The most sought after big game animal in North America is the whitetail deer. When pursuing this majestic animal, a hunter must contend with and overcome their alert senses of sight, hearing and smell. A whitetail’s keen sense of smell picking up human scent is most often the demise of any hunter, especially bowhunters. In the past hunters have tried to overcome their odor by masking it with products containing urine and fruit scents as well as other man-made concoctions. Over the last 10-15 years more products have been developed in an attempt to conquer this whitetail intellect.

This past late season I had the pleasure of evaluating several products from Robinson Labs, the originator and pioneer in the field of human sent elimination. The Scent Shield products I used do not try -to mask human odor but eliminate it. How does it do this?  Well first we must understand what causes human odor. Sweat glands located just under the skin produce perspiration to help cool our body down during physical activity. Bacteria that are ever present on our skin attack the perspiration and break it down into a volatile gas. This volatile gas is the odor that a deer’s sensitive nose picks up. The Scent Shield formula stops the gas molecules from forming thereby eliminating the odor. 

There are several steps and routines that I undergo each fall season to try and eliminate scent as much as possible before venturing into the woods.  The first is to wash all my hunting clothing in Scent Shield’s Hunters Body Guard Clothes Wash.  After washing, to further lessen the possibility of contaminating my clothes, I hang them out to dry in the woods.  The only time they are taken down is to hunt or to store them before a rain or snow shower.  When stored they are placed in a Rubbermaid container, but stay in the woods.  After a hunt they are rewashed and returned to the woods

My hunting routine starts with taking a shower and using Scent Shield Hunters Body Guard Shampoo for my hair and washing the rest of my body with Scent Shield Hunters Body Guard Soap.  The shampoo and soap produce great lather and wash off completely, leaving no residue.  Upon drying off I apply Scent Shield Hunter Body Guard Gel and Deodorant, paying special attention to my underarms and groin region.  These products combine two bacterial agents that prevent odor causing bacteria from growing.  When arriving at my hunting area I will remove my cloths from the Rubbermaid container and get dressed.  Next I completely spray down with Scent Shield Clothes and Boot Spray.  Upon arriving at my treestand or ground blind I again use the clothes and boot spray.   

I feel this routine is necessary and gives me the confidence for an all day hunt.  Sure I always try to place my stands downwind of where I know the deer will appear but changes in wind direction can happen very quickly.  Scent Shield products eliminate human scent and enable you to go undetected during these times.  For example, during an urban doe hunt a couple weeks ago I was slipping through the woods when suddenly a deer arose from its bed.  I was sure it was a doe but couldn’t be certain because its head was behind a large ash tree.  Even though I was upwind of the deer I continued to try and stalk and get a better view.  I was able to stalk within 15 yards before the doe spooked.  It wasn’t because of scent but because of my foolishness to try and peek around the tree to get a better look. 

Scent Shield products come packaged in convenient dispensers.  Flip top caps and easy trigger sprays make life easy with no fumbling for screw on caps and messy bottles.  Different sized packaging easily allows you to slip a bottle in your pack. Larger bottles can later be used as refills.  You can choose from the original Scent Shield or Fall Blend, which convinces you that you just stepped into the fall woods. It has the aroma of the forest floor. Scent Shield Bar Soap is also a great product and in addition to combating human odor, it is also nice on your skin. It contains aloe vera, a natural skin conditioner.

Do Scent Shield products work?  Absolutely! They were the first and are still the only company that actually manufacturers its own product. I am a true believer and will continue to use their products when I venture into the woods after game.  Besides, if you need more convincing all you have to do is look to notable bowhunters Myles Keller and Chuck Adams who also endorse the Robinson Laboratories products.

Scent Shield and Robinson Laboratories are on the net at http://www.scentshield.com and http://www.robinsonlabs.com.