Scent lock

C

Chad.C

New member
My dad always tells me that if you ain't got the wind you don't have anything so as I was spraying scent lock on my hunting clothes just as an extra precaution I was wondering if any of you guys use it and if you think it helps
 
No doubt having the wind in your favor IS the ultimate way to go and you need to play it best you can.
But if your hunting an area in which the wind direction is forever changing throughout the day, doing what you can do to either block or mask your scent is not a bad thing. Especially when bow hunting.
 
I would save your money. I've killed a pile of deer with a bow. Been through the whole scent lok craze, gave up on it after seeing no hard proof that it makes a difference.

I wash my clothes in unscented soap and take a shower in unscented soap, more than anything so I don't smell like lavender or fresh spring breeze ( whatever my wife buys)

Anyways, I continue to fill tags every year doing this. Just my opinion from my experience. If someone wants to wear the latest greatest silver lined scent lock I say go for it, whatever makes you feel happy.
 
I've used scent block with great success. I have had a good number of deer come very close to me and even had two fawns close enough to poke 'em in the eye. I do that combined with putting my hunting clothes in a bag full of pine needles. The deer may see me, but they don't spook because of how I smell.
 
I use various scent block products but I also realize that it's impossible to eliminate my scent to the level that deer can't smell it.

If you're lucky, you can get it to the point where they think you're not there NOW as the scent is low enough that it must be old. Even that's pretty hard.

Most people only do a 1/2 job at best anyway.

Think of it.

You take a shower in unscent soap and you wipe off with a towel washed in Downy Spring Fresh.... Oops.

You wash your hunting clothes AND a towel in the unscent and you sit in a truck with stinky seats.... oops.

You wash your truck seats or put an unscented plastic bag over them and you stop for coffee at the gas station and walk through grease/oil/gas on your way in and out.... oops.

You wash everything perfectly and let your dog jump on you after you get dressed... oops.

All your clothes are perfect but you use Hoppes #9 when you clean your gun... oops.

Point being, I do what I consider to be reasonable in scent block/elimination but I also cover my scent as best as possible with smoke. Smoke doesn't scare deer and it may be strong enough to over-whelm the other scents if I can get them low enough.

Ultimately though, it all seems very random. I've had deer downwind, even brush my leg on short ladder stands and they never seemed to notice. I've had deer 300 yards away blow at me and they're gone.

Best to do all of the above and hopefully hunt a steady, predictable wind and have deer that come from predictable directions. Unfortunately, that's wishful thinking for a lot of us.
 
I always tell people I'm not a very accomplished deer hunter off the bat. I have killed an ungodly amount of coyotes though, many with a bow. What brian said was spot on. I store my hunting clothes separately in plastic bags. I try to go straight from the shower(using the scent blocker soap) to my clothes, to my spot and touch as little as possible in between.

That being said I also use a cover scent, like fox urine. I imagine a coyote has just as good a nose as a deer. Unfortunately for them they aren't half as spooky and put the cart before the horse when they hear the call. I've heard of people storing their hunting clothes with some apple slices, I've never tried it but you might give it a go.
 
Cover scents can be effective if enough is applied. Note that the pygmys in Africa have covered themselves in Elephant dung for centuries when hunting Elephants. I doubt if a few sprits of a cover scent are going to be as effective.
 
Waste of money. I used to smoke like a freight train and had deer 10 feet away with a light cigarette, while sitting on the ground. I kept a small, downey, feather on a thread hanging off my bow. The smallest, almost undetectable wind current from the deer to you and they can not pick you up. I have to agree with some of the guys about not touching things. I have sat on slopes so steep you almost had to grab trees on the way up. I have watched deer crossing down below me stop dead and turn around when they got to a tree I grabbed a hold of hours earlier.
 
I used to smoke like a freight train and had deer 10 feet away with a light cigarette,
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Likewise. The first time I went hunting after I quit I was wondering how I was going to get a deer without one.:D Those of you that use scent blockers, do you soak your rifle in it too? Gun oil is the loudest scent you carry into the woods. I agree about touching stuff tho and walking with leather boots leaves a scent trail that will turn deer away. I wear rubber bottom boots that won't leave a scent trail but that's it. No scent blocker, no unsecented soap, no clothes in bags of leaves etc.
 
Hawg Haggen said:
Likewise. The first time I went hunting after I quit I was wondering how I was going to get a deer without one.:D Those of you that use scent blockers, do you soak your rifle in it too? Gun oil is the loudest scent you carry into the woods. I agree about touching stuff tho and walking with leather boots leaves a scent trail that will turn deer away. I wear rubber bottom boots that won't leave a scent trail but that's it. No scent blocker, no unsecented soap, no clothes in bags of leaves etc.
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Smoke doesn't scare deer. I use unscented gun oil.
 
Those of you that use scent blockers, do you soak your rifle in it too? Gun oil is the loudest scent you carry into the woods.
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I worry more about scent when I'm bow hunting then during gun season. No oils on bow.

Too, my bow stands are usually in much thicker/tighter cover as I know I have to get much closer to the deer.

Far as gun oil on a gun...that's one reason for a cover scent. And using them properly. Plus, 99% of the time my setups when gun hunting affords me a lot further shot enabling me to hopefully get my shot off before I am scented.

One thing I have noticed is that does and younger bucks seem to be less sensitive or pay less attention to smells/noises then an ole leery buck. Either they are less sensitive or just more inquisitive. Regardless, IMO, if you're just goin out to put meat in the freezer by shooting a doe, you can get by with a little less attention to detail.
Not so with a mature,wary buck.
 
I like to hang my hunting clothes in the smoke from my campfire. Seems to do the trick well enough for me. It covers my scent pretty well I would guess and animals smell smoke all the time anyways. Just try to keep your body as clean as possible and dont wear your normal degree pit stick. I would look for a unscented stick. But thats just what I do. However playing the wind is the single most important thing I believe you can do for hunting sucsess.
 
All this nonsense about scent. I will try to explain something that is "A feeling". I used to bow hunt a lot. On certain days the woods was "Relaxed". I would see deer while slowly walking around. Squirrels were running everywhere right around me. One morning a red fox and I passed each other about 15 feet apart. I knew nobody was on that side of the mountain that morning. On other days things were different. The birds and animals were alert and nervous. I then knew there were other guys up there. Anybody else ever notice how different the woods is from one day to the next? Nothing you can explain really, just a feeling.
 
Scent killers likely won't hurt but they, in my opinion aren't a must.

Like Brian pointed out, it is impossible to kill every human scent but you can take little steps to minimize your odor. Keep the wind in your face. Use minimal scents (soaps), leave your clothes outside and I always rub grass and leaves over my clothes prior to entering the woods.
 
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