Scent Elimination

Wipes, sprays, soaps, pills, systems, antiperspirants, mouthwash... wow! With the range of products and methods available on the market today where is a hunter supposed to start. Some hunters religiously take "scent eliminating" multi vitamins before and during the hunting season. Others wash their field clothes and camo in an odor eliminating soap, air dry them outside and store them in sealed bags until just before entering the bush.

Whatever method you use it is essential to remember that the odor you are trying to mask comes from you. Nothing sets off an animal's warning bells quicker than human scent. Although thorough washing with unscented soap is an important first step there is no way of permanently eliminating odors produced by the human body. The reason for this is simple; your body is constantly eliminating liquid in the form of sweat that immediately forms an ideal breeding ground for odor causing bacteria.

How often have you rushed to a deer stand to get set up before the sky starts to brighten only to end up with a layer of sweat covering your body. That's why simple cleanliness is not enough. It's important to stay as dry as possible and to use some type of odor eliminating protectant on your clothes and boots. This can be either in the form of a spray or in the form of odor absorbing molecules built right into the fabric.

The technology of scent elimination is constantly changing. Where carbon based systems were the mainstream for many years there are now technologies like Scent IQ used by Rocky that give you all the scent elimination benefits of carbon but without the stiffness typically associated with carbon impregnated clothing. There is no need to "regenerate" the clothing in the dryer as you do with carbon, and the fabric is generally much lighter. An added bonus when you have a long hike to your stand or blind.

Scent elimination won't necessarily guarantee that trophy buck, but it will guarantee that you don't get busted by B-O. If nothing else your hunting companions will be happy.