Scout
Poult
Pro Staff
Posts: 437
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Post by Scout on Sept 4, 2006 22:43:21 GMT
Any of you use the scent lock stuff. I'm looking at buying some new clothing and wondering if this stuff is really worth it? I just have a hard time believing this stuff really works.
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Post by regnar on Sept 5, 2006 11:42:30 GMT
Do they completly eliminate or contain your scent? I dont think so. Do they reduce your scent enough to fool a deer into thinking the scent is old and buy you enough time for a shot? I believe they do. I have been hunting the same area for 30+ years. Before I started bowhunting (5 years) I practiced ZERO scent control and I saw few deer and took a total of 8 deer. My first year of bow hunting I bought a scent lock pull over. I saw many more deer and go a shot at a nice 8 pointer ( i missed ) SInce that year I have been getting more and more fanatic abut scent control. I own several suites that I rotate every day. I wear head to toe cover as well. I also shower before every moorning hunt and every afternoon hunt that I am able to. If I cant shower in the afternoon, I strip down to my skivies and use scent spray and wipes to clean up. I keep ALL by clothes (suits, hats, gloves boots and backpack) in a scent proof bag. I spray my bow, arrows and a climber if I am using it with scent killer before going in the woods. I also do not put my scent suit on untill I get close to my stand as to keep from sweating as much and not to expose it to scent. I have kept notes of all the deer I see over the past few years and the more fantiical I have got about scent control the more deer I have sceen. Last year I had well over 100 deer in front of me with 50+ shot opportunites. I never got winded once and I had deer down wind on many occasions including a nice 6 pointer that I chose not to shoot. So do I belive in scent lock? YES. But remember two things. First I dont think that you can buy a suite and go out and expect to see moore deer right away. Second for the suit to be effective you have to practice COMPLETE scent controll. It is hard to do and is time consuming but IMHO, it is well worth it Good luck, only 10 more days!!!!
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Post by soccerref on Sept 7, 2006 11:58:49 GMT
OK Jeff, honest question since I am not convinced on scent lok (the "recharge it in a dryer is a crock, but the control aspect I haven't decided on yet).
You mentioned a few things that changed roughly at the same time, you went from 0 scent control to fanatical about scent control, and using scent lok. Your deer sightings went way up.
Did other things change? such as your scouting habits etc? What I am trying to ask if that you clearly saw many more deer after the "switch", but did other "non scentlok" things also change in that time frame or is the change attributed to the scent lok alone?
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Post by browning204 on Sept 7, 2006 13:23:09 GMT
I have never used the stuff but it sounds to good to be true. Wouldn't playing the wind be the best form of scent control?
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Post by regnar on Sept 7, 2006 23:10:36 GMT
Bob,
I have gotten progressivly fanatical!! The first year I started with a scent lock suit only. No hat no gloves. I did not use scnet killer spray. I saw many more deer than I had in the past. The next year I got a hat a wore gloves and used scent killer. I saw more deer. The next year I started using two different suits (not wearing the same on all the time) a few hats, and rubber boots. My deer sighting went way up.
Last year I went NUTS. Showers before hunts, scent killers on before getting dressed, special towels that only I used and they were washed in scent killer detegent, I scnet killed my truck and hung vanialla scent in them. ALL clothes and back backs were in a scent proof bag. my bow and tree stand were sprayed down before going in the woods. I dressed in a base layey of scent killer clothing and put the suit on close to my stand. I also purchased another suite and roated them every 2nd day. I even used those scent killer tablets that make EVERYTHING turn gree!!. LIke I said, My deer sightings went throught the roof.
So, I do think the suits work. I think they work better when you takea complete aproach to scent control. As for the dryer not working that depends on what your expectation is. If it is to fully recharge your suite to 100% effchiency than your right it wont work. But it does get to some point. Also the washing of the clothes ( after a empty run with scent soap to clean the washer) helps as well.
MOST importantly, I feel like it works. I know that I can have bucks down wind of me and not spoke them. Can they still smell me? I think so. I think the scent control regiment makes me smell like a person who went through the area several hours maybe even days before and not someone who is standing right above them.
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Scout
Poult
Pro Staff
Posts: 437
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Post by Scout on Sept 8, 2006 1:14:18 GMT
Gents, for what it is worth here is my take on the stuff. I met a guy who claimed he did some research on this subject. What he said made a lot of sense. He had the equipment to prove his theory, although I never really asked for any proof, First he said the the carbon does work. However, the standard dryer did not generate enough heat to refresh the garment. He also said the some of the garments just didn't have enough carbon in them to do any good. The most important thing that he said was that hunters using the product must remember that it blocks or gathers scent both ways. That is why the directions say to put it on when you get to the site, and to carry it in a scent proof bag. The garment can actually cause problems if not used right by collecting unwanted scents. For example, if you put the garment on before you reach your site it will collect all the scents that you come in contact with. I have been a fanatic about scent control as well, but just didn't buy into the carbon thing. One of the questions I asked a rep was wouldn't this stuff gather the scent residue in your dryer, and he said yes. You should wipe out the inside of your dryer with a scent proof wipe before drying. I agree totally with regnar and so this year I'm going to break down and try some. One thing is for sure I will try and use it exactly as the instructions say.
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Post by soccerref on Sept 8, 2006 12:17:36 GMT
I am sure it does help. What I have an issue with really is the marketting story of "ignore the wind and hunt". Carbon based clothing like scent loc is a tool to reduce scent. I have hunted with Scout for years and he is fanatical about scent control (heck try making the mistake of putting on normal deodorant before hunting ) I am sure scent lock works to reduce, but doesn't eliminate, what Jeff says makes sense, and what Scout says makes sense, the stuff isn't magical, if it traps scent it traps all scent. It will reduce your stink, reduce, not eliminate. If coupled with other means, then you will get what regnar points out, the deer will still smell you, just less of you and it hopefully won't trigger his "uh oh" sense.
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Post by soccerref on Sept 22, 2006 12:26:23 GMT
Just figured I would toss more confusion onto this. On other hunting boards this exact topic has come up alot recently. It always seems to fall into a few argumentative statements:
- It works cause I think it does and the manufacturer wouldn't lie - It doesn't work, here's the science to prove it - anectdotal evidence that it works - anectdotal evidence that it makes no difference
the "science fact" argument centers on that it yes carbon will absorb scent, however there are two problems: 1) by the time the thing gets to you, its already full; 2) the temperature to completely reactivate it would cause the cloth part of the clothes to burst into flames.
I still can't make up my mind, but two things peek my curiousity, unfortunately one is in each direction:
1) With all the scientific explanations about why it doesn't work and why the military uses their carbon chemical suits once then tosses them out, why doesn't scentlok put out something saying why all these explanations are wrong and why we should spend our money on scent lok. Also, all the things I have read have been carefull to say "completely" recharge. Well I don' tthink it has to be completely recharged, if with "dryer level" heat, you could coax say 20% of the scent out, then it would probably be enough to make it worth using.
2) One guy claims to have done a test, he has friends who run police dogs who are trained to find people. He ran the test twice. Once he would go hide in a tree, dogs would be turned loose to find him. Without scent lok they went right to the tree and pegged him. They seemed to pick up his scent from 75-100 yds away. With scentlok on one test they pegged him, but not until they were within 20 yds of the tree (well within bow range); on the second test one dog found him at 10 yds, the other needed to be directed that way before it found him.
So, his "test" shows it works, however if it works, why isn't scentlok defending itself??
I guess what it comes down to is if you think it works, then it works so go for it.
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