NEBRbruiser - you didn't read the fine print did you????? That product claims to eliminate 99% of REPLICATED human odor. REPLICATED???? Really? And how do they do that? And if it's REPLICATED, is it a water based or oil based REPLICATION? Then there is another product that has 100%=Success on the bottle but doesn't say anything about 100% of what. 100% odor elimination or 100% got ya sucker!???

Hopefully, I'm not resurrecting a dying thread... but as a newcomer to the sport of hunting, it's a pretty humbling experience when you're gathering items for your very first hunt. Maybe I can offer a different perspective...?

I went to a local Gander Mountain last weekend and you could spend several, several hundred dollars just buying all things for scent elimination and/or scent control. Does it honestly mean that I don't have a chance in heck of shooting my very first deer if I don't buy into all of this...? I can't afford to spend a few hundred dollars on clothing that supposedly no longer makes me smell human (huh?) and I can't afford to spend several hundred dollars on gadgets and gizmos and spray bottles of magical potions and liquids either.

Maybe this has been brought up before and maybe not... but how did our forefathers and ancestors (or heck my own grandpa!) shoot trophy deer back in the day? They didn't have super-duper scent eliminator zero human spray back then. No fancy scent wafer chips to snap onto your hat, right? I swear, I've gone through hundreds of old hunting photographs online last weekend and I can't find one! And I'm pretty sure a lot of deer were harvested, weren't there? Because I've found a lot of old photographs from the 50's and 60's and 70's online with some gentlemen who shot and killed from pretty nice looking animals. Somehow I'm doubting the fact that they sprayed down liberally with a weird overpriced concoction before heading out for dinner that evening.

$250.00 for super duper scent eliminator pants (courtesy of Cabelas) and another $229.00 for the super duper scent eliminator jacket, plus WI State Sales Tax AND shipping/handling... means I'm spending upwards and over $500.00 for just two items: some pants and a jacket. Does the trophy deer come with this clothing or is that separate?

My point to all of this rambling is the fact that on one hand we all say we need to keep the younger generations hunting and keep them outdoors and off the couch and away from the video games. We need to teach the younger generations about hunting conservation and wildlife and deer hunting and what an amazing experience it is. And then we have the audacity on the other hand to sort of brainwash (for lack of better word?) that in order to get started in the sport, you need ALL THIS STUFF! It seems to me that it would be a sure way to really turn someone off... rather than turn them on to the hobby. I gotta say... adding up all of the "stuff" that I needed for my first hunting outing was a pretty daunting experience. I easily got caught up in the fancy flyers and advertisements on The Outdoor Channel and aisles and aisles of scent elimination. Then I took a step back... and realized, this is sort of ridiculous. I shouldn't have to go into debt to enjoy a sport that our grandfathers did every weekend each Fall for absolutely nothing. A few bullets in their coat pocket is a far cry from a $500.00 super duper human scent be gone outfit.

Am I completely out of the norm and way off base? I'd love to be able to go on my first deer hunt this season, but I can't afford to spend thousands of dollars so that I no longer smell human.

No you don't need to spend thousands of dollars. Deer have amazing hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell. When you go out...... be quiet, stay still, and keep the wind in your favor, which usually means in your face. You will see deer and most likely have a shot opportunity. Good luck!
Live it up! Doug

Amen, brother. Especially the part about keeping the wind in your face. That's better than any scent control you can buy.

dude.. that is scent control

How long have carbon suites and such been out? were we killing deer prior to this?

Play the wind, best advice anyone can give, period, which, as several have pointed out is scent control. I also get up in the trees which has helped tremendously in the amount of deer I see within 30 yards.

We are a archery only family. so we do try to get the deer as close as possible so I do want to try and help (control) our body odor. Has said we shower in the morning and that about it for odor control. I don't buy in to the scent control stuff and dont use any cover scent. I have been know to use a scent trail of doe pee but that is not a cover.I know we have a scent and there is not much we can do about that but I would like to help reduce the amount that we take into the woods. it look like baby wipes for the weekend. Happy hunting .smell you latter

I think Mr. Deer Hunter got it pretty well. I also think we really spend way to much time thinking about scent control and keeping our scent to an absolute minimum. Here is how I think of it, if you are scared to death of skunks, whether you smell the faintest of a skunk or a smell a skunk that just sprayed 10 feet away, you are going to beat feet out of where you are. Whether a deer smells a extreme faint smell of a human or an intense smell of a human, both times they are going to be running if they are scared of humans.

Personally, I just try my best to stay clean but don't overdue it. Play the wind and you'll be fine.

I can tell ya'll this, today I went to my ground blind around 4:30 pm. It was almost 90 today so I had a t-shirt on..boots that came out of my bedroom. With-in 45 minutes of getting in my blind I had 3 deer at 10 yrds. The wind was blowing 20 to 30 miles an hour. Right at them from my back they never smelled me. Even being up wind and only 10 yards away.... Whats even better is I got it on vid...So much for scent control. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWTfqYst_5E
Live it up! Doug