I think that I asked this before, and I got replies such as leave your tools, bags, etc... outside for a few weeks to become scent free prior to the season and then from that point on don't touch anything with bare hands. Unfortunately I do not have a barn or lean to type of area where I can do such a thing out of the weather.

So what would you guys think of me washing my bags, tools, containers, etc... in some Dead Down Wind laundry soap and then just sitting them out to dry?

I'm going to guess that most of us throw our bags/buckets in the back of our trucks with all sorts of other critters etc and after a few days even the cleanest bag will surely have succumb to some sort of odor. If you've ever ridden in the box of a pickup truck down the highway as a kid you can definitely attest to the amount of debris from the bed of the truck that gets stirred up, one wet critter on a rainy day probably disperses scent over everything in a hypertechnical aspect. I'd say just keep your stuff as clean as you can (free of blood, lure, bait, etc.) but using special soaps, like someone bow hunting for deer would is not needed. I change out cloth gloves as they get nasty and just do my best to keep my scent off the gear, but you'll never be able to eliminate all odor.

I appreciate it ND. It gets a little overwhelming when people use terms such as "scent free" etc... because that term is relative. Lets be honest, there are so many things that trappers use such as tools and bags that make it almost impossible to do.

That's why I have the questions about this as well as the hardware question that I've asked also. It's pretty much a question of, "Exactly how far do we go with this?"

Perhaps what I'll do since this is my first year and my bags are new, I will just wash it all in a tub with some of that soap, but then from that point on I'll just keep the exposure to bare hands, etc... to a minimum.

Keep foreign oders not trapline related like oils, gas off the tools. Use differnt gloves for remakes is all I do, scent free does not exsist in the animal world. I start out clean but it don't last long..

NO matter how clean you are the critter Is always going to know you were there.

Just dont get oil,gas or something real smelly like that on them and you will be fine.Around here I almost think coyotes associate human scent with food.

I don't have that problem but then again I use a bucket and it stays up front,critters at the back.After a while things become repetitive like baiting gloves stay in coat pocket,set making gloves stay in bucket.If freezing out,the bucket goes in the heated shop over night and rides up front,no frozen urine problems I can remember.The pouches and outside smell like crap but not a problem with tools inside the bucket.

Agreed. Most trappers over think things re coyote and wolf trapping and spend too much time constructing sets leaving a concentration of scent and disturbance. Most of the scent left will be from your body. Coyotes and wolves are very familiar with human scent, wire, cable, and chain debris in the bush from logging etc. Just get in, set and get out as quickly as possible and you will have little problem.

Iv'e had coyotes watch me make sets from a distance, and have one in the set the next day. Some even follow my tracks to sets, some just the opposite.

Tools on the inside of my bag attractors on the outside. When I was avidly bowhunting I had the chance to observe yotes. Some would hit my trail going in with rubber boots, my whole body and boots sprayed down with the latest scent killer. Some would follow, most would stop like they hit a brick wall and vanish. Even if I approach my stands via streams. Some accept our presents as a threat and some don't. Perhaps its not our odor that needs controled..

I used to put most of my stuff in an old duffel bag and put it in my creek, tied off to a good tree.
These days I just leave it outside for a week or two.
Don't know if all this works or not, but it make me feel better... LOL!

I haven't read the replies, but in my opinion you're over thinking it. Keep it simple. Spend that time setting traps even for practice rather than wasting your time washing your tools. There is no such thing as scent free, no matter what someone selling something tells you.

Agree Wade.
I do wax my hammer, trowel head but that's more water-prooding and rust prevention than scent stuff. Have never bought into trying to be all scent free. Of course around here there is a farm or acreage at least every mile or 1/2 mile, and usually less than that. Bits of trash are common with our winter winds. I am not a coyote but I'd wager they must cross paths with LOTS of human scented things all day long around here and most of it never hurts them or causes them to be edgy. Farmers and hunters walking fields, you name it.
Now the truck that suddenly stops on the county road, yes, they run like (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) from that because here that generally will be followed by shooting. But I'd wager the paper coffee cup trash that blew across the field from the nearby highway isn't a concern.
I do my best to be clean at set making, but their noses are way better than ours and if a police dog can track some dude that merely ran through a neighborhood I'm guessing a coyote knows I walked through too. I even set with bare hands if weather is nice and catch coyotes.
We get away with a lot here because that's pretty natural for our area to have human scent everywhere.
Make a set, get out, check it from a distance, and don't mess with it everyday either. That's all I do.
Good luck with your season!
Jim

Yeh, do not over think, I use a bag from Home Depot for All but my scents, urines and lures. My cotton gloves go in my equipment bag my rubber gloves in my scent bag.. I believe in keeping them separate.
My brother, who trapped for the state for more then 35 years, never used gloves but did use a two bag or container setup. His belief was —get it done asap and stay away.
Just as important is the belief that you can do it. All of us have seen a dog react to people that were afraid of them , it is my belief that a new or inexperienced trapper puts off a stronger anxiety scent and therefore is more obvious.relax it is not rocket science. Dont
fudge and mess. Dig your bed, pound your anchor and bed and cover the trap, lure. Done, move on.

The bottom line Is this If what ever you do makes you feel comfortable then that's what you need to do.

Well put Beav! Confidence is key..

So this is a first for me and i'm not sure this is the right spot to ask but speaking of "scent & odor free".... what is the best way to remove skunk essence from my traps?
They were dyed and waxed before I was luck to tarp the skunks but the essence is still on the traps. Have tried baking soda & borax for the last week. Still smells like the moment I took the skunks out.

Take them down to the car wash and give them a good cleaning.



Then I would put them In a container of some sort. Then Add some TSP or some type of cleaning agent. Boil the traps let the water cool then dump the water off of the traps. Don't pull the traps up through the water.

Or just use them like they are. Just make sure the trap bed all smells like skunk. Then your trap will blend In. And you will be good to go.

Thanks Beav, I am done trapping that part of the state for now and I just wasn't sure if this would mess up for other animals or not (kitt fox, yotes, cats)

Boil in some thing with tannic acid...bark, leaves, sumac berries.. only thing that works for me. Boiling in lye water might also do it, but you have to rinse it off really well.

Way to much overthinking on canines in my opinion. Like mentioned do your best to keep things clean..... But most canines will know you have been there, I want them used to my scent , get in and out as quick as possible when making your sets and move on. No matter how scent free you think you are you are leaving smells. I set snares bare handed and move on and have no problems catching canines. When hanging snares I want to be in and out in 2 minutes,5 minutes on a catch and on to the next.