By Josh Boyd
It is no secret that a deer’s number one line of defense is its nose. Whether on alert against human intrusion, or impending threat from natural predators, a deer depends on its nose to sustain survival. This creates quite the conundrum for hunters, who must circumvent the whitetail’s every diligent sense of smell in order to fill their tag.
Today, there is no shortage of products available for purchase, which promise to eliminate human odor and improve a hunter’s chance of success. The scent elimination sector of the hunting industry is booming and looks to slow down no time soon, as most are more than willing to spare a few dollars in a bid to go undetected.
However, a few dollars here and there compounds rather quickly throughout a season, and can easily lead to quite the expenditure for those that hunt often. This has led many to try their hand at making their own homemade scent elimination spray. Though the thought of such a process would give many flashbacks to their eighth-grade chemistry class, making such a concoction is actually far easier than most would think.
What You Will Need
Making your own scent elimination spray is relatively straightforward. To do so, several ingredients, as well as other miscellaneous supplies, will be required. Before getting started, be sure to gather all which is needed.
Ingredients
* 16 oz. Peroxide (3% Blend)
* 16 oz. Water (Distilled)
* ¼ cup of Baking Soda
* 1.5 oz. Unscented Shampoo
Supplies
* Sizable Bowl (Approximately double the size of your intended batch)
* Large Stirring Spoon
* Plastic Food Grade Jug
* Unused Plastic Funnel
* Plastic Spray Bottle
* Cloth to Use as Strainer
* Rubber Band
Getting to Work
The first step to making your homemade scent elimination spray is to pour 16-ounces of distilled water into a bowl. You will then introduce the same amount of hydrogen-peroxide into this bowl as well.
Next, add 1.5 ounces of unscented shampoo into the above-mentioned bowl. You may use scent-free hunting shampoo or any other unscented product of similar nature. The third, and final ingredient in this mixture is ¼ cup of baking soda, which will now be introduced into your bowl.
With all ingredients introduced, you will now stir that which is contained within your bowl, until all particles of baking soda are fully dissolved. During this step, it is normal to witness a certain degree of fizzing and bubbling, as this is part of the normal chemical reaction that will occur.
Your homemade scent elimination spray can now be poured into a 1-gallon jug. When doing so, attach your preferred form of filter media to the mouth of this jug with the use of a rubber band. This filter can consist of a coffee filter, or something as simple as a piece of porous cloth.
When pouring the mixture into your jug, it can be helpful to use a small, unused funnel. Simply pour the contents of your bowl into the jug. As your homemade scent killer passes through the previously mentioned filter, any impurities will be withheld.
You will now allow your mixture to sit for one week, in order for its ingredients to blend completely. During this period, store your 1-gallon jug of scent eliminator in a cool, dark location, such as a closet. Do not tighten the cap to this jug completely, as excess gasses will need to vent.
Additionally, an earth scent blend of scent eliminator can be created by introducing pine needles, cedar shavings, or other natural ingredients from the area that you hunt, during this step in the process. By placing these items into the jug before the mixture’s one-week curing period, their natural aroma will be allowed to leach out into the finished product.
When one week has passed, your scent eliminator can be poured into a suitable, unused spray bottle. If you included additional additives to impart an earthen scent, the mixture will need to be filtered once more during bottling.
A Cost-Effective Approach to Scent Elimination
There are several reasons for creating your own scent elimination spray. One of the most valuable of which is that you can save a sizable amount of money over the course of a season. If you hunt many weekends per year, you will likely go through several bottles of scent elimination spray in a season. When making your own scent eliminator, bulk quantities of this mixture can be produced for a fraction of the cost of a single large bottle of name brand spray.
When creating an earth scent blend of scent eliminator, you can also tailor the list of ingredients that are used to better reflect the environment in which you hunt. Many store-bought earth blend sprays smell heavily of pine. While this is perfect in pine forests, it can be somewhat unnatural in areas that are void of pine trees altogether.
Above all else, few reasons for making your own scent eliminator are as substantial as that of the satisfaction that one gets when fooling the nose of a wary whitetail, with the use of something produced with your own two hands. By taking the time to carefully prepare your blend of scent eliminator, you too can feel this level of pride toward a job well done.