Campfire smoke on clothes?

whitetails & muskies · 09-01-2003, 08:06 PM

Hey all,
I just came home from meeting with three of my buddies that are going elk/deer hunting next week. A few concerns came up about this topic as you sit around the fire. All of us have taken elk and other big game, so we are not necessarily rookies, but my thought is that the smell is not a " real big deal, for the most part" . Obviously there are a few folks on here that have been in camp more than me (or us), so what are your thoughts???

whitetails & muskies · 09-01-2003, 08:24 PM

I should probably clarify my thoughts...I am NOT recommending that we sit around the fire with our field clothes on, it" s more in regards to your hair and any residule smoke smell.

I re-read the post and thought it would be worth clarifying......

Dan324 · 09-01-2003, 08:46 PM

Im a scent freak. When we are archery elk hunting we don' t have a fire at camp. We take a bunch of precautions that Im sure others would say are overkill, but I rarely have problems with animals winding me.

trapper T · 09-01-2003, 09:03 PM

I tend to lean more on the fact it is a natural scent. There are fires all the time in the woods and I' ve been succssesful and unsuccssesful with the smell of campfire on my clothes. So I couldn' t say if it effected my hunt or not. Plus this year where I' m hunting there are forest fires in the area so I don' t think the animals will pay that scent any mind.I' d focus more on unnatural scents then the others. My 2 cents.

mathewsarcher · 09-02-2003, 12:19 AM

I agree with trapper. UNnatural scent will spook game. Fire smoke on your clothes should not be a problem. However keep in mind that fire does spook game, so I would err on the side of caution.

BeaverJack · 09-02-2003, 08:04 AM

Fire smoke ain' t the problem, its cookin' smells. Don' t wear yer clothes and hat in a cook tent, or anywhere around cooking. Burnt wood actually masks yer human scent. Critters are used to that smell, at least here in the west.

noway · 09-02-2003, 08:23 AM

Don' t worry about it.
If they are smelling your clothes they are smelling your human scent anyway.
Like others posted the burnt smell is a natural smell. Especially in areas around a burn.

You have to hunt from a direction so the wind is blowing your scent away from the area you are hunting, that is real scent control.

handloader1 · 09-02-2003, 11:49 PM

When I am in camp I change my camo, and wear regular clothes till I go out in the field again. Good luck.

Nic Barca · 09-03-2003, 03:22 AM

I think that if the animal is gonna smell any scent that is on you wether it be smoke, cooking, soap, or whatever, then it' s gonna be able to smell you too. Actually, smoke might cover your scent a little. Now if your using one of them suits which holds your scent, then I think it' s a good idea not to get any scent on them. But I never use them. [:@]Maybe I should tho, the stupid wind is allways swirling down here, but anyway, if the animal is gonna smell you then it' s gonna smell you. If it smells the smoke on your clotches, then your scent should be with it. The smoke might mask it a little but they should still smell you.

As for smoke alone, like if you wear a scent lock suit around a fire, then I don' t think it would matter much. Smoke is a natural smell anyway. But it obviously is not a good idea if your trying to go completely scentless.

elknut1 · 09-03-2003, 07:19 AM

Don' t worry about campfire smoke, hunt with wind in your face. Period. elknut1