Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

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???

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

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......

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

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.

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

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.:)

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

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.

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

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.

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

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.

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

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

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

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.

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

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

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

What about the smell of horse' s? What' s the concensus there?

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

Walk with the wind in your face and you won' t have to worry about how you smell.
when i use to guide,we would spike out over night and would have a fire and we never had any problems.But with archery its a little different you would want to control your scent as much as you can.

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

I think they smell them as a non threatening animal. Years back when I was riding up in the Cascades with my Dad, we walked within spitting distance of Elk while on Horseback. They really paid us no mind. Bad part was it was July and Elk season wasn' t til Nov.[:o]

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

I got camp clothes and hunting clothes so never needed to think about it

i would not have a fire if i could not help it no fire we dont eat

when i go hunting i only bring food for a few days then your on your own so i go and get squirrels or birds till me and my hunting buddys get a camp deer then we are set

RE: Campfire smoke on clothes?
 

Simply put if you need to get within 50 yds for a shot then scent is an issue. Unless the wind is blowing hard your scent may be picked up, especially in the timber where your scent has a tendancy to" soak" the area and winds swirl. Campfire scent is very strong and alarming to animals even if its only in your hair. By the way you hair soaks up scent very well. If you don' t need to get closer than 50 yds, it makes no difference.