Ten Tips for Better Scent Control Leave a reply
I’ve got to admit that I didn’t really get serious about scent control until just a few years ago when someone pointed out to me how ridiculously short our big game hunting seasons were in Washington. I, like so many otherers, did everything absolutely back-asswards when it came to controlling my own scent in the woods. Despite all my fumblings I’ve always managed to get a deer or at least have a few opportunities to bag a legal buck every season.
My enlightenment came when I reflected upon all the big bucks that I’ve busted over the years that I could’ve gotten if I’d have just had another second or three. Those extra critical seconds could be gained if that four hooved sniffing machine didn’t know exactly what he was looking at before he beat feet for the next county. Oila…scent control!
Here’s some scent control tips that might help you this fall:
-Launder all of your hunting clothes in a scent free laundry detergent like Scent-A-Way from Hunter Specialities.
-Store hunting clothes in a scent free bag and include scent wafers like pine, cedar, or fresh earth in the bag. If scent wafers aren’t available put some pine needles or cedar chips in a fine mesh bag and place it in the scent proof storage bag with your hunting clothes. Here’s a VIDEO of the bag I use to store my hunting clothes.
-Make sure you are scent free by using a system like Scent-A-Way that includes bar soap, shampoo and conditioner, anti-perspirant, toothpaste, and foot powder.
-Avoid pumping gas into your truck the morning of the hunt. If you absolutely have to get fuel wear rubber gloves and stand off to the side of the vent as the vehicle is filling.
-Don’t wear your hunting boots when you pump fuel either, as the concrete under the pump is generally covered with hydrocarbons from spillage.
-Avoid sitting around a camp fire in the hunting clothes you’ll use the next day.
-If that smoke isn’t bad enough, lay off the cigars and cigarettes for the weekend. There’s nothing that shouts “human being” more clearly to a deer than ciggy smoke.
-The inside of most trucks smells like a combination of Little Tree scent fresheners and the drooling black lab that always insists on riding shotgun. Try to keep an extra set of clothes for driving and keep the hunting clothes in a scent free bag in the back of the truck.
-Use a cover scent or scent eliminator spray before you head into the field. I’ll be using Hunter Specialties new aerosol spray this fall.
-Always stay down wind of an area that could be holding deer or elk. I know it’s a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many hunters underestimate this.
Rob Endsley
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com
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