Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Hygiene in the bush?

I can't stand the dried sweat and stench after a week. I've showered in zero temps - its simple if you're not backpacking.

I use the wipes for a few days, then take some form of water based "shower" on day 3. I've used my sunshower, filled with stove heated water many times. 3 gallons will get 2 guys done if they don't dally. Have also done the douche cleanup using a pan of hot water. I can live with the smell much better than I can crawl into a sleeping bag all sticky from hiking all over the mountain during the day. You can cover stench, sticky dried sweat is a whole nother issue.

BTW: I've showered outside at 20 degrees and bathed in Canadian waters in May. You don't dally under those conditions.

A very wise man indeed!!!

I have reached the point where I ran and jumped in the lake or creek, rolled once came out at a dead run for the heated tent, it ain't that bad, but it ain't good either!

458 Lott, didn't yo mama teach you that cleanlyness is next to Godleyness? :)or to come in outa the rain, and things like that?? :):):)

I have reached the point where I ran and jumped in the lake or creek, rolled once came out at a dead run for the heated tent, it ain't that bad, but it ain't good either!

458 Lott, didn't yo mama teach you that cleanlyness is next to Godleyness? :)or to come in outa the rain, and things like that?? :):):)

But I never drink the water in Mexico, and I never jump in the African rivers!

Been there, done that crap. At age 68 I want my hot shower, warm bed, hot meal and a good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon at the end of the day. The last really big elk I killed was taken right at dark after a long hard day of hunting. It was near midnight before my brother and I reached the truck. The only thing that kept me going was the hot shower and warm bed waiting for me.

Lot's of good advice. I appreciate the responses!

In our camp we all agree to change underwear daily. I trade with Al, Al exchanges with Mike, Mike passes off to Harv, Harv changes with Clem...
"Hi Gene" is what we say when Gene arrives with fresh undies.

Shucks, if the weather is decent at all, there are many options to wash up if there are any creeks etc. My earlier comment was for those difficult-to-bathe situations such as hunting elk hard in steep country out of a spike camp during a week long snowfall.

I've camped three nights, then gone to a motel for one, back to camping, etc. Big truck stops have showers & towels etc. at low cost, wonderful place to stop on the way home from a long hunt in the bush. Lussier hot springs off a logging road in BC has been a favorite for my elk hunting partners and for me. I love it when snow is falling. Haven't been there in years and I have heard that they have "improved" the natural springs a lot.

Ahhhhh, after three days in deer camp, there is nothing like the essence of the hunting croo.........Hot soappy face cloth, and.... O hell,you guys are oversharing.

That's what we do when hunt around the Hinton AB area. Three-four days in the bush then a supply run to town including a stop at the truck stop for a shower and maybe a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.

scent lock will keep in enough of your stench to keep your buddies off your back. or to worry less about wind IF YOU ARE STAND HUNTING WHITEAILS AND HAVE HAD A SHOWER. I honestly dont mess with it anymore really because on my backsatchelhunts I want lighter warmth, so it only gets used on day trips or overnighters.

I really prefer this way, hot shower, dry bed, air & heat...Got tired of tents long ago.

I use wipes for 2 or 3 days, but then it's time to heat some water and get clean. That's about the limit for the scalp too. To wash the scalp/hair, I stand in a depression and let a partner drizzle hot water on my head to wet and rinse. It doesn't take a lot of water to shampoo really good if the water is hot and the drizzle is slow. Maybe a gallon.

By the way, don't put your dirty wipes in the fire, or wrappers or pop bottles or cigarette butts or anything else other than wood. It smells nasty, and somebody might want to roast a piece of meat on that fire. Thank you.

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Some have mentioned a clear or white stone deodorant. Probably an Alum stone, I have used this or the commercial unscented deodorants with Alum and they do help. Only problems is after a couple of days you get a crystalline buildup and the pits feel like they are covered in sand paper.

At this point any kind of shower is welcome, so it acts as a motivator to wash regardless of the conveniences available.

Ray, this wouldn't be you, would it?

Some of the best examples of hygienic bush that I know of can be found at the Great Alaska Bush Company in Anchorage, Alaska.

I can personally vouch for and reccomend highly 2 of those specimens.

Wet wipes + occasional whores bath with a quart of hot water + shampoo with snow kept me from getting too rank while above snowline for a couple weeks in temps that would get up to 25 degrees during the day.

Scott

Wet wipes and some round scrubby things that already contain soap. They are dry but when you apply water it gets sudsy. My wife uses them to remove make up I use them to make up with the wife from a hunt.

Plenty of Goldbond or Monkey Butt powder.