Do You Remember ?
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: Buffalo1
24-Mar-20
I am deeply engrossed in “Corona House Arrest.” All those things I had been promising to one day has finally caught up with me. I am occupying my time cleaning and organizing my garage. At present I am working in the area of bowhunting equipment related. Yesterday, I discovered 2 bottles of what we one time considered the essential for masking human scent. This product was long before Dead Down Wind and Hecs Suits !! Who knows what I might find next?
From: sticksender
24-Mar-20
Was that vanilla?
From: Ken
24-Mar-20
Skunk was the 1970s-early1980s cover scent. Every time I smell a skunk I get nostalgic.
From: Highlife
24-Mar-20
Bad memories for me. Had fox urine on my boots walking in one morning on a levee in the early 80s. Heard something in front of me that would stop everytime I stopped this happened maybe a dozen times. Finally I stopped hit my light skunk nails me never used fox urine again let alone skunk scent.........except for that day. Drove home that night in my underwear.
From: KSflatlander
24-Mar-20
The smell of "cover up" (vanilla scent) is nostalgic for me. Every time I smell vanilla it reminds me hunting with my dad as a little kid. It was the go to back in the day. I also remember him putting skunk cover scent on a stump near the treestand. It was two parts that were mixed but I don't remember the brand. It definitely stunk up the place.
From: pav
24-Mar-20
Yeah...Cover Up brings back memories. Used it until the original Scent Shield spray bottles hit the market.
From: hawkeye in PA
24-Mar-20
Yes I do, and went the skunk route also, with poor results. You ought to finding "tinks" next.
From: huntr4477
24-Mar-20
KSflatlander,that was Tex Isbel's Skunk Screen. I had a lot of success using that .
From: stagetek
24-Mar-20
I still have 2 bottles. Vanilla based. Not sure if it worked or not. Not sure why I kept the 2 bottles !
From: Ironbow-cell
24-Mar-20
I have known Russell Hull, inventor of Cover Up, for many years. Loved the smell of it. It was part of bow hunting in my early years. Even thought about buying the company when he sold it. Russell is a great guy and killed a lot of big critters using Cover Up.
From: gobble50
24-Mar-20
Yes, I remember - also remember ALL new bows were SHINY - painted them, leaf stencils - miss that.
From: Kurt
24-Mar-20
What is Russell Hull up to these days? We used to see him at the CBA Jamboree most years in the '80s and '90s.
From: McCree
24-Mar-20
I remember skunk cover but wasn't a fan. Vanilla was my go to when I was a young bow hunter. My mom used to get on me all the time for stealing her vanilla extract for cover scent! Lol!
From: Will
24-Mar-20
Oh yeah! I had some. I have a book somewhere that Russel Hull, the creator of that, had written. Awesome to see this, a positive blast from the past.
That stuff was popular around the same time as Xcaliber fluted arrows and Essence of Fall (the latter was particularly awesome). I used to spray it around the house to smell like Christmas trees! I was amazed when someone on here, Gray Ghost perhaps, noted you can still get Essence of Fall on Amazon. I hope to do that for this fall. Just for old times sake!
From: leftee
24-Mar-20
Memory lane.Hope Russell is well.
From: Huntcell
24-Mar-20
Pete Riccard deer scent. Perhaps it’s still made. As in a rare occasion passing women in grocery store, the same smell is in the air. WTH
From: Owl
24-Mar-20
Chalk up another for fox urine and skunk on his boot heels.
From: SteveD
24-Mar-20
Sure do,last I know Russell was still hunting.Good guy and heck of a bowhunter.
From: Fuzzy
25-Mar-20
I switched from skunk scent to fresh horse crap in 1990 and never looked back. The reason I switched was because one time I didn't look down.
From: Ironbow-cell
25-Mar-20
Russell stopped hunting a couple of years ago. Mostly because of all the land he lost to hunt on.
From: Boatman71
25-Mar-20
Holy crap I forgot about fluted arrows!!! Wow! Memory jogger!!!
From: Scooby-doo
25-Mar-20
Pete Rickard scent is still sold but not by the same family. They were a bunch of trappers that got into the scent business. In the 80's I used to drive to their place in Cobleskill NY and buy scents(the original) had great luck with their Super Doe!! used the OP's stuff as well. If folks want a great cover scent get some beaver castor, smells so sickie sweet it turns my stomach but the Rickards swore it was the best scent to cover human odor there was. Shawn
From: BOWNUT
25-Mar-20
That stuff smelled like honeysuckle. Maybe I should throw mine out too.
From: BigSkyHntr
25-Mar-20
You guys are old ;)
I enjoy the old stories/ memories though!
From: jjs
25-Mar-20
Still use it, had deer follow my tracks right to my sit, just do not use it on private do to be conditioning to it.
From: 76aggie
25-Mar-20
I well remember using Cover Up in the early 80's. I liked the smell of it. I didn't have a lot of money for accessories like that back then so I learned pretty quick to just step in a wet cow pie. Did not smell nearly as good as Cover Up but was a lot cheaper and seemed to work just as good.
From: scentman
26-Mar-20
Fred Isabells, Skunk Essence... back then that stuff was liquid gold!
From: South Farm
26-Mar-20
Cover Up was the first cover scent I used after spilling Tinks skunk scent in my mom's brand new Crown Vic! As I recall it was much prettier smelling than Tinks skunk scent..
From: Bowfreak
26-Mar-20
I'll be really impressed if you are able to find some Breath Camo in your gear bag.
From: darralld
26-Mar-20
Man we sold a ton of that stuff!
From: Doug C.
26-Mar-20
If I remember right he is also a good guitar player - and - for someone who took a lot of big deer, he was allergic to them so he had to wear gloves while dressing them out.
From: longbeard
26-Mar-20
I started out using fox and or skunk urine on my boots but learned quickly that deer don’t like either of those animals, so it wasn’t working. I quickly realized how much better my results were with raccoon urine instead.
From: Kurt
26-Mar-20
I used coyote pee on my boots in Colorado for whitetails for about 25 years. Deer as well as coyotes would cross right over my entry trail. Without it both would turn around and leave, whitetails often stomping and blowing. If deer wouldn't cross coyote scent/trails in that area they wouldn't have been able to move.
From: StickFlicker
26-Mar-20
I used Cover Up to take my first big game animal with a bow (after trying for a couple of years)! It was a mule deer buck in the rut, and he passed within about two yards of me down wind while following a doe (who had also passed down wind that close). He never even knew I was there. 15 minutes later I shot my second big game animal, a javelina. I was completely sold on the product after that. I eventually started just using vanilla extract, since it smelled the same to me and was much cheaper.
From: Basil
26-Mar-20
I remember when that stuff 1st came out. Had some on my boots & a big old doe tracked me right to my tree a few minutes after I crawled up. Thought the stuff was magic. I’ve had countless deer track me to my tree since then no matter what scent or how clean I was. That’s what they do. I’m sure many bottles of many scents were sold due to similar experiences. I’ve tried many of the above mentioned scents but seldom use any these days. One trick I’ve used many times when I can’t avoid crossing deer trails on the way to my tree is to make a little loop around the tree through shooting lanes. Many a horse headed doe has fell to that trick while investigating my entrance trail. Good memories
From: ahunter76
26-Mar-20
These guys were shot as they sniffed Pete Rickards on the rag I placed at 15 yds or so.
From: Zbone
27-Mar-20
Little story - Back in the day, used to put a little of the skunk scent on my boots (man it was strong), anyhow the cuffs of hunting pants would get a little on them and one day after coming home from a wet outing took the pants of and laid them on one of the old radiator heaters of and old house to dry and left the house with family a short time after... When we got back the whole freakn place stunk of skunk to the high heavens...8^) The place stunk of skunk for weeks we couldn't get rid of it...8^) My wife at the time still talks about it to this day...8^)
From: scentman
27-Mar-20
Kinda like those plug in dispensers that stink up the house eh zbone.... thats a funny story!
From: EIStone
27-Mar-20
I remember that ad for Cover up showing Russell with all those big whitetails and a few other big critters and thinking there was no way a guy could shot that many big deer, he was way ahead of everyone else back in the day, used that stuff relegiously.
From: BigStriper
27-Mar-20
I used it back in the day, it sure did smell good. A lot better than a skunk. LOL.
Kurt
From: MDW
29-Mar-20
Any one remember the "Send-a-scent " arrows? You actually put your faviorite scent inside the shaft and shoot the arrow to a location. The scent slowly drips out.
From: lawdy
29-Mar-20
I always trapped in the same clothes I bow hunted in back in the 50’s and 60’s. Had horses and cows too. I was a scent factory in the woods. Deer probably figured I was a cow that slept in a pile of dead crap. My wife wants a couple of Pygmy goats, so guess what I am going to smell like this fall, along with trapping scents. My hunting clothes will be hanging in their shed.
From: badbull
29-Mar-20
I made my own skunk cover scent back then but way too hard to store it without making everything smell of skunk. Extracting the real stuff was not fun either. I switched to elk urine later on which I liked better but now I bought some " Nose Jammer" after reading reports from Jaq and others.
From: Marty
29-Mar-20
Always used raccoon urine in a spray bottle, man that stuff stunk. When my boys were little, I left them in the pickup a little too long while I was fixing some fence and they had a spray war in my pickup...that thing stunk for months. It wasn't as funny then as it is now!
From: BigStriper
29-Mar-20
Yea Jaq turned me on to Nose Jammer, sure smell's good. And seams like it works, what's not to like.
Kurt
From: Zbone
01-Apr-20
I think that old skunk essence cover scent was made by Tink's company... Wonder what happened to old Tink, he used to post here occasionally but haven't seen him post in years... Wonder if he's still kick'n?
From: Tjmitchell
02-Apr-20
Cover up scent is now made in Missouri,you can buy big bottles of it.I use it every year.
From: Bou'bound
02-Apr-20
Scrape juice. Stuff was flat out lethal.
From: randybroksss456
25-Jun-20
I think that old skunk essence cover scent was made by Tink's company
From: Wild Bill
25-Jun-20
I use to store my raccoon scent in the fridge, yep, the wive wondered what was in that colorful little bottle in the back of the fridge and put the open bottle to her nose. I did catch hell for that.
From: HeadHunter®
26-Jun-20
" MDW " ......Send a Scent Arrow ........wow, I use to have one of them! 8*))
From: tinecounter
26-Jun-20
Always used raccoon urine on boot bottoms when hunting from tree stands. Just thought it made sense. Once watched an Ontario Black Bear follow my trail to my tree stand. He got to the base of my tree and just sort of sniffed, slobbered and snorted for about a minute and left. Never presented a shot. Exciting enough though.
\
From: OldFart
27-Jun-20
Used to use skunk scent. Can't really say Yes/No to its use with animals. Can vouch for its use with humans. Was very effective in getting into the ventilation system from my office and getting way down the hallway and around the corner down to the break area. Was also effective and useful when I put some on a sheet of paper and dropped it in the trash can of a "superior" while he was temporarily out. Yes, he did come back. Wonder why he didn't suspect me. Ray
