Deer Scent Eliminators Compared
Sprays, carbon suits, ozone - what the published tests of scent control found, what a Penn State deer researcher concluded, the EPA's caution about ozone, and why the wind still decides.
The short version: hunt the wind. The few published tests of scent-control products found little or no effect, and a Penn State deer researcher who reviewed them advised hunters to save their money. Clean clothes and a sensible routine cost almost nothing and do no harm; no spray, suit or machine has been shown to make a hunter undetectable.
We have not tested any of these products. This page sets out what has been published and what follows from it.
The Nose You Are Up Against
A whitetail deer smells far better than a person does. Duane Diefenbach of Penn State’s Deer-Forest Study puts the comparison at up to 297 million olfactory receptors in a white-tailed deer against about 5 million in a human. Whatever you do about your scent, you are trying to fool an animal built to detect it.
What Has Actually Been Tested
Not much - and the same Penn State article summarizes what there is:
- Scent-adsorbing suits. In a study with search dogs, a person hid under one of ten cardboard boxes for ten minutes, in 21 trials wearing a scent-adsorbing suit and 21 in ordinary clothes. The researcher found no evidence that the suit made the person harder for the dogs to find.
- Scent-neutralizing sprays. In a study of predation on dummy nests, treating with a scent-neutralizing agent had no effect on how often the nests were found.
- Scent masking on trail cameras. One study found some evidence that deer were detected more often at cameras set up with scent-masking measures - at one of its two sites, and not at the other.
Diefenbach’s conclusion for hunters: save your dollars. The technology cannot make a human undetectable to a deer.
None of these studies tested every product on the shelf, and makers do not publish independent trials of their own. So the fair statement is not “nothing works” but “nothing has been shown to work”.
Wind First
No product changes this: a deer directly downwind of you will smell you, and a deer upwind or well crosswind usually will not. Everything else is at the margin.
- Choose the stand for the day’s wind, not the day’s hopes.
- Have more than one stand, for different winds.
- Plan the walk in so that your scent does not blow across where you expect deer.
- Check the wind on the stand with a puff of powder or a bit of milkweed fluff, and be willing to climb down and move.
If you treat scent control as a substitute for this, you will see fewer big game animals, whatever you spend.
The Product Categories
Sprays. Sold as odor adsorbers, enzyme or antimicrobial treatments, and cover scents. The published test of a neutralizing agent found no effect. They are cheap; do not expect them to change the result.
Carbon and other odor-adsorbing clothing. The search-dog study above is the direct test, and it found no benefit. If you already own a suit, wearing it does no harm.
Cover and attractant scents. Rules on deer urine and other natural attractants vary by state - some restrict them because of chronic wasting disease - so read your regulations before buying.
Ozone units. These release ozone, which reacts with odor molecules. We found no independent published field test showing that an ozone unit keeps deer from detecting a hunter. There is, however, a clear health caution. The US Environmental Protection Agency says that relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation, and that at concentrations within public health standards ozone has little potential to remove contaminants. If you use one, follow the maker’s instructions exactly, never run it in a closed blind, vehicle or room with people or dogs inside, and keep it away from your face.
A Routine That Costs Almost Nothing
None of this is proven to fool a deer. All of it is cheap, harmless and keeps strong foreign smells - smoke, fuel, fried food, perfume - off your gear:
- Wash hunting clothes in unscented detergent and dry them outdoors.
- Store them in a clean tote or bag, away from the kitchen and the garage.
- Shower with unscented soap before you go.
- Change into hunting clothes and boots at the vehicle, not at home.
- Wear rubber boots for the walk in if the ground allows; they are easy to rinse.
- Dress lightly for the walk and add layers on the stand, so that you arrive dry and not sweating.
- Then hunt the wind.
FAQ
Do scent-eliminating sprays work? The one published test of a scent-neutralizing agent found no effect on detection. Nothing published shows they hide a hunter from deer.
Is carbon clothing worth it? In a controlled test with search dogs, a scent-adsorbing suit made no measurable difference.
Are ozone units safe? Ozone irritates the lungs; the EPA lists chest pain, coughing and shortness of breath at relatively low amounts. Do not breathe it, and do not use a unit in an enclosed space with people or animals.
Do deer urine and other attractants work? We know of no controlled test to cite. Check your state’s rules first - several restrict natural urine products.
What does work? Playing the wind, staying still, and not being where the deer expects trouble.
Conclusion
Put your effort into wind and stand placement, keep your gear clean for the price of a box of unscented detergent, and treat the rest as optional. The evidence does not support spending heavily on scent control.
Recommended Gear on Amazon
- Scent eliminator spray - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
- Scent-free detergent - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
- Scent control storage bag - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
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