Scent control while backpacking

MOwhitetail

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 10, 2020
Messages
168
If this has already been discussed, please point me in that direction. All I could find was related to whitetails.

Being from Iowa, I’ve spent lots of time chasing whitetails and scent control is a huge part of the game. I keep my clothes in a scent free tote, hang them up outside during the season, take scent free showers before the hunt, avoid eating in the stand, etc.

I’m going on my first backcountry bear hunt in a few weeks and I just can’t figure out how I’m going to tackle the scent issue. Obviously I’ll have to eat and build fires and I won’t be able to shower while I’m out. Nor do I have the room in my pack for fresh clothes everyday. How do you guys tackle it? Do you just play the wind and disregard scent control? What about leaving your scent in the field?
 

Hoodie

WKR
Joined
Aug 6, 2020
Messages
930
Location
Oregon Cascades
Youŕe gonna need the wind no matter what, and you´re gonna stink no matter what.

For peace of mind, I shower with scent-free soap before I go out and wash my clothes in SportWash and baking soda. I carry baking soda, scent free wipes, and unscented deodorant on backpack hunts. I try to stay relatively clean. I don´t hike in in the clothes I hunt in. Merino wool clothes are far better than synthetics for scent.

But I still stink after a few days. No way around it. If the wind is blowing the right way it won´t matter.
 

boonez40

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 8, 2021
Messages
131
Wood smokes will kill the oder bacteria on your skin that causes body oder. But i am afraid your are just going to have to be tough and get in the water.

I have taken a bath in a creek or river several times during a hunt.

Sometimes a guy in a tree can wait way to long to get down because you just have to wait a few more minutes. I watched a buck moving through the pines headed my way for an hour but he took a turn up a logging road.
By that time, it was to late, I couldn't get unhooked from the tree quick enough and shit myself 30 feet up.

It was cold, snow on the ground and the water was even colder.
I had to wash myself and my base layers. Standing in a creek naked, I just hoped no one walked by.
Left my base layer hanging on my climber to dry and I hiked up the mountain to my other stand. Can't say I killed a buck that day but I did encounter another buck, he was in the thick brush and never presented me with a shot.


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TxxAgg

WKR
Joined
Dec 27, 2019
Messages
1,999
A bear has a better sense of smell than a deer anyways. I don't think you could fool him.
 
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
1,623
Wood smokes will kill the oder bacteria on your skin that causes body oder. But i am afraid your are just going to have to be tough and get in the water.

I have taken a bath in a creek or river several times during a hunt.

Sometimes a guy in a tree can wait way to long to get down because you just have to wait a few more minutes. I watched a buck moving through the pines headed my way for an hour but he took a turn up a logging road.
By that time, it was to late, I couldn't get unhooked from the tree quick enough and shit myself 30 feet up.

It was cold, snow on the ground and the water was even colder.
I had to wash myself and my base layers. Standing in a creek naked, I just hoped no one walked by.
Left my base layer hanging on my climber to dry and I hiked up the mountain to my other stand. Can't say I killed a buck that day but I did encounter another buck, he was in the thick brush and never presented me with a shot.


Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
😂 You’re way more dedicated than me.
 

Moserkr

WKR
Joined
Feb 26, 2020
Messages
997
Location
Mountains of CA
Wood smoke and rub fresh cedar boughs on your clothes. Then play the wind cause thats what really works. I put on scent killer deodorant before i take off into the backcountry and leave it behind. Dehydrated scent free wipes for “baths”. If you have access to clean water for a backcountry bath then i would do it. But i have a hot tent to crawl into when im done. That rarely happens and i still have only 1 set of dirty clothes to crawl back into.
 

2ski

WKR
Joined
Jul 17, 2012
Messages
1,722
Location
Bozeman
Yep. It's been said s dog can smell that you're having a hamburger with ketchup on it. A bear can smell all the ingredients in the ketchup.
 

Poser

WKR
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
5,033
Location
Durango CO
Also, good chance of strict fire bans being in place this fall so don’t count on using smoke. Just stink and learn to enjoy hunting once again. The difference is smell of a “clean” human vs. a dirty human is pretty minimal to an animal.
 
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