To those of you that have made a guille siut, how do you get that "Patrolium" smell out of it? I have left this thing outside for 3 months, and still smell it. any thoughts?
It won't bother the deer. Did you try some Dead Down Wind spray etc.?
had mine for a yr now...the thing still smells. it bothers you more than the deer. you can use whatever scent elimintor you want on the market but you will never remove enough of your human odor for a deer not to detect you. if anything the suit smells but it doesnt smell "human". for what its worth, i left mine in a bushel of apples for about 2 weeks and it helped some.
I turn mine inside out and wash it in the washing machine on gentle cycle. Turning it inside out will keep the "loose ends" from fraying and coming apart. I wash it in regular unscented sportsman detergent, rinse with baking soda and hang it out to dry.
hang it in the sun upside down to spread the fibers and air out. I hunt in the west so I use sage, after it hangs in the sun, put it in a large plastic container with local vegetation-sage-I leave mine in the box year round. As i walk by throughout the year i shake it or turn it over. I'll make the last weekend of our deer season next weekend, and I'll smell just like the ground i hunt on.
Put a couple charcoal briquettes in the bag with them. It should absorb the smell after awhile. I know someone who did that with clothes after a house fire.
I wish my ghillie smelled like diesel! Where I hunt, which is land owned by a timber company, as soom as the loggers, chain saws, and skidders get done cutting, the deer come out to investigate!
They can't resist the smell of diesel and fresh disturbed ground. It really arouses their curiousity!
I wouldn't worry about it too much, hang it out in the fresh air and like pete said, "it doesn't smell human"
John
Jerry,
I have a former active duty Marine Corps buddy who makes them. He burries them in the garden for a couple of months then hangs them in a tree. After that he just keeps them in a scent proof bag. If they need "refreshing" they go back in the garden.
I have a Rancho Safari ghillie. I use warm water, baking soda and a VERY little sport wash in a laundry tub. Swish it around and let it sit for a bit. Rinse it good and hang dry on a tree limb. I store mine in a dry bag with some branches off a red cedar and a couple of the "dirt smell" scent wafers.
OkKeith
I learned the trade in the Corps as well. Bury is a great strategy, and i do use baking soda too. These are all good ways to reduce the odor-reading the wind is key.
To remove the stink of skunk spray from the fur of a dog, you'd soak the dog's fur in several cans of tomato juice for 10-20 minutes. If tomato juice can remove the odor of a skunk from dog fur, I'd think it would work on ghillie material.
I think the dog routine is to first wash in soap and water followed by a rinse and then the tomato juice soak. Rinse after the first soak to judge success. Continue the cycle of soak and rinse until all odor is gone.
I think the ghillie is a double edged sword. A ghillie designed for crawling or a ghillie designed for a fixed position may be a poor choice as a ghillie for an upright stalk. Being stationary with little to no movement, you may very well blend into the surroundings. Attempting to cover ground in an upright manner, you may look like some sort of swamp predator creature which would clear every prey animal out of the county you're in. When you add to this that you may become a snag on everything odor wick, you may have second thoughts on the ghillie except for certain hunting situations.
I've used one for an ambush situation with limited available concealment, but I generally have available natural concealment which I utilize instead of the ghillie. I find the best approach is to utilize your position to include the ghillie in a manner that you do not look like a predator ready to pounce. Even if you look like a bush, if you are in a predator animal stalking crouch, you'll probably look like a monster bush to the prey. They seem to have this sixth sense.
Daddy Bear
I put six "earth scent" wafers in a scent tight bag with my ghille and it covers up all other smells and leaves nothing but a strong dirt smell behind.
Geez, after reading about Ghillies I'm not sure if after I bought one I'd want to wear it, beat it, eat it, shoot it, bury it or throw it away! Whatever happened to 'stay clean and watch the wind', lol.
:rolleyes: :eek: :scared: :biglaugh:
I do watch the wind, religiously. I just perfer to reduce my scent as much as possible when I can!
A ghillie is really no panacea for under-developed hunting skills. I use mine for mostly sit and wait type of situations. I rarely use it when stalking. I am 6'5" and 270lbs. My ghilllie, although very light, really adds to my bulk. I have enough trouble beeing sneaky without appearing even bigger than I am.
Basicly, it is a highly portable, wearable blind. I have even hunted large prairie pastures (in excess of 1,000 acres of nothing but grass, not a single tree) with my ghillie. We dig holes deep enough to put our legs in, with nothing but the waist up showing. This puts most of the grass about chin high.
It is not that tough to keep the ghillie clean and as scent free as any other hunting clothes. I think they are hard to beat for what they are designed for.
If you are still having trouble getting the smell out, stuff it in a pillow case and throw it in the washing machine. Run it through a coulple of times with some sport wash. Then hang it in a tree to dry. If you live in town and are worried about those type smells, put it in the dryer with one of the dirt smell drier sheets.
Good Hunting!
OkKeith
I have had a burlap g-suit for over 10 years and it still has the smell. I had it hanging outside for about 3 years straight. Not nearly as bad as when I first got it but it's there. I had a doe almost run into me while I was standing in some tall grass on the edge of a cornfield once. I actually turn completely around very slowly with her eyes on me at about 6-8 feet away. I then drew on her 3 times but didnt shoot. They are very effective.
Whump Sez; Here is a trade secret from the Whumpster for free. Procure a plastic garbage can large enough to hold your suit----add about 2 inches of alphalfa pellets to the can---drop in your suit and store it there when not in use The odor stays on the cloth for long periods of time and makes a good natural cover scent. Hunt safe.