Realistic scent issues

[JGH]

I've never been too dramatic about getting rid of scent. I'm pretty certain it's impossible, even in a non-backcountry setting, so I've just decided to cuss the wind. It's worked well for me. I have a reliable excuse, no matter the problem.

That said, there are evenings when I want to sit a stand or hunt a draw where the wind may be "good" but not "great" ... and it's hardly ever consistent.

So, there I am, with clothes I've had on for 3 days, trying to outwit an elk nose.

What thoughts come to mind for you on those "good-but-not-great"-wind nights?

[>>>---WW---->]

Personally, I think you are in about the same boat with your three day old clothes as the guy that has fresh clean ones on.

I do believe you can tone your scent down some but you can't eliminate it completely. Play the wind! Ever think about soaking your clothes in the creek at mid-day and hanging them to dry on a willow to dry.

[Lefty]

After 3 day you stink,... bad
Back country you may be stuck with what you have.
I cant crawl in a sleeping bag all nasty so even the coldest camps Ive bathed

When I rifle hunted out of a camp at a trail head I showered every day, 20 degrees, sunshine with hot water and soap can be invigorating

If you spike camp think of hauling some gear in early and cache.

My hunt time is limited; I try to take every advantage or help I can

[Huntography]

Merino wool base layers and socks can help tame the funk.

That and using unscented baby wipes everyday and reapplying Mitchums odorless deodorant helped me big time last year.

Rudy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[JGH]

WW ... that's what I do ... soak/dry 1 set of clothes every other day.

That said, I don't soak my pack, bow, GPS, release, binoculars, hat, boots, or the elastic thingy that holds my glasses on.

That's why I've always figured I'd just cuss the wind and live with it. I need excuses -- wind will work fine.

Lefty ... I, too, hate crawling in a sleeping bag like that, so I use the unscented baby wipes. But I'm not thinking that that actually beats elk noses ... it just helps me. Caching stuff is an idea.

It cracks me up to see guys in videos "spray" each other down before they chase a bull. Why don't they do that when they go into the local burger place, too? I'm sure the other patrons would appreciate it.

Huntography ... agreed about merino. That stuff really seems to work -- or NOT work at causing scent to build.

It just seems to me that elk hunting is so tough ... If you wait for everything to be perfect, you'll never hunt, but if you go in in a less-than perfect setting you'll screw things up.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Please, someone, remind me why we play this game?

[cnelk]

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Please, someone, remind me why we play this game?

Because the rules change and the elk are the prize

[buglmin]

It all starts with personal hygene and how you take care of yourself in the back country, and the food you eat.
I've been around guys thats been in the back country for four days that dont stink, cause they do take the time to bathe and wash clothes. Just cause youre in the woods doesnt mean you dont have to clean yourself daily.
And think what you want, but sprays like scent shield does work. Its been proven in labs. Maybe you need to look into it.

[elkaholic]

I
And think what you want, but sprays like scent shield does work. Its been proven in labs. Maybe you need to look into it.

Im sure that it does work in a lab. But elk country is far from lab settings. The first sweat I break hiking into a basin all the prep work I would have done is obsolete. Human sweat stinks to an elk. Guys that hunt out of blinds or tree stands probably see pretty good results out of it but anyone that breaks a sweat is throwing their money away IMHO. Not to mention the scent coming from you mouth.

Play the wind right and you can't go wrong.

[Pop-r]

Spray WILL help you dramatically!

[buglmin]

Sorry, but not buying it. We carry small pump bottles with us and use it. And everyone sweats, some more then others. But personal hygene and using products like scent hield gos a long ways in the humn smell factor. Hair produces bacteria that produces smell. Youre oily dirty hain can be cleaned with powdered shampoo. Lots of products on todays market that helps in personal hygene. And for the mouth part, tooth paste and some mouth wash if youre that concerned.

[POk3s]

I will say this. I never was a believer in any of the scent control measures with the exact same frame of mind. I hunt hard and I sweat all day long. Well last year I went up hunting with a buddy from Colorado. It was September 21st when we left my hometown together. I had already hunted 8 days or so that September with the wind just kicked my butt. He had mentioned that a couple years ago he had called in 6 different bulls in one setup but each one circled around downwind and took off. After that he dove into scent killing products and had a lot better results.

He asked me if I wanted to give it a try but if not that was ok. I figured what the heck, if I'm going to try it I'm going to give it an honest effort and not skimp out on anything. We hiked in early and still in the dark we wiped down with scent killer (I don't remember the brands, just a generality) wipes, applied scent killer lotion, and then sprayed down. In my previous hunts the second the wind had changed directions it was over....as it should be. With the swirling Wyoming winds there isn't a stable wind after about 9 pm. Well that morning I hunted hard and on my way back to camp I stopped and did a cold calling setup. I called a bull in from across a meadow and twice I felt the wind hit me on the back of my neck. Both times he raised his head up and sniffed the air. And both times he put his head down and kept coming. After seeing that I bought all my own stuff to try this year.

You might as well give it a shot. If it doesn't work then it doesn't work. But after what I experienced last year it masked my scent just enough to kill that bull and that's all I need.

[Swede]

I wear camo. I know it does not make me invisible, so maybe its not important. I move within the shadows as much as I can, but I can still be seen. I minimize the sounds I make, but who am I kidding. The elk have excellent ears, so I may as well sing out there. The elk have great noses, so why not maintain a three day pit smell. Maybe it is about minimizing the problems we deal with, rather than completely eliminating them. Scent, like sound carries. The greater the scent the more area it covers, and the easier for you to be detected.

[JGH]

Well, that is one of the more sensible things I've heard on the subject ever.

[buglmin]

I know you cant completely eleminate human odor, but you can keep it under control. But then again, everyone has their opinions, and its hard to give advice to an already expert. But I do know from bathing daily and using scent control products, Ive had cows and calves and small bulls walk by me three feet away as I lay below the trail they were using. And at three feet, wind condition dont matter, cause the scent is around you.
Everyone I hunt with bathes daily in the back country, and we do use scent control sprays, dry powder shampoos, and we dont use being in the back woods and smelling as an excuse.
I just got into whitetail hunting eight years ago, and from what Ive learned bout controlling my scent in the whitetail woods has paid off for me in the elk woods. I see guys cooking and eating and setting around fires in their camo. There is a huge difference in a heavy dose of human oder and a slight dose of human oder. Its up to you to keep personal hygene and to wash daily. Using three days of smelling and being in the elk woods shouldnt be an excuse.

[Swede]

buglmin: You and I are saying exactly the same thing. I just like to be facetious sometimes. I have minimized scent for many years. It pays.

[fm]

I do all the washing and all I can to stay as scent free as one can. Im sure others do this to but where I hunt there is a lot of sage brush so I hang my hunting camo on the sage brush away from camp. Then I cut some and put in my bag I put my camo in. Even cut a piece and put it on my backpack. Don`t know if its what has helped me the last few years but the little water seep I found four years ago can only be hunted from above it. No trees to hunt out of. Two years I had 12 cows and calves come into the seep in the first hour of the morning with the wind going down hill. The cows would look my way like they knew something was there but did not spook. The strange thing to me was the calves where the ones that where really spooked and kept staring right at me. About a hour later the biggest bull I have shot stopped just short of where I could shoot and stood staring my way for what seemed like 10 min before he stepped out where I could shoot. I know its not the ideal way to hunt but the spot is only good opening morning, there are a lot of hunters in the area and they do alot of aimless walking around and the elk quit coming to it after opening day.

[cnelk]

I already have my camo clothes in a bin with sage.
When I hunt, I remove my clothes at camp and place them back in the bin.
I put them on the morning only when Im ready to leave camp.
I dont hang around camp or cook with my hunting camo on.
I also wipe down everyday.

Even playing iffy wind, if attention to scent detail will get me 3-5 seconds more to shoot an elk, I will take it everyday

[fm]

Wish I had some to do that too Brad but we don`t have much sage up here. We put up a tent that is where we keep all our bins in and a changing room for my aunt away from the boys.

[cnelk]

Francis
PM me your address and I will send you a box of fresh sage....

[POk3s]

I wear camo. I know it does not make me invisible, so maybe its not important. I move within the shadows as much as I can, but I can still be seen. I minimize the sounds I make, but who am I kidding. The elk have excellent ears, so I may as well sing out there. The elk have great noses, so why not maintain a three day pit smell. Maybe it is about minimizing the problems we deal with, rather than completely eliminating them. Scent, like sound carries. The greater the scent the more area it covers, and the easier for you to be detected.

EXACTLY!

[LarryBud]

Until this September, I have no Elk experience. I do have decades of Whitetail and Muley experience on the Prairie and in the Woods.

Nothing wrong with trying to reduce your scent, however, if you're downwind, they will smell you. Personally, I've given up on hunting anywhere downwind. It's just a waste of time.

F&S did a nice series of articles testing all the common scent control products with a police dog tracking people with them on. None of them reduced the time it took Fido to track the hunter down. The only thing that helped at all was natural pine burrows of I recall.

[Washington Wapiti]

I wear camo. I know it does not make me invisible, so maybe its not important. I move within the shadows as much as I can, but I can still be seen. I minimize the sounds I make, but who am I kidding. The elk have excellent ears, so I may as well sing out there. The elk have great noses, so why not maintain a three day pit smell. Maybe it is about minimizing the problems we deal with, rather than completely eliminating them. Scent, like sound carries. The greater the scent the more area it covers, and the easier for you to be detected.

Yep, yep . . . THIS!
I haven’t reconciled in my own mind whether I buy into scent control products fully. I still use ‘em. I know Dead Down Wind takes out the nasty smell of cig smoke out of my jacket (I had a roommate who smoked), and food and other smells out of my camo. But that is MY nose. Not an elk nose. But . . . I like increasing my lines of defense, why just have one?

Baby wipes: Love them, always carry in my pack. Wipe down daily as necessary.

Street clothes/shorts: Hike in, in them a day before opening day. It is 2 miles in before I’m even to camp. Set-up camp (I’ve already ferried in my camping gear, blind, and other “heavy gear” a week or two prior and cached). Peel off the sweaty mess, let dry and stick it in a garbage bag, twist off and stash. I like the bin idea. I may do that this year. Wipe down, dry off, and change into camp clothes.

DDW or whatever brand strikes my fancy: Opening day at 0:dark:30 . . . Camo-up and spray down.

Moccasin Joe: I bathe in cow estrus before heading to my blind LOL. I use this as a cover scent when traveling to my blind or other calling location. Maybe it is effective, maybe it is not. I figure at the very least, I’m making the elk “comfortable” (and myself nauseous) by smelling more like one.

Wind: I’m lucky . . . my go-to area is very consistent and predictable 98% of the time. In the afternoon it usually is either dead or starting to change the opposite direction, which makes still-hunting the trail I came in on in the morning ideal. The blind helps contain scent a little perhaps, but I have most of my ports open except for the two or three immediately behind me. Depending on how the wind may change in the afternoon to early evening it could very well blow any scent of mine through the blind to an awaiting nose. I’d like to think the cow estrus and scent control spray help mitigate that. It must . . . doing light cow calling I’ve pulled early-season, opening day elk into 13 yards at 1-2 in the afternoon. No spook-age. Then again, there’s always coincidence. I’m always watching the wind (Windicator in hand) and work it to the best of my ability . . . if things DO get dead or swirly; I back-out another half-mile or mile to the fringes to travel. I know my area well, so I know where my perceived “safe zones” are. But nothing’s perfect. Last year I got busted by a cow during a “safe zone” travel.

All THAT during the open season and I was able to sneak-in to 15 yards or so, on this youngster in regular everyday clothes. No scent control, after eating three McDouble’s with cheese, in an area where the wind is problematic. LOL! Ironic aint it??

junior.JPG (220.9 KiB) Viewed 6183 times

[Swede]

Larrybud: I agree after Fido is on your scent trail, he can stay on it until pooch is right beside you. That is not the point of washing or using products that reduce human scent. Can he scent you 200 yards away if you are as scent free as possible? How about 100 yards? I found the elk I shot last season with my nose. I could smell him at approximately 40 yards away. Maybe I could have caught his scent a little farther away, but not much. F&S presents a false choice. My nose is not near as good as an elk's, but I can smell you well before three days if you are not cleaning up. Scent Killer, special soaps and regular washing reduce human odor. Nobody is saying spray yourself and throw caution to the wind. You can reduce the odor you put out and reduce the opportunity for being detected. Not only does less scent reduce the amount of area you contaminate, but it will dissipate sooner. If you have any doubt, ask someone to stand upwind from you a few feet away. Then have them splash on some perfume. Anyway you get the picture.