08/08/2026
Take a bath with Dead Down Wind shampoo and body wash in the days leading up to your hunt.
When you wash your hunting clothes, put them in a scent-free bag and leave them there until you’re ready to hunt. Even after doing that, I generally throw my Ozonics in the bag just to make sure everything is as scent-free as possible.
Same thing with your rubber boots. Your hunting boots should be for HUNTING ONLY. Don’t wear them into the gas station, Walmart, restaurants, or anywhere else where they can pick up foreign odors.
If you wear cologne, stop wearing it at least a week before your hunt. Cologne can get embedded in your truck seats and interior and then transfer right back onto your clothes. I’ve smelled people getting ready to go hunting who still smell like cologne. If I can smell it, I promise you a deer can smell it!
This is also why I tell my semi-guided hunters: Whatever you do, don’t stop at Walmart and buy some cheesy bag of attractant or bait and pour it out when you get here. You can instantly hurt your hunt.
It might smell good to a deer eventually, but initially it’s a foreign odor that wasn’t there before. Mature bucks especially can notice when something suddenly changes in their environment. You could throw them off for 4, 5, or even 6 days.
THIS is what I mean when I say GET AS SCENT-FREE AS POSSIBLE.
It’s not just walking to the blind or tree stand, turning on an Ozonics, and thinking you’re good to go. Scent control starts days before the hunt.
Take these extra steps, pay attention to every odor you’re bringing into the woods, and you’re putting the odds much more in your favor.
The hunt starts before you ever step into the woods. 🦌
