Clothes smoking

[LYON]

Thought I'd throw in a little plug for something that is working well for me this year.

Last year my father-in-law bought me a scent smoker for Christmas. I used it to finish out the late muzzleloader season but didn't really have any confirmed results that it did or didn't work due to not being very close to any deer. I was really looking forward to putting it to use this fall. If you don't know what it is, the smoker itself is the exact same thing as a smoker for a beehive (which you can by for about $15 on Amazon). Basically all you are doing is building a fire in a can then putting the fire out and saturating your clothes in smoke.

I haven't been out a ton this year, but enough to confirm that this works. As everyone knows, if you hunt enough, you will get deer downwind of you. In a typical year, I will have deer bust me (due to scent) probably 4-5 times. So far this year, I can confirm that I have had deer directly downwind of me 5 or 6 times and only 1 has blown. I'm confident the one was because I had a facemask on me that had not been washed or smoked this year, and after trying to figure out why she blew I realized the facemask had a goofy smell to it. The first downwind encounter was with two bucks. A 2.5 year old and a 3.5 year old. Both were within 20 yards, directly downwind. Both smelled something but didn't spook. One of the other encounters was also a 3.5 year old buck, about 60 yards downwind. Again, he smelled something but didn't spook like I've been used to seeing in the past.

So, take it for what it's worth, but I think I'm hooked. It's a little odd to be smelling like a smoked sausage while deer hunting but if it works, it works. And the best part, it's super cheap and easy. My previous scent control regimen wasn't crazy, but it still took some time and like I said, it hardly worked. All I did was smoked my clothes really well before season started and I smoke them pretty much every time I go out. I'll light the smoker (takes about 2-3 minutes) and let it sit upwind of me while I'm dressing. I'll puff a little smoke on each garment as it goes on. That's it. It maybe adds 5 extra minutes to my dressing routine.

Has anybody else tried this?

 

[Daver]

I have not, but I am intrigued. I know there is at least one "smoke" promoter here on this site, so hopefully he chimes in with his experiences too.

I assume this is an outside, not indoors, activity...correct?

It seems like every year I get frustrated around this time of year because when I can go hunting the wind is exactly wrong for where I really need to be...so maybe I should go the "smoke route" and hunt where I want...

 

[LYON]

I assume this is an outside, not indoors, activity...correct?

Absolutely. To start the season, I washed all my clothes in scent free detergent then hung them outside to dry. Once they were dry I then smoked each piece individually and then put them all in my big rubbermaid tub that I keep them in and put a whole bunch of smoke in the and shut the lid. That really let it seep in. Some people have used small pop up blinds to basically do the same thing. Hang the clothes in there and fill it with smoke.

As I have done in the past, I still only use scent free soap when I shower, but I don't take a shower every time I hunt, not by a long shot. I also keep a bottle of carbon synergy in my tote that I will use for my hands before a hunt if I feel like I have something smelly on them. But I think I've only used it once or twice this year.

 

[patch86]

I'm all about smoking my clothes. I used it a couple years back then tried going back to my normal scent regiment. Smoking my clothes has been so much more successful then trying to be scent free. Had deer downwind of me many times this year and haven't blown yet. Had does feeding downwind of me the other morning for an hour and nothing. Never even looked nervous. Works like a charm for me and I know I'll be using it as long as I hunt.

 

[supserdave]

Hey what do you put in the smoker? Those pellets they sell for them?

I tried it once earlier but my process involved building a fire on the drive way and letting the smoke drift to my clothes(while the wife laughed her a** off).

 

[LYON]

Hey what do you put in the smoker? Those pellets they sell for them?

I tried it once earlier but my process involved building a fire on the drive way and letting the smoke drift to my clothes(while the wife laughed her a** off).

I've been using hardwood chips that you would buy for a cooking smoker. Hickory has been my go to since it smells so dang nice! The thought is you need to use a hardwood. Supposedly hardwood smoke contains antimicrobials and will help kill bacteria.

I think the fire building process will work, but it's hard to get very much smoke from it. The way the smoker works is building a fire, then putting it out and it just smolders.

 

[Daver]

Hey what do you put in the smoker? Those pellets they sell for them?

I tried it once earlier but my process involved building a fire on the drive way and letting the smoke drift to my clothes(while the wife laughed her a** off).

LOL! I'll bet that was a hoot for her.

 

[bkcrrtnps]

I love it, been doing it for years. Once we start a fire in our fireplace I have my clothes having on clothesline and it keeps them smoked for me. I use pine shavings or needles and have never had an issue. I don't do it right before heading into woods but I will hang up and do. I think to string of a smell is alarming to some degree. I'm glad to see someone else is finally on board.

 

[StickersNKickers]

I'm assuming after a hunt, after you change your clothes, you still smell like smoke, right? My wife thinks my usual scent free routine (probably not as intense as some people's) is too much, but also thinks smoking clothes is too much. I'm sure she doesn't want me smelling like smoke when I get home and go to bed. But, her family (who only hunts shotgun) goes straight from chores to the timber, and they still put deer down. I've gone without a scent free shower, and used to shotgun hunt straight from chores, but since I've started stand hunting (started with shotgun, then added bow), I've had at least something of a scent control routine. Been busted by deer many times even with trying to control scent. I'm really interested in using smoke, but haven't tried it out yet.

Related question...how does it work for coyotes?

 

[LYON]

I smell like smoke a little bit, but I don't think it's too bad personally. The worst cases have been when I am getting dressed out in the field and have the pickup door open and the wind blows smoke into the pickup. Then all my regular clothes get smokey as well. Other than that, yeah you can smell it on your face and hands, but like I said, it doesn't bug me much.

I can't comment on the coyotes.

 

[AIRASSAULT]

Every morning before I go out, I fill my outdoor wood burner and let the smoke cover me and all my hunting clothes, etc. The last two days I hunted (earlier this week, I had at least a dozen different deer straight down wind of me, including 3 bedded does and not a single one busted me. I also sprayed some of the leaves in the tree around me with doe pee.

 

[unknown_hunter]

Just tried it this year, and it works like a charm. Now I am to cheap to buy a smoker so I use an old coffee can with a few holes drilled in the sides about 1 inch up from the bottom. I hang my clothes on hangers in the garage and I put a trash bag upside down over them.

I then build a fire in the can with scraps of pine 2x4 and whatever else I have handy. once it is going I grab the nearest thing that's green. I have used tomato leaves, grass clippings some weed by the side of the house. I try to smother the fire. Once the smoke starts to billow I put the can under my upside down trash bag and it fills up with smoke. I then move to the next trash bag. I smoke everything put my face mask.

I have had a buck 6 yards down wind from me and he never knew I was there. So I am a believer.

The person that told me about this has had deer walk up and smell his boot when he was ground hunting.

 

[Forestryguy]

I have never intentionally smoked my clothing. I think this would work well though. I have seen deer back in controlled burn areas within a day after it was burnt over. Native Americans use to do cleansing ceremonies that smoke was used in also. I am pretty sure that I have read that smoke kills microbes and will keep doing so for some time.

Those that are smoking clothing over open fires, keep in mind synthetics melt pretty easy. You can also make a smoky fire with clothes hanging over it and covered with a tarp, some smoke meat the same way. I would think a cold meat smoker would work also.

 

[Ried#3]

I tried it last year over a camp fire. Had 15+ deer feeding directly downwind at 30-40'yards. One old doe was acting skittish but they never busted and just kept feeding until they moved on. Definite believer.