Hunting & Fishing Do scent blocking/masking products work?

[Creature]

Anyone use scent blocking/masking sprays or soaps? I'm wondering if they're worth a damn or if I'm just throwing money down the drain. If so which one is the best?

 

[Trapshooter12]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

Wasting money.

I watched a Mythbusters show awhile back and Jamie bathed in unscented soap put on a rubber suit and a fully enclosed hasmat suit and the Tracking dog still found him.

Other animals also use their noses to keep them safe, so in my opinion it's a waste of money unless you like to smell bad yourself.

 

[huntin1]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

Waste of money. A deer's nose is more sensitive than a drug sniffing dog. Anyone who believes they are going to fool it with this stuff is only fooling themselves.

 

[Rthur]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

I have seen it fool deer and elk. On deer it helps sometimes. The conditions might be a part of this. On elk it is more of a 2 outa 10. I would call it more of a tool to add to other tricks of the trade to help your success. YMMV

R

 

[Rmitch223]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

Ive used Dead Down Wind for about three years with great results. I have gotten very close to coyotes with this stuff. I believe it works. I have friend who gets a deer every year while smoking a cigarette in his stand so who knows..

 

[Creature]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it serves the same function as unscented soap, deodorant, detergent, etc.. I guess I'll stick to using pine tree branches/bushes to mask my scent.

FYI I found this about scent lok: http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/hunting/2010/05/bestul-scent-lok-found-guilty-false-advertising

 

[ggmanning]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

I use this http://whitetail.esecureorder.net/shop/p...d3a42f261634ce4 and I use this http://www.cabelas.com/scents-scent-elim...wafers-1.shtml.

Yes they work. I often have deer within 15 yards hunting on the ground and get scented very very rarely. I have found when I forgot to use it I got busted far more readily. The ever calm stick is great....I have had does bed around me hunting from the tree and on the ground using it. I even use their rabbit stick on my rabbit boxes with good success. I never use sprays, washes or scent blocking clothing. A set of 3 wafers and one stick of ever calm lasts me 2 hunting seasons so it's cheap. I am not a casual deer hunter that lives by the hunting show trying all the new stuff. 95% of the red meat my family of 5 eats is deer so I use what I personally know works.

 

[THE MGD]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

Ive never used any of this crap, of course i live out where i hunt. Funniest thing ive seen is a guy smearing "synthetic coon piss" all over him. Hang a set of clothes out where you go, used unscented stuff, pay attention to the wind more than anything.

 

[Night Hunter]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

They are tools to help cut down on the amount of your odor that reaches an animals nose. Each of them help. There is no way to beat an animals nose 100%. You may gain 10-20 yards out of it which is all most people are really asking for. When your talking in parts per million no masking or blocking agent works that well.

Just science... Oh, and you can't reactivate carbon clothes either. At least at the temps. a dryer reach anyway.

 

[The_Duke]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

It works to a degree, definately doesn't 100% eliminate scent tho. But, still works good enough that I don't go hunting without it

 

[quickdraw17]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

I've tried them, and I haven't really seen any difference between with and without. Personally, I think the weather conditions and wind direction play a bigger part in getting busted than any products you might use.

 

[athhud]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

I've been close enough that I could smell the deer standing in front of me. I've always used some kind of pine-scented masking spray. I've been within 15' of a deer with and without the stuff, so I don't know how much of a difference it makes. I do know that if your odor is the only red flag you give them, they don't seem to be all that concerned with you. It's amazing how oblivious they are to a ghillie in a brush pile! Of course I am talking about doe here. I don't have the balls to let a buck get that close to me sitting on my ass! I don't even know if a buck would be that careless.... A spike got within 20 yards of me last year, while I was sitting underneath a cedar tree. He knew I was there, but that' probably had more to do with me dicking around with my phone, (trying to get a steady rest to film him behind the iron sights of my 1911) than it did my scent. I ended up not taking the shot and he meandered along as if I was an annoying squirrel or something. I wasn't using any kind of cover-scent and my ghillie was smelling fairly ripe as it was the last day of the season and had been put away wet a few days earlier.

 

[khall540]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

Not to get too far off topic but as I sat in my bow stand the other day wearing my new Under Armour Scent Control camo I had to question how well the stuff actually worked since I could smell my own fart as it made its way out through the fabric. I will say though I have yet to have a deer "blow" me while wearing this stuff and I spray down with ScentKiller every time I put my camo on and store it in a rubbermaid tub when not in use.

 

[Force_Multiplier]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rmitch223</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ive used Dead Down Wind for about three years with great results. I have gotten very close to coyotes with this stuff. I believe it works. I have friend who gets a deer every year while smoking a cigarette in his stand so who knows..</div></div>

this... unless deer have changed much since 2008 (the last year I really got to hunt...

I wear whatever clothes I happen to be comfortable in, smoke, snack, and all that in my stand, and I killed a couple a year. I don't expect any different this year

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

I've been pretty close to a deer (within reach of an extended rifle muzzle) which never alerted to my presence. Why not? Who knows? I'm fairly certain that motion played a large part, and that if I had been busted it would have been due to visual cues.

Other years, I've gone the whole season without seeing a deer close enough to shoot with confidence. Why? Who knows? I think a large part of it was due to my lack fo fitness, which prevented me from doing my once customary preseason scouting.

I hang my outfit for a week outdoors before opening day, and it stays outdoors until the season ends. I launder it with sports wash and skip the fabric softener. I shower with the hunter's body wash, and use no deodorant or aftershave. I take care not to break a sweat. I figure it can't hurt, but I don't assume it's going to make my day, either.

I put most store into visual issues.

Greg

 

[Niles Coyote]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

Just keep in mind the wind direction and where you expect deer to come from/go to.

FWIW, I have found UV blocker on your clothes to be more important than cover scents or scent blockers.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

it does help, but again as with a few of the posts above, doesn't eliminate all of scent. to even try to attempt that, you have to spray your car, not breathe or sweat either to introduce a newly generated human scent

then again, i've had deer at 10 yds while i was puffing on a smoke too.

paying attention to wind direction and surpressing movement should be the first concern, there are no shortcuts around that.

second concern should be a distraction / attraction scent put in a scrape for deer or curiosity scent used for coyotes, etc. keep their attention elsewhere rather on you (just like a magician).

then comes the camo / human scent blocker.

i've had more contact with wildlife while using scent blockers so there is validity to them. but all the scent blockers in the world isn't going to help if you can't sit still.

 

[Derek01]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

I definitely think they work. I think it's a matter of degree. Sure the deer /animal can smell something but if the amount is not too great it won't alert the animal. I have sat in a tripod stand in regular clothes and watched deer and when the catch my scent their head raises and in about ten seconds they are gone. When I'm in my hunting clothes, I've had many deer appear to smell something, look around several times then go back to feeding. While on the ground I've had red foxes come within eight feet of me. I kind of over do it as I use UV killer, scent clothes and spray and chlorophyll tabs. Speaking of which chlorophyll tabs really help keep your body/mouth odors down. We hunted in CO two weeks ago, ( we got our elk) and were taking these tabs for about two weeks prior. Usually, wearing the same clothes for two to three days can make a person quite ripe, but our BO was minimal. I definitely think it helps

 

[Killer Spade 13]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

I'm with Creature.

Replicate the natural scent of the environment in which you are hunting.

Like Creature, I'll crush up some leaves of different plants in the area in which I'm hunting and rub it on my clothes, especially up around the neck area. A lot of heat escapes from the collar area and diffuses the secent into the air. Acorns are really good, too.

The old fellows taught me to do this.

 

[athhud]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

I slip up on the deer at night and glue sunglasses to their head so I don't have to mess with any of that UV cover

 

[kill_goose]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

You CANNOT eliminate human odor. If you're breathing, you're stinking.

But, you CAN reduce it, and hence reduce your human signature in the woods. You can manage and reduce your scent possibly to a "non threatening" level.

The hunter soaps are nothing more than anti-bacterial soaps without perfumes, they kill the bacteria that grows on you and creates body odor. Scent killer sprays are predominantly baking soda and peroxide, one absorbs some odor, the other kills bacteria.

Masking scents simply intermingle with your human odor. The idea being it makes it harder for the animal to separate out the odors.

Deer are not smart animals, in fact, they're downright dumb if they havent been conditioned to hunters. I firmly believe you can reduce, manage, and mask your human odor to the point that A) your human scent is at a "non threatening" level, or B) you have masked your odor enough by throwing a bouquet of odors at the animal.

I do not believe this fools a deers nose, but I do believe this can confuse them long enough to potentially get you a shot.

Also, with deer, a lot of how a deer reacts to human odor of varying age and levels, has to do with the recent experiences of that particular animal. Deer do not teach their young.



Now coyotes on the other hand, there is no way around their nose. A coyotes nose IS better than a whitetails, no doubt about it, whats more, they are a far more intelligent animal. They will smell you farther, can differentiate between "old" and "fresh" scent better, and are much better at separating out odors. Unless the last several generations of their family has had absolutely NO human interaction, it is game over when they hit your scent stream. The ability of a coyote to pass on experiential behaviors to its young is pretty damn cool, and part of why they are so adaptive and resilient to selection pressure.

 

[bornhunter04]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

First of the only way to defeat a whitetails nose is to play the wind.

But cover scents and sprays and soap do work. Do they all work to the same level? No. The hs green soap is the best, and the scent-a-way work best, if i remember correctly. Theres a study somewhere on the net that shows which brands or solutions are best at killing human bacteria which is the cause of odor. You can never completely be rid of it but you can reduce your signature.

Ive also used shines acorn scent on my gear and boot soles to great effect. By that i mean deer licking the tree i climbed up in after having followed my trail
in.

The way i look at it, i spend maybe $10-20 per year on soap and spray, and if that gives me the little bit of advantage to ensure a shot then its def worth it.

 

[Night Hunter]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

As stated the bottom line is fooling a deer into thinking you are further away than you actually are.

UV is a big deal too. UGA produced a study that a deers visual acuity works differently through the UV spectrum. UV brightners commonly found in normal clothes detergent shine blue to a deer.

 

[athhud]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kill_goose</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Deer are not smart animals, in fact, they're downright dumb if they havent been conditioned to hunters. </div></div>

Absolute fact! IMO, if you are hunting with a rifle you don't need any of these fancy odor eliminators or lures. Even when bow hunting, none of it is a necessity as long as your strategy is sound. I've taken quite the interest in spear hunting lately. When my skills are honed enough that I believe I might actually be able to take a deer with a spear, you better believe that I'll be doing everything I can to gain an advantage! I've read a bit on the visible light spectrum of deer and understand the theory behind it all, but nothing in actual practice has led me to believe that I should concern myself very much with looking like a smurf.

 

[VTSEAL]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

IMO, you are way better off to spend time finding several stand locations and only hunting them when the wind is favorable for that location. Otherwise, climbing higher beats out scent reducing products.

 

[Night Hunter]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: athhud</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kill_goose</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Deer are not smart animals, in fact, they're downright dumb if they havent been conditioned to hunters. </div></div> I've read a bit on the visible light spectrum of deer and understand the theory behind it all, but nothing in actual practice has led me to believe that I should concern myself very much with looking like a smurf. </div></div>

No longer theory. It will be published as peer reviewed scientific journal if it hasn't already. It was also proven that one specific camo pattern proved more effective than the others. As usual the researchers declined to specify which one it was to the open floor at the conference.

That said, we all believe you can kill deer without these things because they have only been around the last 20-25 years. As an outfitter and biologist I can tell you SOME of these things work and give you an edge. Most of them do not.

Deer urine is another good example. When you buy doe pee it is brown. When urine comes out of the deer it is not. Once it hits oxygen it begins to turn to ammonia, hence the strong smell. These scents cause deer to die every year and produce billions in revenue. These exact odors do not naturally occur in nature but it is close enough to fool a deer for a few seconds. They all realize it is not real unless they get shot first. That's all you can really ask of "scent killing" products...buy you a few extra seconds.

 

[DirtyDave]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

Pay attention to the wind and keep still.

 

[greentimber]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DirtyDave</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Pay attention to the wind and keep still. </div></div>



+1. The whole scent elimination thing is total BS. Aside from the fantasy that this clothing can contain all of your scent to the extent that an animal's nose can't detect it, you're carrying a rifle, ammunition, sling, pack, car keys, camera, breathing, etc....

 

[Creature]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

I had a funny occurrence the other day and I thought I'd share. I was using my usual technique of dragging vegetation across myself and gear to mask my scent and I thought, "that's a weird smell." Upon further inspection it turned out to be a pot plant I tore out of the ground. I discarded it immediately in favor of pine but looking back it probably would have worked well. Maybe not so much if I ran into the game warden though lol.

 

[Graham]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

The question is not whether it works, but whether any of that crap is necessary. It is not.

 

[shamrockcattleco]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

Necessary no... Helpful yes.

You cant beat his nose, eyes or ears. So take every advantage you can.

 

[Creature]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Graham</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The question is not whether it works, but whether any of that crap is necessary. It is not. </div></div>

No actually the question is whether it works. Check OP. A firearm isn't necessary either. You could trap/kill a deer with a piece of wire. A lot of trappers would argue it's easier. Just because some guy out there is smoking cigarettes and hunting deer with bricks doesn't mean everything else is irrelevant.

This is the conclusion i have drawn: Don't depend on these things to get rid of your scent. Just use them to replace your existing scented products. Masking scents from the natural environment is the way to go IMO. You can make yourself smell like a pine tree real quick and it's free. Just take small branch, put it under your arm tight, and pull it out. Leaves strong scent. I even carry a branch or two in my pocket too.

Has anyone ever used coyote scents like predator bomb/coyote urine(sprayed downwind, not on yourself)? I know people use scents like beaver castors to trap and whatnot.

 

[gunman_7]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Trapshooter12</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Wasting money.

I watched a Mythbusters show awhile back and Jamie bathed in unscented soap put on a rubber suit and a fully enclosed hasmat suit and the Tracking dog still found him.</div></div>

That would be because a tracking dog doesn't follow your personal scent like most would think, spend some time around them and you'll know these things. I know, I train one regularly.

 

[gunman_7]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

7<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Greg Langelius *</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
I hang my outfit for a week outdoors before opening day, and it stays outdoors until the season ends. I launder it with sports wash and skip the fabric softener. I shower with the hunter's body wash, and use no deodorant or aftershave. I take care not to break a sweat. I figure it can't hurt, but I don't assume it's going to make my day, either.

I put most store into visual issues.

Greg </div></div> I do the same, except use scentless hunters specialties deodorant.

 

[Al Rick]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

Working with tracking dogs for TDX qualifications - a dogs nose can detect things that we take for granted. TDX dogs have been used to detect natural gas line leaks 12' underground - stuff that we could never even fathom.

We smell a pizza, a dog can smell individual ingredients.

Play the wind and stay away from perfumed deodorants and soaps.

 

[Graham]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Creature</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Graham</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The question is not whether it works, but whether any of that crap is necessary. It is not. </div></div>No actually the question is whether it works.

</div></div>The only relevant question is whether your hunting buddy in the next trree stand over from you smells worse than you do.

 

[overkill]

Re: Do scent blocking/masking products work?

well, i'll say this. a few years ago, i finished up a handmade ghillie suit, sprayed it and my other clothing down with sent killer and set up on a fallen tree on a heavy deer trail.

several deer walked by within 5 feet without detecting me. one doe finely decided keyed on me. looking at me form 5 feet away jigging its head back and forth looking at me from different angles...inched up to about 2 feet and then suddenly took off.

pretty sure the scent killer helped.