Wash or Not to Wash: Your Camo?

[kalamasasquatch]

i wash all my gear in plain old baking soda and air dry. None of my gear is scent proof so I usually dont worry about cover scents or storing my stuff in gear bags or none of that stuff. with in the first hour of the first day you will be producing so much human scent that you will "out smell" any of the cover scents and anti scent soap used in preperation. work the wind and you'll be fine. people have been killing elk for thousands of years before any of the that fancy anti-stink 'um stuff came out. just my opinion.........

[PolarBear]

Wash them!!!  I wash all my hunting clothing in Sport-Wash, hang dry outside and put them away in a vaccuum sealed bag with a couple of small fir branches in with them.  I don't use scent on my hunting clothes at all (other than fir needles) and I will only wear them for one outing before re-washing.

[BLUEBULLS]

I never wash mine... I have my wife do it

J/K, I try not to wash them every time I hunt but If they're dirty or smell then I will usually try to wash them in some kind of scent killer soap. I usually try to rely on the wind though and not scent control products. It's funny how many people I know that will be super careful of smells on their gear and then they'll put it on and jump in their trucks that smell like the perfume adds in the girly magazines because they have so many dang air fresheners.

[wildmanoutdoors]

I also carry a bag of baking soda with me. After a sweated up hike in the am or the like I always re coat myself. Especially the head and neck areas. Also douse the clean bag with it. Its your friend!

[coachcw]

Stay clean sure , But I think that you can get carried away too. I always wash my stuff sure , but after long days in the field and cooking ex, we pick up the scent of camp. I've killed plenty off elk and truly cant tell you if descenting has helped on any off them . I believe no matter how hard you try there's gonna be something on you wether your body or bow or breath that's not natural in a elk habitat. So I say Pay more attention to the wind and be willing to hike miles to get it in your favor , plain and simple if your up wind they don't smell you !.

[DOUBLELUNG]

One of the many tools in my arsenal of Elk hunting equipment is my nose.
I can smell Elk from a good ways away.
Don't use Elk scent on my person because of that.
I do carry scent and when in a close encounter I will spray in the air, but usually try to get downwind myself, and have shooting lanes expecting Elk to try to circle downwind.
if you spray fresh scent on vegetation, they (sometimes) will sniff it, hopefully giving you a shot,
but on your clothes ? If they sniff you, your too close !
Although in my opinion,
It really does not matter, they smell in parts per million, you can try to cover it up, but you cannot hide it, they will smell you if they get downwind, period.

I agree with all of that.  A couple of the best archers I know are heavy smokers - they are such stinky *censored*s, they have no chance of success unless they are hyper-vigilant about always staying downwind.

[DoubleJ]

One of the many tools in my arsenal of Elk hunting equipment is my nose.
I can smell Elk from a good ways away.
Don't use Elk scent on my person because of that.
I do carry scent and when in a close encounter I will spray in the air, but usually try to get downwind myself, and have shooting lanes expecting Elk to try to circle downwind.
if you spray fresh scent on vegetation, they (sometimes) will sniff it, hopefully giving you a shot,
but on your clothes ? If they sniff you, your too close !
Although in my opinion,
It really does not matter, they smell in parts per million, you can try to cover it up, but you cannot hide it, they will smell you if they get downwind, period.

I agree with all of that.  A couple of the best archers I know are heavy smokers - they are such stinky *censored*s, they have no chance of success unless they are hyper-vigilant about always staying downwind.

I have to really do this this year.  Picked the smoking habit back up in January after 3 years of being quit.  Back down to 5 cigs a day.  Going to be using the E-cig I've got during the season.

[bloodhound]

true story i was in the woods about 4 years ago smoking a cig while sitting down with my back to a big down fall. i had finished my cig and put it out in the dirt and stood up to find a deer no more then about 3 feet away on the other side of the log. i think we both jumped back ten feet. to this day im not sure if that doe was walkin to me to see if she could figure out what i was or what. but when i stood up she was lookin right at me as if she new i was there.

cigarettes make good wind indicators

[PolarBear]

I don't think that scent is a critical with elk as it is with whities.

[BLUEBULLS]

I don't think that scent is a critical with elk as it is with whities.

I'd say atleast as critical as with whities...
It's pretty much the only sense elk use. Vision isn't very good and they could care less about noise.

[MIKEXRAY]

I agree with BLUEBULLS , it is at least as critical. You can get away with noise & fool eyes but any little whiff in my area & they are swapping ends and hauling ass.  I also wash in scent free and bag up. I hunt way up a steep ridge and I actually hike up in shorts & change once I am up in my hunting area.  My area is notorious for wind swirls. I started my scent system 3 years ago and will never go back, I definitely see more animals. Mike

[rosscrazyelk]

I will wash my stuff in scent killer but never use scents. Just always have the wind in your favor. I constantly check the wind

[JLS]

One of the many tools in my arsenal of Elk hunting equipment is my nose.
I can smell Elk from a good ways away.
Don't use Elk scent on my person because of that.
I do carry scent and when in a close encounter I will spray in the air, but usually try to get downwind myself, and have shooting lanes expecting Elk to try to circle downwind.
if you spray fresh scent on vegetation, they (sometimes) will sniff it, hopefully giving you a shot,
but on your clothes ? If they sniff you, your too close !
Although in my opinion,
It really does not matter, they smell in parts per million, you can try to cover it up, but you cannot hide it, they will smell you if they get downwind, period.

Agree with this 110%.  A guy I hunted with one time had one of those scent wafer dealies with elk piss on it.  I got so irritated because I thinking I was smelling elk all day, when it was just him.  "Cover scents" are wishful thinking IMHO.

[willapawapiti]

Walking down the trail behind my hunting buddy during archery elk season couple years ago. I kept getting overpowering wiffs of rancid flower scent. Finally I asked him "What did you wash your laundry in?" He responds, "Don't know my wife washed it".  She used floral scent fabric softener sheets on his camo!

I never wash mine... I have my wife do it

Don't recommend this   

[rtspring]

I had to add to the smoking thing.

I always smoke when I hunt during the rifle season, and I am sure the animals are alot more spooked in this time frame than any other.
I have had both deer and elk walk right up to me within 15 yds while smoking. Sure it effects some more than others but like many have said I try to watch the wind.

I dont think there is any product of cover scent out there that can get past these animals sense of smell. After all they live in the hills all their life and can tell the diffrence when something don't smell or seem just right. You are not gonna fool them unless they absolutely can't smell you as an outside odor from what they are used to.