Hello all.....  My wife and I are Associate Sponsors here on Trad Gang and you can visit us under the Sponsor classifieds tab.  We are conducting a poll to see what type(s) of soap (cover scents) would be of interest to Traditional Bowhunters.  Our current offering is a camo soap that is a combination of fir, cedar and oak moss.  Other past offerings have included unscented, Vanilla and Anise.

We are looking to you all to share what scents would be of interest?

Here in Mississippi I have used and had real good luck with pine scent. I normally pull pine needles off as I walk by them. I rub my clothing with the needle. It is amazing how strong the Pine scent is. I have also used cedar, but cedar is getting scarce in Mississippi.

I would go for beaver castor and muskrat musk. These would also act as curiosity scents. The wives would love the rat musk, not so much on the castor!

I have used cedar, pine, vanilla, anise, clove, garlic, fresh earth, acorn, persimmon, fox urine, skunk essence, and others I don't recall. I have had very mixed results. The only times I have had deer really come busting in on me were young animals. Acorns, persimmon and similar smells have only seemed to work during the time these items were in season. Garlic is the only product that I have seen deer follow with their noses really stuck to the ground. It does also attract yellow jackets, though. (Oddly, I have had some people tell me that garlic tended to deter deer.) Rut related products have had the same results.

If I were making scents for sale I would concentrate on food smells and natural earth scents. Would this work in soaps?

Apple

vanilla is my favorite

Appreciate the input we are receiving.  Keep the input coming!

Dog in heat. I'm a little different.

Thumper, you'd best be watching your back track if you wash in Dog in Heat soap just in case someones Great Dane gets off the chain. Just saying.

Funny Thumper!  Better watch out though, I see some wolves are finally establishing a pack in CA!

Out west here, I like sage as much as anything.  Sage and Juniper.

Early bow season here in Pa. , I'll grab a handful of goldenrod on the way to stand and crush the flowers against my clothing, seems to work and last, course I'm lucky no allergies.

I've used HS scent wafferss for years and had great luck, animals actually come from down wind when the smell them.

NL,
You're more lucky there must not be any chiggers in central Pa, lol!

Here in CA, I usually grab a handfull of sage and rub it on me and stick some in my pockets. If I have enough thought to grab some, I usually throw some pine or fir needles in the bag I keep my hunting clothes in.

So... I would say sage and/or pine/fir

I would suggest researching different areas and market to that area. For instance, CA mountians could be sage and pine, while CA valley could be just sage or sage and oak.

Other areas/states find the local fragrant flaura and market the combos to that area.

Always cut some pine up and throw it in with my clothes or store my clothes in the corn bags I use to feed deer in my yard, I'd say either of those scents....a subtle pine could be great.

Any will work if you stay reasonably clean and down-wind.

I tend to agree with Jim but I can't help but run safe on myself, even though my logical side tells me I'm wasting my time..

its not to keep them from smelling you but to dilute your smell enough that they think its been awhile since you were there..

QuoteOriginally posted by Thumper Dunker:
Dog in heat. I'm a little different.

Thumper Dunker, now was that the Eastern Coyote or the Western Coyote that you preferred??    

Appreciate all of the input.... Keep it coming!!!

I agree that being clean is the most important aspect of "fooling" an animals nose, which is the whole reason we got into making all natural soaps (no animal by products), which not only clean but provide a hint of cover scent (more for clothing/packs/etc.).

Curious... anyone out there that has tried our soap want to share their input?