Being Scent Free

“Something is burning. You smell that?” I asked. Instantly trusting my sense of smell that danger may be near. Turns out, my wife had simply lit a candle. Nothing to worry about. But a lesson to be learned. The sense of smell is real and it doesn’t lie.
Aromas such as baking bread, popcorn, grilling meat and even a favorite cologne are all pleasant. But there are smells that signal danger.

Many hunters overlook a deer’s sense of smell which is said to be at least 20 times greater than a humans sense of smell. Other senses a deer relies on for protection are hearing and sight. But without a doubt, the deer uses its sense of smell as its number one defense.

I don’t believe that it is humanly possible to eliminate all human odor. But I do believe there are many things hunters can do to greatly reduce his or her scent. By reducing human scent, you will have a much greater chance of taking a deer.

A couple of hunting manufacturers are selling suits that are advertised to eliminate human scents. These suits are lined with carbon and absorb human odor. I have used them and enjoyed success. The cost of these suits is substantial and the ones I have used are very hot.

Even when using these suits I have had to take additional measures to reduce human odor. Here are some tips to help remain as odor free to deer as possible.

First, only wear your hunting clothes when hunting. Clothing will pick up odors from gasoline, cooking food, cigarette smoke and so on. Therefore, only put your hunting clothes on when going hunting.

Shower using a scent free soap and wash your clothes with a laundry detergent that is also scent free. Use an anti-perspirant that is also scent free and apply a liquid scent killer product to all clothing and gear going afield. Don’t forget to spray your boots and cap as well.

I like to carry my scent free hunting clothes in a plastic bag to the stand. There, I will simply change clothes and bag my clothes I walked in with. This may sound like a lot of trouble but it will be worth it. There are many manufacturers of products to eliminate human odor. Wildlife Research, Inc. has a varity of products I have used with lots of success. Visit www.wildlife.com for a full line of their products.