrations that were “likely a ten thousand fold greater than a human body could produce in the course of 24 hours,” Scent-Lok carbon hunting clothing fabrics blocked 96-99 percent of the odor compounds, and essentially 100 percent of the surrogate body odor compounds tested.

- Expert testing also found that after drying, or washing and drying, Scent-Lok carbon fabrics continue to be highly effective at blocking odor permeation.

---

It's not just ol' bucks with the olfactory sensors we have to fight.

The mamma Does did alot of skill prep for JR when he grows up.

Prolly to help protect him from getting a ride home from a stranger

[Bear55]

Fair enough Fever. I do believe there is more than one way to skin a cat and if you feel your methods help there is no reason to change them. I will say if you are going to do it I would go all out and have some kind of methodical system, just spraying down before you go out or only half arsing it really is a waste of time. The reason I don't believe in it now is because I was busted too many times. I'd shower in the morning, slip into my carbon suite at the truck, then put on clean clothes and take a shower in scent killer. Two hours later a large buck was laughing at me, this happened more than once so I found another way. I do hunt fairly similar ground as you, vast public and the deer don't take kind to any human scent. I take extreme measures to avoid getting detected. I often hunt mobile so I can setup where I need to be on any given wind. Sometimes I walk a mile out of the way so I can approach an area with the wind in my favor.

I do feel a lot of the scent product get the credit when maybe they shouldn't. You said yourself that the wind does crazy things in your area, the thing you have to ask yourself is was that buck you shot getting your scent when he was downwind or was there some kind of rising thermal or wind current taking your scent away from him. It can be amazing how a ridge or treeline can shift the wind in a different direction, if you have a rising thermal in ther morning there is almost no way the deer can smell you. The same could said for a falling thermal in the evening, been busted a few times that way, at first I was scratching my head but then it started to make sense. Now I carry milkweed with me, those little fluffs tell you exactly what your scent is doing.

[rkhinrichs]

I wash my cloths in no scent stuff. and store them in a tote with pine needles, leaves and anything eles that on the ground. spray my self down, and hope for the best this year i feel. i have seen more deer cause im using more natural scents

i will hunt the same tree only twice. then move to another tree 25 plus yards away or change area.

being mobile is key!!!!

[Fever]

Moving 25 yards or so away to another stand seems like a lot of work for nothing. If your going to move, wouldn't you move a few hundred yards away and use an entirely different trail for entrance and exits if possible? Also, if your using a Rifle (I use a 30-06, Remington 770 bolt action model), I don't think sitting in the same stand is as big of an issue as long as your are cutting your scent down and being stealthy / moving SLOW as much as possible on your trail both entering and leaving area. Just have to get there about 45 min before shooting light. If there is deer in your area after shooting light... gotta wait them out for a bit in order to not spook them. It's never happened to me that I know of, but if it does, I'll sit in stand for a bit or possibly give some agressive snort wheezes to run them off if they are subordinate bucks.

Heading up to Chip nat forest tomorrow to check sd cards and put up ladder stand. Kinda jacked up about what I might see. My bother and buddy have mineral sites about 6/10ths - 1 mile away and have pictures of a few nice shooters 1 is about a 170 inch 10.

Trying something new this year as well. I bought a shooting rail that straps to the tree above my ladder stand - basically for more peace of mind - both for saftey and to give a gun rest if needed / possible. I decided to make my own blind and used some old burlap sacks n ziptied them to the frame and to each other to elimiate my subtle movement from being visible to deer that I don't see - I painted break up patterns on them back in early august, let them dry, then washed them in scent elimiating laundry detergent and hung them outside for the past 2 1/2 months. I think it'll work...

[psepuncher]

Moving 25 yards or so away to another stand seems like a lot of work for nothing.

I've done this and sometimes the same day with a ladder stand. It made the difference like night and day. Reason was for me, is terrain topography. It wasn't so much like structure of the landscape such as transition zones or visibility. I already knew I was in the right place, but a little fine tuning made the difference. I was able to drop lower on the opposite side of the saddle they come up. This area has a few ridges and bottoms. The year before I saw whee they were coming up. Last year I sat to close and now It's so much better. I'd have to say 95%. Just moving about 30 yards back, I have better background cover, less lingering scent the thermals can carry the scent out of the bottom. I know it's swirling down there, but by the time the scent reaches the ridge the thermals will have pulled it over their head. The top of that saddle is a little more open and they aren't staying there to long before they drop down right in front of me. I'm sitting 20 feet up, so as they aproch me the scent is above them there too.

If your going to move, wouldn't you move a few hundred yards away and use an entirely different trail for entrance and exits if possible?

I sort of agree with this, but more so going in at different times when hunting the same area. The wind will dictate my route in and out of the area.

I also change up my scent on the boots. Sometimes I'll use DoP, sometimes Coon, most times NADA.

If there is deer in your area after shooting light... gotta wait them out for a bit in order to not spook them. It's never happened to me that I know of, but if it does, I'll sit in stand for a bit or possibly give some agressive snort wheezes to run them off if they are subordinate bucks.

been there done that, don't work....

My son and I were bow hunting about 60 yards apart. Had a couple bucks come in at last light. It got past shooting light and we tried that grunt snort wheeze and they all but charged us. They stood their ground. We pretty much kept looking over our shoulder with flashlights but they didn't follow us. Needles to say that trick is not advisable.

Just sharing some of my experience