The little things that you don’t think of are the ones that will get you busted every time.
It’s the little things like toothpaste and your hair. The slightest odor is picked up and trapped by your hair. Hair is like an odor sponge. You must avoid areas that will get odors in your hair. For instance if you stop at the store to grab a soda before you hit the woods, your hair just absorbed all the odors in the store including the lady behind the register with the perfume on. You are busted!

So what can you do to overcome this problem? Let’s start with the basics. First you need to take care of your clothes. Sure you wash them in the scent free soap. Then you put them in plastic bags in your garage. WRONG! First wash them and hang them outside to dry for a couple of days and hope it rains on them! Then you put them in your “Rubber Maid” container with cover scent of your choice. For instance, I use about an inch or two of red oak acorns in the bottom of the tub. I hunt in woods that have a lot of red oaks in them. You can also use the cover scent wafers. They seem to be a little overpowering to me. I get them early before the season starts and let them die down outside for a while. Remember that too much scent is not good either. You want to blend in, not stand out! I also use a separate rubbermaid shed to store all my hunting gear. That way it has a lot less chance of picking up odors before the next hunt.

Whenever you can, you should use the scent-away system. The scent-a-way system includes shampoo, body soap, deodorant and a towel that was washed and stored with the rest of your hunting clothing. The towel out of the closet just undid what you did in the shower with its downy fresh scent!! I brush my teeth before I shower with regular tooth paste to clean my mouth and breath. I brush again after I get out with baking soda to get rid of that minty fresh breath. Big bucks know the minty smell is not natural and will avoid it. Also, baking soda works well for two other reasons. One, it helps to eliminate odor on your body. Two, it helps to keep you dry and more comfortable. I also have two scent free deodorant sticks, one for my under arms and one for my feet. Your first layer of clothes should be a microbial suit. These suits are made with silver threads woven right into the fabric. This prevents bacteria from forming and causing odor. The clothes that I take into the house, I keep in scent-proof bags. I keep my Scent Lock clothing, which is also recommended, in a separate scent proof bag to prevent contamination. Next put on clothes that were sprayed with scent away spray about ½ hour to 45 minutes before you showered. This should be done to all of the clothes you will be taking out to the woods. The spray needs to dry completely to be the most effective. Wear the bare minimum while you are in the house and finish dressing outside if you can, to avoid common household odors. I also start taking chlorophyll tablets about two weeks before hunting season opens. It helps to cut down on human odor.

Next you need to look at your transportation. As everyone knows, you should not fill up on gas on the way to the woods. What does the inside of your truck smell like? If your vehicle smells like lemons, pine trees, cigarette smoke, or oil you will too. If it does not smell like something in the woods you are undoing everything you did before you got in your vehicle. Two months before hunting season I use several new scent wafers in the truck. You WILL hear about this from your wife! Every year it’s the same thing at my house. “It stinks in here!” At work I get oil odors on my clothes so I make sure I have a couple of wafers on my seat. I also spray the seat down with scent away before I shower. That way my seat has no odor when I get in and it’s dry. You also need to scrub out the back of your truck or trunk with scent away soap before the season starts. You will be putting your hunting equipment there and you don’t want it contaminated. If you need to use your truck bed or trunk for something that will cause an odor then you should rewash it. Also spray the trunk of your car with the scent away spray a couple of times a month. It will help to prevent odors.

Now that you have made it to the woods in a relatively scent free environment, what is the last step? Spread all your gear out in the field or in the ditch as far away from the road and vehicle as possible. Next thoroughly spray all gear with Scent-Away. This will take care of the odor that may still linger on your hunting equipment. Make sure you pay close attention to the gloves, pants, and boots. The final touch is the cover scent. I use plain doe urine. It will help to calm a nervous buck and also give him something to think about besides you. Doe urine will not spook does like doe in estrus scent will. A doe that is not in estrus does not like to hang around one that is. Females only like to be chased when they want to be! Put some on your boot pads and once you are in your stand spray some on the tree around you.

I know this extreme and meticulous strategy works because I have had old does and bucks downwind of me many times and have not been busted or snorted at for over 5 years! I have had deer look at me in my stand and circle me several times trying to catch my scent. They walked away as calm as when they came in!