Scent Control in Africa

[TxAg]

What's the consensus on scent control on an African bowhunt? We'll be hunting over waterholes in blinds.

Obviously, we'll try to play the wind....and I don't totally buy in to all the scent killer gimmicks, but I don't want to smell like sweat/shampoo/smoke or anything else.

Are there any tricks the guides use, or anything I should make sure to bring with me for the trip? Usually when hunting in the states, I use scent free soap and wash my clothes in baking soda, then toss them in a trash bag. Can't quite do that once you're across the pond.

[dennisomfs]

spray scents (the carbon kind) inside the blinds and near openings (if in a solid,enclosed blind) ...it helps.....take the concentrate and add water when there....good luck

[Mike Murphey]

African animals are smart and always use the wind.....when the wind was not correct the outfitter would light dung from a zebra, elephant, rhino..large animals.....

[Thwackmaster]

They lite poo on fire in my experience

[STGS]

Poo fire works well.... Nice & dry zebra poop is the best. Set them end to end in a line and lite the last one. The fire will spread from **** to **** kinda like charcoal.

[Tuffbroadhead]

Just your normal scent precautions will work just fine..

[Tlong]

I noticed the poo trick on tv and was wondering if I could burn some doe dung here in the states if that would work?!

[Bisch]

You may have to tell your PH how you want your clothes washed. I just got back last month and the first time I put my "washed" clothes on I liked to gagged on the detergent smell. I told my PH to tell the wash lady not to use any soap after that and everything was fine. You will want to get the wind right for sure. The first few days we were there a front had blown in and the wind was all screwed up for most of the blinds (most were set up for a prevailing wind). My PH kept telling me to wait for the right weather and when we got it the animals came out of the woodwork. It was awesome.

Bisch

[TxAg]

Thanks for the input guys. I was wondering about the laundry service..now I know.

1 week to go!

[Mudslinger]

To be honest, we did nothing as far as scent control on our trip last Sept. We hunted mainly out of pit blinds (cement and stucco build) with a small shooting window in front and other windows being enclosed with plexiglass. A few times we hunted out of elevated blinds with dark thick netting around the enclosure and never really played the wind as best I could tell. Not much wind while we were there to speak of anyway. We showered daily or twice daily and our clothes were washed everyday, but it did not seem to spook any game. All our PH's were bowhunters and this ranch was bowhunting only, so maybe the detergent was scent free, don't know. When 2 of us shot 17 animals in 10 days, I don't think we had any trouble with scent or spooking game.

[MLank]

roll in the poo