Washing hunting clothes?

[WhiteKnight]

Guys, I'm a little confused.

All of my hunting clothing is pretty much covered in grit/grime/mud and in need of a washing.

However, with all the talk that I hear about deer's senses and the brightners in most laundry detergents, I'm a little wary.

How should one washing his or her hunting clothing?

Should I spend $30 on some fancy-shmancy carbon killer hunter-specific laundry detergent that kills the smell before it even begins?

I was thinking about just washing the clothing in the washing machine with cold water (no soap), then letting it dry on the clothesline outside, and then holding it over an open fire outside so that the smoke would give it a cover scent. I could then store it in a garbage back so that all the human scent molecules wouldn't impermeate it.

Would that work?

 

[Art Eatman]

They didn't have the fancy-shmancy stuff, 50 years ago. Somehow we still managed to kill deer.

Wash the clothes. Dry'em. Wouldn't hurt to let them hang in the sun for an afternoon.

You might use whatever detergent does NOT yap about brighteners and such on the label. I'm guessing, the el-cheapo stuff. Or, what we used to call "soap powder" instead of a detergent.

If I'm sittin'-huntin', I pick a site where the wind is in my favor. Walking or playing sneaky-snake, I try to work upwind or crosswind, so Bambi doesn't get a good whiff.

, Art

 

[HSMITH]

Do what you have planned short of the smoke. Just leave them as is. A handfull of leaves in a net bag in your sack of hunting clothes isn't a bad idea if you want some cover scent.

Hunter Specialties makes a laundry detergent with no brighteners and a cover scent for a couple bucks a bottle, one bottle will do 15+ loads of clothes. Most walmart stores have it in stock this time of year too.

 

[sm]

Agree with Art.
I grew up with laundry soap and hunted wearing whatever...meaning jeans, or kahki britches, earth tone shirts...toted a pc of burlap from a 'tater sack to break outline, to shield sun from eyes...

Baking Soda works.

Using a stiff brush to remove most of the mud/ dirt works and then using a clothesline to dry in the sun. Hanging up a in room with newspapers to protect floor when raining allows to dry inside.

Really nasty, muddy and dirty, and not wanting to mess up the washer, use a garden hose, or if you are going to use a car wash to get the mud off the truck...hose the clothes with the rinse setting - those clamps hold clothes real well. I also removed the mud from a 870 bbl while I was there.

Smoke...I smoke while I hunt. I just watch the wind. The "click" of a Zippo, will get a critter to stop, and look at you sometimes . The only scent I need is that of gas or diesel...critters are used to that scent , the sights and sounds of farm/ ranch trucks...

They don't even mind the scent of my coffee from a thermos...

For some places "Pavlov's Deer" ....coming to fill up the feeders...

 

[Charles S]

I have used the Hunter Specialties laundry detergent purchased at Wal-Mart for several years. I really did not know the laundry detergent helped because I used the wind when I rifle hunted, but after this year I do believe it works.

I was bow hunting, my fist year to do this, and a nice 6 point buck walked completely around my stand and did not ever alarm. At one point the buck was 3 yards from the stand. I killed the buck, my fist deer to kill with a bow

I do recommend using a non-scented laundry detergent at a minimum and learn to use the wind.

Charles

 

[mete]

There are many things that are scented - soap, shampoo, toothpaste. toilet paper, after shave etc. See if you can find nonscented versions. Non scented detergent of course and you might want to throw in about 1/4 cup of baking soda ,another of grandma's oder remover tricks that really works.

 

[Roadkill]

I wash them with regular detergent. I have a large plastic box I keep all my hunting clothes in, always keep fresh cut cedar and pine branches in there with them. Also put apples and persimmons in with them. If I remember I bring a couple of apples to cut up and strew around base of stand. When I get dresed to go I use Arm & Hammer liberally in crotch and underarms to minimize scent.

rk

 

[H&Hhunter]

A deer is gonna smell you no matter what type of marketing hype you wash your cloths in. He is gonna smell you no matter what kind of stuff you spray on your cloths or what kind of "excuse me while I laugh" scent proof suit you wear.

All of this stuff is right up there with with the rest of them infomercial products out on the market. Nothing more than a good way to seperate you from your money.

Here's a good hint for you. Don't hunt with the wind to your back and don't stand out in the open or skyline yourself if you don't want deer to see or smell you.

 

[rick_reno]

I wash mine in the washer - usually to get the spots of blood off left when I field dress a deer or elk. It's never impacted my harvesting game the following year.

 

[sm]

Gee H&H...

Next thing you know you will be sharing with us that buckshot is not for dangerous game...even if fired from a Ultimate Shotgun...

I couldn't resist...I just couldn't...

 

[H&Hhunter]

SM,

From rodent to pachyderm buckshot is your best chioce. I know because I seen it on the NET!!!!

 

[sm]

Then it must be TRUE...

If you build it - they will buy it.

Speaking of rodent hunters...how is that daughter of yours? Show the folks her camo/ unscented "clothing" she wore. Or do you want to share the pic of the "PH Bunny Boots"...

Oh yeah, big game hunters wear bunny slippers to hunt in...the dangerous critters figure its " just a bunny".

Best to you H&H

Regards,

Steve

 

[Stever]

Or you could do what I did. Go duck hunting in the swamp for the first time in a canoe and flip the canoe. I have already washed my hunting clothes three times and they don't stink but they still smell like the swamp. What some of you might prefer instead of getting wet is to use Dreft that is scent free for infant diapers and clothing.

 

[ranburr]

I would just wash them and go. I try to use the wind as much as possible when hunting. How big of a deal human scent is to a deer is debateable depending on where you are. I typically hunt from tower stands on my ranch. A few years back, I walked down my standard trail to my stand at around 3:30 PM. at 3:50 I shot a 10 pointer at around 50 yards walking down that same trail. I climbed down from my stand walked over to my buck and dragged him back under stand. I climed back up and settled in to read a book so as to not mess up any other hunters. at 4:10 I looked up and saw a 12 pointer standing over the spot that I had killed the 10 pointer 20 minutes earlier. He sniffed a little and then proceeded to keep walking down the trail. Well, I now had 22 wall hanging points in a 20 minute time span. Now with all that being said, yes I have seen deer spooked by human scent. I have also seen deer care less about human scent. On my ranch, (low-fenced), deer are used to seeing people work the place. They throw up their tails and run when we bump into one another, but they typically feel secure once they get trees between them and us. Thus they are in a sense used to smelling people and not running out of the county when they do. I have also been to other places where the deer are so skitish that even the thought of human being sends them running into another country. I attribute this to the level of hunting pressure in a given area. If you are in an area that people shoot everything that moves, you had probably better do everthing you can to put things in your favor. As for me, I guess I am not much of a hunter; I wash all my clothes in laundry detergent and I don't even own any camoflouge clothing. Strange that I have trophys from all over N.America.

ranburr

 

[Matt G]

I just use whichever detergent is cheapest and has no perfumes or colors. Just about every brand has this variation. Usually Arm&Hammer is the cheapest.

Hanging the clothes in the sun is a great idea.

 

[TrapperReady]

I think El Tejon just ties onions to his belt to mask the scent. Or at least he used to.

 

[Matt G]

Was that to mask his scent, or because it was the style at the time?

"We can’t bust heads like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to tell ‘em stories that don’t go anywhere - like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on ‘em. ‘Give me five bees for a quarter,’ you’d say.

Now where were we? Oh yeah - the important thing was I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn’t have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones..."[/Grandpa Simpson]

 

[OH25shooter]

This topic can be confusing. As for me, I use the unscented detergent and spray my clothes and boots with the unscent commercial spray. However, I've hunted with friends who could care less about human scent and wear work clothes into the woods. Yes, they have shot deer. But, they work the wind as I do. Hell, the American Indians didn't even bath and were able to hunt to survive.

 

[Sunray]

"...smoke would give it a cover scent..." No smoke. A smoke smells of big trouble to a deer. Just wash 'em with regular, un-scented, detergent.

 

[Dave R]

I had someone tell me once to pick up some twigs & leaves from the area you hunt in, then throw those in the rinse cycle of your washing machine. Transfers a bit of the scent to your clothes.

Never tried it. Sounds good, though.

 

[ClarkEMyers]

Better to wash than not -

I use Tide Free which claims to be free of scents and of brighteners - I suppose you could have them drycleaned and then exposed outdoors. I can't claim any extraordinary success but my effort is to be low profile more than masked - maybe for my own comfort.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I would like to suggest a new trend..

Hunt naked, hunt often and don't bathe. It worked for our ancestors and I think it'll work for me too!

Just be carefull belly crawling through the cactus..

 

[Newt]

If you'll wash like you first suggested (with cold water and no detergent) and hang out on the line to dry, this will work fine. Another good way to remove/cover scent is to add a cedar limb to something like a rubber tote with your clothes in there also. That cedar rubs off more than you would think and you'll be smelling cedar for the rest of the day. Someone suggested Oak leaves or something like that... that'd probably work too; cedar is just stronger.

 

[BeLikeTrey]

What radio station did I hear this on?

someone invented breath cover scent gum...
I swear I heard it on one of the Am stations I listen to (newsradio) around here...

I wanted to roll!

I have used smoke from a campfire before to get my clothes a different smell. Cedar sounds good too. I just try now to not worry and get into the stand and BE STILL. I use a sniper netting kinda setup. camo "mosquito netting" drawn over me to help break up my outline and BE STILL.

 

[TrapperReady]

Most of the sporting goods stores around here have a little display at the checkout counters, offerring "Gumoflage" for sale. It's a <cough> revolutionary product <cough> designed to eliminate scent from the hunter's breath.

Actually, if it works as advertised, it should be given out as a courtesy in restaurants.