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7 Essential Scent Control Steps

By Brodie SwisherSeptember 8, 2017

Scent control is one of the most commercialized, yet often underutilized, aspects of deer hunting. Despite all the options available on the market today, countless hunters still hit the woods without a care in the world about scent control. The bottom line is, the best deer farm in the world won’t do you a bit of good if you blow your big bucks out due to lack of control of your human scent. The team as ScentLok has been researching, studying and perfecting the hunting scent control game for several decades now, so it’s safe so say they are experts at at. So here’s a look at ScentLok’s 7 essential scent control steps to in-field success.

1. Scent Control Begins at Home

Proper scent control begins at home. Don’t wait until  you step out of the truck at the farm to start working on human odor. Do it before you ever leave the house. It all starts with a shower at home or at hunting camp. Washing with fragrance free soap and other hygiene products helps to rid yourself of odor-causing bacteria as well as ensure other ambient odors aren’t lingering around.  During hunting season try to use unscented soap that eliminates odors at all times, not just before you go hunting.  Using perfumed soaps before work will often leave lingering scents on your skin for days to come – including your next trip to your favorite stand.

2. Dress In The Field

Always get dressed in the field, away from your vehicle. Think about all the odors that can be picked up en route to the farm you hunt. The gas station, cafe, and interior of your truck will leave you with more than enough stink to blow any hunt. The floorboard of your truck is a cesspool of human odor that can easily contaminate your boots. Don’t ever allow your hunting boots to have contact with that floorboard! And how many times have you watched a hunting show where the hunters are sitting on the tailgate of the truck as they get their stuff together or get dressed? Again, it’s one of the easiest ways to pick up game-spooking odors. Get away from your truck and any other potential odors as you dress for your hunt.

Getting dressed in the field before a hunt is one of the cardinal rules of scent control, yet one that is often overlooked.

3. Wear A Headcover

When you think about how bad your breath stinks in the morning, it’s honestly surprising that there’s not more emphasis on controlling the odor that comes from our mouth. And that’s exactly why the ScentLok headcover is such a vital piece of your scent control gear. In fact, it’s one of the most overlooked elements in your scent control apparel. You see hunters all decked out in their scent control suit, but how many times do you see them wearing the headcover? More times than not, you’ll see hunters with face paint, not a headcover. Face paint is cool. Face paint makes you look tough. But face paint will not control that stinky breath. Don’t blow it on this one. Use a headcover.

4. Spray Down

Be sure to spray down your bow, backpack, treestand/climbing sticks, and any other goods you’re carrying into the woods with you. Once again, there’s a good chance these items have been sitting in the back of your truck encountering foul odors. Make sure you spray them down with an odor eliminating spray. Just remember, avoid spraying your ScentLok carbon clothing. Many hunters fail to realize this actually hinders the ScentLok technology rather than help.

Remember to spray down your hat – inside and out. This one piece of gear holds more scent than almost all others combined.

5. Maintain Your Equipment

It is important to maintain your gear throughout your hunt to reduce contact with foreign odors. Both while in the woods, and while back at camp, be aware of encounters with foreign odors that may produce negative results on your hunting garments. Remember, scent control doesn’t end when you walk out of the woods. Don’t merely head back to camp in your camo. Reverse the process you started in. Return camo clothes and gear to scent safe storage until the next hunt.

6. Reactivate

You should reactivate your ScentLok hunting garments at least every 40 hours of field use. When hunting in warm weather with the suit directly next to your skin, the activated carbon may become saturated quicker than when hunting in cool, dry weather. In ScentLok garments the human odor enters the activated carbon pores and typically forms a physical bond. This bond is called van der Waals interaction and the bonds break in a household dryer allowing for another round of adsorption. Toss those garments in the dryer and you’re back in the game, quick and easy.

scentlok socks and gloves

ScentLok now allows you to take scent control right down to your toes with the new ScentLok socks.

7. Store Your Clothing

When your hunt is over or you’re packing up at the end of season, be sure to store your ScentLok garments in an airtight container. Take the time to protect the gear that will protect you from the toughest nose in the woods.

Always remember to store your clothing in a scent-free container both during the hunting season as well as the off season.

Take your scent control game more serious this season and you’ll no doubt encounter more deer at your treestand or ground blind. Beating their nose can be the toughest part of the battle, but these 7 steps from ScentLok will help you do just that. Check out the complete line of gear from ScentLok at www.scentlok.com.

Brodie Swisher
Brodie Swisher is a world champion game caller, outdoor writer, seminar speaker and Editor for Bowhunting.com. Brodie and his family live in the Kentucky Lake area of west Tennessee.
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