OK. It's getting that time of year again. I'm sure we're going to start getting posts on scent reduction soon. It amazes me that folks will dump gobs of money on sprays and soaps and now ozone generators, when all it takes is some baking soda. I'm making this post in anticipation of the rush. It's an oldy, but a goody.

The Shamanic Baking Soda Method

A year or so ago, I was trolling for deer porn on Youtube, and I ran into a 30 minutes video. I'm not exagerating when I say that the first half of the video was spent with the two hunters removing clothing from their special scent bags and spraying everything down with scent reducing sprays. By the time they walked out to their stands, I was ready to throw something at the screen.

Yes, I know a good number of y'all are of the opinion that you cannot fool a buck's nose. I'm not sure. What I do may be all foolish superstition, but the advent of baking soda in my life was a watershed 35 years ago, at least it felt that way.

The method isn't original. I read about this back in the mid-'80s before marketers got on the scent reduction bandwagon. I've been using this method ever since then, and had great results. My advice is to read the method and give it a try. YMMV: I've moderated my method over the years from what I originally read. The author of the original article wrapped his head in plastic and did a bunch of other weird stuff that I just couldn't deal with. You're going to find that some things have more effect than others.

Been using Borax and Baking soda to wash my clothes for years. I don't do all the other stuff as I think you would have to stop breathing to not put out any scent. I do use unscented arm and hammer deodorant, might give the plain baking soda a try.

Clean your hunting clothing with baking soda. Then, it can’t hurt to place your hunting clothing into a plastic bag with a little “crushed” vegetation native to your hunt area! “Natural” cover scent! memtb

Cleaning with baking soda works, but it's a static thing. You then put clothes on, stop for coffee, get gas, heck just get in your truck that how many other stinky things have been in??

If you want to get stink of the clothes do it just before going into the woods, But yes, "scent free" is impossible because your body makes scent constantly.

"fool" the nose ain't happening, you just hope to either have them not care, or confuse them for the seconds it takes to get the shot.

Yep, wash in scent free detergent and then I put some spruce or fir branches in the bag with them, sage brush if it's for mule deer or antelope season.

yep

Yes, I recommend among other things to packing your outer layer in and not getting into it until you're in the stand.

I used to put my hunting duds in a plastic bag with some descenting powder and shake it. Then when I got to the place I park I put racoon piss (The stuff you buy) on my shoes and walk to the blind. When I got to the blind I put coon piss on a couple cotton balls and threw them out the window. There's coons everywhere and this was the perfect scent mask. There's skunks everywhere there too but that skunk scent, while very effective, gives me a headache(I guess I should quit gargling with it) and coon scent works just fine.

It's not permanent but at least you start off with a clean slate. You do what you can and try to keep your scent down to a dull roar.

I smoked like a chimney {cigarettes} for the first 33 years I deer hunted. Killed multiple deer every single year, most at distances of less than 50 yards. No better wind indicator than smoke. Deer absolutely will not smell you if you aren't up wind of them. I knew a professional game manager from the UK whose job it was to keep deer within the carrying capacity of over 30 estates. By contract he had to kill roughly 600 roe, red, sitka and muntjac per year or he didn't get paid. He smoked cigarettes constantly while afield and met his quota every year until he retired from game management. He agreed there's no better wind current indicator than smoke, that he'd be lost without it, that deer absolutely cannot smell you if you stay downwind and that they absolutely can if you are up wind, regardless of your best efforts at scent control. Another thing. I had deer come in to me many times that I would have sworn were directly down wind if It weren't for the constant stream of smoke. Had deer come in and bed down 20 yards to my right when I could clearly feel the cool breeze against my left cheek. The stream of smoke wafting from my cigarette and going just a few feet in front of them told the story. I strongly suspect most deer that hunters think came in down wind really weren't.

If you ever get funky shoes or boots, baking soda will fix the problem.

Many years ago I bought a Sent loc suit with all the bells and whistles...gloves, masks, Muck boots....and I had a black lab with a nose you wouldn't believe. I had the wife to keep the lab at the house while I went behind the house into the woods....like 300 yards and climbed a tree like 40 feet up....off the trail in. I called the wife once I am settled in and she turned Jake lose....immediately here he comes looking for me. I could see him like 100 yards out and he ran right by the tree I was in like 20 yards...lost my sent and turned around nose on the ground. Wound up under my tree looking up at me. I was amazed at what happened. After saying this, I have friends that say they work and never get busted wearing them. I do know that a line dragged with vanilla flavoring on your boots...deer will follow it right to your stand....killed several doing that.

My python boot was too tight, couldn't get it off last night

A week went by and now it's July, I finally got it off and my girlfriend cried, I've got stinkfoot

Stinkfoot, by Frank Zappa

While deer can smell man pretty well, they’re nothing compared to dogs and hogs. Deer will also ignore many smells that they get accustomed to; wood smoke, fuel (loggers and farmers), etc. I’ve always seen vanilla really throw off their noses, just like it does most stuff.

One former hunting companion swore by pipe smoke as an attractant. He liked Amphora which has a fruity smell. One time a friend was complaining about me and another guy smoking Cuban cigars in camp while we were frying bacon over the fire and an eight point buck comes walking up to within 30 yards of us.

My friend was going to shoot it but it was funny the deer could always keep brush bin front of him.

I once had a doe come up behind me and sniff me while I was taking a dump in the woods. 🤠

There's some good advice on not eating the yellow snow over by where them huskies go on that album as well.

I think it makes sense to avoid leaving ground scent where you expect deer to appear near your stand, but unless you hold your breath all day, if they're downwind, they're gonna smell you. What they do after that depends on conditions; how close you are, normal human activity in the area, etc. In any event, in this game we play with deer, I feel like I have to leave them some advantage, and scent is it. Hunt the wind, and try to keep them from smelling you, but containing or destroying scent seems like going a bit too far for a sporting endeavor when you add it to all the other stuff we have on our side.

I get a chuckle when I see those guys on YouTube hanging their Ozonics units in their fiberglass deer blinds or treestands. Seems like a lot of extra weight to tote around the woods for an unknown benefit. I'd prefer a jug of coffee and a sandwich.

I use non-scented laundry detergent at the end of the season, (ALL Free and Clear) and try not to wash my outer clothes until season is over. This way my hunting clothes have a whole year to air out on opening day. If I have to wash them during season, I use very little non-scented detergent and rinse twice. It isn't perfect, but I have had deer come really close to me nearly every year and I hunt at ground level. I keep outerwear outside of the cabin during hunting season and change my undergarments often, and I have several pairs of hunting pants. Let's face it, if a good breeze takes your scent to a buck's nose, you will be busted no matter how perfect you think your scent removal is. You are alive and breathing, nothing will help that.

I used to buy non scented detergent but switched to baking soda over the last few years. I'll throw them in the dryer too with earth scented wafers. Then they go into a garbage or other sealed bag till ready for use.

I used to be very anal about scent and my clothing but I've changed. I just don't feel like doing it any more. Plus as others have said if you are up wind they're going to smell you no matter.

Critters smell our skin cells. Our bodies release 30,000 to 40,000 skin cells per hour. If we could see the cells, we’d look like a dust cloud 24/7-365.
Even with the fancy “scent bla-bla” BS clothing. Cells poof out every tiny opening like a chimney.
Hunt the wind and enjoy time in the woods.

I have been using baking soda to wash my hunting clothes since I started hunting. Grand father always did it and never wore camo a day in his life. His hunting clothes consisted of a pair of bib overalls and a red/black plaid shirt. He hunted the wind and always kept the freezer full. The sponsored hunters can keep their 50# back pack full of make up and unnecessary extras. I will keep harvesting animals without all that extra crap.

Deer as well as hogs, dogs, and lots of other animals don’t smell the way we do

We smell apple pie. They smell the ingredients kinda thing

Wind is your friend. All the scent spray, baking soda, and soap do is make us feel better about it. And maybe cut down our scent a small amount. Not enough to fool them though if they get your wind

I do wash my clothes in scent free and UV free detergent. I put them on when I get there and out of the vehicle. Back in the plastic when I get done. It’s definitely good practice, but I don’t think if a deer is directly down wind it isn’t going to smell me despite my best efforts.

While I'm not going to say that those who say "Hunt the wind" are wrong, I will say I have had different experiences.

When I was confident that I'd followed my baking soda regimen as well as I could, I've been able to get deer within touching distance from the downwind side. When I knew I'd done something wrong (like not showered in the morning or worn yesterday's clothes) I've had deer bust me from 70 yards on my upwind side. These are extreme examples; my overall everyday experience is somewhat less, but I've found that baking soda helps tremendously.

I didn't start this thread to convince everyone to start using baking soda. My aim is to provide a cheap alternative to the myriad of expensive and largely ineffective commercial alternatives. If you have good luck in a wool coat that's been sitting in the closet for a year, that's fine. I'm not saying you're wrong. Mind you, I've gone the other way in all this and tried hunting in just my work Carharts. With the wind in my face, I can be fairly effective. However, I leave that testing for later in the season, after I've filled my buck tag and I'm playing eanie-meanie with the does, trying to fill my freezer. How low can I go? Bottom line: I believe the morning shower with baking soda is the key. If I've not had that, then by afternoon, then I'm definitely working against myself.

Hunting the wind is probably the easiest and cheapest way out there, but even a modicum of attention to scent control goes a long way. For instance, if somebody stops using Gain to wash their hunting clothes and used sodium bicarb instead, that can be a huge boost. Packing a wool hunting coat in baking soda in the off-season can do wonders. If you simply shower with baking soda instead of whatever it is you're currently using and you do so once a day, it can really improve things. I would not be saying this if I had not witnessed it over 30-some years.

The upwind deer never busted you by scent. The downwind ones most likely weren't in your scent stream hence not really "downwind", although they may have appeared to be. Scent doesn't necessarily travel like you think it does and go where you think it's going. I've had deer at very close range many times that would have appeared to all the world to be "down wind" if it weren't for the steady stream of smoke from my cigarette passing within feet in front of, to the side or over top of them. When all there is is a light breeze or air current, smoke will stay in a narrow stream for quite a distance before slowly spreading out. Many years of hunting while smoking and with dogs has convinced me that scent does much the same.

I've been doing a lot of reading of materials from the early to late 1800's. Even then, hunters marveled at how game that had never encountered a human responded and vacated the scene when given scent. Visual, and auditory cues, not so much, but scent was to be feared. Seems universally true from the Arctic down into deepest darkest Africa.

On a related subject. Years ago I had a friend who was all excited that he'd finally be invisible to deer noses that season because he'd just bought a new scent lock suit. Opening morning on the way to hunt he farted in the cab of the truck while wearing the suit. I was quick to point out that his new suit didn't work worth a shyt as I rolled down the window.

🤢

I'm sure the suit maker has a good explanation (aka excuse) for that.

The Hunting Public guys carry milkweed fluff that works like the little down floaters some sell. Follows the currents. Both are probably better than the chalk-dust stuff that dissipates just about the time it starts to really show you something useful. Wind is just part of the fun.

I use milkweed as well or have the little fluffed cotton. It works way better that a powder windicator. Although you really can use the powder, you just need to turn it upside down and really blow some powder out to make it show you outside like 20 yards

I started getting ready for the Opener this AM, right after the rain moved out. By 0700, I had a load going:

I'd have expected a minimum of 4 paragraphs for shamanic clothes line instruction.

Don't blame a guy for trying, but put me in the camp of ozonics, scent loks, baking sodas, etc as a waste of time.

Now, don't go getting mean. Considering all the serious OCD stuff I see on the subject, I'd say my baking soda article was fairly tame.

Besides, it's a fraction of the cost per load than using regular laundry detergent-- let alone what you pay for all those store-bought scent killing products. I'm just letting folks know that there is an easy, cheap DIY alternative.

Tide Free or Arm & Hammer Free and Clear for all of my clothes.