I am interested to get your opinions on scent-blocking clothing. During the past five years, hunting garment manufacturers have woven scent-blocking clothing in everything from underwear to outerwear touting their capability of squelching any human scent.

My question is: do you believe that scent-blocking clothing actually eliminates your body scent?

I continue to be a skeptic.

Several years ago, I was involved in testing various forms of activated carbon and chemically evaluating (using state-of-the-art gas chromatography) their ability to adsorb various volatile organic compounds - not unlike the cocktail mix our bodies produce. What we found was activated carbon and other molecular sieves could hold these compounds but it took large quantities of the carbon to prevent the organic compounds from "breaking through" the activated carbon. Basically, the activated carbon behaved as a capacitor - not an eliminator.

What I find interesting is that I have never seen any sort of "data" to support the claimed benefits of this technology. The reality is that the myth of "scent elimination" will continue because no one will prove the manufacturers wrong.


Doug

Honestly, I think the stuff is pure BS.

When I was in Africa my PH, who also guides bowhunters, told me he had a couple of clients try it out during the "photo phase" of their safari's. It simply did not work. One client used it during a cold spell and another during a hot spell, in both cases anything that that got downwind reacted as if they could smell the man in the blind!

I had a friend that paid a bundle of money for the complete get-up and seemed very unhappy after a season of use. His comment was that it was useless for stalking in the mountains because it was too hot.

I don't buy the concept since animals could scent your breath even if the clothing somehow could contain the body scent.

Humans can not begin to understand the world of scent that animals operate in. When I was guiding I used to suggest to my clients that if they wanted to get an idea of what their own scenting ability was compared to a deer or a dog they needed to close one eye and put a patch with a pin-hole over the other. The view through the pin hole was probably very generous in comparison.

I think this is another gimmick directed at the "turnip truck" market.
That's the folks that buy all of this crap trying to cover up for the fact they can't hunt worth a shit and don't want to learn.
Spit on your finger, hold it up in the air, and hunt toward the cool side.

You are human... Therefore you stink... Get over it...

Deer, dogs, coyotes, wolves, etc... They can and WILL smell you if they get downwind of you or if they cross a trail where you recently walked.

You need to accomodate for that or you won't see much game. Period...

About the best way to cope with it if you aren't good at reading and working with the wind is to climb a tree as far up as you comfortably can. That get's your scent well above the ground and gives you a huge advantage. That's why so many deer are killed from tree stands.

Scent blocking clothing expense is a tax on stupid hunters.

$bob$

I am a Deputy Sheriff in my county in Southeast Georgia, and hold the rank of Captain. In addition to being the Chief of Investigations, I also command the Bloodhound Tracking Team. I can tell you with absolute certainty that "scent block" clothing is a waste of money. I had two people wearing the clothing run training tracks for both my hounds, and the dogs found them with no problems. One track was almost 12 hours old. FWIW

quote:

Originally posted by 1115:
I am a Deputy Sheriff in my county in Southeast Georgia, and hold the rank of Captain. In addition to being the Chief of Investigations, I also command the Bloodhound Tracking Team. I can tell you with absolute certainty that "scent block" clothing is a waste of money. I had two people wearing the clothing run training tracks for both my hounds, and the dogs found them with no problems. One track was almost 12 hours old. FWIW

This is very interesting. Something I had not really thought about but an excellent testimony to the fact that this stuff is bunk! Thanks for sharing that experience.

Doug

It is just another fad pumped up on TV and magazines. Companies have to create new products to generate income. If the advertizing is done good enough then newbie hunters and some oder ones will buy the stuff. I read recently that the human breath was a bigger give away than the smell of clothing. Take a look at the tags on scent lock in small print. You have to run it a high heat in a dryer for 40 minutes in a dryer to activate before going into the woods. When you head to camp take the dryer with you.
Spend you money on guns and bullets.

On this or another forum a while back, a fellow with a degree in chemical engineering posted about this, claiming that there was no way this clothing would work for more than a few minutes. He said that the charcoal quickly fills up with scent and can hold no more. I believe he said that it was usually "full" before it even left the factory! You can revive it in the dryer, but then it fills up quickly again.

quote:

I think this is another gimmick directed at the "turnip truck" market.
That's the folks that buy all of this crap trying to cover up for the fact they can't hunt worth a shit and don't want to learn.

In the same line with UV killer and breath mints for hunters.

Just another gimmick for greedy manfactures to rip you off. If i'm going to waste my money then I will at least waste it on something that I will enjoy.

Personally I think smoke from a wood stove is a lot better cover scent than any of the scent block crap. Were we hunt deer on our place all the houses on each side of the property burn wood , and we burn it in our cabin. So the deer are use to smelling the wood smoke all the time and so im sure wouldnt associate it with danger. JMO

I only have anectotal evidence. I shower at home, put on freshly washed clothes. When I get to my spot I remove all clothes except briefs and put on another pair freshly washed clothing, then an army surplus chemical suit ($15) it seems to work. I really really try not to sweat up my hunting clothes on the way to my spot. I Keep all my clothes outside of the house in the bright sunlight under the glass picnick table to keep rain off. I spray all my clothes with scent elimination spray-even the charcoal suit.

I don't know if it's the suit or my washing regeim but something is working I get within 6 feet of deer.

the chef

Calgarychef1, I don't think the effort you put into this is what the marketers of "Scent Stopping Clothes" had in mind. Frankly, I think your routine and not the materials used is the key to any success you get, and deserve, for that much effort!

Interesting topic, and one I had wondered about for a long while, until this year. My sons and myself all bought an outfit of Scent Lok clothing to use while we hunt deer. Head to toe, including gloves and face masks.
The stuff only needs reactivated every 30-40 hours, on medium heat in the dryer. Other than a spritz or two of cover scent, that's all we did to it. The clothes were stored in air tight bags, and never worn except in the field. The getting dressed/undressed part is a royal pain!
Anyway, getting to the point of all this...the damned stuff works. It works way better than many here have said it should. I don't know why, but I know we have had so many deer straight downwind of us that some of them should have caught us, and they didn't. Some were within 20 feet of me while I sat on the ground, unless I moved at the wrong time they never knew I was there. It's not 100% but it's way better than regular clothing.
You still have to hunt smart, and try to stay downwind of your trails and whatnot. But this stuff absolutely works better than I would have believed before trying it. I know several other very good bowhunters in my area and every one of them absolutely swears by it. Say and believe what you want, but I've used it for about 50 days afield this year and seen the proof.

quote:

Originally posted by HunterMontana:
Honestly, I think the stuff is pure BS.

I agree!!!

If you breathe, they'll smell you no matter what you wear.

quote:

Originally posted by old4x4:
If you breathe, they'll smell you no matter what you wear.

I guess you guys haven't seen the all new camoflage gum!

For a mere $5, you can get ten pieces of gum that will make your breath invisible. Available in original flavor, alfalfa, and new chlor-o-flage. You can browse at: http://www.gumoflage.com/

The crap keeps getting deeper. Save your money.

Nothing is 100 percent for sure, and as humans we can't smell if the clothing works or not. I'd damn sure not pay a few hundred bucks for it. Regarding the fellow who mentioned the bloodhounds--I find that fascinating and I'd love to participate in something like that. Did the person doing the trail follow all the "commandments" of scent free or did he just put on the clothes? Where were the clothes kept prior to the trial, were his boots descented? etc. Your boots have to be treated with a lot of respect--I never bring mine inside and they are always in a plastic bag etc.

If you use scent block clothing you have to treat everything that comes in direct or indirect contact with them as "toxic waste" you can't wear them inside or in the truck or while refuelling or while doing anything else but hunting. I don't even touch the outside of mine unless my hands have been descented. A lot of old time trappers used to treat their trapping clothes like this also.

I also use charcoal based face paint on my hands, face and then I run it through my hair and in my beard it can't hurt.

We can't even imagine the olfactory senses of wild animals-they perceive a different world than us. I think anything to gain an edge is worthwhile. But I also think that marketing is a lot of b.s.

the chef

calgarychef1,

A person's scent is made up of so many variables, that it is almost impossible to eliminate. If you were to bathe and sterilize your body, then put on totally scent free clothing, boots, socks, etc, as soon as you left the "clean area", body oils, skin cells, hair cells, breath odor, bacteria, etc would begin to form a "scent signature" for your body. Rather than try to eliminate scent, I think for hunting purposes a cover scent works better. Here in the Southeast, I use a pine cover scent with great success.

Regarding the test with the bloodhounds, the man who ran the training tracks wore rubber boots, but other than the charcoal clothing, no other special precautions were taken. But, it would have made no difference. Everyone always has an odor. Sometimes is may be less than at other times, but it will always be there to one degree or another. You may be able to cover it up, but you can never totally eliminate it. IMHO

I'm not a bowhunter, but I do have friends that are. yes animals can and do smell through just about anything, just look at how they find drugs that are hermetically sealed sometimes. What I can tell you is that the stuff works, not by total elimination but by reducing the footprint arc of the "smell molecules." You still have to play the wind, limit movement, etc, but diligent use of this stuff might mean the difference between making a 25-30 yard bow shot or none at all. jorge

Month’s ago Blake on the Australian forum did a depth report on scent-blocking clothing. Someone needs to find it and post it, It is very informative.

I am no expert, but I gave up on camo clothes as well as scent blocker stuff. I wear dark green or brown, move very slowly or not at all. I, like many of you, have had animals walk right up on me.

In Africa, the wind is the key to getting close to game. Use the wind and I think most of the gadgets are not needed.

I think the care you take with your hunting clothing is more important than the scent blocking agents. You want to avoid excessive contamination of household scents, especially petroleum products. Don't let the spouse wash the clothes in scented detergents.

Hanging your hunting clothes in a barn or sealing them in a plastic bag goes a long way to keeping your scent down in the woods.

I have doubts about cover scents. It seems tests with dogs ie drug dogs, explosive sniffing dogs etc prove that some animals smell individual elements of the scent. So the deer smells human PLUS cover scent. We all do our thing and it works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. I've had deer spook 30 yards away and other times they come close. The area I hunt has the prevailing wind usually going the wrong direction...I can't change my stand to the other side of the bush--it's on the other guys property. So I try my damndest to avoid human scent and hunt anyway. It works sometimes, but it dissapoints a lot of times too. I might point out that where I hunt it's pretty cool so I rarely allow myself to get sweated up that helps a little too.

the chef

quote:

Originally posted by old4x4:
If you breathe, they'll smell you no matter what you wear.

...been sayin that for about 20 years. I've read some pro and con posts so far. Here's my take----and the point should be obvious----I gave both of my scent lock suits away. What's that tell you?

Lots of people use Fox Urine for a cover scent, but I have my own theory about why they think it works. The deer probably figure any sumbitch dumb enough to let a fox pee all over them isn't anything to be worried about. LOL

I have a scent lok suit. It comes into the house only to be freshened. I never put it on without going thru my ritual of ridding my body of as much human odor as possible. I use baking soda, I am,like alot of bowhunters, pretty anal about scent. I think it works under these conditions. I don't think you can just put it on and go like hell. Once absorbed in human odor it is just another piece of clothing. I will never buy another one though. As you get older you realize wind directionis everything.

I went hunting tonight-the shotgun season is in effect around Calgary. I went to my usual spot but it's a little cold out so I didn't use my scent suit, and I really didn't do too much about my usual descenting ritual. It was a bit of an expeirment you might say. Now in this spot I almost always at least SEE something--tonight with poor scent control-- nada.

the chef

quote:

Originally posted by John S:
I know several other very good bowhunters in my area and every one of them absolutely swears by it. Say and believe what you want, but I've used it for about 50 days afield this year and seen the proof.

This truly demonstrates the power of marketing! The group of products (scent blocking fabrics) have little to know technical foundation on their functionality for the intended application, scent elimination. Convince the mind they work and "mission accomplished."

If I'm hunting in the sagebrush desert, I keep my clothes in a garbage bag with a few branches of sage. If I'm in the timbers I do the same thing only with a few evergreen boughs. That works better than anything else. Change clothes as soon as you get back to camp and put them back in the bag.

Camoflage gum reminds me of that old Saturday Night Live bit titled "Flatuscents... supositories that mask your farts... funniest bit I ever saw.

Scent Lok-- take it or leave it for me. My guess is that the reason scent lok is "working" is b/c it is all made in camo. i have yet to see any blaze orange clothes in scent lok. camo hides hunters, not your ripe smellin arse! a few days in the field and you are going to smell unlike any other critter out there.

with that being said, does anybody know anything about an animals ability to see UV reflections from the detergent in your clothes?

i do know that liquid detergents poured directly onto clothing leaves a tell-tale sign under the black light.

Yup- a few days in the field and you're stinky. The only way is to de-scent your clothes every night and shower every morning before going out etc. etc. blah blah. I'd not even consider trying that stuff on our moose excursions where we are in the bush with no running water...impossible.

the chef

quote:

Originally posted by 1115:
Lots of people use Fox Urine for a cover scent, but I have my own theory about why they think it works. The deer probably figure any sumbitch dumb enough to let a fox pee all over them isn't anything to be worried about. LOL

I think thats the best one Ive heard in a long time LMAO!!!