# Your hunting clothing of choice....



## Quacker Wacker (Oct 12, 2006)

Hello i am lookin into some new camo this year for bow bunting. I was wondering what your favorite camo is? Scent Blocker...Scent Lok...others? I kinda liked the looks of the scent blocker dream season camo because it can layer out for cold and warm weather but im not sure. What is your favorite camo and camo brand that keeps u nice and warm in the cold and also has many other benefits? Thanks for the help.


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

I'd also like to know effective scent-eliminating clothes, and what people prefer for tree stand hunting.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Scent clothing (carbon suits)=the greatest marketing scam ever!

I think its a load of malarkey and the only benefit is it gives the hunter a mental self-esteem boost. If thats what you want, and you want to spend $250 for camo, than go for it. Ill save that money for other stuff. This mental boost can also be bad if said hunter thinks he can hunt "any wind, anywhere, anytime" like the ads for these products imply. Its definitely not worth what they charge for it.

As for patterns, I REALLY like the Predator brown deception. But, there is no such thing as an "all purpose" camo. I like Realtree hardwoods when the leaves are still green (but its easy to hide at this time of year), I switch to the predator brown deception when the leaves turn, and I go to predator fall gray when the leaves drop.

I like the broad patterns of camo like predator and ASAT as it really does a great job of breaking up your human outline (which is what camo is supposed to do). The "high definition" patterns look great at six feet, but "blob up" past 20 yards and fail to break up your outline. Their designed to fool more hunters into buying them than they are fooling games eyes.

One new pattern I really like and think would be dynamite in a tree is the Scent-Lok Vertigo pattern (mossy oak breakup and mossy oak winter). Again, its a broad pattern designed to break up the human outline. I just wish it was offered in regular camo and not scent-lok.


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## bearhunter (Jan 30, 2009)

anything quite{sp} winona brand was my favorite


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

bearhunter said:


> anything quite{sp} winona brand was my favorite


Thats a good point. Quiet is a MUST. No nylon, no velcro.


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## bretts (Feb 24, 2004)

barebackjack said:


> Scent clothing (carbon suits)=the greatest marketing scam ever!
> 
> I think its a load of malarkey and the only benefit is it gives the hunter a mental self-esteem boost. If thats what you want, and you want to spend $250 for camo, than go for it. Ill save that money for other stuff. This mental boost can also be bad if said hunter thinks he can hunt "any wind, anywhere, anytime" like the ads for these products imply. Its definitely not worth what they charge for it.
> 
> ...


I've bought scentblocker for years...and yes I definitely agree that it's not 100% effective, honestly if a guy takes care of his camo by washing it & storing it properly it can be just as effective IMO. The reason I've bought scentblocker is #1 it just fits really well, well designed & very comfortable. Patterns wise predator is great, I really like mossy oak brush, max-1 & backlands west, great patterns.


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## bretts (Feb 24, 2004)

Also Rut-wear makes some real nice clothing, prices aren't bad & they have some nice patterns you can pick from--


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

#1 reason I use scent clothing... it is made for bowhunters. I haven't really found any clothing that doesn't have scent blocker or something like it that fits tight, has draw cords, is silent and so on.


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

I agree, scent block clothing is a scam. The only thing it does well is to move your money to the guy who makes it.

I've said it many times, you can fool a deer's eyes, you can fool a deer's ears, but you will not fool his nose.

As for pattern, it really doesn't matter as long as it breaks up your outline. Most of the patterns out there are made to attract hunters so that they buy the stuff, deer don't care.

One of the best I've seen is Calebela's Berber in Outfitter camo. Plainsman has a set and he just plain disappears in almost any terrain.

huntin1


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## omegax (Oct 25, 2006)

BBJ absolutely NAILED my thoughts. I just don't understand patterns like "Brush Camo"... You might as well wear a solid yellowish-brown, because that's what it looks like from a distance. I've got a couple of suits of "outfitter" (figuring it may not hide you perfectly, but it should break you up just about anywhere). I hadn't thought about Predator, but that's a good call!

As far as ScentLok, even if you can regenerate it in a dryer (the jury's out, quite literally), it's not like the little carbon particles are magic little vacuums. There's plenty of space between them for scent to escape. There's no way that I can see that it could work.


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

So, in the end, a person is better off buying a good camo pattern that is soft and quiet and doesn't retain scent, and then taking good care to keep it scent free and stored properly until use?


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

njsimonson said:


> So, in the end, a person is better off buying a good camo pattern that is soft and quiet and doesn't retain scent, and then taking good care to keep it scent free and stored properly until use?


EXACTAMUNDO!!!

Even with the supposed "scent eliminator" suits you want to keep them as scent free as possible. I get a kick out of guys who show up to the woods for an evening hunt in the same clothes theyve been sweating and working in all day, slap their scent-lok on over it, and call it good. :eyeroll:

My clothes get washed in scent free detergent, air dryed if possible (later when its cold ill dry them in the dryer with some baking soda added), once dry they go DIRECTLY into a plastic bag and dont leave that bag till im in the field. Boots, same thing, kept in a bag in the truck, they never leave the bag until their outside the truck in the field. I try to shower before every hunt with unscented anti-microbial soap and use unscented deodorant. In fact, once hunting season rolls around I stop using ANY scented products on my body period. Whether im hunting that day or not. Ill also use a fresh earth scent wafer clipped to my hat early in the season, switching to some doe urine later as I believe although you cant fool a deers nose, you can sometimes confuse it, and it may just be long enough to possibly make the shot.

These steps take a little extra work than just dropping the benjamins on a "scent suit" (which is a scam anyway), but ill put my system up against any scent suit any time, anywhere.

The number one most important thing you can do as a hunter, no matter what scent management practices you employ, is to try to hunt the wind to your advantage. Plain and simple.


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## Turner (Oct 7, 2005)

I have really turned into a wool fan. It is bulkier, however the warmth it provides along with zero noise I think is second to none when it comes to those late fall days that drizzle all day. I also think that wool absorbs the sunlight and gives you more concealment when added with a camo pattern. I have not gone as far as taking a second mortgage and getting myself some King of the Mountain wool but rather settled for some lower priced items and been very pleased with them. As far as camo pattern's I am a big fan of Predator and Asat. Never tried Scent Blocker clothing so I cannot comment on that. I tend not to fall prey to things that look gimmicky. I just try to play the wind as best as possible.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

I stillhunt almost exclusively and throughout the entire season. My pants are generally a single color olive or gray cotton or surplus wool depending on the season. My shirt or coat is generaly a camo pattern that somewhat contrasts my pants and really the only reason it is camo is because of the styling, quiteness, water resistance of the cloth. My gloves are wool fingerless through 90% of the season, my ballcap may or may not be camo but always green or gray and my boots are the standard brown. There is really no reason for small items like boots, gloves, caps and etc. to be camo as the are the size of many solid color objects in nature. I will stick my neck out and state that any given camo will match the surrounding terrain only about 10% of the time. Lighting has a big effect on how camo matches the terrain and lighting changes constantly. That is why I consider mixing camo patterns a great option to break your overall outline. The reality is that out beyond 10-15 yards ALL camo patterns start to blend into a solid blob depending on the lighting.

I don't consider myself a great hunter but I do get within spitting distance of my share of deer, including mature bucks. As close as I ever got when I went the all camo route. I spook very few deer and have many pass within yards of me never realizing I am there or at least never identifying me for what I am. Actually my biggest problem seems to be in getting TOO close. Many times there is no way I can draw back without the motion givin me away.

That said, if camo and scent free clothing give you confidence go for it.


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## patrick grumley (Mar 9, 2007)

So I have to ask, you guys who do not wear any scent blocking clothing have *never* had a deer dead down wind of you and not know you were there? (fool a deers nose) I have on many occasions. I do wear scent suppressing clothing and I always shower before the hunt. I've been around long enough to have bow hunted when scent blocking clothing was not yet available and fooling a deers nose was very difficult at best, I wear and it works for me.

For the most part once a mature whitetail has picked up your scent in an area he becomes very difficult to hunt, leavng scent in your hunting area is bad practice.


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## mmhoium (Jun 16, 2009)

Remington camo jacket and camo pants (nothing special), carhartt coveralls under my camo pants if it is cold and some redwing work boots. Hasn't failed me yet and my clothing set-up cost a whole lot less than the other options out there for "scent block". Just my 2 cents.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

patrick grumley said:


> So I have to ask, you guys who do not wear any scent blocking clothing have *never* had a deer dead down wind of you and not know you were there? (fool a deers nose)


Many many times. Like I said above, I firmly believe my system of scent management is just as good as "scent eliminating" clothing and its a fraction of the cost, costing me only time and attention to detail.

Now I have to ask you, are you CERTAIN that deer that was "dead down wind" was actually in your scent stream?

Just because a deer is in the general direction of "down wind" doesnt mean hes actually in your scent stream. Unless you pop a line of solid smoke youll never know exactly where you scent is going on its down wind course. Some days it nose dives right to the ground, other times it will actually rise. Temperature inversions, thermals, current eddies, etc all wreak havoc on where your scent goes.

Just food for thought.


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## patrick grumley (Mar 9, 2007)

Thanks for your reply BBJ. Yea I'm aware of thermals and when an animal is dead down wind, I use powder squeeze bottle to check for such. My comment was aimed at the statement that you can not fool a deers nose, which I totally disagree with just as you do with your above statement. I do believe that scent suppressing clothing can offer an advantage to the all hunters, it will not cover up slob hunting though. BBJ you obviously have a very regimented process you go through to stay scent free and for the most part people will not go through such measures to harvest a deer, scent suppressing clothing offers such people the opportunity to be scent free.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

patrick grumley said:


> Thanks for your reply BBJ. Yea I'm aware of thermals and when an animal is dead down wind, I use powder squeeze bottle to check for such. My comment was aimed at the statement that you can not fool a deers nose, which I totally disagree with just as you do with your above statement. I do believe that scent suppressing clothing can offer an advantage to the all hunters, it will not cover up slob hunting though. BBJ you obviously have a very regimented process you go through to stay scent free and for the most part people will not go through such measures to harvest a deer, scent suppressing clothing offers such people the opportunity to be scent free.


Ahhh... I woulden't say scent FREE. It may block some, but the only way to be scent... FREE is to go through the mentioned steps. If you tocuh the outside of that clothing it has scent on it. It isn't magic!


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## bretts (Feb 24, 2004)

hunt4P&Y said:


> patrick grumley said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for your reply BBJ. Yea I'm aware of thermals and when an animal is dead down wind, I use powder squeeze bottle to check for such. My comment was aimed at the statement that you can not fool a deers nose, which I totally disagree with just as you do with your above statement. I do believe that scent suppressing clothing can offer an advantage to the all hunters, it will not cover up slob hunting though. BBJ you obviously have a very regimented process you go through to stay scent free and for the most part people will not go through such measures to harvest a deer, scent suppressing clothing offers such people the opportunity to be scent free.
> ...


--Nice point :-? Scentblocker works enough with the steps you take, to keep it scent free enough to mask your odor, it fool's a deer's nose enough, but doesn't alarm them enough to get out of there. It definitely helps, is it 100% scent proof, no, does it help enough not to have does blowing you out of that treestand early in the night...yes-


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

patrick grumley said:


> My comment was aimed at the statement that you can not fool a deers nose, which I totally disagree with just as you do with your above statement.


I dont think we "fool" a deers nose per say. (well-maybe yearlings and fawns are fooled).

I DO think we confuse a deers nose. I think by reducing, or attempting to reduce the amounts of human stink in the woods, we can confuse that deer into the exact whereabouts of the hunter. He still knows were there, somewhere, but he doesnt know where exactly, or how close. I dont see this as "fooling", but we have confused the animal.

How many times have you sat in a stand and watched a dozen deer walk down the same trail without so much as stopping, and all of a sudden one comes down, hits your scent stream, stops, gets all rigid, stares, and finally moves on the way? This is the deer that was "less confused" than the rest. (In my experiences its usually an oooold doe).

I also believe using cover scents, can confuse a deers nose long enough to perhaps make a shot. Many people dont believe this, I for one am one who is forever with a fresh earth wafer clipped to my hat or a doe urine one later in the season.

Now, one nose we'll NEVER fool or confuse, is a coyotes.

Do scent suits work. I personaly dont think they work one bit. Theres no scientific evidence to support them working (there is however some to disprove them). If they do work, do they work to the tune of $300 a set? Not IMO. Do they give most of their users a mental boost? Yes. This is a good and bad thing. A good thing if the hunter uses them wisely as part of a larger overall scent management system. A bad thing if the hunter uses them alone and thinks of them as a fail safe.


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