Sent Eliminators

I usually bowhunt Mule deer by spot and stalk and have always tried to keep the wind in my favor when still hunting or planning a stalk. This year I am going to sit in a ground blind by a water hole. I have kept track of the wind at this location and have placed my blind so the wind blows my sent away from the water hole but I am still concerned about what game will smell if the come in down wind.

I am thinking of trying one of those carbon sent eliminator sprays. How well do they work? One problem I have is that it is a good ½ mile hike up the mountain to get to my blind and as the bow season is the end of August I will be sweating by the time I get there. I plan on taking an extra tee-shirt and changing into it when I get to my blind then spaying myself off with the carbon spray. Any other ideas to eliminate sent?

keep the wind in my favor when still hunting or planning a stalk. This year I am going to sit in a ground blind by a water hole. I have kept track of the wind at this location and have placed my blind so the wind blows my sent away from the water hole but I am still concerned about what game will smell if the come in down wind. well do they work? One problem I have is that it is a good ½ mile hike up the mountain to get to my blind and as the bow season is the end of August I will be sweating by the time I get there. I plan on taking an extra tee-shirt and changing into it when I get to my blind then spaying myself off with the carbon spray. Any other ideas to eliminate sent?

Deer smell everything. But they only react negatively to un-natural scents. You don't have to cover up everything (as does carbon). What you need to do is smell natural. The human body actually emits natural smells. Hell...you're an animal, are you not?

The problem we have is we cover up our natural smells with deodorants and soaps. Shower with only water on the mornings that you plan to hunt. No soaps. Save the soap for washing off the blood from gutting the monster buck you slammed that morning. Wash your clothing in water and if you need anything else, just use backing soda. Use only natural waxes for your boots. Don't brush your teeth with anything but baking soda.

If all you put off is human odors that morning, the deer will be ignorant of your presence if you sit still. Un natural odors and movement are what tip off mule deer.

Actually, you can use soap, as long as it's the _right_ soap. There are several companies that sell natural unscented soap. It's more expensive, because the natural materials are more expensive than the synthetic stuff. It's better for your skin, too.

The best way to make sure you get natural unscented soap is to make it yourself. It isn't hard. It does take some planning, though, because natural soap takes some time to cure.

As far as deodorant goes, forget it. There is a company I forget the name of that makes a natural mineral salt deodorant that you can find at health stores, and you could probably use that. Failing that, just rub some baking soda on your armpits and expect to sweat.

I think this is probably the most important thing. While they smell nice to us, they probably don't to deer. And we humans have such a stunted sense of smell that anything which smells strongly to us will probably blow the nostrils off of a deer.

You can try the cover scents if you really want to, but you probably don't need them.

Heck, you should be doing that anyway.

I'd say to definitely worry more about movement and noise than about scent. There's an old Native American saying: 'If a leaf falls in the woods the eagle will see it, the deer will hear it, and the bear will smell it.'

FWIW, Hunter's Specialties makes a non-scented baking soda based de-odorant/antiperspirant that I used all through the season last year. I was pleased with it- the deer never commented.

As for me, I have seen way too many instances of myself and others getting busted by an odor-sensitive deer to think that smell doesn't count, and when I am in the woods, I want every advantage I can get. I always hunt the wind, but unfortunately it's as unpredictable as the deer.

So, using sents to keep the mosquitos/midgets away is a bad idea, right?

D A