Review: Atsko Sport - Wash

It was several months ago that I received a package from Atsko Inc. after a phone conversation with the owner Dan Gutting. I am long overdue for this review, (my apologies Dan) in fact there will be a couple more reviews covering other products that Atsko produces.

I was first very impressed to learn that Atsko are also the makers of Sno-Seal boot dressing. I have been using Sno-Seal since about the 9 th. grade on my leather hunting boots. It too is a great product. Let me get back to the review at hand, that being the Sport-Wash. I have been washing all my clothes in Sport-Wash since June and have noticed several things. Among the obvious are that my clothes feel softer, are less stiff, hardly any lint in the lint trap of the dryer and my skin is no longer itching like it used to. The laundry detergent I was previously using, was from Costco and claims to have no perfumes, dyes or phosphates and is safe for septic systems. That being said, I find it interesting that there was such a noticeable difference between the two products. I used to have lots of lint to remove after each dryer load. My primary interest in Atsko Sport - Wash is the information pertaining to color enhancers that are used in laundry detergents. Specifically concerning hunting clothes and UV brighteners and how big game animals see and smell.

"In low light and darkness, animals see in black and white and are tens of thousands of times more sensitive to ultraviolet and blue wavelenghts than are humans. After all, animals can run through the woods at night without bumping into trees. In daylight, deer see ultraviolet and blue light as blue, but thousands of times brighter than we see it because the sensitivity of their blue cones is not reduced by the presence of a UV filter. Instead of the way we see colors, deer see green, yellow, orange, red and brown all as shades of yellow because deer have no red cones." Excerpt from How Game Animals See & Smell, by Kurt von Besser Atsko/Sno-Seal Inc.

I am not a scientist by any means, yet the information about Atsko's Sport-Wash have been scientifically studied by independent labs. No where else have I ever found such scientific documentation accompanying their product, as I have with Atsko. Haven't seen documentation with any of the Scent Shield, Scent Blocker, Dead Down Wind or Hunter's Specialties products.

I have been very impressed with the results so far using Sport-Wash. I have done a fair bit of scouting for deer this Fall and have actually gotten very close. Sometimes I was never seen and a few times I think my movement gave me away. Yet now with Sport-Wash I know I have better concealment without the UV brighteners/enhancers etc. being in my clothing. I know what you're probably thinking, to good to be true or am I off my rocker? Well I invite you to test your clothing for yourself just as I have. All you need is a UV flashlight and you can order one at Atsko. The proof is in the clothing! No smell, no UV brighteners and it doesn't cost any more than conventional laundry soap. Using only 1/2 oz. per load of wash. I have switched to Sport- Wash for all of my laundry needs and no longer use dryer sheets.

Atsko's website is packed full of information and I have found their customer service to be first rate and helpful in answering questions. I encourage any skeptics to give it a try, there is nothing to lose except being seen or smelled when you'd rather not be. Go ahead give Atsko a call and ask for a sample and order a UV flashlight while you're at it. You'll be glad you did. Make sure to click on the Whitetail Sight DVD at Atsko Inc. it is very interesting and worth the time.

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt