Scent Control: Pay Attention to Your Feet

By: Heath Wood

A big part of any successful hunter’s scent-control regimen involves what they wear into the field. Activated carbon clothing, scent-control detergents, sprays, and the use of ozone products can destroy a lot of unwanted odors that might otherwise cause a deer to spook when hunting. Unfortunately, hunters often forget about – or don’t pay enough attention to – a critical part of their body. I’m talking about feet; forget about yours, and they can easily sabotage your hunt.

It’s no secret that feet can stink. They often sweat inside your footwear and create an abundance of odor-causing bacteria. Those smells can escape from the tops of your boots with every step you take, or every subtle move you make while on stand. Additionally, the soles and outsides of your boots are in direct contact with the ground and vegetation, so they have the potential to constantly transfer odors to the hunting environment.

Follow these three steps for controlling odors on your feet and boots, and you’ll improve your odds of beating a whitetail’s nose.

Keep Them Clean

Minimizing foot odor starts with keeping them clean. Shower before the hunt with a quality odor-destroying soap and don’t forget to pay special attention to your feet. Developed from over 25 years of advanced molecular science, ScentLok’s 4X Liquid Body Soap prevents, neutralizes, and destroys odors while cleaning your skin.

Keep your boots clean, too. Hunters routinely wash all their hunting clothing in scent-controling detergents, yet fail to do the same to their hunting boots. Try washing your boots with the same 4X Liquid Body Soap you shower with. This soap will wash away the dirt, getting them clean and deodorized prior to storing them before the hunt. After they dry entirely, I spray them down – including the interiors – with the OZ NFuse Ozone Sprayer.

Use Ozone Storage

After your boots are clean and deodorized, it is crucial to store them where no odors can get until it is time to hunt.

A lot of hunters use duffel bags like the OZ Chamber 8K Bag to store all their clothes, including boots, until it is time to hunt. These bags are great at destroying and trapping odors using activated carbon and ozone. I run a cycle of ozone through my bag after each hunt, before each hunt, and again, just moments before hunting.

Recently, I have become a massive fan of the OZ Renew and Gear Chamber portable ozone closet to keep all my clothing fresh and deodorized throughout the entire season. The Gear Chamber provides ample space for hanging clothing and storing accessories, and also includes compartments on the side made exclusively for boots. There is room for two pair, and the included boot pucks fit into the boots to distribute odor-destroying ozone inside. This sturdy, portable system destroys odors while keeping all your hunting apparel and gear organized and fresh until you’re ready to hunt.

Dress in the Field

When you get into your vehicle to drive to your hunting location, it’s full of odors from dirt, sweat, food, colognes, pets – you name it. Try smelling the floor of your vehicle and see how bad it smells. You can greatly reduce the amount of odors in your vehicle by keeping the interior clean and regularly cycling a portable ozone generator like the OZ Radial EZ or OZ Radial Nano inside. Even so, do not wear your hunting clothes or footwear on your way to the field. Keep all your hunting clothing – including your hunting socks and boots – in the OZ Chamber 8k Bag until ready to hunt. Wear comfortable street clothes and shoes in your vehicle, then dress outside of the vehicle. Dressing in the field ensures no odors from your vehicle are transferred to clothing, boots, or gear before heading to the stand or blind. Don’t forget fresh socks! I keep at least two pairs of ScentLok socks – which use silver alloy technology to destroy odor and prevent the buildup of odor-causing bacteria – ready to go in my ozone bag at all times. Also, make sure you wear your pants over the tops of your boots. This keeps any foot odor that may develop over the course of the hunt from escaping from the tops of your boots. If you wear activated carbon pants, any odors coming out of the tops of your boots will be trapped inside the carbon in the fabric. After dressing and before heading into the field, spray down entirely with the OZ NFuse ozone sprayer.

When the hunt is through, repeat the process in reverse and run a cyle of ozone over your clothes, boots and gear inside the ozone closet or bag.

Feet are notorious for producing odor, but following the tips provided here will ensure you are doing everything you can to reduce and control foot odor so you keep the upper hand – and foot – in the field.