Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Backcountry Hunting => Topic started by: adamR on January 21, 2017, 06:55:30 AM
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This upcoming season I am going on my first back country hunt in Idaho. One thing I'm concerned with is weight vs scent. I sweat ALOT. If you guys are planning a long hike to a base camp do you just bring extra clothes or do you carry scent killer sprays? I would love to only hike in with my kuiu attack pants and a wool shirt and hunt all week but I'm worried that by the second day I'm gonna smell like death.
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Antiperspirant, dress light - start out light and cold and add layers dont remove layers. Firstlite merino wool baselayer - great scent control. Take scent wipes with you for wipe down . For a long heavy sweaty hike I would go with camp tee and shorts and save my hunt gear.
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Jump in the creek. It really doesn't matter to the elk how you smell. Just keep the wind in your face.
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It might not matter to them how you smell but smelling less terrible can help in a wind swirl situation. Getting a bull to look instead of bolt might be the difference maker.
Half the elk that I have been busted on are from swirling winds and I've gotten away with it a few times when I didn't smell worse than the elk I was hunting :chuckle:
Anyway, merino baselayers, a few baby wipes a day, powder in your boots. It's about the best you can do without packing in weight.
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Merino, perfume free baby wipes mostly. Longer trips Ill bring a tiny bit of camp soap and a little pack towel. Focus on the wind.
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I know when I'm hunting near camp i usually take a package of baby wipes but it just seems heavy for backpacking
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If you have a camp shower set up and aren't afraid of getting dirty I've been told to rub dirt on your body the fresh earth will help cover human scent. I've used sprays and wipes as well can tell the difference, in the end though the wind is your best play just keep that in mind.
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Elk will wind you no matter what you do, aspecially after a few days. I tried wiping fresh bull pee all over me once and I did smell just like an elk, but the flies attacked me like crazy and it did not go over well with the wife when it was time to get into the tent :chuckle: Good luck on your hunt
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I'm not sure what your after, but for elk I like to put a lil cow in heat gel on my boots or a tree if I'm set up to call in a bull. Wind direction, as said before, is the best scent control as elk can smell you no matter what you put on. How ever wind changes direction or swirls a lot and I've had a bull still come in, even though I know he smelled me, when I had that cow in heat out. Not going to work all the time, but its happened so I wear it and it won't add much weight to your pack. Far as clothing goes, Merino wool doesn't smell near as bad after several days compared to polyester. So I wear a merino base because I don't like to smell myself after a few days :chuckle: :twocents:
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Play the wind.
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Hunt Downwind. They bust you hunt downwind again. :chuckle:
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I wear all merino wool clothing including socks. Bring monkey butt powder, dried baby wipes, and a couple table spooons of concentrated scent free soap. I use baby wipes on days it is raining or super cold. Then do the hobo bath with soap and a small back country towel on hot days in a near by creek. You can use the monkey
Butt powder for deodorant but I take a small amount with me. I know I am being a little overkill but it can be a game changer when your a sweaty stinky mess.
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All good tips, when I'm elk hunting, on top of playing the wind, I will dump cow in heat all over me but I'll be mule deer hunting. I've always used polyester base layers so I'll have to switch to merino.
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Yep, all good tips. You can't control scent but getting clean will make you a lot more comfortable and keep you warmer in cold. For multi-day backpack hunts in serious cold weather, I uncover and wash small portions of my anatomy while keeping the rest covered. I fill a smallish pop-top water bottle with scrubbing hot water, squirt just enough on my hair to apply shampoo, then squirt just enough to rinse. Ditto for using a micro-fiber wash cloth and towel on other body segments. Have done that in zero cold with wind. A small (4 oz.?) bottle of Amway LOC is one of several good soaps to use. A liter of water is more than enough for a whole body and hair wash.
For one day hunts with a long/steep approach hike to the hunt zone, I wear minimal clothes on the approach. I start hiking quite cold. Then stop at the point where the real hunting begins, scrub with a few individually sealed Wet Ones and change clothes from skin out. Seal the sweaty stuff in a plastic bag, or if you are SURE you will return via the same path, stash it to pick up on your way back to your vehicle.
