Hygene and Hunting

Bowhunting.net

Dan Biehl
Hygene and Hunting
By Dan Biehl
Nov 6, 2005, 05:10

“Ah, man! Ron, that stench is nasty. Why didn’t you take a shower in town yesterday? You are going to scare every single deer away today! You might be able to attract that farmer’s sow over there!” The bane of a hunter’s stealth and concealment is the human hygiene. Many people with great hygiene smell like King Kong would climbing 100 stories after being in the woods one day.

Before ever heading into the woods one must remember a couple things to do first. Before climbing into the shower, check out those toe nails on your feet. If they are beyond the tip of your toes, or where they are comfortable, trim them back. If they look brittle and yellow you need to go see your doctor before the hunt because you may have something worse then athletes foot. Take a foot crème or powder along that will take away the itch if you have athletes foot, which ever is preferred or recommended.

Next, look for calluses. A callus can burn and hurt every time you take a step and cause you to turn around from that hot spot you were at just a month a go. Get a pumus stone or a foot file and file down the callus, being careful not to file down past the new skin. Next, check your ankle and the bottom of your feet for cracks if there are any apply a moisturizing crème and put a sock on after the shower or bath. Take the cream with you because it could get worse and throughout your hunt.

Let’s move up to the hands. The black stuff under your finger nails needs to be cleaned out. Use a nail file with a tip to clean under your nails. Now check the length. If they are beyond the tips of your fingers they need a little trim. Cut them back to where they are comfortable and use the nail file to get rid of any hang nails.

The face is where we will start next. Having a beard makes men look rugged or well refined. It also captures food particles, oils, perfumes, colognes, shampoo, conditioner, smoke, ect. Unless you can keep it trimmed and clean it could be the downfall of a hunt because it captures smells that keeps deer from approaching you. Wash your beard with a scent free soap or a scent eliminating products out there. I recommend going in with a clean shaven face because skin is much easier to clean than hair. For those you with long hair the same rule apply. Make sure it is clean and a scent eliminating product. It is best to keep it up in a bun or a tight pony tail. This will not only keep it out of your face but, eliminates the surface the wind can blow through to disperse your scent. Having short hair, I make sure to clean it well before going into the field and I use a scent eliminating product. The ears need to be cleaned out in order to be able to hear the soft padding of a bear. It also gets rid of the wax that builds up and collects scent molecules.

The whole body should be cleaned before a hunt. Where ever you sweat the most should be of special attention because of the amount of human scent the areas disperse. Make sure the armpits, crotch, buttocks and neck are thoroughly cleaned, along with the rest of the body. Use a scent eliminating soap or a scent free soap to clean yourself before heading out. When in, camp use the scent free soap or a scent eliminating product such as those offered by Wildlife Research Center, to clean your self at night before bed and in the morning before leaving camp. If there is water nearby, think of getting a portable shower from a camping store that collapses and use that in the field.

Clothes should be washed with a scent free detergent, or a scent eliminating detergent. Wear separate clothes when hiking into camp if you will not be hunting, to keep your camo free of your scent. Wear different clothing while in camp to keep the smell of the campfire and food out of your camo. Also spray your camo down with a scent eliminating product before and after putting them on. There are also carbon garments out there that do not need to be sprayed.

Hygiene can be the difference between a squirrel and a giant Yukon moose when out on a hunt. Keeping your camp clean also helps and can keep away unwanted critters such as bears, mice, or scavengers. The more you are scent free the less the hunted will smell you.