Advanced Scent-Control Tactics for Deer Hunters

Advanced Scent-Control Tactics for Deer Hunters 

Here are several ways to get more tactical with your scent-elimination regimen. 

By Darron McDougal 

It's one of the worst sounds a hunter can hear in the deer woods. After installing Evolved Harvest food plots, running Muddy or Stealth Cam trail cameras, and identifying a target buck to focus on, you get that special encounter but the buck catches the scent of your footsteps. The sound I referenced? It's the buck you want to kill, snorting as he bounds away. One small oversight got you busted. 

Anyone who's hunted deer long enough has been winded by a deer probably many deer and knows how defeating it feels and how detrimental it can be to future hunts. Of course, we can take some steps to minimize and manage our scent. Let's review some tips and tools to enhance your scent-control program and reduce your chances of being winded in deer country this fall.  

Careful Gear Prep 

Most deer hunters are familiar with scent-eliminating sprays. These are certainly effective, but are not the end-all be-all solution to scent elimination. Scent elimination begins in the laundry room, where hunting apparel should be washed using a scent-eliminating detergent and either hang dried or dried with a scent-eliminating dryer sheet. I like to spray the inside of my washer and dryer beforehand with a scent-eliminating spray to eliminate residual odors. I also spray my hands or wear scent-free gloves before transferring the clean apparel to an airtight storage tote. 

Think you're done? Think again! If you haven't experienced and leveraged ozone's effectiveness, it's time you did. Through a process called oxidation, ozone chemically changes an odor molecule's make-up. Our apparel and gear often come into contact with odors from fuel, food, fragrances, smoke, and more. We might not be able to smell the odors on our gear, but deer can. However, it isn't always practical to launder apparel after each time we wear it, which makes ozone a key solution.  

You can thwart odors and their traces using a small and convenient ozone generator, such as HME's Scent Slammer Throw-N-Go Scent Eliminator. This unit produces enough ozone molecules to destroy odors and odor-causing particles in spaces as large as 200 square feet. Not only can you treat your clothes inside a tote, but you could also dedicate a closet to treating your clothing and gear with ozone. You could even keep your clothing in the backseat of your truck and run the Throw-N-Go in the cab before your hunt, which will kill odors in your vehicle and on your apparel and other gear. 

Another must-have tool in the ozone program is HME's Scent Slammer Ozone Boot/Glove Dryer and Odor Eliminator. Boots and gloves are some of the foulest hunting gear we wear. If not dried properly and promptly, the dampness becomes a cesspool for odors. This Dryer and Odor Eliminator dries the dampness with warm air and treats with odor-destroying ozone to keep your gear fresh.     

Play the Wind More Effectively 

Taking careful steps toward scent control is extremely important, but playing the wind is even more important. Traditionally, playing the wind entails pulling up the forecast on your weather app. This isn't a bad plan, but more effective predictive tools are available.  

Enter HuntStand. Yes, the app has a detailed weather forecast, much like mainstream weather apps, which can help you plan which stands or blinds to hunt from each day. But have you ever wondered how your downwind airstream disperses from your stand location? Often, hunters misconceive that their scent runs in a narrow line exactly where the wind is blowing, but it actually widens out the farther it travels from you.  

The HuntZone wind map allows you to drop an overlay on your exact stand location, and then it shows a scent cone to help you identify potential areas that will be subjected to your downwind airstream. Of course, wind can shift, so check the HuntZone wind map and wind analysis often, especially during all-day hunts. 

Hunt in the Cloud 

Even when we carefully consider the wind details, prepare your gear, and choose a stand accordingly, we're not fully in control. Sometimes, a deer avoids the main trail upwind and goes cross-country downwind of our stand. Or, the wind makes sudden, erratic shifts, maybe due to the terrain we're hunting in. Either of these uncontrollable factors can get us winded.  

But wait! There's another tool that can put you under the radar when the unexpected happens. Wildgame Innovations' ZeroTrace PureION Field Generator neutralizes human scent and other foreign odors with a continuous flow of PureION using an ultra-quiet fan while you hunt. You can safely use this in your stand or blind without negatively impacting your health or gear. When the wind shifts or a deer unexpectedly appears downwind, you'll be glad to be hunting in a cloud of PureION molecules that arrest your human scent.