Whenever you decide to go on a hunting safari and call your friend to help you with preparations for your hunting backpack, there are certain things that surely impose an impact on your hunting success. For instance, the smell, it plays a significant role during the whole hunting expedition. You must lend concern on how you and your gear smell.
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There are about 5 million olfactory receptors in the human nose, but 297 million in the nose of a white-tailed deer. This fact alone is enough and self-explanatory why one should really learn how to cover your scent effectively no matter which animal you are hunting. Here are some better insights regarding the same
5 Ways You Can Cover Your Scent While Hunting
1. Prepare Yourself For The Hunt Beforehand
Take some time in advance to minimize your natural body scent and remove the artificial ones. Purchase these:
- A scent-free soap
- A scent-free shampoo
- A scent-free talc
- Baking soda
- Scent-free toothpaste
- Scent-free mouthwash
- Chlorophyll pills
Take a bath using a scent-free soap and a scent-free shampoo. Make sure to rinse yourself for 10 minutes to be sure.
Post taking a bath, you need to take precautions while using a towel to dry yourself. Using the fresh towel preferably a one that is been washed with a scent-free product. Once you are done, apply a scent-free antiperspirant or deodorant that’ll ensure no sweat or odour touches your body. Some even prefer to use baking soda as talc to block away production.
Another precaution is to use a scent-free mouthwash and toothpaste. Some chew chlorophyll pills to disguise the scent of your breath so if better matches with the haunting aura.
Please note: taking steps to minimize your scent is always better than taking measures to ‘cover’ it while hunting.
2. Pick Your Boots With Utter Care
If you wear your work boots on your hunting trip then it’ll prove to be counterproductive and any effort taken to eliminate your scent will be in vain. Wear those boots which are highly capable of holding your scent for months. Be careful about wearing your hunting boots before you step in the woods and keep them from picking up unnatural scents at gas stations.
3. Stay Against The Wind
This is a crucial mantra for hunting, always stay upwind of your prey. You should be checking the wind not just before the hunt but during the whole hunting expedition. It will ensure that whatever scent you have it won’t be blown towards your intended target and send signals of alert. In order to check the wind take a tiny piece of thread and tie it to your crossbow. You must keep changing your locations if you notice the wind direction changing often.
4. Know Your Tread
When hunting a deer, it is primary to ensure that you don’t walk in deer trails. If you happen to come across one make sure to take a wide step over it. If you’re hunting near a pasture cover your boots with cow dung. It works really well to cover the scent.
5. Opt For Receptor Overload
It is recommended that hunters use products designed specifically for hunters and Receptor Overload is one major product. It is a spray that intends to confuse animals by overloading their sense of smell. It involves producing a combination of scents.
Ways To Survive In The Field
It is crucial to take measures to mask your scent while hunting, but along with following those measures, you need to be prepared for the worst cases. There are some animals that will pick your scent and hunt you. Therefore, you need to be confident in your own skin and should be well aware of how to deal with unexpected situations. This will ensure safety and can increase your performance efficiency.
Image Credit: The Independent
Here are certain tips that might help:
- Carry slingshots: these are light in weight and too versatile. You can use them as a hunting weapon to kill small hassles, like squirrels, rats, and even birds. With these, you can move easily and quietly.
- Keep hunting knives: when things go wrong the hunting knife becomes your best friend. It is essential for preparing for your target but along with boning and skinning, you can use the knife for self-defense.
- Opt for the best hunting crossbows: in-order to hunt well stay safe, a slingshot is not enough. Using a crossbow is a better option than a regular bow as you don’t need to waste too much energy on it.
- Have a good hunting GPS: along with the rest of the hunting tools you need to consider investing your money in owning a good quality hunting GPS. These help in finding you the way in and out of your hunting sites and let others reach you.
Conclusion
Some people tend to describe hunting as art but having the best techniques and skills are the latest and the most significant equipment every hunter requires. Although there is no such guarantee of ruling success against animals that have strong and superior senses. You should focus on adhering to certain precautions mentioned above for how to cover your scent while hunting. These can increase the chances of your success and might grant a smooth victory.