# Can we discuss Scentlok?



## Zelph (Dec 2, 2007)

Have any of you guys had the experience of your scentlok clothing emitting a strong chemical smell when becoming wet? I was archery hunting this week during the storms and the scentlok jacket I was wearing got wet and it was so strong that it did me wrong on a cool looking non- typical buck. I did everything right as far as putting it in the dryer, and on and on. I became really frustrated because some smaller bucks were busting me, and there was almost no wind at all. I had a base layer and outer layers of scentlok. The pants I was wearing had the same thing happen. I am wondering if I have drifted too far away on the technology side of the hunting experience and have put too much faith in things such as scentlok. It reminds me of what an old cowboy Wyoming outfitter told me years ago ( long before scentlok). He was giving me crap because I didn't want to build a fire on an archery hunt so as to not smell like smoke. He looked at me as if I was stupid and told me the obvious. That hunting is all about the air and if the wind is wrong ,even if you think that there is no wind at all, your scent is being carried along and if it's wrong there isn't anything you can do about it. He reminded me that humans were killing animals long before any of our technology came along, and that every animal you see is alive because of being good at smelling things and being paranoid. He was a real smart guy. Have any of you guys had similar experiences with scentlok? How much faith do you put in it. I was bummed because that deer had one of the coolest looking racks I have ever seen and I wanted to fill the freezer. I will definitely head out gain but I am wondering if I should leave the scentlok home? Thoughts? Ideas? If I have put too much faith in it please let me know, or am I just paranoid?


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## Mountain Time (Sep 24, 2007)

Scent control is one those things that i have always put into the "it can't hurt" category. From what you are saying I may be wrong. Bottom line for me is that you can't eliminate scent but you can minimize it. It just makes sense that less ordor you put off the less warning the animals may have that you are in the area. I think about it in terms of what people can smell. I remember walking up on a dead elk while on elk hunt Idaho. We could smell from at least half a mile away. The closer we got the strong the smell became and we new when we were right on top of it. 

It's similar for wildlife, they just have a stronger sense of smell, so to them we probably always smell like something dead moving through the forest. The stronger the smell is the closer the danger. If you are wearing or using some sort of scent control and it does minimize your smell then the animal may think you are further away then you are and therefore you are not immediate danger. Bottom line, I always try to keep the wind in my face, cause when I am hiking my keaster off I know I stink no matter what I am wearing or what I sprayed on myself.


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## Bergy (Apr 3, 2008)

I use to be a big believer in scent lok. I had it from head to toe. I think its a joke. yes.. I have smelled the odor when it gets wet. Dont worry about using scent lok...Get as scent free as possible and play the wind. You'll do better and it costs a lot less


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

Bergy said:


> I use to be a big believer in scent lok. I had it from head to toe. I think its a joke. yes.. I have smelled the odor when it gets wet. Dont worry about using scent lok...Get as scent free as possible and play the wind. You'll do better and it costs a lot less


Truer words have never been spoken!!


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

I think we sometimes underestimate the ability of wild (deer, elk, bears, fish, etc.) or domestic animals (dogs, horses, etc.) to smell. Bloodhounds are trained to find people because they can detect the differences in individual human odors. An article I recently read in one of my subscription hunting magazines (can't remember which one) had a sidebar that claims salmon can find their way back to their birth stream because they can smell ONE DROP of their birth stream water in ONE MILLION GALLONS of sea water. In other words you stink, man! 
But I guess I stink even more. I have my friend cut my herring plugs while salmon fishing and I put them on the hooks with unpowdered vinyl gloves because he always gets 3 or 4 times as many hits on his bare hand cut plugs as I do on mine. And we cut them the same, bait them the same, fish at the some depth and from his boat (same trolling speed) on the same side even. When he cuts, we're about even or I beat him. When I cut, there's no contest, I lose big time!
I don't know about Scentlok or any of the others (activated charcoal, silver threads, rubber lined, etc.). Use them if you feel they work, and use unscented soaps, shampoo, and deodorant, BUT PLAY THE WIND!


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

I don't believe it for one minute. I was head to toe in scent loc this year. I was in my treestand when suddenly I ripped Ass. I almost fell out of my treestand it smelled so bad (I had eggs for breakfast). If I could smell it through the scent loc. I'm sure the deer could.

My wife and friends have told me my flatulence smells worse than normal, so this could affect the experiment.


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

I have said the same thing all along when ever this subject gets brought up.

We are humans and we smell like humans. The ONLY thing that works is to keep the wind in your favor. People who buy scent suits or spray on deoderizers are throwing their money away. It was a good idea from the inventor on a way to make money more than a fix for the problem.


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

fixed blade said:


> I was in my treestand when suddenly I ripped Ass. I almost fell out of my treestand it smelled so bad (I had eggs for breakfast). If I could smell it through the scent loc. I'm sure the deer cold.


Thats all the science I need -_O- -_O-


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## elksign (Feb 2, 2008)

I fell for the sent lok BS as well. Several years ago I went out and bought everything I could, followed all of the directions and hit the woods ignoring the wind like the comercials suggest. Well I can tell you that bagging all of my gear and showering naked next to the truck and putting on my new scent free garb did nothing. I had elk in close as long as the wind was in my favor but as soon as there was a change in the wind....busted. Time and time again! 

2 weeks ago I was hunting muzzy elk with my Bro-in law. I could smell a strangly famililar smell as we walked up a canyon together. I later discovered he had on a healthy dose of (Elsha) sp??? cologne from the 80's. I knew that a herd of elk were bedded in the pines above us and would likely come out before dark to hit a water trough. We set up next to the trail and waited. Wind was not in our favor until about 30 minutes before dark. Right on cue we had the whole herd come crashing down through the pines in front of us. One by one the herd (30 or so) walk by us all under 20 yards. With the wind in our face we were closer than any other scent loc day. I still wounldn't recomend showering in cologne before huunting, but I'm convinced that you can't hunt with the wind at your back no matter what you do.


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

elk22hunter said:


> I have said the same thing all along when ever this subject gets brought up.
> 
> We are humans and we smell like humans. The ONLY thing that works is to keep the wind in your favor. People who buy scent suits or spray on deoderizers are throwing their money away. It was a good idea from the inventor on a way to make money more than a fix for the problem.


While I agree with most of your post, I don't entirely agree with the "throwing their money away" remark because you have to buy soap, deodorant, hunting clothing, etc. anyway so you might as well buy what you think works, as long as you use it _instead_ of regular stuff. In fact, I use Scent Killer shampoo, bath soap, and deodorant all year long because it costs about the same and I know I have it on hand. And the deodorant/anti persperant is the only one that seems to work as a regular deodorant. All the other brands (regular and nonscent) I've tried over the years don't keep me as dry for as long.
Maybe some of that stuff is more expensive than Walmart or generic, but we all have to weigh price vs quality on everything we buy and the old saying "You get what you pay for." usually is correct. But I'll say again, PLAY THE WIND!


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## skull krazy (Jan 5, 2008)

Bergy said:


> I use to be a big believer in scent lok. I had it from head to toe. I think its a joke. yes.. I have smelled the odor when it gets wet. Dont worry about using scent lok...Get as scent free as possible and play the wind. You'll do better and it costs a lot less


Man, THOSE are words of wisdom, i couldn't agree more!!

I don't care how much scent lok you have on, if the wind is at your back, they will detect you regardless.

Save you money and just play the wind!


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

skull krazy said:


> I don't care how much scent lok you have on, if the wind is at your back, they will detect you regardless.
> 
> *Save you money and just play the wind!*


+1


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## mack1950 (Sep 11, 2007)

never been a big fan myself the boys and myself as a rule hunt sage cedar and pine areas we just play the wind as much as possible and depending what the type of cover were in we just scrub down with it sage is really my favorate its pretty common in most areas and man can the stuff cover scent


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

I love the guys who shower in the scent killers. They first used scentless soap, scentless shampoo, scentless deoderant and then they throw their back pack on that has been sitting in their garage picking up exhaust fumes for that last week, throw some Tuna fish sandwiches in there along with the other snacks and think they are scentless. The best part is they jump in their truck that morning with their scentless clothes that have been washed in scent free soap and sprinkled with baking soda to have that new car smell from their scent tree hanging from the radio dial make them smell like a french something or other! What about the guy that pulls his clothes out of his pine bough bag and then rides his 4 wheeler up the road with his legs along the exhaust pipe and gas spewing out of the over flow hole in the top of his gas tank. 

I used to do all of these things. I even used skunk scent as a cover scent. I have used every scent killer or cover out there. I used to have all of the scent saturated plastic things stuck all over my clothes. All I smelled like was a can of Pinesol. I have taken pine needles and put them in my wifes blender with water. I would then run that green gunk through a nylon stalking to get rid of the pulp. I would then put it in a spray bottle and squirt it all over me. I did smell like pine but I think only to me. The animals could still smell me through that and I got tired of spraying myself with moisture and getting wet on a cold morning. Wind changes often and blows my cover way more than I like but it is still the best bet to simply stay down wind.

I have also grabbed urine spots off from the ground and wiped them all over myself. That gave me a false sense of security and made it hard for me to smell game when I was near them.

I still believe that cover scents will do a person much more good than trying to be scent free. I still have breath of rancid taco's, flatulants (sp) of breakfast sausage and eggs with salsa on them, and sweat like the garlic bread from the Italian restaraunt from the night before. I AM A HUMAN! I SMELL LIKE ONE! Stay down wind and hunt!


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## skull krazy (Jan 5, 2008)

EXACTLY elk22......EXCATLY!!


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