Bucky10

when I go deer hunting I scent up good. I wash my clothes in no scent soap, put them in a scent lok bag with about 3 fresh earth wafers and then right before I go out to the woods I take a shower in no scent soap. I spray my boots down with no-scent spray before I walk into the woods. I just want to know how many of you here think I am crazy and how many do the same exact thing. What is your views on being scent free? Is it in people’s heads or does it work? I think it really works what are some of your opinions.

Tazman

Bucky you should always try to be as scent free as possible, but I do not care if you have used all the scent free products on earth and have on the best scent loc suit made, if you are not playing the wind you will get scented, and a lot more often then many realize, if a deer catches your scent 200 yards away, you will never know you have been busted, he will either turn around or give the area a wide berth.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

Bucky10

that is what is weird to me. If you are scent free deer can still smell you maybe not as much but they will. If you are not scent free deer will smell you a little more but either way if the deer come into you aganist the wind they won't smell you either way. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, 90% luck is the name of the game. I would like to know who in here doesn't use any of this stuff.

Edited by - Bucky10 on 12/27/2002 12:51:13

Tazman

Heehee Bucky I had to laugh on your "I would like to know who in here doesn't use any of this stuff." statement! I wash my hunting stuff in plain water, and hang it outside, I shower in plain water, no soap, and brush my teeth without toothpaste. I have killed a lot of deer and had deer closer than 10 yards before. Do I ever get busted? You bet, when setting up near trail crossings sometimes you can not be downwind from all the trails, it happens, but just because you are busted by deer coming on one trail does not mean that no deer will come down the others, you just have to figure out which trail is being used the most. Oh yea I left out the most fun part, when the wind shifts 180 degrees.


The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

model722

I've never used the scent free garbage it's just another waste of money. I do wash my gear (turned inside out) with baking soda then I let it hang outside for 2 weeks before season. when I'm not wearing my gear I keep it stored in a tote with some of the plant life that is in the area that I hunt, pine needles etc... Taz is correct to say no matter what you do, you still have to have the wind in your favor. I get a deer every year and have never had a problem with them getting close. One time this year I thought I'ld be smart so I took an apple and rubbed it all over my clothes as I was walking out the door. Well this worked GREAT the damn deer came to with 10' of me I never could get a shot at her because she was stairing at me the hole time she was walking, when she did realize that I wasn't an apple tree she wasn't very happy

jred

Deer can sniff you out most any time. This year I spent a good chunk of change on sent free stuff.

The one deer I did see got a wiff of me? and before I could get a good shot all I had in my sight was deer butt and ears!!

I even had the sent lock face mask, sent free spray and cover sents.

The best policy it keep the wind in your face or take you stand up as high as you can, this helps. wind in you face is the only fail safe.

KEEP HUNTING THE GREAT OUTDOORS & GOD ALIVE, PASS IT ON!

deerslayer444

Bucky, I'm another one who doesn't use any kind of scent blocker. I take deer every year and filled my tags with our states four deer limit this season. I try to keep sweating to a minimum, especially early in the season while bow hunting. I wear a clean hat (no sweat) and clean clothes to the hunt. I do occasionally get busted and when I do, it seems that it always by does. I took a nice ten pointer with bow last season at fifteen yards ground hunting and he never knew I was there, but thirty minutes later six does came to the edge of the woods I was in and blew, snorted and stomped at me. There was no wind blowing that I could tell and I was camo'd head to toe and not moving standing in a tight cluster of four good sized trees and the dominant doe was looking straight at me from sixty yards. She finally eased towards me, out of curiosity I guess, to about thirty yards and when I shot she ducked the arrow. My average shot is about forty yards (with rifle) for over twenty years of deer hunting. I know I should pay more attention to scent, but I rely a lot on blending in with my surroundings, being very still, and being very quiet. It just works for me.

"Fast is fine, but accurate is final". "Wild Bill" Hickok - 1869

Edited by - deerslayer444 on 12/27/2002 21:50:08

Jim Przybyla

Bucky, I DO think that you are crazy, but for other reasons<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>. I think trying to get your self scent free might, and I stress MIGHT give you an edge to get the deer a little closer, if the conditions are right. I try to get myself as scent free as possible also. I wash my clothes in a scent free &quot;hunter's soap&quot; air dry and put them in a plastic bag with leaves, pine needles, and acorns (all local vegetation from the area that I hunt. I shower with a no scent soap, and use no scent spray over my clothes and boots also. I try to postition myself and the wind to my best advantage. Often it works. When the deer come from the &quot;wrong&quot; side, I think my extra efforts let them get closer than they normally would before they feel something is wrong. Hopefully by then it is to late (for them).

My dad, who is probably the worst at scent suppression (smokes, doesn't keep his hunting suit seperate from regular clothes, etc) has shot just as many deer (if not more) than me. Go figure.

FlDeerman

I guess I'm one of the scent free nuts.I think if you add a good cover scent, that helps the most.I use Wal-mart doe pee.Two seasons ago I had a doe within five feet of me straight down wind while sitting on the ground and she never knew I was there.

Hunting is not a sport,it's a lifestyle.

Ansel

I think of it this way, anything you can do to minimize or cover your scent only increases your chances - it's kind of like camo for your scent.

Sure I bet all of you have known or heard about some joe who stinks up a storm, eats raw garlic, smokes like a smoke stack and has taken a nice buck without spending a dime but I bet you that's not the secret to shooting mature bucks on a regular basis.

As far as hunting the wind goes, it's a must, number #1. The real secret to taking muture bucks is, location, time invested and your ability to go undetected both visual and scent.

For me If I spend another $25 on soaps, covers scents, it's money well spent.



Edited by - ansel on 01/01/2003 08:41:49