Kat...Your experiment

[Thinkin Rut]

After reading your 2004 lessons learned, I was wondering if you could go further in explaining your scentblocker problem. Are you saying that you feel it works without reactivation or are you saying that you question the product altogether? I wear mine religiously, always questioning the effectiveness of it.

 

[Kat]

Well, I got the idea after reading several posts earlier in the season about how your dryer could never reach the temperatures required to reactivate carbon suits, (I believe it needed to be over 1000 degrees??? Anyway, it was hot enough it would burn up the fabric before it could work) and how carbon suits were just a gimmick. Ive had the suit for a few years, and I had noticed that a slight chemical odor had always come from the suit after I had re-activated it. I just thought that meant it was working.

But I would still get winded from time to time. I think it was because they smelled that heated carbon smell. If I could smell it you know they could. So this year I didn't re-activate it and just used it for my outer wear. It took a lot of Ghost spray to get the chemical smell out of it the first time I wore it in the beginning of the season, but after that I just sprayed down lightly with it before each hunt, and if I had to wash the suit I wouldnt put it in the dryer. I bought a base layer of X Static (the stuff with the silver fibers in the fabric) and wore it all season and I think it made a big difference during some of those warm early season hunts. End result: I saw more deer this year and only got winded two times, both by does, and the second time the doe didnt even snort, she just changed course by a few degrees. I was a big believer in carbon suits before this, but now I just say keep you and your equipment clean and scent free and play the wind and thermals.

 

[bjkpharmd]

OK- "heated carbon" scent is what they smell? Indians used smoke as a cover scent from "really heated carbon (firewood)" so...

 

[Kat]

Ok Smartie, I'm not sure how to describe it. I know other people with carbon suits have complained about a weird smell that some of the suits have.

 

[cmruff]

I agree with Kat. I returned my Scent Blocker porducts. They had a terrible chemical smell after being put in the dryer for reactivation.

 

[Old Buck]

Kat,

You might try this experiment. Take one part of your carbon suit and run it through the dryer. Take the other part and just air it out.

Put each part in a location where you know deer will walk down wind. Hide them from the deer but make sure you know where each is. Get back and watch to see which part(s) they react to. This experiment would eliminate a number of variables and get mainly down to the difference you want to test which is 'does the heat make the suit easier or harder for deer to smell than just airing it out?'.

If you or someone else trys this please let us know how the test comes out.

Old Buck (ex-science teacher)

 

[Dewy]

I use a scent blocker jacket and scentlok pants and agree that there is an odd oder that is present after being in the dryer. I also agree that this smell will spook deer. My solution has been to make certain that my clothing sits in a "rubbermaid" container overnight prior to wearing it into the woods. I place all of my clothes in the container together and have found that everything smells fairly neutral by the time I am ready to head to the stand.
One evening I had a doe wind me after having had the clothes out of the dryer for an hour or so. An hour later I had 4 does straight down wind from me less than 25 yards away that didn't wind me. I harvested one of them. The deer pictured to the left of this post followed 5 does in straigt down wind of me without a deer getting nervous until I drew my bow. In conclusion, I think that the odor goes away rather quickly and scent control clothes work to some degree.

 

[FurDog]

I've never used a scent blocker suit (never felt the need for one). I always wash everything in the HS scent eliminator laundry soap, earth scent dryer sheets.

Then I store all my bow hunting clothes in those Cabelas dry bags with Fresh Earth Wafers.

I've had tons of close encounters and have never been winded (or enough to spook them anyways).

I've had deer see me from as close as 5 yds away (but not know what I was), and I watched them try and try get a whiff.

Makes me feel comfortable with what I'm doing - scent wise anyways.

 

[avidhunter]

[ QUOTE ]
...keep you and your equipment clean and scent free and play the wind and thermals.

[/ QUOTE ]

I completely agree... that scentblocker garbage is NOT worth the money. You can buy another gun for the price of some of that clothing

 

[jkratz5]

Well I am not sure about the suits but I have the scent-lok full face mask (head cover). It also has a weird smell too it when you put it on. I have always been good about spraying my clothes down and washing them in the scent sprays. But this was the first year that I hunted with the head cover and also the first year that I didn't get winded by a deer. I think between covering your hair and breath that this was a good investment and seemed to work good for me.

Kratz

 

[Fletchman]

For years all I have done is wash my camo,gloves,facemask,Etc. in Arm&Hammer baking soda once a week, it works great. I have never used those vanishing sprays either. The baking soda leaves no odor, if anything is smells naturally fresh.

I received a Scent blocker face mask for Christmas a couple years ago, it smelled weird to me, and I have never used it. Anyone want it

 

[mike1]

I'VE WORN VARIOUS SCENT SUITS OVER THE YEARS AND I HAVE ALWAYS FOUND THEM TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE AS LONG AS EVERYTHING ELSE IS CLEAN. I HAVE ALWAYS USED SCENT KILLER SOAP AND DEODORANT AND SCENT SPRAY. DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THE COMBINATION OF ONE OR ALL THE ABOVE BUT I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN STAYING UNDETECTABLE. ALSO USED ELIMITRAX BOOTS AND GLOVES THIS YEAR. CAN'T SAY ONE WAY OR THE OTHER IF THEY HELPED. DID ALLOW ME TO STAY DRY WALKING THROUGH TALL WET GRASS AND I WAS ABLE TO WEAR WARMER MORE COMFORTABLE BOOTS WITHOUT LAYING DOWN SCENT.
BOUGHT A WINKE CONTAINMENT SUIT ON SALE FOR $99 AT CABELAS IN W.VA JUST AFTER XMAS. SEVERAL OBSERVATIONS SO FAR. IT IS WIND AND WATERPROOF AND VERY WARM WITH MINIMAL UNDERLAYERS. I BOUGHT A LARGE (I'M 5'9" 155LB)AND IT IS QUITE ROOMY W/ PLENTY OF ROOM FOR EXTRA LAYERS. I LIKE THE IDEA OF CONTAINMENT, AND GETTING A GREAT DEAL AT 66% OFF.