# How do you treat your camo?



## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

I had to start a topic for my 900th post. Here it is:

How do you guys treat and take care of your camo and other hunting clothing? Do you wash it, store it in special containers, keep it outside, etc?

Personally the only thing I do with my camo clothing is NOT wash it. After a hunt if it is wet or whatever I let it air dry and maybe lay it outside to air out for a while. The only time I do wash anything is I will throw my snow camo in the wash at the end of the season to whiten it up for next year. Right now my snow camo pants are more like a tan white from all the mud and dirt, etc.

To store my camo I just have them hung up in a closet in the house. I don't keep them seperate or anything. I don't wear it except for hunting, but I have never tried a scent locking soap or anything. What do you guys do?


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## DOGKILLR (Oct 9, 2006)

When I wash my hunting clothes I just put them in the washer with no detergent and use hot water only. I keep them hung in an outbuilding and put them on when I get ready to hunt. No special treatment though. I just pay alot of attention to wind direction when hunting and forget about the scentlock and cover scents and doe pee and buck urine and tarsal gland extract and fox urine and pine scent and........ Not saying that they don't work for any other of you guys I just don't have much faith in them.


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## Horsager (Aug 31, 2006)

ALL of my hunting clothing gets washed in scent free/UV free soap. Then I hang it in a closet in a room that's rarely used. Outer layers get washed very little. Layers next to skin get washed quite often.


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## Remington 7400 (Dec 14, 2005)

I use plain old Tide laundry soap, and let them air dry. Coveralls, coats and the like only get washed about 2 times a year, pants, shirts, and insulated underwear get washed about every 2 wearings.

I've had deer so close to me that I could reach out and smack them on the nose. :beer:


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## hbbrownie (Dec 13, 2006)

Personally, I always wash all of my camo and layering clothes in a scentfree/uv free soap. Then I let everything hang out on the clothesline till it drys. After that I store the layering clothes in a big, heavy, plastic bag and store all of my camo in a storage tub with H.S. Fresh Earth Cover scent waffers. I get dressed only when im out at my hunting spot, unless its freezing! I also own a Scent-Lok suit and keep that in a scent-lok storage bag. This may seem a little overboard but I havent had a deer wind me in 5 years! No Lie! But the main thing is to do what works for you. Good Hunting! O and i also wear rubber boots!


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## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

Handwash the long underwear and let it air dry. That's all I ever really wash, the rest just sits in my room hanging over a chair. When I'm done hunting for the year I usually stick them in my closet but when deer hunting comes back up I take them out 2 weeks in advance and since I hunt in mostly conifer forests, I usually stick them in a big garbage bag with a few pine branches stuck in with them. It seems to work with the deer, I've had them down wind of me when I've been on the ground and they never even knew I was there untill BANG, dead deer... or just the BANG and the sound of a lucky deer running off.


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## kase (Jan 23, 2005)

i wear my scent blocker underneath my snow camo when i'm yote hunting to try and cover up scent. i wash all of it in scent blocker detergent and let it air dry (outside if possible). after it's dry, i spray it down with white lightning and put it away in a scent safe container. also, i usually throw a scent waffer in the container where i am storing my camo. then before i go out i activate the scent blocker in the dryer for about 30 minutes along with a fresh earth dryer sheet. then i spray it down again with white lightning before i head out. its a lot to do, but i am really picky about it for deer hunting and i take all the same precautions for yotes.

kase


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## LeviM (Dec 3, 2006)

Kase-

I do the exact same thing you do. I don't know if it helps but is worth the effort, I believe.


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## Brad.T (Mar 29, 2004)

I put it on and go hunting when i'm done i keep it in a tub until it's time to go hunting. I don't pay mcuh attention to the scent free stuff


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## kase (Jan 23, 2005)

your camo absorbs so much scent throughout the hunt though. mainly in the pickup, but i guess if you're playing the wind right it shouldn't matter.

kase


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Is it really possible to get past a coyote's nose? Even with all the scent blocking products? In reading about the way a canine's nose traps the particles until they get enough to register, and thinking about the way a drug dog can sniff out dope, I just don't know if it's possible. I suppose it's like everything else though, it certainly won't HARM your hunting to take those precautions.


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## kase (Jan 23, 2005)

well that's the way i think about it. plus, i didn't think that you could ever actually fool a deer's nose either, but since i bought that scent blocker, i have had deer right down wind of me that never busted me. one big doe stood down wind from the treestands at 5 yards for like 10 minutes. there was two of us up in that tree too because we were video taping it...never acted like she even got a hint of human odor. she was even picking up acorns off the ground where we had been standing while we were setting up the stands. she proceeded to walk out in front of us where i could get a shot and she got an axis through both lungs at 8 yards. there was a few other occasions too where i thought i was screwed but they just walked on through without even blinking. maybe yotes' noses are better, but i doubt it. i think a deer's nose is probably every bit as good as a coyotes.

kase


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Kase

I think that a coyotes sense of smell outclasses a deers.


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## kase (Jan 23, 2005)

what do you mean?? havn't you ever seen a drug deer? but seriously...why do you think that a coyote can smell better than a deer?

kase


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## fingerz42 (Aug 13, 2006)

They are canines. Canines have a better sense of smell than a deer.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

LOL a drug deer. I've seen a drug DEElerR.

I am saying this based on what I have read and heard from others. I can't say this based on any specific source. I do know that a canine's sense of smell is much more acute than a person's. I know a deer's is also but I am not sure how they compare actually. A coyote can function as a scavenger. If you look at other scavenging animals like a vulture, scavenging fish, etc. they all have a great sense of smell. Also, being a predator. And prey animals, like deer, tend to also have great senses of smell to help them avoid predators.

Mainly Kase I just want to prove you wrong. Don't worry I will find some data here to back it up. :beer:


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## DOGKILLR (Oct 9, 2006)

You know I've never heard anybody say anything about their breath. I brush my teeth and I know most people do but I'm a human and don't have near as a good smeller as a coyote or deer. But I can tell you that most of the time if you are around others you usually smell their breath before you smell body odor. So what I'm trying to say in short is this. No matter if you spray yourself with scent killer, wear scentlock, or wash your clothes in scent killer, if your head is not not covered it is emitting odors either by scent escaping around your collar or your breath whether it smells like toothpaste or crap. If you are not in a ziplock bag you are emitting some sort of odor. Have any of you scentloc guys ever passed wind... did you smell it while you were wearing it or did it blast you when you took it off? :wink:


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Dogkillr

Makes sense.


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## kase (Jan 23, 2005)

dogkillr

i avoid eating anything that really magnifies bad breath before i go hunting. stuff like onions and garlic, but i don't chew GUM O FLAUGE or anything like that. as for passing gas in the stand with scent blocker...the scent will trickle out the neckhole of your jacket if you don't have it sinched tight. not cool

fallguy

i'm sure you will prove me wrong...but i'm still waitin  i have always wondered though...how does anyone know facts like that. can a yote smell better than a deer? how do they know? are these animals color blind? can they tell these things by dissecting their eyes or brain?


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Kase

No onions or garlic? Man, that is one entire food group for me...I love garlic.

I have been looking for information and don't have a good source yet. In either the fall or winter copy of Predator Hunting, there was an article that talked about the structure of a coyotes nose. It was called the ________ shelf I believe. I can't remember the name but think it started with an "s". It captured scent particles and built them up until they could sense the smell. I wouldn't be suprised if deer have something similar or even the same. Papapete has my magazine right now. Anyway, you've seen dogs going down the highway with their heads out the window. The thought is they are basically smelling the air. It's like a big buffet for their nose.


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## kase (Jan 23, 2005)

fallguy

i know what you mean. one time i opened up the container that had my fresh earth scent wafers in it at my parents house. my moms dog was going ballistic. it was like he couldn't smell fast enough. his nose was just going 100 mph.

kase


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## DOGKILLR (Oct 9, 2006)

I don't know which has the best nose on them....a dog or a deer. I bet they are pretty close. But I can tell you a dog has a very powerful sense of smell. My friend had a little toy poodle that had gotten so old that he couldnot see or hear but he could smell and he would know if my friend was within 250 yds if the wind was right and make his way to him. All long nose animals have a very good sense of smell. That's the one fact you need to remember and you CANNOT FOOL THEM. I'm not even sure a ziplock bag would help.


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## NCGMAN (Oct 28, 2006)

DOGKILLER!!!

I'VE GOT A GREAT "IDEA"!!!! LET'S JUST LET OUR DOGS SLEEP ON OUR HUNTING CLOTHES :roll: I'M SURE MY BIG OLE CHESAPEAKE RETRIEVER WOULD LOVE THAT. THAT MIGHT EVEN BRING THE COYOTES IN CLOSER...

WHAT YOU ALL THINK ABOUT THAT?? EVER BEEN TRIED???


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## Bgunit68 (Dec 26, 2006)

I'm 6'8" and 360 lbs. I actually leave my camo outdoors. I use is as a car cover when I'm not wearing it. My buddies actually put sticks in it and use it as a 3 man blind.


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

As far as treating my camo; I use Purex laundry soap that is scent free, don't use a drier sheet when I dry. I really don't worry about scent so much. I use the wind to my advantage. Plus I think coyotes are a little bit accustomed to our scent anyhow, with all of the people in the field. 
With the ghillie suit I just dig a hole and throw it in for a week or two or until I need it. It smells like soil and burlap, kind of a natural smell.

Now with the dog scent discussion; some cool facts.

The average dog (untrained pet) has 200 to 250 million scent receptors in his/her nose. If the membranes lining the inside of the dog's nose were laid out flat, the total surface area of those membranes would be far greater than the total surface area of the dogs entire body. The average dog has about 7 square meters of nasal membrane - humans have about half a meter. (Mouton, 1986), (http://legacycanine.com/class_nose.html).

One big difference between man and dog is the square area of olfactory sensory cells inside the nose. It is estimated that man has five million of these cells, while a German Shepherd Dog has 220 million! A further breakdown of several breeds is as follows: Dachshund -125 million, Fox Terrier -147 million, German Shepherd Dog -220 million.
(Mouton, 1986), (http://legacycanine.com/class_nose.html).

I have just a single insight of my own from watching my dogs tracking ability. I was letting her track stray cats, *****, coyotes, etc. I was getting so frustrated because she wasn't staying with the tracks. She would go ten feet to the side but the end result was still the same she found the critter we were after. I thought about it and watched her a bit more, she was actually not looking at the tracks like I was, but she was wafting the trail just by using the wind. Just crazy.

NCGMAN, I let the dog sleep on my cloths all the time, that's why I don't really worry about the smell. Laundry detergent and expensive cloths are for the birds. No offense, if it makes you sleep better than go with it. 

As for which has the better nose, heck if I know.
xdeano


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## Bgunit68 (Dec 26, 2006)

it's gotta be the canine. Who's ever heard of a bomb or drug sniffing deer?


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Bgunit68 said:


> it's gotta be the canine. Who's ever heard of a bomb or drug sniffing deer?


Yeah, it can't be due to the fact that herbivores are not as intelligent and most likely can't be trained. :lol:


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## Bgunit68 (Dec 26, 2006)

Or maybe they are a lot smarter and just pretend to be dumb so people don't try to domesticate them. Ahh see. They're not as dumb as we think. LMAO. I heard one breed of the Cervidae Family can actually figure pi to it's final decimal.


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## DOGKILLR (Oct 9, 2006)

A couple of years ago my brother went on a cougar hunt with Wade Lemon in Utah. They were trailing a big Tom that had given them the slip a couple times before and almost did it again. The tom ran up in a large outcropping and the dogs lost the trail. Well, Wade figured this one out to a tee. He took his best strike dog up to the outcropping and waited for the cool evening air to start falling down the mountain. Then he led the dog around the out cropping.That old dog got a whiff and followed it up about 300 yds to where the cougar was holed up. Now that shows the power of their nose.


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## kase (Jan 23, 2005)

Fallguy said:


> Bgunit68 said:
> 
> 
> > it's gotta be the canine. Who's ever heard of a bomb or drug sniffing deer?
> ...


thank you fallguy...wow


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## 1shot1yote (Dec 23, 2006)

I wash my clothes in holy water. It gives you godly like hunting abilites. :toofunny:

Justin


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## jason_n (Dec 30, 2006)

[ This may seem a little overboard but I havent had a deer wind me in 5 years! No Lie! But the main thing is to do what works for you. Good Hunting! O and i also wear rubber boots![/quote] That you know of!


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## Bgunit68 (Dec 26, 2006)

kase said:


> Fallguy said:
> 
> 
> > Bgunit68 said:
> ...


(dude you can't be serious? LMAO) It's was said in jest....WOW
Honestly "Who Cares?". If either walk in front of you rifle (in-season) shoot them. That's why we now have scent blocking clothing, sprays and whatever they will come up next with. 20 years ago we didn't have all this scent blocking paraphernalia and we still did pretty well.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Bgunit68

I know you were just joking...as was I. :beer: :wink:


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## Bgunit68 (Dec 26, 2006)

Oh, no. I know you were. I like your posts. I have gotten a lot of info from your posts. You bring up some good points and ask really good questions. But I think this other guy thought I was serious. God, please, let no one take me serious. But, I apologize if you thought it was directed at you. I also just like to joke. I have 2 ex-wives. God I need to laugh. LOL.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Bgunit68 said:


> I have 2 ex-wives.


Funny story for you:

I coach cross country. We were taking our team down to MPLS/St. Paul for a meet and our bus driver took a wrong exit. We were giving him guff and he was laughing about it and he says "I never make the same mistake twice, don't worry".

One of our other assistants asks "How many times have you been married?"

The driver starts laughing his *** off and says "TWICE".

It was classic.


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## kase (Jan 23, 2005)

bgunit

i wasn't sure if you were joking or not...i was hoping that you were. i was beginning to wonder about ya 

kase


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## Bgunit68 (Dec 26, 2006)

Hey, I just look stupid. Least that's what my girl says. But, I are a brane!LOL. No problem. I just like to have a little fun.


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## Bgunit68 (Dec 26, 2006)

Now, bomb sniffing pheasant, that's a whole different story! LOL My real name is Mark. My sn Bgunit68, I got from being a 6'8" fast pitch softball pitcher. I'm new on this site. It is a lot of fun on here. I've been hunting all my life. Just new to coyotes. A friend of mine owns a big farm. It's over run with yotes. So I asked on here for a little advice. Just this month, mainly because of people on here, I've bought an A-bolt 22-250, varmint scope, FoxPro FX3, the jack in the box that goes with it, various light's with red lenses and now for Valentines day my girl is getting me I/R Night Vision monocular. Damn this crap is expensive. The worst thing is since I've compiled all this stuff the weather around here has been horrible. It's beautiful out today. I need to call my boss up and tell him I having problems with my eyes. Yeah I can't see me working the rest of the day. But to sum everything up. I don't mean to offend anyone. I really do enjoy this site.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Marc

Now that you spent all this money, you need to spend the best 10 bucks of you life. Get a Crit R Call Standard.


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## Bgunit68 (Dec 26, 2006)

I'll try anything.


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