(2) Strangle every last bit of  odor from everything you take with you. 

Here's What You Need 

  • At The Grocery Store: get one each: Unscented Hand Soap, the largest box of Baking Soda in the place, Unscented Shampoo, Unscented Conditioner, Baking Soda Tooth Paste, Kitchen size Plastic Trash Bags with ties, a Black Wide Tip Marking Pen, Unscented Laundry Detergent and a small and large package of zip top freezer bags. I use Arm & Hammer brand Baking Soda, Tooth Paste and Laundry Detergent. I prefer Ivory hand soap, shampoo and conditioner.
  • At Your Local Hunting Store: get a bottle of Scent Eliminating spray. I've used several brands of Scent Eliminators and I prefer Wildlife Research's Scent Killer or Scent Shield. I can't praise them enough. They wipe scent out. Other products at your hunting store that will help you kill your scent are: Body Bath Towels--great for wiping down if you get sweaty in the field. Underarm deodorant spray--really stops odor and is long lasting. Clothing Wash--this washes the smells right out of your clothing.
Care Of Your Clothing. 
Wash all your hunting clothing and your underwear, socks, thermals, a bath towel, and a wash cloth in your unscented laundry detergent. Ad one cup of baking soda to each load. 
  • Don't dry your hunting clothes in the dryer! Why? Your dryer harbors perfume odors from your "how fresh it smells," laundry detergent--and the horrible static cling tissues.
  • If you think that sounds too radical, consider this. A few seasons ago my sister visited me. She wanted to do the laundry. I gave her my instructions. The deer promptly winded me. After two disappointing days I mentioned it. 

  • The problem was static cling/dryer sheets. That was my first exposure to them. She used them. They put an odor in my underwear and socks that got me pegged. So, unless your washer and dryer are never tainted by perfumed products, always line dry your hunting clothing. 
  • Once they are dry, get your baking soda. Shake some inside your pants, jackets, etc. Sprinkle some on the outside as you fold them up. Drop them in the plastic tie up bags. Tie them up. Gently shake the bag. 
  • If you have more than one type camo, put them in separate bags. Chunk your thermals and long johns in their own bag. Use the wide marker to specify what is inside each bag for easy identification. 
  • I always hunt with more than one camo suit, even if they are the same pattern. It is easier to keep them scent free. After every morning hunt, remove all your hunting clothes right away. If they are wet or sweaty, hang them to dry. Then give them the baking soda treatment again and bag them up. 
  • After the evening hunt, baking soda and bag everything up again. This process sounds lengthy, but it's actually very quick. It takes two minutes. . .and the results will astound you. 
  • These days I use a quicker and more durable container for my clothes, a giant size Plastic Trash Can. I put a 10 pound box of Baking Soda in the bottom and toss in my clothes (they are baking soda treated as above) and ad my pack, treestand Safety Belt, suspenders, etc.. 
  • I recommend you elasticize your pant and jacket cuffs. It keeps the baking soda from falling out and it helps contain your scent. I use the small bungie cords that Wal Mart sells in the camping department. I fasten the ends around my boots and tuck my pant bottoms under the elastic. 
  • Another good trick is when it rains I hang my hunting clothing outside and let nature refresh them. During the season, I prefer that to laundering them. Frequently, I hang my camo and thermals outdoors all day to flap in the breeze. It shakes out odor and softens the fabric. 
Here are some No, No's. Don't wear your hunting clothing unless you are hunting. Don't tarnish them with camp fire smoke, cooking odors, cigarette smoke and exhaust fumes. Don't walk through automobile exhaust. Walk around the other side of the vehicle or turn off the engine. 

Footwear Care 
Hunting boots are a Mecca of overpowering perspiration odor. Take a whiff inside the ones you wear the most. You'll see what I mean. Use your scent eliminating spray liberally on the outside, bottom, and inside your boots. If the boots have separate insoles, remove and spray them. Do this before you leave to hunt. Do it when you take the boots off after the hunt. And if you're not hunting, don't wear your hunting boots. I recommend Rubber or Pac boots. 

Don't Buckle Up! 
A good whiff of a hunter's leather belt will ruin that right moment. It stinks. Spray the heck out of it every time you hunt. Or best of all, don't wear leather. Consider a nylon belt from your hunting store. Wash it with your hunting clothes and stash it in the baking soda bag. Personally, I use wader suspenders, they're really comfortable and they fit right into my baking soda regime. 

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 
Smokers are often unaware that smoking passes a strong odor to their breath, clothes and bow as well as folks around them. Smokers, take plenty of scent eliminator spray with you and use it generously. On the stand, seal those dead soldiers in zip top bags. A smoker that uses my system told me this. He shuts his mouth when deer come up because if he breathes normally, they smell him. If he closes his mouth, they don't. 

Wrap It Up! 
Bowhunters all cram their fanny or backpacks full. Some of that stuff has odor that can ruin all your other efforts. Coated rainwear has an unnatural odor. Put rainwear in a large zip-top freezer bag and drop it in your pack. Seal those candy bars and everything else with a detectable odor in its own bag. Then dump every thing else in a large zip bag. Spray your pack inside and out and shake some baking soda inside it. That should render it all scentless. 

CONTINUED: Step 3. Be Clean

 
| Step1: Avoid using smelly products that alert deer. |
Step 2: Strangle every last bit of odor out of everything you take with you. |
| Step 3: Be clean. |
| Step 4: Stay clean in the field.
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