Before we get into that whole thing about scent reduction, and which Fart-Lok suit does the best, I thought I'd re-post my rant about Baking Soda.
It's cheap, it's easy. It does a really great job. It is by no means original; I found it in a magazine back in the mid-80's before all these fancy preparations and clothing started being merchandised.
How effective is it? Without it, I can be busted at 70 yards upwind of my stand. Using the method, getting nailed due to scent is no longer a problem. I've shot a buck inside 5 yards with his sister standing closer than 2 feet.
To clear up misunderstandings from previous years' posts:
1) Don't worry. No salesman will call. I don't get a dime off this. 2) I don't purport that this method (or any method) makes you scent-free. All this does is lower your stink so it does not cause alarm to the deer. 3) I am using about 8lbs of sodium bicarb a year. Yes, I used to buy 50 lb bags, but that was just a cheap way to buy it. They'd last me several years. 4) Some of what you sprinkle on your clothes can be recovered and reused. 5) If you compare sodium bicarb to laundry detergent, this is a major savings. I use detergent very sparingly and only when things get really mucked up. When I do, I use All Free& Clear.
Since last year's post, I've had one major convert to the Shamanic Baking Soda Method. Our newest member of the Shamanic Dream Team, Remnar, decided to try it. After 10 years of trying other more expensive concoctions and eating tag soup. I helped him get his first deer last November.
Lastly: My advice is to give this a try and see how it goes. You may find you need to be more or less stringent in your regimen. Use my method as a starting place.
Maybe I’m over thinking it but wouldn’t you get scent right back on your clothes when you put them on? We all have our habits, preferences and good luck stuff but walking 70 yards upwind of your stand is going to get you busted no matter what you wear or wash your clothes in. Have you been able to consistently walk upwind of deer using the baking soda?
Before we get into that whole thing about scent reduction, and which Fart-Lok suit does the best, I thought I'd re-post my rant about Baking Soda.
It's cheap, it's easy. It does a really great job. It is by no means original; I found it in a magazine back in the mid-80's before all these fancy preparations and clothing started being merchandised.
How effective is it? Without it, I can be busted at 70 yards upwind of my stand. Using the method, getting nailed due to scent is no longer a problem. I've shot a buck inside 5 yards with his sister standing closer than 2 feet.
To clear up misunderstandings from previous years' posts:
1) Don't worry. No salesman will call. I don't get a dime off this. 2) I don't purport that this method (or any method) makes you scent-free. All this does is lower your stink so it does not cause alarm to the deer. 3) I am using about 8lbs of sodium bicarb a year. Yes, I used to buy 50 lb bags, but that was just a cheap way to buy it. They'd last me several years. 4) Some of what you sprinkle on your clothes can be recovered and reused. 5) If you compare sodium bicarb to laundry detergent, this is a major savings. I use detergent very sparingly and only when things get really mucked up. When I do, I use All Free& Clear.
Since last year's post, I've had one major convert to the Shamanic Baking Soda Method. Our newest member of the Shamanic Dream Team, Remnar, decided to try it. After 10 years of trying other more expensive concoctions and eating tag soup. I helped him get his first deer last November.
Lastly: My advice is to give this a try and see how it goes. You may find you need to be more or less stringent in your regimen. Use my method as a starting place.
I agree, and have been using it for years! It works well! Back in the 80's Arm & Hammer, came out with a baking soda machine wash for hunting clothes. Yeah we used that too!
HS58
I Learned a long time ago to Separate My Want's from My Needs!
Maybe I’m over thinking it but wouldn’t you get scent right back on your clothes when you put them on? We all have our habits, preferences and good luck stuff but walking 70 yards upwind of your stand is going to get you busted no matter what you wear or wash your clothes in. Have you been able to consistently walk upwind of deer using the baking soda?
One of the fallacies of sodium bicarb lore is that it sucks odors out of the air. It doesn't. It does not store odors (like activated charcoal is supposed to do). What it seems to do is chemically change them. The other thing that it does is change the PH so that the odor-causing bacteria are inhibited.
What I meant was that when I was too lazy to do the baking soda, deer have winded me 70 yards upwind of my stand.
I'm not much of a pussy-footer. I'm more of a walking landform, so I don't do a whole lot of still hunting.
What I can tell you is that I've watched deer from my stand walk along my path of ingress with no signs of alertness.
Well, it’s cheap and can’t hurt. I’d be inclined to add it to the rinse cycle instead of dusting myself.
I’ve watched deer sniff at my ground scent and then just keep on doing whatever they were before. Like human urine, I’m convinced some have learned to associate it with danger, and some don’t. The public land I hunt gets a lot of foot traffic from non-hunters. If deer ran off with every whiff of human odor, they’d never stop. Even when they see you, they often seem to hang around until they think you might’ve seen them. Once the loud noises start, that changes.
I used to gather garbage bags of leaves/ pine needles and put my hunting clothes in them for 60 days prior to season. I quit. NO difference and I've killed MORE deer.
You guys would NOT believe me about my same hunting clothes for at least the last 20 yrs. It's not just one pair or one coat. I bought camo after season when on sale. I have a BUNCH.
I used to gather garbage bags of leaves/ pine needles and put my hunting clothes in them for 60 days prior to season. I quit. NO difference and I've killed MORE deer.
You guys would NOT believe me about my same hunting clothes for at least the last 20 yrs. It's not just one pair or one coat. I bought camo after season when on sale. I have a BUNCH.
Carry on.
Jerry
I've noticed Walmart nation wide, seems to think Hunting Season for Arkansas is the same in every other state in the Union. Oregon deer season goes from the end of Sept until the first week in November ( approximately).. as soon as it is over, Walmart gets in all their seasonal camo hunting garb and stuff..... then they flush it out 3 weeks later, with everything on sale at 20 to 25% of the original price.
Oregon would be a great place to stock up on next years hunting garb.
"Minus the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the Country" Marion Barry, Mayor of Wash DC
“Owning guns is not a right. If it were a right, it would be in the Constitution.” ~Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
Arkansas Archery begins ? Sept, ? Oct. Not a bow hunter so I don't keep up. In October we have several days Mzzld Season.....Before 2020 it was MG Antlerless only. The 2nd Saturday of Nov our Modern Gun season starts and runs till @ 20 Dec.
THEN we have 3 days after Christmas, 26-27-28 of Modern Gun also.
Archery runs THRU February ! ? ? I Don't Like That... some Does have bred and have fetus'.
I sure have bought camo at WM but there are several LGS, Hot Springs, Malvern, Benton, Bryant, Little Rock, N Little Rock, Sherwood, etc.
If a fella can wait till after Christmas he can find ALL he wants on sale. Ask me how I know LOL
I wash my clothes in baking soda and hang outside. I wash me in hunting soap starting a couple of weeks ahead of season. I also use scent killer spray and knee high rubber boots.This does not prevent being winded. It just reduces the amount of scent I leave in the woods.
A deer only has to change in it's routine by 50 yards or 30 minutes to avoid you entirely. This is about whitetail hunting in the SE.
Wish they'd start making that activated charcoal scent killer again. That stuff would de-scent your boots in a hurry.
Living in a world of G17s and 700s, wishing for P7s and 202s
I used to gather garbage bags of leaves/ pine needles and put my hunting clothes in them for 60 days prior to season. I quit. NO difference and I've killed MORE deer.
You guys would NOT believe me about my same hunting clothes for at least the last 20 yrs. It's not just one pair or one coat. I bought camo after season when on sale. I have a BUNCH.
Y’all must hunt Superman type deer noses.
Ever heard of Hunt the WIND ! Deer CAN NOT smell down wind FROM them !!
I’ve actually killed a lot of deer CROSS wind. Amazing.
Play the wind and you can wash your clothes in diesel. If they're downwind of you, you're busted no matter what you used. Deer act differently on different days. Sometimes walking on your entrance trail. Other times staring at you for 5 minutes, snorting, and whirling around back into the bushes.
These scent cleansing threads and ideas always crack me up. Try this experiment......take a dump in the middle of your living room. You can use ozonics, scentlok, baking soda, or whatever else you want to try to mask the scent, and guess what? You can't. None of them work as advertised. You can put it all over yourself and clothes all you want to, but nothing will contain the scent, once again, as advertised, as your body is constantly producing odor from your head, eyes, mouth, nose, etc.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
I used to gather garbage bags of leaves/ pine needles and put my hunting clothes in them for 60 days prior to season. I quit. NO difference and I've killed MORE deer.
You guys would NOT believe me about my same hunting clothes for at least the last 20 yrs. It's not just one pair or one coat. I bought camo after season when on sale. I have a BUNCH.
Carry on.
Jerry
My fancy camo is Natural Gear; have a good bit of that in different weights and two patterns. Some of it is very well designed as to pockets and such; some not so much, but I like the pattern.
OTOH, I also bought a bunch of Euro-surplus Woodland stuff, which is really well-made and tough, including a Gore-Tex parka that cost half of what the U.S. version does. Gotta replace those pesky fly buttons with snaps though.
Agree about hunting the wind. You gotta leave the game some advantage. Those TV jokers who carry the ozone machines into the woods crack me up. Wonder if they’s still bother if they weren’t getting paid?
Play the wind and you can wash your clothes in diesel. If they're downwind of you, you're busted no matter what you used. Deer act differently on different days. Sometimes walking on your entrance trail. Other times staring at you for 5 minutes, snorting, and whirling around back into the bushes.
Yep. And, I'll also add that we often think the wind is doing one thing when it's actually doing something a little different due to thermals, topography etc. But I don't care to hunt even a marginal wind - be it bow or gun hunting.
Over/under on the OP's beard being plenty odoriferous from the morning's bacon?
These scent cleansing threads and ideas always crack me up. Try this experiment......take a dump in the middle of your living room. You can use ozonics, scentlok, baking soda, or whatever else you want to try to mask the scent, and guess what? You can't. None of them work as advertised. You can put it all over yourself and clothes all you want to, but nothing will contain the scent, once again, as advertised, as your body is constantly producing odor from your head, eyes, mouth, nose, etc.
Scent spray doesn't work or police drug dogs would be out of a job
These scent cleansing threads and ideas always crack me up. Try this experiment......take a dump in the middle of your living room. You can use ozonics, scentlok, baking soda, or whatever else you want to try to mask the scent, and guess what? You can't. None of them work as advertised. You can put it all over yourself and clothes all you want to, but nothing will contain the scent, once again, as advertised, as your body is constantly producing odor from your head, eyes, mouth, nose, etc.
Been there and done that. Sadly we had two dogs that became incontinent in their last days, so we had ample opportunity to test this. The last one died just before last Christmas. The family room carpet was already a basket case, and is overdue for replacement. When one of the dogs let go we immediately got it picked up and ran a carpet shampooer over the spot, and then used baking soda sprinkled on the still-wet carpet to deodorize. We tested this against Fabreeze and couple other products, and the baking soda did as good or better.
One of the properties of baking soda is that it changes the pH on your skin, hair, and clothes rather dramatically without causing irritation. The alkaline environment inhibits bacteria growth, and this is what produces the worst of the human stink. If I shower with baking soda and rub a little bit in my pits and elsewhere, the stink stays away for a good long time. I shower every morning before I go hunting, and the baking soda in my clothes keeps this up all day.
These scent cleansing threads and ideas always crack me up. Try this experiment......take a dump in the middle of your living room. You can use ozonics, scentlok, baking soda, or whatever else you want to try to mask the scent, and guess what? You can't. None of them work as advertised. You can put it all over yourself and clothes all you want to, but nothing will contain the scent, once again, as advertised, as your body is constantly producing odor from your head, eyes, mouth, nose, etc.
Been there and done that. Sadly we had two dogs that became incontinent in their last days, so we had ample opportunity to test this. The last one died just before last Christmas. The family room carpet was already a basket case, and is overdue for replacement. When one of the dogs let go we immediately got it picked up and ran a carpet shampooer over the spot, and then used baking soda sprinkled on the still-wet carpet to deodorize. We tested this against Fabreeze and couple other products, and the baking soda did as good or better.
One of the properties of baking soda is that it changes the pH on your skin, hair, and clothes rather dramatically without causing irritation. The alkaline environment inhibits bacteria growth, and this is what produces the worst of the human stink. If I shower with baking soda and rub a little bit in my pits and elsewhere, the stink stays away for a good long time. I shower every morning before I go hunting, and the baking soda in my clothes keeps this up all day.
It ain't perfect, but it does a fair job.
Yeah, so what about the scent coming from your eyes, nose, ears, breath, etc? "Fair" job is being generous. Maybe better than nothing is what I would say, but what I actually say is it is a waste of time and effort.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
Yeah, so what about the scent coming from your eyes, nose, ears, breath, etc? "Fair" job is being generous. Maybe better than nothing is what I would say, but what I actually say is it is a waste of time and effort.
Look, I'm always the first one to warn folks: If somebody is telling you there is an invisible force that is keeping you from being a successful deer hunter and they have a solution, be very skeptical. That goes for scent reduction and doubly so for Anti-UV agents.
However, it also works in reverse. I'm down with the idea that there is scent coming from all of your orifices, and that it would be possible for deer to sense it. However, I seriously doubt that those emanations contribute significantly to a hunter's overall scent profile. I know guys that swear by chlorophyll gum and eating activated charcoal before season. I'm just not going to go down that bunny hole. I've had too much good luck with baking soda alone.
I also reject the idea that deer have magical senses and that any scent whatsoever will make them flee for the next county. All this baking soda regimen probably does is knock the worst of the stink off. I don't know 50%(?) 80%(?) Instead of walking into a cloud of man stink that tells them, there's a guy in a tree at 50 yard's distance, a deer may get a whiff and not bother reacting-- too far, too weak. I honestly don't know how it works. All I'm saying is that the regimen I describe has worked well for me for 30 years, and I'm willing to share it.
Yeah, so what about the scent coming from your eyes, nose, ears, breath, etc? "Fair" job is being generous. Maybe better than nothing is what I would say, but what I actually say is it is a waste of time and effort.
Look, I'm always the first one to warn folks: If somebody is telling you there is an invisible force that is keeping you from being a successful deer hunter and they have a solution, be very skeptical. That goes for scent reduction and doubly so for Anti-UV agents.
However, it also works in reverse. I'm down with the idea that there is scent coming from all of your orifices, and that it would be possible for deer to sense it. However, I seriously doubt that those emanations contribute significantly to a hunter's overall scent profile. I know guys that swear by chlorophyll gum and eating activated charcoal before season. I'm just not going to go down that bunny hole. I've had too much good luck with baking soda alone.
I also reject the idea that deer have magical senses and that any scent whatsoever will make them flee for the next county. All this baking soda regimen probably does is knock the worst of the stink off. I don't know 50%(?) 80%(?) Instead of walking into a cloud of man stink that tells them, there's a guy in a tree at 50 yard's distance, a deer may get a whiff and not bother reacting-- too far, too weak. I honestly don't know how it works. All I'm saying is that the regimen I describe has worked well for me for 30 years, and I'm willing to share it.
But will the baking soda stop scent from being produced? I doubt it which is why I’m skeptical of cover scents. Yes it may make the clothes scent free but your going to ruin that within 5 minutes of wearing them
I realize this has worked well for you for 30 years, but to a lot of us on here it’s worked well for you because you paid attention to the wind and wouldn’t really have mattered if you’d doused yourself in Old Spice instead of baking soda
But will the baking soda stop scent from being produced? I doubt it which is why I’m skeptical of cover scents. Yes it may make the clothes scent free but your going to ruin that within 5 minutes of wearing them
I realize this has worked well for you for 30 years, but to a lot of us on here it’s worked well for you because you paid attention to the wind and wouldn’t really have mattered if you’d doused yourself in Old Spice instead of baking soda
That's a good question. The answer is a qualified yes. What baking soda does is inhibit bacteria growth by way of raising the pH. As I understand it, the bacteria feed on your detritus (dead skin, oils, etc.) The byproducts of this growth are what give places like your armpits their distinctive stink. Depending on how thorough the job you do of showering and applying the baking soda to you and your clothes, the baking soda will work for hours. When I was bowhunting, I usually changed clothes between morning and afternoon hunts.
The stuff growing in your armpits and crotch is also the same sort of stuff (Lactobacillus and yeasts) that makes sourdough bread work. What I would suggest is this: read the weblog entry, and follow the part about showering and applying baking soda to your body. Do it on a non-hunting day. Check and see how long it takes for your pit stink to come back.
I'm not an expert on wind management. Believe me. Whenever I think the deer must be coming from one direction due to the wind, they always seem to show up on my backside.
I'm also not touting this method based on alleged expertise in any of this. All I'm saying is that it has worked for me, and I'm doing my best to share it with others. If you're the kind of guy who spends big bucks on scent reduction every year, this is a way to get off on the cheap. If you're a fellow who just plays the wind, this probably all sounds goofy. That's okay too.
I use nothing but Baking Soda to clean my coolers. I have tested its use by leaving great good gobs of greasy grimy Gopher guts in them until it began attracting Monitor Lizards & Buzzards. Not really, just dead rotted fish & shrimp. The baking soda removed any trace of smell to my amazement.
Have used nothing else since.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day that a U.S. president would raise an army to invade his own country." Robert E. Lee
Mostly where I hunt, it's swirly and ever changing. Not that it matters. Where I hunt the most, it's because it's the only place I can at the time. There I generally I hunt facing one way, sitting or walking, because it's the only direction I can safely shoot. The choices are ignore the wind or don't hunt at all.
As far as attempted scent control, sure isn't perfect, but I view it like trying to whisper in the woods vs yelling. They can still hear you, but maybe not as well or as far.
I use nothing but Baking Soda to clean my coolers. I have tested its use by leaving great good gobs of greasy grimy Gopher guts in them until it began attracting Monitor Lizards & Buzzards. Not really, just dead rotted fish & shrimp. The baking soda removed any trace of smell to my amazement.
Have used nothing else since.
Dead shrimp... thas a damn tough smell to get rid of. Glad to know baking soda will clean it up.
As far as attempted scent control, sure isn't perfect, but I view it like trying to whisper in the woods vs yelling. They can still hear you, but maybe not as well or as far.
Mostly where I hunt, it's swirly and ever changing. Not that it matters. Where I hunt the most, it's because it's the only place I can at the time. There I generally I hunt facing one way, sitting or walking, because it's the only direction I can safely shoot. The choices are ignore the wind or don't hunt at all.
As far as attempted scent control, sure isn't perfect, but I view it like trying to whisper in the woods vs yelling. They can still hear you, but maybe not as well or as far.
I bet I killed a hundred deer at ranges short of 75 yards with a lit cigarette hanging out of my mouth. I quit smoking 10 years ago now and miss the constant wind direction indicator of cigarette smoke.
For the folks that swear deer are downwind of them but don't spook, I'd encourage you try these out to fully understand what the wind is actually doing:
The wind does some awfully peculiar things - particularly when winds are on the lightish side. Direction and current in your close proximity isn't necessarily how it is 30, 50, 100 etc. yards away. While I prefer to hunt clean like the majority here, I've done enough hunting in a lot of different locales to know there's one constant – I'm not fooling a deer's nose.
And if you wanna swear by the various remedies as foolproof, that's all fine and good. Just know you're only bullszchitting the fans - not the players.
And if you wanna swear by the various remedies as foolproof, that's all fine and good. Just know you're only bullszchitting the fans - not the players.
None of what I'm suggesting is foolproof. However, my experience has been such that I know a little bit of hygiene and some baking soda does have positive effects. Do I still get busted? Yes. However, I would say that the vast majority of those busts came from moving around in my stand and not from scent. I'll also add that I know the deer around me are much more acclimated to human scent than some. On three sides, I've got neighbors, the closest is probably a mile away. They are mostly all out there doing what folks do in the country. These aren't suburban deer, but they're not deep woods critters either. Deer and humans interact constantly around me, and for 11 of the 12 months, those interactions are non-threatening.
I will also concede that during November, there isn't much of anywhere else they can go. When the ATVs start rolling on the Opener Minus 30, it's an Orange Invasion. The one place the deer can go is onto my property. Once the shooting starts, there is probably one hunter per 20 acres on average, and on my plot it's more like 1 per 50 acres. However, that gives us enough of an edge. It's enough so that doe will come and browse acorns just downwind of my stand and pay me no attention whatsoever.
It's also produced some bizarre circumstances, like 2017, when a doe came by and stuck her head in the blind and then wandered out a few yards. The large buck following her came by and did the same. This was the result:
It's also produced some bizarre circumstances, like 2017, when a doe came by and stuck her head in the blind and then wandered out a few yards. The large buck following her came by and did the same. This was the result:
Sodium Bicarb has been a big help to me and some of us at camp. That is no bull.
For the folks that swear deer are downwind of them but don't spook, I'd encourage you try these out to fully understand what the wind is actually doing:
The wind does some awfully peculiar things - particularly when winds are on the lightish side. Direction and current in your close proximity isn't necessarily how it is 30, 50, 100 etc. yards away. While I prefer to hunt clean like the majority here, I've done enough hunting in a lot of different locales to know there's one constant – I'm not fooling a deer's nose.
And if you wanna swear by the various remedies as foolproof, that's all fine and good. Just know you're only bullszchitting the fans - not the players.
Smoke can do the same when the air currents are light. It's amazing how far you can see a stream of it go under the right circumstances. There were many times I'd have sworn deer were directly down wind of me at relatively close range if it weren't for a steady stream of smoke telling me otherwise.
It's also produced some bizarre circumstances, like 2017, when a doe came by and stuck her head in the blind and then wandered out a few yards. The large buck following her came by and did the same. This was the result:
Sodium Bicarb has been a big help to me and some of us at camp. That is no bull.
Beaut. What'd it go? Bout 140"-145"?
Not even close. Not enough tine length or main beam length. I've got a 10 on the wall with longer mains and longer tines all around that goes just under 140.
It's also produced some bizarre circumstances, like 2017, when a doe came by and stuck her head in the blind and then wandered out a few yards. The large buck following her came by and did the same. This was the result:
Sodium Bicarb has been a big help to me and some of us at camp. That is no bull.
Beaut. What'd it go? Bout 140"-145"?
Not even close. Not enough tine length or main beam length. I've got a 10 on the wall with longer mains and longer tines all around that goes just under 140.
It's also produced some bizarre circumstances, like 2017, when a doe came by and stuck her head in the blind and then wandered out a few yards. The large buck following her came by and did the same. This was the result:
Sodium Bicarb has been a big help to me and some of us at camp. That is no bull.
Beaut. What'd it go? Bout 140"-145"?
Not even close. Not enough tine length or main beam length. I've got a 10 on the wall with longer mains and longer tines all around that goes just under 140.
You sure about that?
Yes. Take a look at the pic of the buck laying in the back of the pickup in his link for a better look at the rack.
It's also produced some bizarre circumstances, like 2017, when a doe came by and stuck her head in the blind and then wandered out a few yards. The large buck following her came by and did the same. This was the result:
Sodium Bicarb has been a big help to me and some of us at camp. That is no bull.
Beaut. What'd it go? Bout 140"-145"?
Not even close. Not enough tine length or main beam length. I've got a 10 on the wall with longer mains and longer tines all around that goes just under 140.
You sure about that?
Yes. Take a look at the pic of the buck laying in the back of the pickup in his link for a better look at the rack.
It's also produced some bizarre circumstances, like 2017, when a doe came by and stuck her head in the blind and then wandered out a few yards. The large buck following her came by and did the same. This was the result:
Sodium Bicarb has been a big help to me and some of us at camp. That is no bull.
Beaut. What'd it go? Bout 140"-145"?
Not even close. Not enough tine length or main beam length. I've got a 10 on the wall with longer mains and longer tines all around that goes just under 140.
You sure about that?
Yes. Take a look at the pic of the buck laying in the back of the pickup in his link for a better look at the rack.
Hmmmm. I don't know....
G-1's, G-2's and G-4's are pretty short on both sides. It's a nice buck but it ain't 140".
It's also produced some bizarre circumstances, like 2017, when a doe came by and stuck her head in the blind and then wandered out a few yards. The large buck following her came by and did the same. This was the result:
Sodium Bicarb has been a big help to me and some of us at camp. That is no bull.
Beaut. What'd it go? Bout 140"-145"?
Not even close. Not enough tine length or main beam length. I've got a 10 on the wall with longer mains and longer tines all around that goes just under 140.
You sure about that?
Yes. Take a look at the pic of the buck laying in the back of the pickup in his link for a better look at the rack.
Hmmmm. I don't know....
G-1's, G-2's and G-4's are pretty short on both sides. It's a nice buck but it ain't 140".
I honestly have not measured this rack. I know it dwarves the one I once measured at 125" and it's smaller than the camp record that I measured at 165". We're more worried about pounds of yield than inches of rack. I figure it to be about #4 or #5 on the camp's list. He took up a bunch of freezer space.
Here's another view of the buck:
I'm not saying that baking soda is magic, but something significant is going on when a guy like this stands downwind from you at 20 yards, and he's more worried about the doe than you,
EDIT: I had the wrong buck originally showing in this second shot of the 2017 buck-- same year, different animal. Thanks you, Blackheart for pointing it out.
I honestly have not measured this rack. I know it dwarves the one I once measured at 125" and it's smaller than the camp record that I measured at 165".
Because you've not exactly been picking up what a few of us have subtlety been laying down for the last year regarding your camp record:
The measurements on your camp record are wrong - and not by just a few inches. And the alleged 80# of entrails from said deer were not more than that of a mature elk.
Sometimes your long, shamanistic orations convey more yarn than revelation.
I bet I killed a hundred deer at ranges short of 75 yards with a lit cigarette hanging out of my mouth. I quit smoking 10 years ago now and miss the constant wind direction indicator of cigarette smoke.
LOL, my dad used to do that when he took me hunting as a kid. Always smoking. I'd tell him to stop and he'd say there's a highway over there, or a farm over there, there's all kinds of stink wafting around when you hunt this close to anything. We shot plenty of deer when he was smoking a cigarette.
The measurements on your camp record are wrong - and not by just a few inches. And the alleged 80# of entrails from said deer were not more than that of a mature elk.
The camp record? You mean this fellow?
Look, all I know is that folks were begging me to measure it, and I did, doing the best job I could. I measured 165". I'm not claiming to have it officially scored. I'm not particularly tied to any particular number. I'm open to any estimate you want to give. If you all say it's 140 or 180, I'm happy with it. I don't go in for measuring racks. I think it's kind of silly. Pick a number. All I know is that it was far and away the largest deer we've taken on the property. As to the entrails, I bagged them up and brought them back to camp. Yeah, I know that was silly, but the truck was right there, and they were laying in the creek bed. Nowadays, I'd leave them lay. For grins, I put them up on the scale (ooops! I went back and looked at the original article. It specifies 70 lbs of viscera). My apologies. This was back in 2007. It's been a while. They did indeed feel like a sack of cement. The deer here are big. I've seen 300 pounders at the processors. It also states, that my estimate of the rack was 150 inches at the time I shot it. I measured 165 inches after it was back from the taxidermist.
Here is the original story that was posted on the Campfire:
I seriously would like to get this resolved. I know it all causes you a great deal of consternation. What acts of contrition do y'all require to get this taken care of?
Shaman, Every year we are required by the Texas Parks and Wildlife, to do a wildlife survey of this ranch, we turn our #s over to them and they tell us how many does and bucks we need to kill, it's usually some where between 350 total and 450 total, but has been as high as 550 deer, we weigh every deer live weight and dressed weight, score every buck, age and collect the lower jaw of all deer.
This information helps us manage the habitat, and keep a healthy deer population, scoring and ageing bucks, will help you manage your herd. every deer is a trophy to the person that kills it. Rio7
I bet I killed a hundred deer at ranges short of 75 yards with a lit cigarette hanging out of my mouth. I quit smoking 10 years ago now and miss the constant wind direction indicator of cigarette smoke.
LOL, my dad used to do that when he took me hunting as a kid. Always smoking. I'd tell him to stop and he'd say there's a highway over there, or a farm over there, there's all kinds of stink wafting around when you hunt this close to anything. We shot plenty of deer when he was smoking a cigarette.
If you're down wind of the deer, it doesn't matter if you're covered in gasoline.
I honestly have not measured this rack. I know it dwarves the one I once measured at 125" and it's smaller than the camp record that I measured at 165". We're more worried about pounds of yield than inches of rack. I figure it to be about #4 or #5 on the camp's list. He took up a bunch of freezer space.
Here's another view of the buck:
I'm not saying that baking soda is magic, but something significant is going on when a guy like this stands downwind from you at 20 yards, and he's more worried about the doe than you,
That ain't even the same buck as in the first pic. You're supposed to use the side of the tape that measures in inches, not centimeters.
[ That ain't even the same buck as in the first pic. You're supposed to use the side of the tape that measures in inches, not centimeters.
Thanks for pointing that out. I've changed the pic. It was on an adjacent thumbnail and I was working fast last night.
Don't get me wrong shaman, those are some nice bucks, especially your camp record. I just think you're doing something wrong in your measuring somehow.
Shaman, Every year we are required by the Texas Parks and Wildlife, to do a wildlife survey of this ranch, we turn our #s over to them and they tell us how many does and bucks we need to kill, it's usually some where between 350 total and 450 total, but has been as high as 550 deer, we weigh every deer live weight and dressed weight, score every buck, age and collect the lower jaw of all deer.
This information helps us manage the habitat, and keep a healthy deer population, scoring and ageing bucks, will help you manage your herd. every deer is a trophy to the person that kills it. Rio7
With only a paltry 200 acres, I find it hard to fathom those numbers. Frankly, for freezer filler, it seems like an awful lot of work, but I know every place has its own view of things. We have about 15 deer on the property at any given time. 1-2 are mature bucks worth shooting.
" every deer is a trophy to the person that kills it" I'd certainly like to think so. Other folks can argue over inches. I'm just glad to have the chance to be out. Folks make fun of me for my left nut stories, but the first thing I asked the surgeon last month was "Will I be able to be in my stand on the Opener?"
---- SWOOOSH! I'm sure that went over somebody's head. That's okay. I'll tell the jokes slower from now on.
Never read anything about baking soda before but have used similar procedures for 30 years. I was a still hunter in the Northern California Cascade mountains for blacktail deer. These are spooky brush loving little devils. There weren't many people up there and I could hunt a week without seeing anybody. The wind shifted with the time of day and terrain and I was always aware of it's direction. That said I did everything I could to eliminate as much scent as possible. From baking soda in my cloths, scent free soaps, deodorants and scent free spray antiperspireants on my feet. There were a lot of bay trees in the area so I made a bay tea and used it in a spray bottle.
Was I scent free, No. But I eliminated as much scent as I could and covered what I could. I've had deer bed down around me and most of my deer were shot a 25 yards. Scent control or reduction, not elimination, is a key piece of my hunting puzzle. It works when properly used with the other parts.
I'm not saying that baking soda is magic, but something significant is going on when a guy like this stands downwind from you at 20 yards, and he's more worried about the doe than you,
You're not wrong - there is something significant going on in that scenario.....
Two hints - happens every November and rhymes with slut.
You're not wrong - there is something significant going on in that scenario.....
Two hints - happens every November and rhymes with slut.
Gee! You think? I never put this all together before. Thanks for the hint. They were smelling my nuts! Ha! Fooled them. I'll be 50% more invisible this year. You guys ought to write magazine articles or something. This needs to get out. Although, I doubt many folks are going to make the sacrifice.
I bet I killed a hundred deer at ranges short of 75 yards with a lit cigarette hanging out of my mouth. I quit smoking 10 years ago now and miss the constant wind direction indicator of cigarette smoke.
LOL, my dad used to do that when he took me hunting as a kid. Always smoking. I'd tell him to stop and he'd say there's a highway over there, or a farm over there, there's all kinds of stink wafting around when you hunt this close to anything. We shot plenty of deer when he was smoking a cigarette.
If you're down wind of the deer, it doesn't matter if you're covered in gasoline.
Hunt down wind of a paper mill and you could [bleep] your pants and it wouldn't matter.
I bet I killed a hundred deer at ranges short of 75 yards with a lit cigarette hanging out of my mouth. I quit smoking 10 years ago now and miss the constant wind direction indicator of cigarette smoke.
LOL, my dad used to do that when he took me hunting as a kid. Always smoking. I'd tell him to stop and he'd say there's a highway over there, or a farm over there, there's all kinds of stink wafting around when you hunt this close to anything. We shot plenty of deer when he was smoking a cigarette.
If you're down wind of the deer, it doesn't matter if you're covered in gasoline.
Hunt down wind of a paper mill and you could [bleep] your pants and it wouldn't matter.
I've heard they smell bad but have no personal experience. One of my old hunting buddies suffered from IBS. Farted every 10 minutes and left piles of shyt everywhere he went. I could smell him from 50 yards away in thick cover if the wind was right. He was a deer killin SOB anyway.
I bet I killed a hundred deer at ranges short of 75 yards with a lit cigarette hanging out of my mouth. I quit smoking 10 years ago now and miss the constant wind direction indicator of cigarette smoke.
LOL, my dad used to do that when he took me hunting as a kid. Always smoking. I'd tell him to stop and he'd say there's a highway over there, or a farm over there, there's all kinds of stink wafting around when you hunt this close to anything. We shot plenty of deer when he was smoking a cigarette.
If you're down wind of the deer, it doesn't matter if you're covered in gasoline.
I bet I killed a hundred deer at ranges short of 75 yards with a lit cigarette hanging out of my mouth. I quit smoking 10 years ago now and miss the constant wind direction indicator of cigarette smoke.
LOL, my dad used to do that when he took me hunting as a kid. Always smoking. I'd tell him to stop and he'd say there's a highway over there, or a farm over there, there's all kinds of stink wafting around when you hunt this close to anything. We shot plenty of deer when he was smoking a cigarette.
If you're down wind of the deer, it doesn't matter if you're covered in gasoline.
Unless you’re covered in gasoline and smoking.
Yeah that wouldn't be good. The reason I said gasoline was because my hunting partner accidentally spilled gas on his boots and lower pant leg one morning on our way out to hunt. He paid it no mind and killed a nice buck shortly after sunrise.
Maybe I'll start - check out my blog. Working on D&DH pro-staff credentials.
That guy's just a poser. You need to experience the real thing. That guy must hire himself to neo-pagan gatherings. I recognize the hand gestures. He's read a book or two. That's it.
If you need help with a blog, let me know.
Don't bother with the D&DH credentials. They lost all their credibility when they brought Ted Nugent on as an editor.
Originally Posted by 10Glocks
[
Hunt down wind of a paper mill and you could [bleep] your pants and it wouldn't matter.
10Glocks: You're sounding like Ted Nugent. Trust me, that's not a viable strategy for hunting bucks. I won't discuss how I know this to be true.
Originally Posted by Blackheart
Don't get me wrong shaman, those are some nice bucks, especially your camp record. I just think you're doing something wrong in your measuring somehow.
Thanks. Any guesses are welcome. As I said:
Quote
I do not hold myself out to be a good judge of antler. In the back of my head is a small sensor that has three basic states. One is “DOE.” The second is “HAS ANTLERS.” The third is “Quint, I think we’re going to need a bigger boat.” I know that admission has lowered my esteem in your eyes, but I have to be honest. I learned how to hunt deer at a time when doe were not to be taken, anything with an antler was a gift from the Gods, and big racks were only seen hanging in restaurants.
As far as guesses Rio7 already said that's a 125" buck in Texas. He likely has a lot of experience judging bucks. Of course we've all heard everything's bigger in Texas. As for myself, I can't even get it to 125. Maybe 110-120. I'd say Angus's buck that you mistakenly posted a pic of, probably 85 or so. Looks like a typical 2.5 year old basket rack 8 point.
As far as guesses Rio7 already said that's a 125" buck in Texas. He likely has a lot of experience judging bucks. Of course we've all heard everything's bigger in Texas. As for myself, I can't even get it to 125. Maybe 110-120. I'd say Angus's buck that you mistakenly posted a pic of, probably 85 or so. Looks like a typical 2.5 year old basket rack 8 point.
That's fine. I wasn't the goober saying it was 140 class. 110 is fine. It's the biggest buck I've shot in 5 years.
Just to give you an idea, while I was writing my previous post, 2 guys like Angus' came out with an even younger buck and started feeding about 150 yards from the house. I kind of honked them off when I came out back to eat a pizza I picked up on the way to the farm. Before they left, they started play-fighting. It was fun to watch. After they took an interest in me, they wandered about another 200 yards out to the pasture where Supercore's blind sits. There was a bigger guy out there. He let one of the younger bucks dick with him-- even acted like he was giving way for a bit, and then got bored and chased him, almost rolling him on his butt, doing so. Meanwhile, I had the two doe that I'd come to expect in the yard come out. They have gotten used to me, and started feeding about 75 yards from the back of the house. I finished my pizza, wished them a good night and came in. It was getting to hard to see all the way out to the pasture where the bucks were playing grab-ass.
I read through this and don't see how you are using the baking soda but guessing just use in the washer in place of detergent. The stuff works to absorb odors I do know that and am willing to see for myself if it out smarts a wild nose whether deer, coyote or any other animal.
The measurements on your camp record are wrong - and not by just a few inches. And the alleged 80# of entrails from said deer were not more than that of a mature elk.
The camp record? You mean this fellow?
Look, all I know is that folks were begging me to measure it, and I did, doing the best job I could. I measured 165". I'm not claiming to have it officially scored. I'm not particularly tied to any particular number. I'm open to any estimate you want to give. If you all say it's 140 or 180, I'm happy with it. I don't go in for measuring racks. I think it's kind of silly. Pick a number. All I know is that it was far and away the largest deer we've taken on the property. As to the entrails, I bagged them up and brought them back to camp. Yeah, I know that was silly, but the truck was right there, and they were laying in the creek bed. Nowadays, I'd leave them lay. For grins, I put them up on the scale (ooops! I went back and looked at the original article. It specifies 70 lbs of viscera). My apologies. This was back in 2007. It's been a while. They did indeed feel like a sack of cement. The deer here are big. I've seen 300 pounders at the processors. It also states, that my estimate of the rack was 150 inches at the time I shot it. I measured 165 inches after it was back from the taxidermist.
Here is the original story that was posted on the Campfire:
I seriously would like to get this resolved. I know it all causes you a great deal of consternation. What acts of contrition do y'all require to get this taken care of?
You measured that deer at 165"? Poor brows, maybe 6" 2's and 7" 3's ? How'd you get there honestly?
Maybe you had a centimeter tape?
Baking soda to fool a deer's nose?
I'll log right back outta this place now...
- Greg
Success is found at the intersection of planning, hard work, and stubbornness.
I actually made estimates on tine lengths, main beam lengths, spread and girth measurements. Wrote it all down, added it up and came up with 100". Of course those are just estimates and the rack does look different in the various poses/angles, particularly in regard to spread and beam length.
I actually made estimates on tine lengths, main beam lengths, spread and girth measurements. Wrote it all down, added it up and came up with 100". Of course those are just estimates and the rack does look different in the various poses/angles, particularly in regard to spread and beam length.
Without even doing that, and not even accounting for NE deer ratios, I'd say that deer is not more than 110" and I'm in a generous mood....
If you're gonna think you know what you're talking about and assign a score to a buck you need to be within 50". It's a joke....
Gotta be a centimeter tape....
- Greg
Success is found at the intersection of planning, hard work, and stubbornness.
I actually made estimates on tine lengths, main beam lengths, spread and girth measurements. Wrote it all down, added it up and came up with 100". Of course those are just estimates and the rack does look different in the various poses/angles, particularly in regard to spread and beam length.
Without even doing that, and not even accounting for NE deer ratios, I'd say that deer is not more than 110-115" max.
That was in my original guess range before I actually wrote it down and added it up. Of course my estimates, particularly on beam length and spread may be off a bit.
The only concession I make when washing my hunting clothes is to use a wool wash with no UV enhancing properties. With regards to scent I think a deer will scent you down wind regardless of what you washed your clothes in. I think the human body will carry enough scent to a deer. I've also wondered about how to reduce the scent of the rifle. To a deer's sensitive nose I'm sure there must be traces of ammonia copper solvent and gun oils giving off scents no matter how much we wipe them off.
I read through this and don't see how you are using the baking soda but guessing just use in the washer in place of detergent. The stuff works to absorb odors I do know that and am willing to see for myself if it out smarts a wild nose whether deer, coyote or any other animal.
Yes, I use it in the washer, in the shower, and I store my clothes with it sprinkled in.
The best thing I can say to do is try the method in its entirety and then go hunt as normal. If you see an improvement, then fine. The method I originally read decades ago was far more complicated. It was written by a bowhunter and included things like putting your hair under a plastic bag. What I did was go whole hog for a while and then gradually relaxed until I found a method I could stand to do. That is what the article documented.
What I've experienced is that most (not all) of the scent-driven busts have disappeared. If I get busted, it is almost invariably as I am shifting in my stand, caused a noise, or adjusting my clothing. Those annoying snorts from nowhere are gone. What's more, a deer can walk through my downwind scent cone and be oblivious.
Also remember that I originally wrote this for people that were spending $300 on fartlok suits and spraying $20/bottle concoctions all over themselves. This was meant as a money saver. Activated charcoal suits and spray bottles are costly and useless.
Before we get into that whole thing about scent reduction, and which Fart-Lok suit does the best, I thought I'd re-post my rant about Baking Soda.
It's cheap, it's easy. It does a really great job. It is by no means original; I found it in a magazine back in the mid-80's before all these fancy preparations and clothing started being merchandised.
How effective is it? Without it, I can be busted at 70 yards upwind of my stand. Using the method, getting nailed due to scent is no longer a problem. I've shot a buck inside 5 yards with his sister standing closer than 2 feet.
To clear up misunderstandings from previous years' posts:
1) Don't worry. No salesman will call. I don't get a dime off this. 2) I don't purport that this method (or any method) makes you scent-free. All this does is lower your stink so it does not cause alarm to the deer. 3) I am using about 8lbs of sodium bicarb a year. Yes, I used to buy 50 lb bags, but that was just a cheap way to buy it. They'd last me several years. 4) Some of what you sprinkle on your clothes can be recovered and reused. 5) If you compare sodium bicarb to laundry detergent, this is a major savings. I use detergent very sparingly and only when things get really mucked up. When I do, I use All Free& Clear.
Since last year's post, I've had one major convert to the Shamanic Baking Soda Method. Our newest member of the Shamanic Dream Team, Remnar, decided to try it. After 10 years of trying other more expensive concoctions and eating tag soup. I helped him get his first deer last November.
Lastly: My advice is to give this a try and see how it goes. You may find you need to be more or less stringent in your regimen. Use my method as a starting place.
I agree, and have been using it for years! It works well! Back in the 80's Arm & Hammer, came out with a baking soda machine wash for hunting clothes. Yeah we used that too!
HS58
After the Baking Soda to reduce the Man made odors, We would put our hunt clothes in Large plastic bags with either pine branches, or oak, and maple branches, to help as a cover scent!
Bagged a lot of White tails with this method yrs ago!
I Learned a long time ago to Separate My Want's from My Needs!
Before we get into that whole thing about scent reduction, and which Fart-Lok suit does the best, I thought I'd re-post my rant about Baking Soda.
It's cheap, it's easy. It does a really great job. It is by no means original; I found it in a magazine back in the mid-80's before all these fancy preparations and clothing started being merchandised.
How effective is it? Without it, I can be busted at 70 yards upwind of my stand. Using the method, getting nailed due to scent is no longer a problem. I've shot a buck inside 5 yards with his sister standing closer than 2 feet.
To clear up misunderstandings from previous years' posts:
1) Don't worry. No salesman will call. I don't get a dime off this. 2) I don't purport that this method (or any method) makes you scent-free. All this does is lower your stink so it does not cause alarm to the deer. 3) I am using about 8lbs of sodium bicarb a year. Yes, I used to buy 50 lb bags, but that was just a cheap way to buy it. They'd last me several years. 4) Some of what you sprinkle on your clothes can be recovered and reused. 5) If you compare sodium bicarb to laundry detergent, this is a major savings. I use detergent very sparingly and only when things get really mucked up. When I do, I use All Free& Clear.
Since last year's post, I've had one major convert to the Shamanic Baking Soda Method. Our newest member of the Shamanic Dream Team, Remnar, decided to try it. After 10 years of trying other more expensive concoctions and eating tag soup. I helped him get his first deer last November.
Lastly: My advice is to give this a try and see how it goes. You may find you need to be more or less stringent in your regimen. Use my method as a starting place.
I agree, and have been using it for years! It works well! Back in the 80's Arm & Hammer, came out with a baking soda machine wash for hunting clothes. Yeah we used that too!
HS58
After the Baking Soda to reduce the Man made odors, We would put our hunt clothes in Large plastic bags with either pine branches, or oak, and maple branches, to help as a cover scent!
Bagged a lot of White tails with this method yrs ago!
Every year I wash all my hunting clothes in scent free soap, hang outside to dry and then store in plastic bags with fresh cut pine boughs. That's as far as I go with it.
I hadn't given too much thought about this in years but this thread brought it back. Deer don't know the human scent! Deer are prey and because of that very weary. Any smell out in the woods that it out of place is dangerous. If your shooting the yard pets and barn yard visitors scent control may not be as important. That's not where I hunted and tried to make my stink as mild as possible. A natural cover scent diluted my stink a little more.
We don't realize how bad we stink. I had taken my GSP to the cabin. I left the cabin at 4:30 am. I was still hunting and had sat down on a sharp steep point. at 10:30 I heard a noise coming my direction and it didn't sound like a deer. I was concerned as the visible distance would be about 25 yard. I was thinking "Bear...Not good!" I snapped the safety off and half shouldered the rifle. The noise got closer...movement in the brush....it's brown! It's not a bear, It's a dog! Is this a wild dog? Is it a coyote? Will I have to shoot it?
No! It was my dog! She escaped the cabin, 2.5 miles in the woods, six hours later and she hunted me down!
Freezer: It's funny, but I repeatedly get shots of doe walking up to the camera a good 6 hours after I've been there to change out the memory card. They're up there sticking their nose on the camera to figure out where the stink is coming from. That's of course with no scent management whatever, and I'm usually more than 24 hours gone from my last shower. By the next night, it's all back to normal, but that shows me I'm leaving a sincere cloud that sticks around a while.
Does, fawns, 1.5yr old bucks…all love your camera. You. Won’t see big bucks doing that much, if at all.
Actually, this is about the only way we get to see the larger ones. I put up a camera next to a salt lick in June and some time before 9/1, we get several visits from the bigger guys. I checked the camera this past weekend, and the visits were already down 50%. They're starting to switch over to their fall diet and are no longer craving salt.
The larger bucks tend to roam a lot. Once in a while, we get one that takes up residence in the off-season, but it is rare for them to be hanging around during the rut. When we do see one in November, he's cruising for doe and may make a 12 mile circuit before coming back around.
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