Hunting clothes

[venisonassassin]

I use the seventh generation detergent mentioned earlier. All my laundry gets washed in it. I sweat a lot going in early season so my hunting clothes get washed more often. When it gets cooler out not nearly as much.

[Elite]

My wife uses Tide Free and Gentle because of skin sensitivity issues. It has no added scents, so this got me thinking that I can save some money and use this for my hunting clothes. Has anyone tried this?

[matt1336]

My wife uses Tide Free and Gentle because of skin sensitivity issues. It has no added scents, so this got me thinking that I can save some money and use this for my hunting clothes. Has anyone tried this?

Yeah that’s what I do. No scent no brighteners. It’s at every grocery store.

[Elite]

My wife uses Tide Free and Gentle because of skin sensitivity issues. It has no added scents, so this got me thinking that I can save some money and use this for my hunting clothes. Has anyone tried this?

Yeah that’s what I do. No scent no brighteners. It’s at every grocery store.

Awesome, thanks.

[Wolfshead]

I am all about questioning what a lot of the "experts" try to sell you on all of the hunting shows.

That was why I made the original post. I am no expert at any of this, just trying to find that "sensible" solution, and what is crap or not.

Honestly, I'd not considered just not washing them. Not a terrible idea.

Hanging outside worried me (the way I see it done near me) - say you live in farm country, have a wood burning furnace, run your tractor all day - but you hunt in a barren river bottom... all of your home scents would be just as much out of place there as well...

I'll have to remember to bring a black light home from work, curious now. But if Dan is only mildly worried about it, I feel a bit better about it.

Thanks guys!

Please post about what you find with the black light!

I don’t like spending money because the experts say I should, and I’m all about questioning why I should just because they do.

As I stated in my first reply I really only worry about the UV brighteners.
When I first began hunting I was reading everything on scent, Camo, UV, etc... that I could find.
I found this sight and read what Dan and some others had said about scent and the wind. It made sense.

I try to play the wind. I use scent free detergent and don’t roll around in anything that is going to increase my “stank”.

I use Camo to break my human pattern - I believe that it is possible, and you don’t necessarily need typical “Camo“ to do that, or that “Camo” is really necessary. But I do use it. I’m actually considering going old school and just using plaid shirts and wool pants like they used to in the day....

And, I take care to not use UV brighteners. I would love to see some real person tests and results!

So your results are very interesting to me.

[dan]

i went into a spot on monday that only had me 10 feet high but in decent cover. made a noise as i moved the camera arm and the big doe I was filming tjru her head right up and stared at me... i didnt move but obviously she could see me. i dont tjink it was brighteners, i think it was the flannel shirt I was wearing was to dark for my bacground and I stood out...

[HeadHunting]

i went into a spot on monday that only had me 10 feet high but in decent cover. made a noise as i moved the camera arm and the big doe I was filming tjru her head right up and stared at me... i didnt move but obviously she could see me. i dont tjink it was brighteners, i think it was the flannel shirt I was wearing was to dark for my bacground and I stood out...

Dan you may have covered this in another post but your experience above brings up one thing that I know I have to work on and that is choosing that right tree/backcover scenario. Can you elaborate on that topic or point me in the right direction of a previous discussion on that topic

[Wolfshead]

i went into a spot on monday that only had me 10 feet high but in decent cover. made a noise as i moved the camera arm and the big doe I was filming tjru her head right up and stared at me... i didnt move but obviously she could see me. i dont tjink it was brighteners, i think it was the flannel shirt I was wearing was to dark for my bacground and I stood out...

I agree with you.
I got busted once because I was stupid.
I was about 20 ft in a pre set stand and I did not take my snow Camo off.
Talk about a bright light in the trees!
Oh well, if ya ain’t makin n correctin your mistakes Ya ain’t learnin!

[dan]

i went into a spot on monday that only had me 10 feet high but in decent cover. made a noise as i moved the camera arm and the big doe I was filming tjru her head right up and stared at me... i didnt move but obviously she could see me. i dont tjink it was brighteners, i think it was the flannel shirt I was wearing was to dark for my bacground and I stood out...

I agree with you.
I got busted once because I was stupid.
I was about 20 ft in a pre set stand and I did not take my snow Camo off.
Talk about a bright light in the trees!
Oh well, if ya ain’t makin n correctin your mistakes Ya ain’t learnin!

right... this too was a preset stand over food plot.... it had never been hunted before and was put in at the same time the food plot was put on so im convinced they did not know it was there. thete were no trees in this area big enough to hunt out of so I used a tripod stand without a tree backstop. I was in a dark hole within leaf cover and invisioned it as being darker in thete than it wss when choosing what to where. I think I would of been fine with the olive drab t short I was wearing but as it got cloder i put the dark green with black squres flannel on and thats what did me in... colors i aviod are black and white, tjey stand out the most to an animal that sees shades of grey

[4 the chase]

My take is pretty similar to what’s already been shared. Best bet is to hunt the wind. Any other scent control is more for your own confidence boost. There are plenty of studies that show deer see in the ultraviolet spectrum so if your clothes have optical brighteners in them the deer can see it. I haven’t seen any study that indicates that deer see it better than other objects, but they can see it. One thing I’ve wondered is if over time deer are associating the smell of the scent killer sprays with humans. The sprays themselves have a scent of their own

The last few years I’ve been experimenting with using chlorophyll gel caps. My own sniff tests indicate it reduces my b.o. not sure if it makes a difference to the deer though

[Zephyrus]

. I haven’t seen any study that indicates that deer see it better than other objects, but they can see it.

Thats a good point

One thing I’ve wondered is if over time deer are associating the smell of the scent killer sprays with humans. The sprays themselves have a scent of their own

I smell the spray, and if you think that I smell alien in the woods, you can be darn sure the deer smell it too.

[Zephyrus]

i went into a spot on monday that only had me 10 feet high but in decent cover. made a noise as i moved the camera arm and the big doe I was filming tjru her head right up and stared at me... i didnt move but obviously she could see me. i dont tjink it was brighteners, i think it was the flannel shirt I was wearing was to dark for my bacground and I stood out...

Hey Dan - check out the Hunting Beast podcast #2 - you wouldn't have worn that shirt...

[Rich M]

Have done a few things - used to be that Walmart would sell all the hunting products at deep discounts after season. Used to buy hunting laundry detergent, deoderant/anti persp bars, body wash, wind checkers, etc. Will do again if find a sale. The green scent free soap is pretty good.

Anyway - use cheaply purchased scent control hunting detergents to wash hunt clothes. Use the scent free dryer sheets too.

Have also used baking soda to wash hunt clothes.

Now just use oxy clean type detergent and roll with it.

Hunt clothes include blue jeans and some kind of top. Depends on weather if layering system is used.

[Sailfish_WC]

If I lived and hunted in the Midwest farm country, I’d mow my lawn, change my oil, grease my bearings etc in my hunting clothes.
Apparently deer aren’t bothered by farmers in stinky coveralls

As it stands in FL
I wash in scent free Detergent once or twice a season and borax the other times.

[MichiganMike]

I have Arm and Hammer Scent free -no dyes perfumes etc. Any brand will probably be fine, this one happened to be on sale. I wash them once before season, and unless their filthy or bloody- Ill wash them again. Other than that I hang them outside on a white pine tree in my backyard. My undergarments I wash more frequently in it since i have to do other laundry anyway for work etc.