When September begins, Randy Birdsong and Nate Hosie of Headhunters TV head West, starting the engine on another action-packed hunting season.
No matter if it is a screaming bull elk or an early-season whitetail, once the Headhunters TV guys start, they never let off the throttle until late January. They make several stops along their way, fueling their passion for chasing big game.
To be successful in getting close to big game like the Headhunters TV guys, one must have a strict scent elimination system, one that, even when being on the road for months at a time, can still destroy odors and keep them gone.
Most hunters know to get close to elk or a mature whitetail buck successfully, proper scent control is vital. The Headhunters TV crew agrees and is noted for taking their scent control to the max. To help other hunters reach the same success, I sat down with Headhunters TV co-host Nate Hosie to see what helps him remain scent-free while on the road and when hunting.
“Everywhere we go, we try the best we can as deer hunters to remain scent-free as possible; ScentLok gives us the ability to do that,” says Hosie. Like many hunters, Hosie says the first step in destroying unwanted odors from their clothing is to wash all their clothing. “We wear ScentLok clothing that contains carbon alloy technology,” says Hosie. Carbon alloy is a proprietary technology that takes activated carbon, treated carbon, and zeolite to absorb the body’s odors. It then pulls in and traps odors until it is reactivated in the dryer.
When traveling, Hosie says that he packs multiple sets of hunting clothing. “If I am flying, I like to take my ScentLok Swat Travel Bag with two complete sets of clothing,” says Hosie. “If it is early, I will pack the lightweight Savanna and maybe like a Full Season Elements, as the season progresses, I will add in a warmer garment for those cooler temperatures,” added Hosie. By having two sets of clothing, Hosie is well prepared for any weather and different temperature ranges.
When traveling with multiple sets of hunting garments, the question becomes, how does one keep all gear scent-free? “If I have the ability, before leaving for a hunt, I wash all my clothing and then activate it in the dryer to assure all my clothing is scent-free,” says Hosie. He then added that he keeps everything in a scent tote when he is on the road until it is time to hunt. “By keeping everything in a tote, I am keeping all my gear away from any foreign odors, whether it be in camp, etc.,” says Hosie. “If I am at a house or lodge, I keep my gear separate, for example, in a garage next to the house.” Before the hunt, Hosie’s scent control goal is to keep all garments and gear away and separate, then he activates clothing in a dryer randomly or when available on the road.
“It’s pretty straight across the board on the scent elimination process when we get to the field. We pay attention to the wind, dress in the field, use odor-eliminating sprays, and we rely on ScentLok clothing to keep us scent-free throughout the entire hunt,” says Hosie. “Our ScentLok clothing has never let us down and has helped us to be proven deadly in the field. We are truly blessed to be a part of the ScentLok team,” says Hosie.
For several years Hosie has been using ScentLok clothing as a significant part of his scent control regimen. “I remember the first time I hunted Iowa; there was a 150’s 10-pointer who had swooping brow tines, so he was very recognizable. After hitting my rattling antlers at daylight, shortly after I could see a big buck coming in, I knew it was him,” states Hosie. “He walked right into our wind and ended up at 20 yards, he then stood there, bobbing his head trying to catch our wind, but he never did. I ended up making a good shot on him. He ran about 80 yards and crashed. On that hunt, there was no other explanation for that deer not smelling us while spending time at 20 yards, downwind except for that the ScentLok clothing did its job as always,” says Hosie.
