I have now washed everybit of my hunting aparel in a scent elimianation wash and are hanging in a special outside part of my barn to soak up all of the smells that associate it with the outdoors.
Should I spray with UV killer now or later ,or never. I have read more and more about the deer seeing UV on clothes, blinds, etc, that we as humans cant see.
Does UV spraying help, and can someone suggest a product that will work througuot the season...or is this just a myth? Your help is appreciated.
I have a second set that I use to scout with, check cameras, mineral sights, food plots, etc. but have always wondered if the spraying of UV helps.
Jeff,
I'll tell you that I'm personally not "sold" on the UV thing as many may be. I wash all of my clothes, sheets, on my bed, etc in ALL: Free and Clear Laundry Detergent (which has UV brighteners in it), use a scent-free softener (Snuggle or Downy) and scent-free dryer sheets. Have been for YEARS, but the single most worthwhile item the I use has got to be X-Scent base layers and socks. Kill the scent at the source, with anti-microbial technology. Works quite well for me, and the socks are the BOMB!!! They'll take the stink off of your feet if you wear a clean pair everyday for 3-4days. As for the UV thing, there are a couple of detergents you can get in your REGULAR laundry aisle that don't have UV brighteners if you're really concerned about it. Purex makes a SCENT-FREE that is free of UV Brighteners, or the other thing you COULD do is just use Arm & Hammer Baking soda as directed for cleansing clothes.
From my experience, and I've blindly SPOOKED a LOAD of deer, movement will bust you as quick as anything. Wear a pair of blue jeans and a sweatshirt, and as long as you don't MOVE, I think you'd be okay, the camouflage only helps to minimize they likelihood of them seeing us while we're stalking or moving through the woods to a stand or blind.
Im extremely careful about my scent control, but now have been reading about how we stand out like a glowing ghost with the UV in most detergent. Litterally my clothes are hanging in a covered wood storage barn, so the only scent they will have in a few months is cut hardwood.
I was in a stand 30 ft up, in brand new camo. I had two buttons look straight at me and act very edgy. They glanced at me , stomped their feet, snorted and left. I never moved, was even sitting down in Realtree AP with branches covering the majority of me. Were they luck...or could they detect the UV on my clothes.
I believe Im spraying all of my stuff thi syear with UV killer.
Anyone up for a test?
The military has always said not to use laundry soap with brightners on your BDUs, ACUs, ABUs etc for the same reasons you wouldnt want to use them on your hunting clothes. They also say that once its been used, it cannot be reversed....by using UV killer or anything like that. Last week the Army released a new piece of info that says...Brighteners have no significant impact on the UV shine of clothing and completely reversed previous research.
So, who has the equipment to test this out? Id like to see if UV killer spray/soap etc actually works. No quotes from the company pls, unbiased results only.
You can test the clothes yourself with a simple blacklight. If your camo glows under a blacklight its UV light that you see. I use plain old baking soda to wash my gear. It works just fine and passes the blacklight test.
Scent control and UV spray
