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candicec003

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It was suggested to me that i make a soap for hunters which would include animal scent in it. Which would include urine and other gland produced liquids. It seems pretty radical, has anyone tried this? I use cold process soap making
 
I'm planning to make a hunter's soap this weekend but it will not include any of the additives you mentioned. Mine will be a straight up unscented tallow based soap because I've got lots of tallow to use up. My cousins are avid hunters so last year I sent them some liquid soap scented a variety of ways (spruce, cedarwood, spruce/cedarwood combo, & dirt scented). I didn't get great feedback on the scented soap so going au'natural this time.
 
I would almost say hot process would be better

(I have yet to attempt hot process and I don't hunt but live in a hunting community, so take this with a grain of salt)

I think that the lye would destroy any scent in the attractant or whatever you use. If you hot process and add the scent after there is no zap you might be able to get the scent to stick and maybe not morph. To have something to use this season maybe try m&p? If that works you can experiment with HP for next season. (And let us know how it goes, I know lots of hunters)
 
...Which would include urine and other gland produced liquids

I can't imagine the person who suggested this to you really appreciates how pungent and offensive this kind of stuff can be when it gets on your skin or clothing.

Furthermore, some of these scents are meant to be sexual attractants. I have seen bucks attack humans during the rutting season. The last thing a deer hunter should smell like is a doe in heat or whatever.
 
Keep in mind too that fragrance oils contain chemicals that smell appropriate to human noses, but may smell quite alien to animal noses. I can't say that for certain, but it's worth considering. I think it's best to stick with unscented soap or use scents from more natural sources (EOs vs FOs). My DH and his hunting buddies like to use my pine tar soap. If a deer gets a whiff of smoke, that's not going to be a weird thing -- wood smoke is a fairly normal smell around here.
 
Generally hunters spray the attractant not on themselves, but in the area - perhaps some doe in heat urine on or around a decoy, or just on a tree or on the ground.
 
So ladies, what kind of soap would work for hunters? It is interesting topic even I do not support hunting at all.
 
In my opinion:
Unscented.
Pine tar.
I really do think anise EO works well for washing up while fishing, but I'm not so convinced about anise-scented soap for hunters.
Possibly pine-fir-cedar types of EOs if these trees are natural to the area.
 
Keep in mind too that fragrance oils contain chemicals that smell appropriate to human noses, but may smell quite alien to animal noses. I can't say that for certain, but it's worth considering. I think it's best to stick with unscented soap or use scents from more natural sources (EOs vs FOs). My DH and his hunting buddies like to use my pine tar soap. If a deer gets a whiff of smoke, that's not going to be a weird thing -- wood smoke is a fairly normal smell around here.
I don't use fragrance oils. EO only
 
I would probably try EOs, especially of those plants in your area. I would also stick with veggie oils - I feel like deer would recognize lard or tallow as "animal" and olive or palm as "vegetable" - but I have no research to back that up!
 
My guys use an Anise spray to mask the human scent on their boots and jeans when they deer hunt. Maybe try an Anise EO in your soap. They get the spray at a local store specializing in hunting items. Gander Mountain I think.
 
My ex actually bought a special unscented detergent in which to wash his hunting clothes and a specially formulated unscented soap with which to shower before going hunting. Supposedly the body soap would help mask the "human" smell. For some reason I think he even wore a special deodorant too. It was years ago and I didn't ever look at the ingredients or packaging. He also kept his hunting clothes in a separate bag (and you guessed it--special bag) after they had been washed, so that they wouldn't pick up any scents before he wore them. I think he might have gotten the stuff from Cabela's.
 
Whatever you do, DON'T PUT ANY URINE SCENT IN YOUR SOAP! As others have pointed out, the Doe in Esteres or Bull in Rut type scents are to attract the male of the species to the area. If the scent is on your body, the rutting bull elk or buck may think you're either a soon-to-be mate, or another male competing for the girls attentions. Either way, it's a situation to be avoided and very dangerous!

Another thing to consider is the formulation of these types of scents. They usually say something on the bottle about avoiding skin contact. I'm sure they aren't stable in soap batter so you don't know if you'll end up with weird, stinky soap or creating a volcano.

Since my DH is an avid archery hunter and always in the field, he prefers unscented, uncolored soap on his body. He uses PT on his hair though. He also uses unscented lotion and deodorant. As for his clothing, all hunting attire is washed in washing soda only, hung to dry, then put in certain containers to keep other smells out. When he has a big hunt I'm forbidden to cook bacon, lol.

If your hunters want scent, stick to EO's that are found in local flora where the wildlife live and keep it light. Occasionally he'll use soap with cedar, juniper, pine or rosemary, but not often. Since there really aren't any difinitive studies on how things smell to wildlife, it's safest to stick with as few scents as possible.
 
My go-to hunter's soap is 100% coconut superfatted at 19%, and unscented. It can be used to bathe, launder, and even do the dishes. Since it lathers in hard water, it's good for deer camp.

I make a camouflage pattern with charcoal, black walnut, and comfrey. I leave some of the soap uncolored to leave white in the pattern.

Where I live, I've had several requests to make batches of this. I cut it 2-oz bars because that's more than enough for one hunting trip. The shelf life is several years. I have a few bars that I made four or five years ago, and one of the bars is starting to DOS.

Oh...I forgot to add that my hunter's soap helped clear up someone's psorasis. I taught his mom how to make it so I have no idea what the effect has been long term for him.
 

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