I'm thinking about trying a combo of natural brush blinds plus a ghillie suit for whitetail deer (instead of a black hole enclosed blind). I'm wondering about scent removal on these suits. Do they stand up to washing and drying? What about removing stick tights, beggar lice, etc. I realize there are different brands and homemade varieties that might have different care requirements. Any experienced Ghillie Guys & Gals out there?

I have an older jute (burlap) Rancho Safari ghillie suit. It's heavy, and it smells like burlap. I rather like the heaviness for the cold weather conditions where I hunt.

Haven't been able to get the smell out of it though. It's rather large, and I'm reluctant to put it in the washing machine for fear of killing my automatic washer. I have hand washed it outdoors in a wash tub. Takes several days in the sun to dry out. Smell is still there. Not a bad smell, but noticeable. I don't use it much for that reason.

If I were to do it over, and I might, I'd get a version with lighter synthetic fabric.

Ghillie suits don't hold scent like you would think.

I've used one for nearly 30 years.

All I do with mine is hang it oustside periodically. If I think it MAY have gotten odor's, or when I'm paranoid, I will spray it down with a mixture of 30% cider vinegar, and 70% water and let it hang until it dries and I can't smell the vinegar.

A buddy of mine used to put his in the dryer from time to time with an old wool sock that he had put a few drops of some type of scent on. Seemed to work for him.

Hang it outside in the rain, leave it there to dry. Story in tote or bag with local vegetation of fresh earth scent wafers. Pick the stick-tites off while you're sitting in the blind. Bring some scissors and trim material. Eventually you will get a length that doesn't pick up so many hitch hikers and will still be effective camo.

Mine is the Marc Anthony Bush Rag, I have never actually washed it, When necessary I hose it off with well water and hang it outside. Actually about once a season I mud mine like you would a layout goose blind. The reason is that in addition to the string it has mesh leaf material and at certain angles to the sun you can get some sheen off the mesh. So I mix up about one shovel of gray dirt in a large wash tub of water and dip it and swish it around and hang it up to dry followed by a good shake. No sheen or shine off synthetic material, it doesn't look bright like it was brand new and I would imagine that it smells like dirt.

Thanks for the tips! I may try out a Ghillie suit. I can only use it for parts of Missouri's long archery season. Anytime a specialty firearms season is ongoing (Youth, Any Deer, etc.), archers are required to wear a blaze orange cap/hat and vest/jacket. I can't see wearing those over a Ghillie. :)

You'll be amazed at how close things will come, your practice distance will change some too.

I wash mine on gentle but turn it inside out. Keeps it from coming apart. I use sports wash and rinse it with baking soda then hang it out to dry.

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