Scent block clothing: does it work? I report, you decide.

[ourabmen]

Late last year I followed a thread on this topic at antoher website with great interest.  After purchasing my first bow and embarking on my inaugural bow campaign, I wanted every advantage I could get.  Scent lock/bock clothes looked appealing, but I was alarmed at the added cost for the gear. Then I stumbled upon the afore mentioned thread.  After reding the attached articles I was able to arrive at a comfortable decesion. 

This post is not intended to start a flame war, rather it is to provide relevant information for your consideration. After all it's your hard eanred dollar.

Sincerely

OUrabmen

http://www.fastestbows.com/articles/corrigan/scent_suits.htm
http://www.fastestbows.com/articles/corrigan/scent_suits_deuce.htm

[Rodcrafter]

Interesting, I am one of those that did buy the stuff a few years back. I am also one that found out the stuff is not all that great. I truly believe that you can not make human odor disappear to a mature bucks nose. I rely heavily on wind direction and making sure my hunting clothing smells like the woods I hunt, and high treestands. There is no substitute for time spent in the woods learning your area.  Scent elimination clothing is way over rated.

[horseman308]

I have one piece of the stuff: a scent-lock base layer (long john I guess) top. I wear it against the skin simply because it seems it will do better at containing the smell of sweat. I don't expect miracles. The rest of my gear will still smell if not cared for right. I just like the idea that it won't smell more. Still have to hunt the wind and be very quiet and still.

[LEO]

Does it help, sure it does.  Does it make all your scent disappear no.  I am a K-9 handler at work and I ran into a fellow who made the brag that my dog couldn't follow him because he had on scent block clothing.  Well, I told him I don't know I've never tried it.  He continued that it couldn't so I asked him if he wanted to participate in a little non scientific test.  He put on all his scent block stuff, rubber boots and gloves and scent block hood.  I told him to walk down a gravel road that was fairly heavily traveled (I did this to eliminate the possiblity that my K-9 was following a ground disturbance and that he was actually following a scent picture)  and at some point enter the woods on either side of the road.  I then told him I would be back in about 45 minutes.  I left the area so neither I nor my K-9 saw hiim leave we returned in about 45 minutes.  I collected a scent article from the subjects vehicle, and scented my K-9, my dog tracked the subject without difficulty.  Now the dog followed the track like it was a much older track than 45 minutes so to me the scent block suit and other precautions did reduce the amount of scent that the subject deposited in the area.  Also keeping in mind you are going to leave more scent when you are moving than when you are sitting still, I think that it would be a help in scent management but it doesn't make you invisible from a scent stand point.  But if you are hunting trophy deer you need every possible advantage so I think it would help plus the cost has come down considerably over the past couple of years.  It is also critical to keep the scentblock clothing themselves as odor free as possible by keeping them in sealed bags and using cover scent, if the clothing keeps your scent in but is cover with your scent anyway because you have hauled it around laying in the seat next to you it is not going to be as effective.  Basically, I feel scent management is a complex system and not a single component but I believe scent block clothing is a part of the equation.

[Buckskin]

Im curious. Was you buddy clean when you did this experiment with the dogs?  I would love to try this out after I do my ritual of showering, spraying, non-scent deodorant, descented under clothing (inlcuding underware, socks pants ect), then Scent Loc, w/ sprayed rubber boots.

You also have to take in account that your dogs were trying to find him, not just walking thru the woods. I have numerous deer both bucks and does every year that walk directly down wind from me, crossing my trail ect.  Have I been busted, yes on occation. But not nearly as much as I would if i did nothing.  I do not go into the woods unless I take these precautions, except if I have a perfect wind situation for walking in and shooting position.  Even then I don't like to do it because of the residue scent I leave behind.

No way scent loc works by itself, its just a piece of the pie.

[Buckskin]

I posted prior to reading the above article.
As the author of the article I too have an environmental/scientfic background and have worked in the Environmental Consulting/Contracting business for the last 13 years.

All of the data the he presented is fact.  But his opinions are just that.  It does take high heat to regenerate the full-effectiveness of the carbon, no doubt.  But partial regeneration (the outer pores of the carbon particle releasing the contaminants) is achieved at lower temps.  Which logically is the most important surface to have active when trying to purify gases. 

He states "that it is the same as your furnace or water filters at home, that you can't just boil them or heat them to clean them".  Actually there are several furnace filters that you can wash and reuse and they are as good as new.  But that is besides the point.  Furnace and most water filters are particulate filters that is they trap particles not gases. You can't heat away particles unless you burn them, even then there is a residue.  With carbon, it don't attract particles, it attracts gases or VOC's, which can be driven off by heat.  I agree that the suits will never be as effective as when they leave the plant and always wondered why they don't sell them im plastic. I'm sure they have a life span, but I've never heard what that is. But they certainly do have value in scent reduction, and are just a piece of the puzzle.

[billy_56081]

  We also tried the K9 from the county sheriff's dept. The guy was washed up and all and Chase tracked him no problem. We also wrapped hamburger in a scent lock suit and our hunting dogs scented it and tried to get it out. I'm a big time bow hunter and after that I decided not to buy.

[LEO]

Buckskn, I don't know what the fella did to prepare to hunt.  I didn't know him, I just saw an opportunity to try something with my K-9 that I hadn't before plus get someone to lay a track.  You are correct in that my K-9 was presented this fellas scent and told to trail that scent as opposed to wandering through the woods and indicating on the scent.  However, I suspect in areas where there are relatively few people except for during hunting season, deer perk up whenever they detect any human odor.  You are also right that the scent management process is a multi layered approach and there is not 1 thing that you can do that covers all the bases.  I think that the level of human scent normally in an area plays a big role in how effective the scent block clothing is.  I have noticed that in populated areas, ie farm country deer don't seem to pay as much attention to human scent.  Whereas in wilderness type areas deer will often spook at the faintest human scent.  I think they become conditioned to smelling humans and so don't alert as quickly.  I am not saying they ignore it but that they don't turn inside out at the first hint of human odor.

[Buckskin]

I agree, you can get away with alot more in regards to scent in areas where they encounter humans throughout the year.  That being said, they also tend to be more nocturnal in those areas also.  Probably because they are pressured more.  They are used to humans but certainly don't like them.

[LEO]

I think the biggest mistake concerning scent control hunters make is not taking the time to learn a little about scent and how scent disperses from the source.  There is no way to eliminate all scent but you can certainly reduce it significantly if you are careful.   I know people who swear by scent blocking clothing but haul it around in the vehicle seat with them all season it it so contaminated with scent they might as well wear cologne.  I know other people who just use regular clothes but are very careful that they come into contact with no more scent than is absolutely necessary, they keep them sealed in bags with cover scent items until they get to the woods then they change into them and go to their stand.  When they return to the vehicle they change back into other clothes to go home and the hunting clothes go back into a sealed container.  Basically as I said earlier it all boils down to a system approach and being careful with your clothing, your hygene, your equipment, the wind, travel routes and stand location.

[Buckskin]

Thats what I do when its to warm to use my scent loc.  All of my hunting clothes goes in a bag.  And I get dressed when I get to my hunting area.  My wife laughs at me because I usually walk out of the house in my underware and return in my underware.  One of the many advantages of living in the country.