The Annual Shamanic Baking Soda Rant - 08/07/22
This is about the time of year when I start preparing my deer hunting duds for the upcoming season, and this is about the same time of year that I give y’all my Shamanic Baking Soda Rant. Every year, I get a lot of flak for it-- always from guys who never tried it. It has not stopped me so far. In fact, the naysayers just keep pushing the thread up to the top. One of these days, they’ll catch on and just ignore it.
Here it is: Baking Soda-- The Shamanic Method
Does it work? I’ve been using this regimen in one form or the other since the late 1980s. What I can tell you is that when I spend the time and make the effort, I really do get deer approaching right up close. When I’m short-cutting the process too much, I’ll get deer busting me at 200 yards. The basic moral is that a little personal hygiene goes a long way. Every year, I get a few more converts.
Years ago, I opined in an article that skewered the rise of Fartlok Suits and their ilk that the most useful part of scent reduction clothing was the hang tag. If you read the instructions for the suits, it told you to shower in scent free product, use scent free detergent on your clothing and to shower and change your underclothes as often as possible. It still holds true. Baking soda is just a cheap alternative to all those other expensive scent reduction preparations. It works in a variety of ways, but most importantly, it inhibits the growth of the bacteria that causes body odor. If you stink less, even a little less, a deer is less likely to take your scent seriously.
Does Baking Soda make you invisible to deer? Hardly. However, if you are like me and hunt amongst deer that regularly interact with humans, you’ll know deer get somewhat used to our smell-- otherwise, we’d never seen them. If you’re looking for a theory on how baking soda works, my guess is that it reduces it enough so that the average whitetail may guess you’re 300 yards away instead of 30. Your level of stench may be low enough for him to discount the threat.
Here it is: Baking Soda-- The Shamanic Method
Does it work? I’ve been using this regimen in one form or the other since the late 1980s. What I can tell you is that when I spend the time and make the effort, I really do get deer approaching right up close. When I’m short-cutting the process too much, I’ll get deer busting me at 200 yards. The basic moral is that a little personal hygiene goes a long way. Every year, I get a few more converts.
Years ago, I opined in an article that skewered the rise of Fartlok Suits and their ilk that the most useful part of scent reduction clothing was the hang tag. If you read the instructions for the suits, it told you to shower in scent free product, use scent free detergent on your clothing and to shower and change your underclothes as often as possible. It still holds true. Baking soda is just a cheap alternative to all those other expensive scent reduction preparations. It works in a variety of ways, but most importantly, it inhibits the growth of the bacteria that causes body odor. If you stink less, even a little less, a deer is less likely to take your scent seriously.
Does Baking Soda make you invisible to deer? Hardly. However, if you are like me and hunt amongst deer that regularly interact with humans, you’ll know deer get somewhat used to our smell-- otherwise, we’d never seen them. If you’re looking for a theory on how baking soda works, my guess is that it reduces it enough so that the average whitetail may guess you’re 300 yards away instead of 30. Your level of stench may be low enough for him to discount the threat.