Scent Suppressors Do Expire
Hey guys,
Just wanted to share a little info with you all, because I've read plenty of opinions on the subject, but nothing conclusive. To start it off right, this isn't meant to be a heated debate whether scent control works or not. I know some people don't "believe" in it. But for those of us that don't have the luxury of playing the wind (small, narrow hunting property with one point of access), and those of us who remember what it was like before no-scent sprays were around, we know that scent control works from experience and we have to use it.
That being said, I wanted to warn everyone not to try to save a dollar and buy in bulk like I've done in the past. I bought several bottles of DDW last year mid-season and used it with success. This year I cracked one of those bottles open for opening weekend. I got busted in my stand two times in a row, which is unusual for me in my area, I'm very careful with scent and have hunted this property since 1996. I got busted in my ground blind, and again in a different stand, all in the same weekend, all with similar wind and weather. The next weekend, with similar wind and weather again, I used a new bottle of scent suppressor that I just grabbed when I was in the store that week. Not one deer busted me, directly down wind. Two groups were the same ones that had busted me previously.
So after a few times of using old and new, I figured out it was definitely the old stuff giving me away. I contacted DDW, along with several other "scent killing" spray companies, and got some interesting answers. I'm told that all scent suppressor sprays have an expiration date, ranging from 12 to 30 months from the time they are manufactured. So if they sit in a warehouse for a couple months, then sit in a store for a couple months, it may only have 6 months of life left in it. And the little packs that you mix yourself are only good for roughly two weeks. For lack of a better term, they ferment. The only one that claims it doesn't expire is Vanishing Hunter by Buck Fever. Haven't experimented with it.
Just thought I'd share my findings from the actual manufacturers, scent killing sprays do expire. I was told to buy from high-volume stores to ensure you get the freshest batches that will last the longest on your shelf. Good luck everybody!