Scent cover

[MAGhunter]

So I want to know what people think about scent cover.  I know I use it but do I go crazy over it....no.  I mean do people actually keep there clothes scent free, use the spray, stand 20 ft back from the campfire so you wont smell like smoke, or how bout put all your scent free clothes on and then have a few smokes before the morning hunt?  I guess another one would be your mid day lunch that you go back to camp and eat....would you change your clothes after you ate.  Or am I just wrong, and scent blocker works great.

Any opinions??

[callonetta]

First and foremost for me is to keep track of the wind, I wash my clothes with scent free liquid and put them in a bag with spruce tree branches and I carry the scentaway wipes for face, hands and ……..I stalk slowly so I don’t break into a sweat. 

[GWA Hunter]

When you're chasing whitetails or even blacktails it's extremely important to be scent free. They're 4000 to 10000 times more sensitive over odors then humans. I'm a firm believer in Scent-Lok or any scent free clothing. I will keep them in scent-Lok totes or bags all times when I'm not in the field and spray them also with scent free spray prior to going out. I won't buy clothes that arent scent control for hunting. I have been busted too many times in the past and have learned my lesson!  

[bowhunterforever]

I use the scent away spray wildlife research and sometimes put my clothes in plastic bag with sage brush and pine tree braches! Just watch the wind! 

[bow4elk]

I do my very best to keep careful track of the wind currents by way of an old Elmer's glue bottle filled with corn starch.  I puff on this constantly while hunting to keep tabs on the slightest air movement.  Corn starch is dirt cheap and one box will last several seasons.  And it's virtually odor free.  Commercial products like this work well too but they are expensive.

From my stands, I will float down feathers on occasion to watch how they react to the wind currents.  It's amazing to see a feather drop and rise over and over again with the slightly changes in wind speed, etc.  I've even had feathers come cruising by hours after I set them loose!  Imagine what your scent is doing after four to six hours on stand!

I have used cover scents a bit in the past but these days I'm more about being scent free and being careful with my footwear, approach to my stands, etc.  I use clippers to trim away brush and twigs as I go to reduce my chances of leaving scent in my wake.  I only wear my hunting boots in the woods.  No gas station stops or anything that would compromise my ground scent.  I do use Scent Killer and unscented soap products religiously but don't expect 100% scent free results.  And I wash all my clothing in Scent Killer type detergents, then hang them outside to dry away from fabric softener odors, etc.  And finally I store them in Space Bags.  They are scent free, air tight, and keep my clothing fresh, dry, and clean from season to season.

I also wear Scent Blocker and Scent-lok clothing, especially on stand or when doing lots of set-ups on the ground.  Again, I don't expect 100% scent containment.  I think that is unrealistic and only possible if you have your entire body covered, including your hands and head.

All this adds up to 1) a reduction in human scent dispersion; and 2) confidence, which is a very important component to success.

Above all else, watch the wind and think through your set ups, still hunt routes, etc.  Scouting to determine game travel routes (bedding to feeding, etc.) will help you figure out how to play the wind better in your area.

It used to be that all my gear smelled to high heaven with elk urine  

[robb92]

I also wash all my stuff prior to hunting season and then place them in air tight bags with grass and leaves from where I hunt as well as acorn scent patches. I will change when I get out to where I hunt and then change when I go home.

A cheaper version of the scent-lock suits are old chem suits that you can pick up at the army surplus store pretty cheap, the only down side to them is that they do not breathe very good and the charcoal will get all over your clothes, but if you wash it a couple of times prior to using it, you will be fine.

[littlebuf]

i use a scent free detergent for my clothes and then do a lite spray of fawn urine on my hunting clothes, ive gotten pretty close to deer and elk. but what i think is funny is seeing how some of the old timers would go out in jeans and flannels (no camo) and smoking a cigar in hunting camp and the truck, they would get just as many animals as i ever have and maybe more. the whole sent lock thing is probably just very clever marketing, i buy into it to an extent but take a look at some of those old hunting pics some of those guys were smoking a pipe while they were hunting   

[rasbo]

I spend enough money on tags and license, taxes to waist it on scent free clothes...I use the free one, the wind and thermals.thats just me..

[MIKEXRAY]

I had the ultimate test & fully believe in doing scent free practices. I hunt the east side of the mountains for mule deer & three years ago had a nice buck coming down the trail towards me. I sit on an elevated rock out crop above the trail. Well all animals coming down that trail winded me. Two years ago I implemented a scent reducing regiment, I wash my clothes in scent free, bag them up, & spray my clothes & shoes down. I also hike up to my spot on the ridge ( 1 hour hike ) in shorts & a t-shirt while carrying my clothes. I then wipe off the sweat, change & then bag my old clothes I was wearing. First year a 4x3 mulie walked down same trail ( behind 2 does ) & scored my first bow kill. I have also had dozens of elk, a bear & a bobcat come down the same trail in the last two years and not one animal knew I was there. Five years no success, two years my choice of animals. I would not hunt any other way now. One note ; the wind swirls in the mountains I hunt are killer, impossible to keep the wind in your face for very long. Mike

[bow4elk]

I've had similar experiences, including a cow elk just a foot or two beyond my broadhead as I knelt at full draw.  She was feeding and had her head down at ground level munching away on grass.  Any animal that close will likely smell you regardless of the wind.  But she didn't.  I can't make any claims about why or why not.

I've had situations where animals blew out by smelling too much "good" scent, such as doe in heat lures as well.  You have to use cover scents and attractants sparingly for best results.  I find a scent drag works best on deer.  I've had numerous deer follow my scent trail like they are coming in on a string, including a nice Iowa buck we tagged during the filming Wily Whitetails.  Blacktails are just as easily coaxed, but I've not yet had a mature buck follow a scent drag, just forks.

Nothing beats being downwind or crosswind but anything you can do to minimize human odor is worth the effort, especially when bowhunting.