Hunters stink and none of them can smell they’re own scent. That’s right. As much as we don’t want to admit it, everyone has a scent and none of us can smell it because our brains recognize it as our own.
Not to mention, humans have a very poor sense of smell compared to wild animals like deer, elk and bear.
For hunters, the bad news is that there is nothing you can do to get rid of your smell. You can wash and scrub all you want and the game you are pursuing can still smell you. And if game catches a whiff of your smell, you are out of business.
As a hunter, the best you can do is to try mask your scent from wild animals, when you are in the field. Of course there are countless products available that promise to effectively mask your scent, but not all of them work. Here are some tips on how you can mask you smell when you are hunting.
Avoid unnatural smells
A human’s scent can be easily detected by wild animals. With this in mind, it is important to not make your situation worse by adding unnatural smells that would increase the odds of an animal detecting you.
Common unnatural smells include gasoline, coffee, cigarettes, aftershave, detergents and soaps. Avoid these smells at all cost, if you want to remain undetected when hunting.
Reduce body odor
Body odor should not be confused with human scent. Body odor is produced by the growth of bacteria when you sweat. One way for hunters to reduce body odor is to use a soap that contains enzymes that kill bacteria. These soaps can help prevent bacteria growth when you sweat. Another step you can take is to dress in layers to help prevent overheating and sweating.
Dress to reduce smell
The clothing you wear can also help reduce the odds of animals smelling you. Scent control hunting clothing is specially manufactured so it prevents the production of bacteria. With less bacteria, you are less likely to smell. Of course this is not perfect, but it can make a significant difference.
Natural smells
One way to mask your scent is to use a natural smell that is familiar to animals and will not alert them to your presence. Rubbing dirt, leaves, pine needles and other natural materials on your clothing will help mask your scent from animals. Typically these materials have stronger scents than humans. They will not completely mask your odor, but they can help.
Overload
Among the many products available to help mask scents are sprays known as receptor overload. The spray confuses animals, because it overloads their system by bombarding them with so many different smells they cannot process them. This causes their brain to ignore the smells, thus keeping your scent masked from the animal.
Stay downwind
It may seem elementary, but one of the best ways to mask your scent is to keep your scent away from the animals you are hunting. Before you begin hunting, check the wind direction and make sure you are downwind of the direction from which animals will be approaching. This is a simple tactic, but it is very effective, even on days where there is very little wind.
© Abc4foto | Dreamstime.com – Hunter with optical rifle and binoculars
