By Howling Moon

Odour is probably the biggest problem a hunter has when stalking an animal. The best solution is to make sure that one is always downwind from the prey. This is by far your best bet. It may, however, happen that the wind direction changes while one is waiting in ambush for an animal, or the animal may approach you from a direction you did not anticipate. You may only have spear with you in a certain situation and you may want to get as close to the animal as possible. In all of these and many other hunting situations it will be to your advantage to you if you can limit you odour to the minimum. Animals ability to smell is so well developed that it is nearly impossible to fool them. The tips given here will only help to make it a little more difficult for the animals.

If you are in a survival situation, you may not have unscented soap or deodorant, neither an odour neutraliser. Should this be the case, there is probably very little you can do, except wash yourself with whatever water you have available. If you have some sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) available, it will help if you rub it under your arms and other smelly parts. There are some natural odour eliminators and other tricks you can use in such a situation, but we will get into that in another article.

Here are some of the steps you can take to eliminate odour, if you are on a planned hunting trip:

• Use an unscented soap to wash your body and hair and then spray the whole body with odour neutraliser. Wash from head to toe with unscented soap before morning and evening hunts. This is probably the most important step. Remember to concentrate on the hair, underarms and feet. It will help a lot if the hunter’s hair is very short.
• Use baking soda to brush your teeth and tongue – definitely not toothpaste.
• Baking soda seems to have an odour neutralising effect – and it may thus help to put some of it in your bath as well.
• To eliminate foot odour, soak your feet for 10 to 15 minutes a day in deleted bleach and then spray them with a door neutraliser.
• One can also use unscented deodorant or antiperspirant to help stop sweating or to prevent bacteria to change the sweat into that vile smelling stuff your wife hates.
• Wash your clothes, including your underwear and socks, in unscented detergents. These clothes should be stored separate from your other clothes in unscented bags. All outer clothing should be washed once a week and underwear should be changed daily.
• Remember to spray all your gear with odour neutraliser, including you bow and quiver. It will help if your backpack is also washed with unscented soap and stored in an unscented bag.
• An activated charcoal suite and hood to filter human scent is ideal, if you can afford one.
• If you are hunting from a blind or tree stand it will help if you avoid as much contact as possible with vegetation while walking to the stand. Do not scout the vicinity, and most of all, do not urinate close to the hide. Use a urine bottle.

You can make your own scent killer with the following ingredients:

• 2 litres water
• 1 litre hydrogen peroxide
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 oz no scent soap

Mix until the soda is dissolved. Leave in open container/bottle for a few days to allow the chemical reaction to dissipate. When placing in a permanent container, leave the lid a little loose in case of a latent chemical reaction. It might give of a little gas and swell your bottle. When packing for your trip, don’t forget to tighten the bottle to prevent leakage and spoil your hard work!

Remember do not use scented deodorant, after-shave or toothpaste. No scent killer can suppress those smells. If you are hunting from a blind or tree stand it will help if you avoid as much contact as possible with vegetation while walking to the stand. Do not scout the vicinity, and most of all, do not urinate close to the hide. Use a urine bottle.

You can make your own scent killer with the following ingredients:

• 2 litres water
• 1 litre hydrogen peroxide
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 oz no scent soap

Mix until the soda is dissolved. Leave in open container/bottle for a few days to allow the chemical reaction to dissipate. When placing in a permanent container, leave the lid a little loose in case of a latent chemical reaction. It might give of a little gas and swell your bottle. When packing for your trip, don’t forget to tighten the bottle to prevent leakage and spoil your hard work!

Remember do not use scented deodorant, after-shave or toothpaste. No scent killer can suppress those smells.