SCENT ELIMINATION
What You Need to Know to Slip One by a Buck’s Nose

Much has been written about a whitetail’s olfactory advantage. Many hunters have heard statements similar to “a whitetail lives by its nose.” It’s a fact, their sense of smell is the only sense that they trust completely. It’s not a surprise given the unusual gifts that God gave them. The part of the brain that is devoted to measuring and computing smell, in a whitetail, is said to be ONE THOUSAND TIMES larger than the same area in a human’s brain. In the back of the nose there are little things called nasal receptors. They’re what help us tell the difference between smells. A whitetail has millions more nasal receptors than us. To go along with that, their nasal passage runs in a straight line and it’s about eight times larger than ours. Whereas, ours is curved and we have hair in ours. They get a good clean burst of scent to analyze. For that matter, just about every North American big game animal has a sense of smell so far superior to ours it’s hard to even comprehend how sophisticated it is.

As much as the subject is publicized, it’s a wonder that some hunters don’t do more to battle the whitetail’s superior “snoot.” So what can we do to get closer to and see more whitetail and other big game animals? Whether you hunt with a gun, bow, or camera, a system of scent elimination could possibly be the most important detail in getting closer to big game animals. Whether you’re hunting, scouting or setting up a treestand, you should always be aware of the foreign odors that you’re carrying in with you and the odors that are transferred to other objects and possibly left behind in their domain. Ideally we want to eliminate these odors or bring them down to trace levels that a whitetail will tolerate.

STEP ONE - SCENT KILLER® CLOTHING WASH

The first step is to wash your clothes in a scent-eliminating detergent like Scent Killer® Liquid or Powder Clothing Wash. These two unique formulas clean your clothing and wash away odors. The powder formula also chemically destroys odors on the molecular level as it cleans. Make sure to wash all layers that you will be wearing right down to your under-garments, hats and boot liners. Both formulas contain no UV-brighteners so it is not necessary to use UV-eliminating sprays on your camo. It is also a good idea before washing and drying your camo to turn it inside out. This will help keep your camo from fading. Once your clothing is washed, the best way to dry it is to hang it outside. However, if you live next to a gas station or greasy restaurant, or if the temperatures would freeze your clothes solid, it’s perfectly all right to dry them in your dryer. Use new Scent Killer® Autumn Formula® Dryer Sheets™. They prevent static build up and at the same time soften your hunting clothes to help keep them quiet for closer shots. They also add a light earth scent to help you blend into the natural surroundings.

STEP TWO

Once your clothes are totally dry, seal them into a scent protective container. A plain garbage bag will work but there are other items like plastic storage containers or garment bags that will also keep odors from permeating your clothes. The container must be free of odors and be able to protect your clothing from other smells. Scent Killer® Spray, which will be explained in Step Four, can also be sprayed on at this point and allowed to dry into the clothes before they are put into your container. If any odors arise in your container, or may possibly penetrate your container, Scent Killer® Spray will neutralize them.

STEP THREE - SCENT KILLER® SOAP AND SCENT KILLER® ANTI-PERSPIRANT & DEODORANT

The next step involves getting “your person” as scent free as possible. The most offensive odor that there is to a whitetail, more insulting than gasoline, cigarette smoke, cologne, or cooking odors is human scent. Shower with Scent Killer® Soap. Scent Killer® Soap is available in Liquid or Bar form. This anti-odor formula is gentle on you but murder on human scent. Once you have showered use Scent Killer® Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant. This will keep you dry and odorless all day. Also remember to brush your teeth with a baking soda tooth paste. Once you are showered and ready to go, try not to pass through any areas that have strong odors, like a kitchen where someone is cooking or a room where someone may be smoking. Unless you are going straight to the field, it is best to put on a set of clothing that has been washed in Scent Killer® Clothing Wash, but not the clothes you are wearing to actually hunt in. Keep your hunting clothes sealed in their container until you get to the exact area that you intend to hunt. There are many odors that you may come in contact with on the way to your hunting area such as those in your vehicle. Also, once you get to your location, if you have a long walk to your site, you may want to carry some of your clothes and get dressed at your site to avoid sweating too much in them.

STEP FOUR - SCENT KILLER® SPRAY & SCENT KILLER® AUTUMN FORMULA®

Any smell that a whitetail smells, or for that matter a human smells, has to be in the form of a gas. Scent Killer® Spray bonds to odor molecules to make them too heavy to escape in the form of a gas. Many hunters use Scent Killer® Spray right before they enter the woods. This is a good idea. However, many hunters don’t realize Scent Killer® Spray works for days after it has dried into your clothing. The active ingredient continues to effectively bond to and trap odor molecules from forming a gas. No gas - no odor! Scent Killer® Spray continues to work until your clothes are washed or the active ingredient is completely exhausted, which can be many days of hunting after application. Testing done at Rutgers University has found Scent Killer® Spray to be over 99% effective at stopping replicated human odor. That’s 99% effective! Scent Killer® kills human odor on contact!

Before your outing, remove your hunting clothes from their scent-protective container and hang them in an odor free area. Spray down all layers of your clothing, concentrating on high-perspiration areas like your underarms, crotch, small of the back, etc. Don’t forget your hat and your boot liners. Let the Scent Killer® Spray dry right into your clothing and then return your clothes to their scent protective container. Keep them in the container until you get to your hunting site. Once you reach your hunting area you may choose to add a final spray of Scent Killer® to your outer layer, especially where you think human scent gas may escape, like around your collar, hat, and where your boot tops meet your pant leg.

Let’s use this analogy: While walking in the woods, you come across the faint smell of a skunk. You’re aware a skunk is in the area, but feel it’s a safe distance away. However, when you come across the strong smell of a skunk, you’re on full alert. Deer react the same way. When deer encounter the minimal scent of a hunter that has taken scent-elimination precautions, they might have an idea there’s a hunter in the area; but like you with the skunk, feel it’s a safe distance away.

STEP FIVE

A cover scent, also called masking scent, may also aid in helping you go undetected in the whitetail woods. Even though you’ve gone through a system of scent elimination, a cover scent can help to hide any remaining odors you might give off. The smell should be something indigenous to the exact area that you intend to hunt. Some of the most popular cover scents are Wildlife Research Center’s Earth, Pine, or Cedar Masking Scent. Red Fox and Coon Urine are also good choices for a cover scent. Many cover scents may also have fearreducing qualities on the deer.

STEP SIX

It’s not only important to pay attention to the bad odors we carry on us, but we should also consider what we’re leaving behind. “Scent transfer” should be kept to a minimum. Clean, rubber-bottomed boots will help us to travel throughout their domain and leave very little evidence of our intrusion behind. Just as with your hunting clothes, your boots should only be worn while in your hunting area. You can’t wear your rubber boots to a gas station and then expect to fool a whitetail. Also, try not to touch things with your bare hands. When setting up a treestand or when making a scent set-up, many veteran hunters choose to wear elbow length trapper’s gloves, or some form of rubber glove to reduce scent transfer. If you bump into a tree, or a piece of brush happens to whack your forehead, or you stop to rest and lean with your bare hand on a tree, those are all instances that can cause a whitetail to sense our intrusion. Why let them know you’re coming?

By using genuine Wildlife Research Center® Products and paying attention to scent elimination and scent transfer, you will start to see more animals and get much closer to them as well. More and more hunters come to trust this system each year. If you follow these steps, you should too. Good Huntin’!