Cool great post thanks for sharin.

I agree that scent control is important to success,but you have to remmember there is a differance between being "scent free" and and "scent control"
scent free= NO SCENT
scent control= taking steps to control scent(ie cover scents)
I have hunted with guys who take every step to be scent free only to then spray themselves and there equipment with cover scent and IMO you just destroyed the scent free steps you've taken. I have seen alot of guys over do it with cover scent.
And the point is to be "scent free" deer do not smell human scent and think hunter run away,what they smell is a foreign scent that they preconceive as danger,so they take steps to avoid it(ie. runaway) but the fact is any foreign scent will be preconceied as danger and avoided, whether if that foreign scent is human or an over abundance of any odor (ie.fresh earth,pine,acorn, ect.) anything out of the ordinary will be preconceived as danger and will be avoided.
IMO take the steps to be scent free not scent covered,because if theres NO scent theres NO danger.

Wow, great thread and great info, but I believe that scent control/free falls under the same classification as camo choice and that it is totally up to the hunter and not critical to success in the field. 32 years go when my uncles were teaching me the way of the woods... we didn't have "camo", we had natural colored clothing. We didn't have "scent free" but we did have scent control. Scent control equalled hanging up our outer garments on the screen porch in the evening and then in the morning hanging them next to the fireplace to get the hint of wood smoke in them. We didnt have scent free soap... heck we didnt even have a shower that we could use for the week we were there, And I can't tell you with honest truth how many deer were shot from our stands in NE Pennsy while we had a cigarette hanging from our mouth, but it was quite a few. I guess my point is that I don't judge anyone for taking extreme measures to do what they think is a edge over game during a hunt. But I believe more emphasis should be on playing the wind and knowing daily movement routes.

Cheers........

I believe in the basics of scent control such as using scent free soaps, detergent, clothes bagged in aromatic native vegetation and other items from the woods. Also when i get to hunting location i go out of my way to work soles of boots over good in some fresh dirt, cow manure, osage oranges or whatever else i might be hunting around that day, then try to avoid walking where i think the deer might be...

I also believe in hunting high.

I think you're putting more into it that you realize, and I can show you a couple guys who smoke all day, and kill some GREAT deer, because they put the efforts in to get to them, hunt hard and hunt smart.

Now let me dress down the scent control thing......

It starts at home and well before the season opens for me by using scent free detergent and softener on ALL of my clothes, bedding linens, bath towels, etc. Even the wife and kids clothes get the SCENT-FREE treatment as it gets the scent out of my washer and dryer. I annually pull the spindle and clean it out, so there is no residual of smell softener in it about a month before season opens up, therefore making sure I'm good to go by the time the season comes in.

After that, I use a low odor soap, then follow through with a scent-free body wash. The boots I wear are kept in the box I bought them in, and come out once afield, and go back in that box once back at my truck. I wear X-Scent/X-Static base layers, and a face mask (the face mask does 2 very important things, first, it hides my ugly mug, but secondly, it limits the scent of my breath from lingering all over the woods). Playing the wind is also beneficial, but I've yet to ever find a place where the winds CONSISTENTLY blow in only one direction. They always tend to swirl at least a little. Don't buy that, light a little fire and see how many directions the wind will blow in an hour.... But with that thought in mind, I do still make the effort to try to make my set-ups more conducive the general wind directions. I spray just a little earth scent if I'm in an area where earth scent is going to be a common scent, otherwise, I leave cover scents alone nowadays. As far as the "shedding skin," it's not as prominent as you make it sound IMHO, and I've noted that my movement has gotten me busted far more times than SCENT, and I've killed more than a few deer that traveled down the same path I'd just traveled a short time before. While I think you have some good ideas, I'm not completely sold on all of them.

well..i am just saying its near impossible to be scent free.

This is some great info. And you are right being scent free is nearly impossible. I do most of these things also. I've also done none of this with good outcome but I agree that every little thing helps. Great tread!!

Great information HB. I wonder how the Indians got scent free and scent control? they were able to feed and clothe themselves a long time ago. They played the wind.

CVG Ohio

They actually wore the hide of the game.that helps........they also hunted as a tribe..pushing the game to the killin squad..