Tips & Tactics

Good Ol’ NaHCO3!

Good Ol’ NaHCO3!

By Michael Morton

As a longtime bowhunter, I’m extremely careful about my scent control. And if you’re like me, you respect a deer’s sense of smell above practically everything else.

You could say I take scent-masking to the extreme, but I don’t believe that’s possible.

I use every modern advancement available as part of my routine, which includes activated-carbon clothing, odor-killer sprays and scent-elimination devices.

These work amazingly well, but there’s one missing ingredient that needs to come out of the cabinet. When I use it in conjunction with all the other available odor-maskers, I feel as if I have done everything humanly possible to fool a deer’s nose.

Good ol’ NaHCO3 has been a part of my hunting gear long before the other things I mentioned were invented. I’m talking about baking soda, of course.

One of the most important ways to use baking soda is to kill stink in one of the most odor-producing areas of the human body: the mouth.

Not only do I brush my teeth with baking soda before the hunt; I also carry a little plastic baggie in my jacket pocket for easy access during the hunt. After I eat anything while in the stand, I swish a pinch or two in my mouth, then rinse and gargle with a little water.

I routinely sprinkle some in my hair and rub a little on my beard during the hunt. And I keep a whole box of Arm & Hammer in my hunting bag for other important purposes.

Before I head to the stand, I dust or smooth it on areas of my body that produce a lot of sweat, therefore, bacteria, therefore odors.

Sprinkling a liberal amount inside my rubber boots is part of my everyday hunting routine. That’s another biggie.

Of course, wind direction is something else I work hard to monitor and use to my advantage. Between that and eliminating my human odors by using modern gear and this timeless favorite, deer rarely bust me.

Old timers, if you’ve omitted baking soda from your gear bag over the years, I hope you’ll consider bringing it back into the fold.

If nothing else, brush your teeth with NaHCO3 and sprinkle it into your boots. Those two places are probably the most overlooked areas for producing lots of stink.

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