it's funny how when you are home you have all the time in the world to get to the potty, but when up in a tree bundled up in clothes and in a harness you sometimes have 30 seconds before your bowels explode. I've had to practicaly jump out of the stand before and franticaly rip clothes off to make it in time,lol. I always carry a little plastic hand spade/trowell to bury my bussiness, wish more would do the same. had a guy I hunted with a few times who had IBS and left a trail of tp thru the woods. no matter what you do you're gonna leave scent, don't overthink it, just work the wind. a little cover scent couldn't hurt. and don't touch every branch you walk by with your bare hands, that leaves a lot of scent.
As for me and alot of folks that will stalk pigs its a good practice to be as scent free as possible. Stalking you cant always be downwind. I use the scent free soap(with a scent) the night before a hunt and keep my clothes in a large bin after being washed in Scent free detergent. I will sometimes throw in a scent wafer(dirt smell) into the bin. I feel at least I am doing something to help control the situation.
On a scale of 1-10 of being a scent fanatic, I am about a 7. Early season, the wind swirls so badly you simply cannot "hunt the wind". Keep a wind indicator in your pocket and check it every 15 minutes, you'll see what I mean. It will blow every compass direction
Once mid October hits and we get some cold fronts, then the wind will stabilize and blow a steady direction most of the day. Nowadays, everyone has a smartphone. There are plenty of apps to show the weather, wind direction, speed, and even down to the hourly forecast. There is NO reason for anyone to leave camp and not know what the wind is going to do...and be able to hunt your stands accordingly
I have a scent regimen I go thru and, for me anyways, it works..2 years of sticking to it religiously, and (to my knowledge) I have not had a deer bust me. Matter of fact, I have taken video of deer down wind of me this season
I wash my clothes in All, Free & clear laundry soap and the scent free dryer sheets in the dryer. they then go in a plastic bin and I run my log6 ozone machine for a 30 minute cycle and leave it closed till I get dressed in the morning. I even throw my boots in there and my fanny pack if I have room. I also leave my boots int he back of my truck and wear crocks to and from the woods. I put my boots on when I get out of the truck. NEVER...pull into a gas station and pump gas with the boots on you are going to hunt in
Before I walk in the woods I spray down with scent a way. I swear by the stuff
