Scent Control Best Practices
/ October 28th, 2016Spray, powder, deodorant, body wash, laundry detergent… you name it and a scent control company has got it! Scent elimination and scent control didn’t always exist, however; and native peoples still harvested all sorts of game. So what’s the big deal? Is it really worth the hype?
For most hunters, scent control has become a staple in their pre-hunt regimen. They spray down at the very least, some wear camouflage with scent control fabrics, they wash their clothes in scent eliminating detergent, and some even chew gum that acts as scent control! While all of these different methods are likely to help with scent elimination, the most important thing to remember is that, plain and simple, you smell. At least to a deer or other game animal. And each of you hunters smell different.
What this means is that scent eliminators and scent control items work better for some people than others. Your buddy might swear by a certain product and you have had nothing but bad luck with it. Part of that might be that your scent is different than his, and therefore, that product worked better for him than it did for you. It is a generally accepted rule of thumb that you can never be too careful when it comes to scent control as a hunter. Probably the biggest factor to account for is often times the one most often overlooked. Wind direction is the king of scent dispersal and we all know it is a totally different ball game than hunting turkeys in the wind. If the deer are down wind, often times it doesn’t matter what precautionary measures you’ve taken, a deer will wind you. There are portable technologies such as the Ozonics units that will help to fight this battle, but they are pricy and often times out of practical reach for many hunters. Hunting the wind is your best bet to decrease the likelihood of a deer catching your scent.
Position your stands on your property down wind of any deer travel you intend to hunt. Whether that is food, bedding, or the transitions between them, keeping the wind and the deer in your face is the best practice.
