[NormD]

Which do you prefer/use, if any?

I was looking into Conquest EverCalm stick.

 

[Captain of the 4-C's]

None. There is no quick "fix" for being scent free. Several posts on here on how to best minimize your scent.

 

[NormD]

As I figured. Just wanted to see what other's think.

 

[Macs13]

Nose jammer. Got the whole dang kit - shampoo, soap, deodorant, spray for the boots, laundry detergent. I'm not claiming that it's a miracle that allows you to smoke a doob and wear your work boots, but I haven't been blown out by a deer yet this year from having it scent me, and I've hunted a LOT so far, so I'm thinking that it doesn't hurt.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app

 

[Captain of the 4-C's]

I think that the second oldest profession in the world is the ability some people have to persuade others into the need to buy stuff that is completely useless. See recent posts on carbon being used to uptake body odors. The molar uptake is so low as to be hilarious (I am a chemist). There isn't a damn thing you can do about your breath - other than to always breath out your nose. Your breathing is the by far the largest output of offensive compounds to deer.

 

[NormD]

Totally agree Captain. Guy at work was talking about how he wants to cover his stench. I said bathe more often.

 

[TheSteelDeal]

I have heard a lot of good things about evercalm. It is made in Michigan and has no breeding scents. That would be the only one I’d try. But there really isn’t anything that is 100%. I would never ever use buck sex scents in Michigan. If that scent was taken from a captive buck that was 4yrs or older, with our Young age class and bucks I’d guess must of our bucks would smell that and run for the hills. That would be like a high school freshman going to a college bar where the football team hangs out at to pick up chicks. Probably not going to be a “happy ending“ for the young buck.

 

[November Sunrise]

All this namby pamby talk about “evercalm” or “coconut powder” makes me think that some hunters are testosterone deficient. REAL men wear skunk juice as cover scent. And when I say wear, I mean WEAR. Once you think you have applied enough, apply some more. Works every time.

 

[Captain of the 4-C's]

Ok - guess I'll go through this one more time. Take a shower with scent free soap/shampoo. Wash clothes in detergent with no additives (arm-n-hammer or Tide makes them). One person pointed out to use laundry equipment never exposed to scents etc. which is a great point. Not a problem for me since my wife buys into to using less chemicals. Never use a dryer that had antistatic sheets used - it takes forever to get rid of that smell. Leave your hunting clothes outside. Smells created by cooking in the house will seem foreign to deer. Leave boots outside, wash your boot laces, never touch the boot lace strings with bare hands. I have 8 sets of gloves that I use for hunting to remain scent free. Never touch your hoist rope with bare hands - oh yeah - I leave all my ropes outside for 3 months before using them along with all of my ratchet straps (keep them out of the sun though). How well does this work? I had a coyote with nose to the ground cross my trail where I walked to my tree 2 hours earlier and it never detected me. I have yet to see a deer react negatively to my boot prints either. Breathing only through the nose may not be that easy for some folks.

 

[Captain of the 4-C's]

Oh yeah - I forgot to add this little trick. Take a fresh hock gland and put it inside of your boot laces up towards the toes. We used that trick in the UP in areas that never saw a human. If those swamp deer ever smelled human - the gig was up for the rest of your hunt.

 

[Superhik]

I keep my hair and beard short. I wash my face with anti-bacterial scent free soap just before I go out. Days I hunt, I eat only bread, peanut butter and protein shakes. I walk to my hunting spot in base layer only and put the rest on when I get to my spot and after I cool off.

 

[TheSteelDeal]

I think that the second oldest profession in the world is the ability some people have to persuade others into the need to buy stuff that is completely useless. See recent posts on carbon being used to uptake body odors. The molar uptake is so low as to be hilarious (I am a chemist). There isn't a damn thing you can do about your breath - other than to always breath out your nose. Your breathing is the by far the largest output of offensive compounds to deer.

Have you done lab testing on carbon adsorption of human odor yourself? If so I’d like to hear more please.

 

[Bucman]

We like nose jammer on my boots. We haven't had one even sniff my tracks. Other than that i keep my clothes outside in a room for hunting clothes only

 

[Captain of the 4-C's]

Not specifically and I don't think you could actually do it. - but we did use activated charcoal to remove specific chemicals from solvent solutions which would interfere with a specific compound we were looking for. If using GC/MS for analyzing organic compounds, the concentration of those chemicals may not be high enough to be detectable - in other words - the deer nose will be more sensitive than the equipment is capable of. Many of the organic compounds can contain sulfur and organic compounds containing sulfur frequently break down in the high heat of the injection port. Typically sulfur containing organics have an odor we as humans consider "objectionable". Think methyl mercaptan or ethyl mercaptan.

 

[bowhunter426]

The evercalm deodorant didn't work for me.

 

[NormD]

We like nose jammer on my boots. We haven't had one even sniff my tracks. Other than that i keep my clothes outside in a room for hunting clothes only

Since our UP camp is two rooms (eating, kitchen, lounging, wood stove in one - sleeping in other) I kept my hunt clothes,boots in my vehicle. Best option I had.

 

[GoBluehunter]

I feel like I have done as good of a job as a I can over the last few years on the deer that I see. I have not seen any deer bust my scent trail on the way in nor get down wind and bust me that way as well, but I try to play the wind as best I can for my setups. Now again, those are only based on deer sighted. For the last 10 years or so I have worn ScentLok and kept my clothes in air-tight pouches. I take scent free showers (as scent free as possible....) and get dressed outside at the truck each hunt. I also have a large tote for my rubber boots. Over the years the tote has collected leaves, dirt, etc. and I never use those boots for anything other than hunting. Over the years I have sprayed Scent Killer over my boots liberally multiple times each season and allowed it to air dry on the boots before hunting. This year I thought I’d try Nose Jammer in situations where the wind was likely to be swirling. I used it 3 or 4 times early in November and had a few occasions where 1.5 yr old bucks, younger does, and fawns were within 5-10 yards downwind of my tree and they never thought twice. I sprayed some my boots and also a few of the trees nearby my stand.

I understand there is really no way to fool a mature deer’s nose and that playing the wind is the best thing you can do, but if doing things and also trying the "gimmicks" out there give me an edge on not disturbing the younger deer population well then I'm better off.

 

[TheSteelDeal]

It is interesting how scentloc won that huge court case arguing scent loc does work by using activated carbon as an effective media for human odor adsorption.

 

[Lakreye]

I think scent loc helps. But their motto was forget the wind an hunt. An that's not the case.

 

[Waif]

Which do you prefer/use, if any?

I was looking into Conquest EverCalm stick.

Cover scent.
A scent loud enough to step on part of my scent?
I have used fresh earth fabric sheets in the dryer for a brief tumble.
A half a sheet , and then toss it in a bag with my cloths.
Result , scent of fresh earth.
Not overly alarming to deer. But some if not many get kind of curious if whiffing fresh earth.

That would be my choice if delving into cover scents again.
Most others I've tried are either too loud , or out of place.

I have noticed my wool shirt smells like wool. Butterscotch is my inaccurate description.
Don't know the last time deer I watched caught my actual scent.
Playing the wind helps.
My usual spot has my back pretty well covered from deer getting downwind of me though.
For "normal"/more common air flows anyway.