ALS Enterprises, Inc., owners and marketer of the Scent-Lok^® brand of scent control hunting apparel, has claimed a major victory in the long-standing class action lawsuit that challenged the products’ ability to control human odor.  After four years of litigation, which was brought by a group of five Minnesota hunters, a federal appeals court issued its decision on August 18, rejecting plaintiffs’ core allegations and overturning an injunction issued last year.

 

Among other things, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit noted that evidence introduced in the district court showed that carbon-containing hunting clothing dramatically outperformed non-carbon clothing at adsorbing odors:  “Defendants’ expert, Dr. Hartman, conducted quantitative permeation testing and estimated that Defendants’ products ‘blocked’ ninety-six to ninety-nine percent of odor compounds, whereas non-carbon garments blocked only five to fifty-five percent.”

 

The Eighth Circuit also ruled that ALS’s use of the terms “odor eliminating” and “reactivation” in describing its products was not literally false, and that the district court had erred in basing “its determination of literal falsity on the most absolute of competing dictionary definitions of the word ‘eliminate.’”  In support, the Court noted that “Defendants introduced evidence of substantial customer satisfaction with ALS’s Scent-Lok^® products, as well as evidence that, when those products first came on the market in the early 1990’s, numerous soaps, powders, and cover sprays were being marketed to deer hunters as ‘odor-eliminating’ products.”

 

The Court also ruled that “Plaintiffs led the district court into error” in entering an injunction, and ordered the dismissal of all claims for injunctive relief because “Plaintiffs failed to prove both the requisite irreparable injury and their core allegations that Defendants’ use of the terms ‘odor eliminating’ and ‘reactivation’ were literally false.”

 

Scent-Lok^® president and inventor of activated-carbon hunting apparel, Greg Sesselmann, commented:  “We are gratified by the decision.  It gives me great satisfaction that our products continue to provide hunters the ability to get close to wildlife and experience the beauty of nature like never before.  At the same time, we are saddened at the burden that this lawsuit has caused our team members and their families, as well as the frustration that our retailers, field staff and sales rep organizations have experienced.  We thank all of those who have stood beside us in this fight, especially our ultimate customers—people who have purchased Scent-Lok^® gear and know that it works.”

 

“Customers have never needed an attorney to get total satisfaction from our company.”  Sesselmann remarked.  “Our satisfaction level is extremely high and, based on the unsolicited testimonials that we receive and our own experience in the field, we know that Scent-Lok^® products are highly effective at reducing odors.  On behalf of our retail partners, we remain focused on making the best hunting apparel in the world.”

 

As hunters we are always excited about hunting a new place for the first time.  For me, that trip was to Northern British Columbia.  For the first time ever I got to go north of the border to chase black bear from the ground on a spot and stalk hunt.

With the new release of the Scent-Lok Head Hunter suit, I figured there was no better way to break that joker in than with a little yogi hunting!  My intention’s for the trip were to spot and stalk a bear within bow range. I soon realized though with the dry noisy conditions that we were faced with that wasn’t going to happen. On a normal year, British Columbia is very wet, but for some reason we could not buy a rainstorm to help quit things down. We tried everything that we could but it seemed like about 75 yards was as close as we could get.

On the third day of the hunt we got within 20 yards of being able to get off a shot on a big color phase chocolate. Back at camp that night I sat around thinking about how close we came and how much I would really like to take a big color phase bear home with me, but I thought my chances were slim to none to ever lay eyes on that bear again. Luckily for me, not so lucky for him, we found the exact same bear the very next day but it was the same story.  We crawled once again in to about 70 yards and the bear heard us coming and instantly spooked. As the bear stopped at 125 yards up the hill the guide slid me over his .378 Weatherby and we instantly evened the playing field. I settled in and squeezed the trigger. Long story short, that beautiful color phase bear that I had my sights set on is going to look real nice in my trophy room.

 

Like many areas, the fall brings the rut. However, Southern California has one of the earliest rut periods for any cervid this side of the hundredth parallel. The deer here are called Pacific Hybrids, small in stature at about 140 lbs. on the hoof fully mature with racks tending to be more remiss for a Sitka blacktail than a muley. None the less, they are just as cunning. The mountains in which they inhabit are just as big as any of their Western cousins, with cavernous canyons and thick choked slopes where the median temperature tends to run about 95 degrees or better during the season opener. The distinct advantage archers have in hunting hybrids comes with the rut and with it comes a time when the bucks are out and about seeking estrous does. This magical time can begin in late September and extend all the way through November.

The hunt began after a steep hike up a spine to a good glassing area. My Scentlok Full-Season pants kept me quiet moving brush aside and my Savanna Bomber Jacket keeping the cold out as dry oak leaves crack beneath my boot soles. The smell of laurel permeated the air. It was fall and the hunt had been going in various regions of Southern California now for the past three months. The poison oak was bright orange and red and if you’re not careful it will have you wishing you were more cautious when you’re getting aggressive on a stalk deep into a hybrids lair.
Perched from my lookout, I began to pick apart the valley below. After switching positions a couple times to get better angles, I found a glint of antler bobbing up and down. The beautiful buck was flehming; raising his head up and down chasing two does at about 1000 yards out. He was a decent buck considering the lack of water leading to poor growth this year. What made him stand out was the fact that he was a four by four. In hybrid terms a four by four is like a winning lotto ticket, extremely rare and the chances of getting one is slim to none.

I made my way to where I last saw him. The sun was already beating down and not much stirred aside from a couple surrounding birds echoing thought the canyon. I eased over each fold in front of me as if on cue that I would need to make a quick shot at close range. After putting an imaginary sneak on the last three folds in the land, I caught his antler tips bedded up ahead across the short steep cut. He was facing me so I carefully positioned myself behind a scrub oak bush. After a quick inspection of the lay of the land, it was easy to see this was as close as I would be able to get without kicking him out.

Ranging him at 43 yards, I felt extremely confident that I could make good on the opportunity. I eased an arrow from my quiver and pulled it tight to the bowstring. As the buck shook his head from an insect that was pestering him, I took the moment to slide out from my cover giving me an even 60 yard shot. As I drew back, he caught my movement and focused on my position still in his bed. I focused in and released the arrow. I watched my arrow arch slightly and fall perfectly into his heart. He never got up from his bed, but rather solicited his final throws where he lay from a perfect shot. I ran up to him and held his perfect four point rack, admiring all that he was. I remember being amazed at how small his body actually was, maybe 120 pounds on the hoof. After packing him into my trusty Badlands pack, I began the trek out, extremely fulfilled on yet another awesome trip into the California Mountains.

Well we were finally able to make it up to the cabin in Northern Michigan this past weekend. Good friends Bobby Helms, John West and my brother Joe were with me as we set out on our annual pilgrimage to target arguably the gamiest fish in any body of water, the smallmouth bass. After crossing the mighty Mackinaw Bridge followed by a short ferry ride, we arrived at our destination with just enough time to gear up and head out to the lake for a few hours before dark. Little did we know that it would be the prelude to the best fishing trip any of us have ever had! We proceeded to catch in the upwards of 120 smallies in the next couple days before returning on Monday. The fish were aggressive and on the prowl to say the least. The bite included spinnerbaits, tubes, topwater plugs, senko’s and a couple on a flyrod, one pushing 6lbs. Thanks to my brother and my good friends for making the trip so memorable. Not only was the fishing excellent, but as any outdoorsman knows, the camaraderie is what takes any trip to the next level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Wiseman

Scent-Lok Technologies

Merchandising Manager

Every now and then it seems like I find a real gem of a hunting location. Sometimes it’s in a location that you never expected. A place that you find that doesn’t break the bank, yet has all of the ingredients for another great hunting adventure.

Rush Creek Adventures lies in the rich and abundant Platte River watershed in western Nebraska. With some twenty miles of access along this breadbasket of farm, ranch, grasslands and cottonwood bottom land, the area is a giant magnet for mulies, whitetail deer, antelope, and even a few elk in the upper elevations.

Our adventure this spring was a Merriam turkey hunt for three of us from Scent-Lok headquarters. We all love spring turkey hunting almost as much as we love chasing whitetails and mulies, so when our close friends at Cabela’s invited us for a hunt we jumped at the chance. What we experienced got us all excited about booking some future hunts with Miles and his team.

Trees are sometimes scarce in this part of Nebraska, but one look at the area surrounding the Platte river and there was little doubt that we’d be able to roost a few birds for the first day hunt. Miles and his son Jeff had done all of the prep work so we had nothing but high hopes as we headed out at 4:30 AM. I couldn’t believe that the sun was already starting to light the eastern sky at that hour.

On the first day, three of us killed our Merriam. Mine came at the same time that Don Douglas with Cabela’s shot his bird, exactly 5:35 AM! Mike Riddle of Cabela’s dropped a bird later in the morning. That left two hunters to go on day two and after a blustery rain squall during the night; Norm Langlois our VP of Sales scored and our third man missed at 30 yards. All in all we should have easily tagged 100% by the second day.

Thanks to Miles Fiscus for the great help and hard work. We’ll be checking calendars soon and planning something to get us back to Rush Creek again soon!

Mike Andrews

VP of Marketing Scent-Lok Technologies

 

One of the greatest things about working in the outdoor industry, particularly for Scent-Lok, is the family atmosphere it has. If anything good or bad happens to one of us we all seem to share the joy or burden one way or another. Ours is definitely a business where everyone cares a great deal for each other and I know I feel extremely lucky to take part in that comradery.

Here is a story about one of Scent-Lok’s own that really hits home and we are all behind him as he persevered through his struggles. It is amazing the power hunting has. It can lift the soul and shed light on our hearts at the darkest of times. This story is a perfect example of what hunting can do for people and how time spent in the outdoors is the greatest medicine of all.

Matt Katzfuss is a sales rep. for Scent-Lok that loves this industry and the outdoors as much as anyone. In fact, the only thing he loves more than the outdoors is his family. When we learned that his family had suffered a loss and another big scare all in the same week, we all gave our thoughts and prayers out to the Katzfuss family.

Here is a letter from Matt:

“We had to say goodbye to a very close member of the family Monday. We lost our 10 year old lab Copper. We were all very close to her and she will always hold a special place in our hearts. Many of my memories in the outdoors are with her. It won’t be often that I step outside and not think of a beautiful chocolate lab running around loving life. That same week, just four days later, I came dangerously close to losing my dad. He was rushed to the ER Friday morning after fainting and collapsing into bed. They quickly determined he had an abdominal aneurysm that had ruptured and needed immediate surgery. The doctor told us his condition was very grave and that we needed to prepare for the worst. I was in total shock. First Copper on Monday and now my dad on Friday.

With the odds stacked against him, my dad thankfully pulled through. The surgeons where able to repair the artery with a stint and the procedure could not have gone better. My mom’s quick thinking to call 911 and the fact that the rupture was partially contained by connective tissue saved my dad’s life. I am happy to report he is doing well and should make a full recovery.

With my dad on the mend, I decided to hit the turkey woods with a close friend Easter morning to try and lift my spirits. It was great to be out in nature and watch the sun break over the horizon. My friend had a plan and put us in the perfect location. As we waited patiently in the dark, the roosted turkey gobbles told us we were close. After hens pitched down right behind the blind, we knew it wouldn’t be long before the ol’ tom showed up. It was like he read the script, and within five minutes we caught him moving through the field right toward us. He was in full strut, with his bright blue head in magnificent contrast to the earth tone surroundings. At 30 yards, I held tight on him remembering to breath and squeezed the trigger, making a clean kill. My Easter gobbler weighed in at 24 pounds and had a 10 inch beard!

It was an awesome hunt and as I gave a silent prayer to the turkey, I gave thanks to God for a successful hunt, for a beautiful morning and for all that he does even if we don’t always understand why. I prayed for Copper and gave thanks for the 10 great years with her. I also gave thanks for the second chance with my father. It was one long week, maybe the hardest of my entire life. Although saddened by Copper’s loss, the fact I still have my dad after we were so close to losing him, still has me elated. There is no doubt I have gained in strength and character. I have a renewed appreciation for life and those that are important to me. The sunrise this morning was a little brighter, my son’s smile a little more touching and I don’t think I have ever held him tighter. Just when things are going great, life has a way of turning on you when you’re least expecting it. I know it did to me and I just give thanks to all my family and friends for all their support and prayers.”

Thanks Matt for reminding all of us how important it is to cherish those dear to us each and every day. We are proud to have Matt in the Scent-Lok family and we will all continue to pray and wish his father a speedy recovery. Matt’s Easter turkey is a clear testament to the fact that hunting can give you strength when you need it most. So let’s hit the woods and get some of that outdoor therapy!

Alex Gyllstrom
Scent-Lok Technologies

GET CLOSE. GO UNDETECTED

Check out LaCrosse Footwear’s and good friend Justin Behnke’s huge CA boar he took with his stick and string! The Scent-Lok Savanna and BaseSlayers along with a well executed shot were a deadly combination once again!

“Practicing good scent control is very important and will increase your success in the field. Thanks to my Scent-Lok Savanna gear in Mossy Oak Infinity along with my LaCrosse rubber boots, I was able to arrow this Northern California boar. I had worked my way into bow range on a group of hogs, but had to wait four hours for the perfect shot on the boar I wanted. After standing, kneeling and dealing with swirling winds, I was presented with a 35 yard quartering away shot and put my arrow exactly where I wanted to. Again, thanks to my Scent-Lok gear and LaCrosse rubber boots I was virtually scent free from head to toe and was able to harvest my best boar to date.” -Justin Behnke

You guys have to check this out! We just picked up a new show this year “Respect Outdoors” with Robert Arrington. This guy and his crew take “extreme” to a whole new level. Robert chases everything from sharks to elk with everything from a spear to a high powered rifle. There is nothing he won’t try once. Here is a perfect example of what I am talking about. Check this video out where Robert hand line’s a huge grouper!

Other than the typical “good morning” greeting that passes around the office from person to person, we received another greeting this morning that came as a surprise. We received a notice and release form from the national network Spike TV that our product was appearing on an upcoming episode of “Coal”. “Coal” is a new show on Spike TV that premiered back in March. It is a reality based show that features the lifestyles and work experience of real coal miners. According to the producers there is a hunting segment on an upcoming episode with a member of the cast in Scent-Lok. These boys are without a doubt the definition of a true blue all American worker. It is a great feeling to see hard working guys trust their time spent in the woods to Scent-Lok.

Make sure you are one of the millions tuning in to watch Spike TV’s Coal on Wednesday April 20 at 10:00 PM EST and get to see Scent-Lok on the tube in something other than a hunting show.

Check out Spike’s new series Coal

Have you ever been to a place or in an environment that had a certain feeling about it? Like maybe your favorite baseball or football stadium. As soon as you walk through the gates you just get a feeling that there is something special in the air. You may not be able to really explain it, but something is powerful, special and different. Pike County, IL is one of these special places.

We had the privilege of spending the last couple days hanging out with the Whitetail Properties team in the heart of the Midwest. We shot a bunch of video, interviews and took some great pictures for our website, ads, etc. Even though we are business partners because we sponsor their TV show, it felt more like we were spending time with close friends. You would be hard pressed to find a group of people that showed more kindness and generous hospitality.
We stayed at Missouri land agent Jason Cleveland’s beautiful house outside of Pittsfield, IL in the heart of Pike County. After filming and photographing various land agents from the Whitetail Properties TV show we all hung out, ate some delicious steaks and just relaxed with a cold drink.

In our line of work we are truly blessed to get to live and travel to the most premier hunting environments and destinations in the country. Even though we aren’t strangers to awesome Midwest whitetail hunting habitat, there is just something special about Pike County, IL. The whole time we were there it was almost like deer season never really ended. We all sat around at night telling deer stories from the past season. We laughed until we nearly cried at jokes, experiences in the stand, misses and everything else that goes with a hunting camp. It was strange, I often found myself thinking that we would soon start discussing where we were all going to sit for the next day’s hunt only to look outside and see that it was spring and deer season was months away.

It was a true pleasure to have met people in the heart of whitetail country that were just like us. One person in particular really sticks out in my mind. A neighbor of Jason’s stopped by one afternoon to see what this different truck, meaning our truck, in Jason’s drive way was all about. He was one of those old timers that had been hunting before most of us were even alive. Once he found out who we were and why we were there the stories started rolling. His stories and past experiences had us hanging on every word as he told us about all kinds of hunts he had been on with his long and recurve bows. He quickly shuffled out to his truck and grabbed a big stack of pictures from hunts over the years. It was truly one of the highlights of my trip to get to talk to this old timer and hear everything he had done and all the animals he had taken over the years with his traditional bows.
Whitetail Properties slogan is “Dreams to Reality”. This couldn’t be more fitting. Having spent time with the team and seeing how dedicated and passionate they are to finding the best piece of property that fits each specific client was truly a special experience. They had certainly made one of my dreams of spending time in Pike County, IL trading hunting stories with great people become a reality and a memory I will cherish for years to come.