I start with the basics. Get some good scent free clothing and body wash and follow that up by using a good quality scent eliminator spray in the field and in the deer stand. I know, it seems a little basic, but trust me when I say I hunt with people all the time that just aren't worried about their scent.
True, it goes without saying that you MUST get the wind right. At my age it is next to impossible to climb into a tree stand and not sweat. Nevermind not making noise or huffing and puffing for 30 minutes after I am in position. Wind is critical no matter how good your scent control regime is. Some people believe that a super good scent control process will mean that the wind does not matter. The only thing I have to say to that is it only matters if you want to take a good shot on an animal that is not spooky that doesn't stand still long enough. Most animals I have hunted just move slowly, but don't stop when they sense "something" is different. Usually this is wind related. Sometimes the wind swirls, or there is not enough wind to keep pushing your scent in the "correct" position and the animals that pick up on that whiff of different usually are operating on their 6th sense entirely by that point... That can make for some "tough" hunting if you're waiting for the "right" shot.
I use the KISS approach to hunting scent control. I take everything I can out of the equation. Clothes washed in scent free detergerent, body and hair wash just BEFORE I ever get in the stand, boots and backpack sprayed down immediately after the last hunt and left outside to dry, bow sprayed down before walking into my stand location, and any other miscellaneous items treated with scent control just before I hunt.
When I'm hunting a place that doesn't allow for washing hunting clothes between hunts, I pack my items in scent free trash bags. Kitchen garbage bags work well for me. JUST MAKE SURE THEY ARE SCENT FREE. I separate my items... COLD WEATHER GEAR (hats, hoodies, long sleeves), CAMO SCENT FREE GEAR (this is my carbon gear), UNDER GARMENTS (I will pack quite a few pairs of socks, underwear, t shirts and long johns for those cold mornings & evening hunts), MISCELLANEOUS (Regular T Shirts, pants, shorts and extra stuff). All washed in scent free detergent. This works well for me because I know EVERYTHING I need to hunt is is that bag. After a hunt I start a separate pile of "dirty" clothes and do not mix them. With this method I am able to always pull clean, scent free clothing from my bag and not mix the two.
When I ride in the truck, I don't carry my bow or backpack inside unless I HAVE to. This helps keep the scent down as well. A GOOD pair of scent control boots will also help quite a bit. I've hunted with my pair for 2 seasons now, and I love them! It's really nice to not have to "worry" about your boots, when walking into a stand. I take them off immediately after each outing, and spray them down heavily when walking back into my stands. This works like a champ. I continuously see deer and animals cross my trail where I walked in and they don't even slow down. Two years ago, it wasn't like that!
Admittedly, I have become somewhat of a scent freak, but I HATE sitting in a stand just to get busted because I was too lazy to go through my gear step by step and make sure it was as scent free as possible. Hopefully some of this will help you in the stand. Scent control isn't EVERYTHING, but without it all you'll see more often than not is NOTHING!
By: Steven Wiley
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