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The Importance of Scent Control
The Importance of Scent Control When Hunting
by Brian Wensel
Scent Control Clothing
Everyone has his or her own personal reasons for wanting to make the switch from the rifle to the bow. For me, it was the opportunity to experience undisturbed deer activity, before the woods became overrun with blaze orange hunters and steady rifle shots, a much longer hunting season in milder, more enjoyable weather, and ultimately a more challenging and fulfilling experience up close and personal with whitetails.
In order to be a successful archery hunter, you must possess the ability to regularly get within 30 yards of the animal you are pursuing. Unless you are a seasoned archer who practices regularly at longer ranges, shots at animals over 30 yards may be considered by some to be unethical, and will often result in wounded animals. This close range requirement is what makes archery hunting such a challenge, and in warm weather conditions, archery hunters have the added challenge of controlling human scent. If there is one aspect of hunting deer that is difficult to overcome, it is the keen sense of smell of a mature Whitetail. The slightest scent of human odor and your opportunity will pass. There are many excellent scent control products on the market and in my opinion scent control should be every archery hunters primary concern.
For someone new to bow hunting I cannot stress the importance of using scent control products and positioning your hunting location with the wind in your favor. That is not to say that you cannot successfully hunt whitetails without scent control products and clothing, but the added protection goes a long way when trying to beat any animals nose. If you can’t beat a deer’s nose, you will never succeed. For that reason, I recommend the following clothing.
Choosing a Scent Control Suit
Starting at the top, I like to wear a one-piece combination scent control hat and facemask that I put on once I get to my stand location to ensure I don’t overheat and sweat inside the hood prior to the hunt. This piece of gear does an excellent job of concealing your face and controlling your scent. I follow that up with a scent control suit. There are several one-piece and two-piece options on the market and I don’t really endorse one over the other. I’ve used several and they all seem to work well. What I have chosen to use for the past few seasons is the Scent-Loc Savanna coveralls with the matching hat/facemask. They have excellent scent control qualities, are economical, lightweight, and do a great job eliminating your scent. I purchase mine large enough so it can still be worn with multiple clothing layers when the temperature begins to drop.
A quality scent control suit complete with hat, mask, and gloves is worth its weight in gold. If you just can’t spend the extra money on scent control clothing, I cannot stress how important it is to wash your clothing in a scent control/scent free detergent, use scent free dryer sheets, and ensure you utilized scent control sprays, which will be discussed below.
Scent Control Accessories
The final piece of the scent control battle is to ensure you keep your clothing scent free. You may be thinking…”what is he talking about? If I have scent control clothing, it should be scent free right?” Well, not necessarily. The active ingredients in scent control materials are responsible for keeping human odor from escaping through the material and into the air, essentially containing your scent in the suite while still allowing the material to breathe. However, if you lay your scent control suit across the back of the camp couch where your great uncle Buck is sitting smoking his cigar and expect to throw it on the in the morning and be scent free, you are sadly mistaken.
 You should begin by keeping all of your scent control clothing and equipment in a scent proof plastic container or scent control bag. This will prevent any odors from vehicles, the gas station, your uncle Buck, or that barbeque grill from sticking to your gear! Leave all your clothing tightly sealed until just prior to entering the woods. If that means you get dressed next to your truck at your hunting site, then do it.
After dressing and removing your tree stand and archery equipment from your vehicle, make sure you use the buddy system to give each other, and your gear, a head to toe spray down with a good scent control spray. Again, there are several on the market with essentially the same active ingredients. I don’t necessarily have a preference.
The final piece to my scent control routine is scent control wipes. I keep a small container of them in my backpack and once I arrive at my stand and have cooled down from the walk in, I give my hands, neck, and face a quick wipe down before putting on my head gear and gloves and settling in for a long days hunt.
I will not discuss the use of cover scents in detail in this article. What I will say though is to use them with caution. Be sure that the cover scent you are using is one that is common to the area you are hunting. My personal preference is to be scent free, rather than attempt to cover or mask my scent with another…again personal preference, and a discussion for another article.
If you follow these recommendations, play the wind correctly during stand selection, and remain as motionless as possible, you will be amazed at how many whitetails will walk right under your stand, opening up world that many gun hunters rarely get to experience.
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