Bees

Doesn't matter, understand what the wind is doing and you can wear anything you want washed in anything. I was five feet away from a deer the other month before season with my dress clothes and deorderant and after shave and everything else associated with work. . Understand the wind and it will become pretty obvious to ya that all this camo and scent control is all hyped way to much. We have always been and will always be at the mercey of the wind, understand what it is doing and you will understand how to get close to a deer..

scent control and camo, hyped waaaay tooo much!!

Kybuckhunter

I think a person will do better by staying as clean as possable but nothing will completely do away with or hide your scent totally. The more human scent you pack in the more you will spead around you. Playing the wind is the only sure way to fool their nose but the wind can change alot also. Also you can get away with spreading more scent around young deer but the old ones will not stand for it. Many times I've had young deer around me down wind and not know I was around. As soon as an old doe gets the slightest wind of me it's all over.

BobCo19-65

Me either.

davidmil

I own TWO(2) Scent Lok suits. I wore the face mask a couple times last year when it was cold and I wanted to get away from the mesh ones.[&:] I know I have two because I bought them. They're in a scent lok bag somewhere in the basement.

zrexpilot

Deer dont associate tide with anything in the woods that would be dangerous, so you were actually practicing scent control.
I will prolly get reamed for this but I have drank beer, smoked cigs and peed out a blind and still killed a deer, hog, turkey etc. Rifle hunting mind you.

by23856

This argument for the wind comes up a lot, and it's as valid as can be, but it isn't the only card in the deck and should be played along with all the other elements. The Native Americans (I know it's a tired subject, but hear me out and then judge) did use scent control in the way of standing in the smoke of a camp fire, rubbing the burnt ashes and charcoal from past fires on themselves, as well as moss, grass, pine needles and countless other things. Most of us do not want to go to that extreme, so we use the cleaner modern day alternatives.

If you put any stock into Tom Brown and his tracking and woodland skills [link]http://www.trackerschool.com/[/link], he uses all of the above and more to control his scent, and then he plays the wind. It's all pieces to the total puzzle. He was trained by a native american and this was how he was taught. These pictures of indians hunting in clean, bare legs and buckskins is a myth generated by past and present media.

The other hole in this 'play the wind only' train of thought is that you are assuming that deer will only come in up wind of you. I've been out four times now this season (and countless times last season) and each time have had deer come in from behind me, or pass by me and then get down wind of me, and many times while there were deer still in front of me. What do you do then when the big buck is standing up wind of you and you're ready to draw but a doe gets behind you and smells your aftershave or tide detergent and snorts and sends every furry creature running?

As for not being able to eliminate all of your scent, I agree, but I also believe it may not be as much of an all or nothing prospect as some would believe. The reason is, I believe, is that a lot of us hunt in areas where there is some amount of human scent spread throughout the year. This is true on farms; on public hunting land where hikers share the woods, or small game hunters, or whatever; suburban hunters; etc. The deer are used to smelling 'traces' of human scent that may be anywhere from fresh to a few days old. They have learned, I would assume, to distinguish between a recent concentrated human scent of a non protected person to that of a trace odor that is a few days old and no longer a threat. I think that if we can contain most of our scent so that all that is getting 'out there' are small percentages of our odor, be it from our breath, or our wallet, or our watch band or whatever, they may believe it is an older odor and not one to cause alarm. I have no proof on this, it's just a layman's theory.

Just my two cents on 'just' playing the wind. It's important, and undoubtedly the most important part, but it's not the only part to increasing your odds in consistently seeing and harvesting deer.

deerhunter1224

I belive scent control is important to a point. Yes you need to wash your clothes in the Earth Plus Detergent. Then spray your self down with some type of cover scent before you head to the woods. People that buy into that scent-lok suit you guys are wasteing your money. I have had deer down wind of me and they didnt pick up my scent. I thought of this say you put a dead animal that has been laying next to the road on on hot summer day. You take that dead animal rap him up in the scent-lok suit. Are you going to still smell him? Please save your money or spend it on something else.

by23856

Yuck.[:'(] I hope I never smell as bad as all that... I don't suppose washing that animal in Earth Plus Detergent is gonna do much either, or spraying it with a cover scent. Maybe that could be your cover scent. My dog uses it. LOL

For the record, I don't use scent lok either, just having fun.

TURKEY FAN

This is a dead issue for me fella's................i just go for what i know!

Stump_MN_Hunter

You passed up the biggest buck at around a 100" 8pt and you had a couple doe around you? That's not like your hunting old, smart deer now are you? Most likely all of them were at or under 2 1/2 and not very bright, still in their summer patterns and haven't been hunted or have been pressured at all. I guess you don't have to worry about shooting a big dog now do ya. But then again luck probably is 70-80% of hunting, so you still got a chance. Screw scent, doesn't help one bit. lol!!!!!