While shopping in a large outdoor retailer, a friend of mine was looking at some camo clothes that were on sale. He overheard a fellow shopper’s spouse ask, “Well, does it have to match?” My friend looked at his wife with an expression of “don’t even ask me that.”
Truth is we can all see images of guys in the early days taking plenty of game wearing Carhartt like clothes or flannel shirts. Hunters know the most likely time we catch sight of wild game is when it moves. Movement is more important than camouflage. My older sister tagged me on a Facebook post by Jesse Cortez where he was in a tree stand in basic clothes, no camouflage and made the claim that camo must work. What ensued was a round of comments managing scent or playing the wind. In the battle to get the upper advantage on wild game, which tactic is right?
First, let’s look at scent control or management. Scent management can be broken out into three different categories, attractants, cover and control. Attractants rang from food scented products to those that are specific to bodily functions of the game animal such as urine or reproductive scents. Cover scent is used to mask odor and can range in smell similar to attractants as well as my favorite “Fresh Earth.” Scent control products are probably the most expansive of all scent management options. Control items attempt to eliminate or minimize our natural scent that many game animals can easily detect. Products range from laundry soaps, body washes, deodorants, embedded elements in clothing to ozone generators. The later, ozone generators, is an understanding that the former only works for a while.
Second, let’s look at wind. It is ultimately why man has invented ways to manage scent. When I moved to Idaho, I remember getting out of my vehicle in the early morning and spraying down with Dead Down Wind field spray before stuffing the bottle into my pack. I began to briskly walk up a trail which turned into more of a crawl as I underestimated the terrain and overestimated my own fitness. By the time I made it to the top of the ridge, I realized that it wouldn’t have mattered. I was so covered in sweat that being in the right wind was the only option unless I had somehow packed a portable shower. My only option was to use the wind to keep my scent away from potential game animals.
So which one is right, control/management or playing the wind? The honest answer is both. It ultimately depends on your tactics or type of hunting. The next question is when to use one or the other or both?
For the vast majority of hunters in the Eastern portion of the United States, scent management and control products make the most sense. I have used each of three product categories described earlier s almost religiously and successfully when I lived in Kansas and Kentucky. The central reason is due to the simple fact that larger populated states have less public land and reliance on access to private land. For instance, only about 6% of the land in Kentucky is public compared to over 60% in Idaho. Hunters in Kentucky are competing on smaller plots of land and most hunting is done on private property by permission or lease. In the Eastern United States attracting game animals often means going out of your way to managing not only scent but potentially cultivating food plots. East of the Rocky Mountains, I have used scent control more with tree stands and ground blinds. This is a sound practice when you are limited on access to hunting land. Scent management is particularly important when a hunter uses a tree stand or blind and will be in one area for any length of period with limited physical activity. Attractants and cover products attempt to use the wind to the hunter’s advantage by masking the human scent with something that the animal will more readily recognize. Whereas, control products are meant to be wind neutral. Whenever possible when using a blind or tree stand setting them in multiple positions that will have favorable conditions with prevailing winds is going to be very helpful to increase your odds.
When I first started hunting in Idaho using wind to your advantage was something I had to learn more about having first learning and using more Eastern tactics With access to vast amounts of public land and the terrain of the Rocky Mountains, learning how air moves in the mountains is the key and doing it well is the trick. As the thermals shift, you and your prey begin to play a game of changing positions on the mountain. You have to learn how not to get detected as this thermal shift occurs. As I suggested earlier due to the level of physical activity the use of scent control products is helpful but problematic to do well. Climbing up and down ridges is sweaty work even for the fittest of hunter athletes. Before bow season starts I do my best to push myself in the gym and many times I have thought I would be ready. But nothing compares to putting on the pack, clothes, gear and holding the bow and actually hiking in the mountains. Unfortunately, my gym frowns on hitting the stair stepper all geared up and the mountains are further than I would like to hike regularly in them with a busy schedule. By the end of bow season, I do get better able to compensate but still, maintain a healthy amount of perspiration. While Pronghorn and Bear hunting, I have found good use of scent control products but mostly because I am either in a blind or tree stand. When I first moved to Idaho, I tried carrying everything including the kitchen sink. In fact, I am known for having way too much gear by most of my hunting partners. The general rule of thumb is your pack should not be more than 20% of your body weight. While packing an animal out I have broken that rule on more than one occasion but nonetheless, it would have been much harder if I had packed in a 44lb pack. The point being carrying Field Spray versus extra drinking water is a choice worth considering.
In conclusion, the wind is ultimately king but scent management products do offer an advantage that many should consider using. If your hunt is going to be more centered on stand locations, the use of scent control or management products is a good investment. If your hunt will be more spot and stalk, consider how much gear you are willing to carry over distance. The bottom line, whether you are hunting in the Eastern or Western portions of the United States it is important to understand tactics. And, yes, your camo should match for those of you who are wondering.
- L. Yarbrough, Bucks & Beers
