Q
I believe strongly in activated carbon clothing made by Scent-Lok and ScentBlocker. How long will this clothing typically be effective? Does the carbon wear out before the clothing does? Can you prolong the value of the clothing by storing it in airtight bags during the off-season?
-- Brad Salo, Duluth, MN

A
Lacking the lab facilities needed to test carbon clothing over a period of time, we went straight to the source for information. Mike Andrews, VP of Marketing/Advertising for Scent-Lok, provided the following insights:

"A few variables can impact the long-term effectiveness of Scent-Lok garments -- how often you hunt, the climate, physical activity, and the amount of odor you inherently generate. In general, we find that active hunters get three to five years of use out of our outerwear -- jackets and pants.

"We test the clothing in our lab after 5, 10, and 20 washing/drying cycles. Our standard is to maintain an adsorption capacity after 20 washing/drying cycles substantially higher than the minimum standard that we have established for our clothing.

"Reactivation in the dryer has very little effect on longevity, so you can run clothes through the dryer to reactivate as often as needed. On the other hand, washing does break down the clothing, so wash only when the garments are visibly dirty -- blood or mud! If you wash your garments three times a year, which might be high, you should get five or more years of use.

"Undergarments like our BaseSlayers probably need to be washed more often since they are worn next to the skin and may lose some effectiveness sooner, but activated carbon has tremendous capacity and can hold an amazing amount of human odor.

"Proper storage is essential. Store garments in airtight bags or storage tubs to prevent contamination from foreign odors and to lengthen the life of the garments."
--Curt Wells, Equipment Editor

Q
I hunt in an area where a deer is lucky to reach three years of age. I've heard that mature bucks go into rut later than young bucks. Since three-year-old bucks are considered "mature" where I hunt, will they rut later than the younger bucks?
--Brandon Geiersbach, via e-mail

A
Some biologists believe that when mature bucks rub their antlers, they deposit a priming pheromone on trees and shrubs that may synchronize breeding cycles, bring does into estrus earlier, and suppress testosterone levels in younger bucks. Thus, yearling bucks in the presence of older bucks do not rub as much as the older bucks in the same area. If the oldest bucks in your area -- remember, age is relative -- are rubbing aggressively, younger bucks may be suppressed or lack the experience needed to make rubs.