No Sub For Wind
 

I showered with dead down wind scent elimination soap. Got dressed in the field with freshly charged scent-lok head to toe with scent free boots. Sprayed head to toe scent elimination field spray, including gear. I sprayed again at my stand. It was mid-day and up comes a spike moving from the bedding area. The wind is perpendicular from right to left slightly behind me. Not ideal but doing the trick. He gets about 20 yards but still facing me so I can't draw. He is oblivious to me and not on alert. I was giving him a chance to get a better shot. The wind picks up and I watch the leaves falling again right to left and then almost in slow motion I see them shift from behind me then left to right. Spikes nose goes directly to the air and he is on full alert. Stomps and then starts looking, hard! He turns and moves away looks directly at me and starts the head bob. Trots off and looks back from about 60 yards and heads back into the bedding area. Yep all the little products help and have done well in the past but there is no sub for wind.

hard to conceal scent. did ya have yer pant legs tucked in yer boots?

2 things you can't fool a white tail. his nose and his eyes. A doe will let some movement go, but not scent. a buck forget it all.

all these I shot him dead down wind crap you hear, ask them if they were 30ft up a tree as well.

I hate to say it but I don't buy the hype at all for the scent control products. Not the clothing, the spray, none of it. Now I do wash my clothes in scent free soap and use scent free deo. Sometimes I shower with scent free soap. But as soon as you start into the woods, you start sweating and it all goes out the window. The best you can do is stay down wind.

X2 I have shot deer down wind but that was because I am 20' up in my treestand and hunt a hill so if my wind is blowing down hill its right over their heads. I have never trusted the scent-lok stuff and usually never buy it unless its on sale and I am looking for new bibs or jacket.

I do however wash my clothes in scent free detergent, I believe its called All or something, not that "dead down wind" or "Scent Eliminator" scent free is scent free. The worst is if you sweat there is no way to mask that.

Having been just 25 to 10 yards from a Doe Wendsday night for more than 15 minutes and observing her every movement and reaction during that time I must agree you will have a tough time fooling their nose. This Doe was less than a year old but schooled well by momma Doe. The wind that night was a south by south west good for my spot facing west.She came in from the south and moved east toward me down to 10 yards,her eyes picked up a blob in the brush(my chubby butt)this is what drew her toward me,I was camoed from head to toe and had cover scent doe in estrus hanging around my spot and sprayed a shot or two of doe pee to check the thermals in the thicket area where I was tucked in. She would have been an easy broadside shot with no chance to duck the arrow that close but due to her small size I lowered my bow and just watched her until she trotted off. Even though she could have died I was impressed once again with how cautious even the young ones are,she licked her nose,bobed her head and stared at my spot knowing something new was in the brush but not being sure what it was. It was a great teaching time for me as I observed this animal. Use the wind it is your best defense against that nose.

Yeah I was at least 20 feet up also and pant legs were outside of the boots. I either missed something or since the winds were swirling and gusting also it was game over for me. He did get about 10 - 15 yards from me. Something worked. Just not well enough.... He didn't lose his mind but he didn't like something an trotted off ...

I have decided to do away with all the scent control hoopla. Last year I was very particular about my gear and clothing, washing everything that could be washed in baking soda and Borax, hanging it outside, keeping it in Rubbermaid containers in my car, getting buck naked in the field and dressed into my hunting clothing, coming back from a long and exhausting hunt and getting everything packed away just right to keep it “scent free.” Every two outings or so, go thru the same wash and hang thing again, etc.

No more. Waaaaay too time consuming. Way too stressful. I want to enjoy my hunting experience, not get stressed out by all the things I “have to do” in order to become “scent free.” If you think about all the stuff you do on the way in and while hunting that will release your skin particles, dried saliva and mucous, etc, etc into the air, you know you really have to be OCD beyond comprehension if you want any real chance of being “scent free.”

The only thing I’m going to do this season is spray down a little bit with scent “eliminator.” Even then, I know it’s just for my sake as a confidence booster. Most of all, I'm just going old school and paying careful attention to the wind.

I know what you mean 7.62NATO about the time,money and stress wondering if you got all your ducks in a row as regards scent control. I think I have washed my stuff so much it looks like it's 10 years old instead of 3 years or less. For what ever reason some guys seem to never get busted even if the wind is against them,so they say. This quite simply has not been my consistant experience, each hunter has a mind set about this that rules his practice before each hunt. I've watched some guys us a product called Osonics which looked impressive but I don't know all there is to know about it's track record with hunters who have used it.

X2 - This is what I do. Also use a drag rag and some scent wicks (estrous) around my stand.