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I use unscented deodorant, laundry soap, etc but don't buy a bunch on unneeded products from hunting shows. The number 1 rule in hunting is to PLAY THE WIND! keep your scent blowing away from deer and deer bedding areas. I've taken plenty of deer in my work clothes just by making sure my scent blew to an open field or area where there's no deer. Smoking doesn't matter, it doesn't smell like a predator, it smells like fire. Good Luck

David has it right....the best and most effective scent control you can use is to play the wind...you can smell like a skunk, and the deer will not smell you if you are downwind of them.

In the area that I hunt in, the prevailing winds in the fall and winter is from a northerly direction....but in the early season, there is a lot of south wind also......

So I deal with that by picking out two stand spots for each place I am planning on hunting....one to take advantage of either direction the wind is coming from....some spots do not have 2 good stands to hunt from...so I will not hunt that particular stand until the wind is right.

I listen to the weather report before each hunt...and hunt according to the wind direction.

There are times, if you use a tree stand to hunt out of, your scent will rise....just as smoke from a fire rises at times...and other times your scent will fall to the ground and will alert any deer down wind....just as smoke from a fire will do at times...fall down and be carried by low wind currents almost at ground level.

But you have to remember...the products you see them using on tv, is sponsoring the tv show...and the hunters have a vested interest in pushing the scent free products that sponsor the show.

well considering that deer rely on their nose more than any other senses for their survival, I would say that it is very important, but there again, there are exceptions to every rule.You can hunt without ever worrying about controlling your human odor, or not really being concerned about wind direction when you hunt, and you may bag the occasional doe or spike each season,or every other season, and then you'll know people who seem to always be bagging the big mature trophy class animals.Those people that always get on the big bucks know how important it is to eliminate human scent in their hunting areas. Rubber boots are a good way to keep human scent down, but they can get a little smelly on the inside after you wear them a few times afield. elevating oneself in a tree is also a proven advantage in defeating a deer's nose.there are also tons of liquids,and gels and sprays,and drips,and rub ons ...etc. that can be effective at attracting deer, and also mask the human odor, as well as lots of expensive,hi tech clothing that are lined with space age technology guaranteed to get you closer to game without being detected, and they have there place too, but the truth is, that people have had success without any of these products, but nothing is really a guarantee in hunting except this....if a deer smells you......game over, they don't try to stick around to try and figure out which brand of deodorant you use, they get gone and quick.

If a deer smells you, it will soon be gone. I rifle hunt, so I can operate at a lot longer range, but I just sit down wind of where I expect the deer to come from. It is a whole lot easier to go to where the deer want to be than to try to entice them to go somewhere else with scents.