# Scent Control



## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

OK, I have been bow hunting for about 10 years and have been fairly successful at least taking a doe for meat. I have never really worried about my scent, because I guess I never really thought about it. Well, this year I saw a doe the first weekend of bow season and she was about 35 yards away. She acted like she "smelt me" and then ran away blowing. Ever since then I haven't had anything show up while I'm hunting, but I do have several photos of deer and pigs show up during the day and night when I'm not there.

Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions as to what I might be doing wrong and what scent control to use?


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

I am not big on scents because I think their nose is too good to fool. Setting up so that you are downwind of feeder is huge, and also needs to be set up so that the expected deer don't approach from downwind of you. Using unscented hunting soap for you and unscented laundry detergent is important IMO. Staying clean is hard in TX because it can be hot and cause sweating, but it is vital.


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## devil1824 (Sep 4, 2010)

A lot of people on here brag about not needing scent control. In my experience it WORKS. Like whitebassfisher said you need tobe down wind for starters. I use scent killer body wash,deodorant,drier sheets and cover scent spray my clothes before walking in the woods. Rubber boots are a plus too.


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## williamcr (Aug 8, 2006)

I use ozonics and that's all I need for scent control.
I use no other spray are special clothes wash. 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

OK, thanks for the replies. One of the problems I finally figured out was my boots I kept in the closet in the house. Well, we have 4 indoor cats and the guy running the lease is a big bow hunter who pointed out that cat order is probably the main cause. Now I am putting them in a plastic bag with baking soda and storing it in the garage for the next hunt. 

I was also told to take some pine needles and rub them on my boots. Any thoughts about this? Again, thanks for the replies. It's much appreciated!


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

atcfisherman said:


> OK, thanks for the replies. One of the problems I finally figured out was my boots I kept in the closet in the house. Well, we have 4 indoor cats and the guy running the lease is a big bow hunter who pointed out that cat order is probably the main cause. Now I am putting them in a plastic bag with baking soda and storing it in the garage for the next hunt.
> 
> I was also told to take some pine needles and rub them on my boots. Any thoughts about this? Again, thanks for the replies. It's much appreciated!


I think wearing *rubber* boots rates up there with wind direction for importance. Are your boots rubber or is there some material on them? Nothing I did to leather boots would make them stop leaving a scent trail. When I switched to rubber boots, deer would eat corn out of my boot tracks 15 minutes after scattering it. The only thing special I did to the boots was to wash them off in the water trough after they got covered in blood from from field dressing and hanging a deer. Put your pants cuffs inside the boots, so your pants don't touch grass etc as you walk to your stand.


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## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

Whitebassfisher said:


> I think wearing *rubber* boots rates up there with wind direction for importance. Are your boots rubber or is there some material on them? Nothing I did to leather boots would make them stop leaving a scent trail. When I switched to rubber boots, deer would eat corn out of my boot tracks 15 minutes after scattering it. The only thing special I did to the boots was to wash them off in the water trough after they got covered in blood from from field dressing and hanging a deer. Put your pants cuffs inside the boots, so your pants don't touch grass etc as you walk to your stand.


Actually this is the first year that I haven't wore rubber boots. I have some new snake leather boots that are a couple of months old. Good point! I will go back to the rubber to see if that makes a difference. I know the last few years I haven't had any problems with deer getting close to me, so maybe the rubber boots helps. Thanks for the info!


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

Whitebassfisher said:


> I am not big on scents because I think their nose is too good to fool. Setting up so that you are downwind of feeder is huge, and also needs to be set up so that the expected deer don't approach from downwind of you. Using unscented hunting soap for you and unscented laundry detergent is important IMO. Staying clean is hard in TX because it can be hot and cause sweating, but it is vital.


100% agree. Plus the cat scent issue and wear the rubber boots. We have a very healthy rattler population on our place so I purchased the Redhead rubber snake boots with the waterproof inserts. They are very comfortable. FYI, they never seem to go on sale so if your waiting for that you will be waiting awhile.


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## topcat5 (Oct 12, 2007)

I have had great success with a product called gland-u-lure, made by buck stop scents. I use it while bow hunting as well as rifle. I put a few drops on the heel of my boots or on a drag rag, works great. Killed deer when the deer walked past my blind down the same trail that I had just walked down to get to the blind. Of course the whole thing about using no-scent soaps and the wind certainly helps.


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## topcat5 (Oct 12, 2007)

Also wearing good rubber boots makes a big difference.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

For me, I hunt the wind first and second is RUBBER BOOTS, I never walk around my stand loca with anything other than rubber boots NEVER-EVER!!!! Since you have been busted I would bet the deer are standing at a distance looking for you and most probab come around to get down wind to do their looking. A cpl of yrs back I hunted a stand that was used by a guy that had permission from the lanowners, stand was in a great place in a bottleneck, stand was a tripod, the seat did not have a back so I was sitting on the platform. I heard a stick snap CLOSE, after a while I saw a ear at less than 20 yrds in a thicket, then an eye n nose. This deer came up on me and was checking out the stand, it could not get downwind of me but was checking out the stand from a very good place, there is no dought the guy had been busted in this stand. After a while she went back and came out with 4 other deer to feed in a small food plot. He had quit hunting this stand cuz he saw no deer after opening w/e...BTW I do have 2 stands set up at both my archery stand locations so I can hunt with with a N or SE wind and I do use Coyote Urine as a cover scent along with useing it on a scent post to set up a shot....WW


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## WateredDownRob (Apr 14, 2011)

Scent control is what it is control. There is no way to get ride of your scent. X2 on rubber boots, also when setting stand or checking feeder use rubber gloves. Play the wind foremost. Bag you hunting clothes stright out of the dryer(using scent dryer sheets) and change in the field. 

and please dont eat bacon and drink coffee before your hunt. Eat and apple and drink water,lol.

Sorry that was for the old hunters on the lease who smoke, cook bacon in hunting clothes and make coffee in the camp house.


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## afishinman14 (Dec 19, 2007)

Few questions:


1) When you say rubber boots do you mean the soul of the boot needs to be rubber? Or the entire boot itself. I have some of those half rubber/half leather cheapies I like to wear in hot weather. But I also have some tall 100% rubber boots that I wear on occasion.

2) I do like to set up down wind of the feeder, but in my experience the deer like to approach the feeder from downwind. Especially if I'm rattling. What do you do about that? If they approach from even further downwind?


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## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

IME, "controlling" your scent is basically a waste of time. Kinda like being 50% pregnant, it doesn't work that way. Either your scent is completely masked from a deer or they smell you. Plain and simple. I hunt into the wind and don't worry about scent control, other than I try not to stink too much.


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

Unfortunately the value of scents, rubber, etc. is something that can never totally empirically be proven. In order to prove the validity of all of the products, rubber boots, etc. You have to be able to totally duplicate a situation in which you try it, and don't try, under the exact same circumstances, same deer, same wind speed/direction, etc to see the result. Absolutely impossible- so for me a very subjective subject.

You can wash your clothes in scent free clothes wash, spray them down before you leave camp, store them in a bag with fresh pine branches all you want. But you know once you get about 20-30 minutes uphill into your hike to where you are hunting, you will be a complete sweatball, especially your head. Now if the longest walk you take is 200 yards to your stand over your feeder, no problem.

Often I think it's just another profit center for our TV idols. The Dead Down Wind guy talks more about his scent products than he does about actual hunting.

Some of you have heard the following before, and I apologize for repeating but I was once at an archery conclave in Albuquerque, where I lived for 10 years. One of the speakers was Judd Cooney- very famous wildlife photographer and writer (back then you could not pick up an outdoor magazine without some of his work in it). After his presentation during the Q & A part, he was asked the question, "How do you feel about all of the scent products which are out there?" HIs answer, "I think every single one of them will do a great job for you, provided you always approach your animal from downwind."

I think that anyone who purposely tries to stalk an animal from upwind, just because he is "sprayed down," will see how really UN valuable those products really are.

Just my opinion, but I like to try and do it the old way.


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