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Deer Scents. Do you use them?

rutjr

rutjr

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2018
Messages
2,178
Location
Cumberland, RI
I have never had luck with them, probably because I didn't use them properly. I used to hunt a small meadow and I tied line to a rag with Tinks on it and dragged it through the meadow passed my treestand. I watched two doe walk up to the trail and stop dead in their tracks, turn around and walk back where they came from. For some reason I keep trying though.?
Do you have a scent system that works for you?
 
I've been the lucky recipient of some "trickle down" scent system success, the my profile picture being the most prominent example. A buddy who is more casual hunter ran a estrous drag on his way to his stand opening morning of rifle(while reeking of last nights beer and fried food mind you) and had a parade of bucks come through nose to the ground on that drah line. He shot the first one, a respectable 2.5 yr old 8 point, watched a nice 2.5 yr old 10 point follow the drag all the way to where his deer was laying, and then had this 3.5 year old follow the trail until he could see the dead deer, this buck then promptly turned and quietly slipped down the hill and ran across the field I was watching. Had the neighbor not opened the window on his shooting house and made him pause at the creek line, I wouldn't have gotten a shot off at him.

Would I recommend this system, kinda. I think a scent drag can be great when the breeding has peaked and bucks are getting desperate. Opening morning of MO rifle season hits this widow alot. I also think that they will be coming through fast so a rifle/shotgun is the best weapon choice for watching the drag line. Some drawbacks include the fact that your ground scent is right there with the drag, so if bucks are old and wise they will notice that, from what my buddy described the difference between the 2.5 yr old bucks caution and the 3.5 yr old was dramatic, I would wager a 4.5 yr old buck wouldn't have followed it for more than 5 feet before deciding there was something off. Does will also notice it and unless they are in heat and ready to stand, they will promptly leave the area, because where one hot doe is, many bucks will be there soon to harass any and all does they can find.
 
Here's are links to a couple fairly recent threads:

Favorite Deer Scent

Let’s hear em. I’ve had luck in the past with Tinks 69 gel.
saddlehunter.com

Deer scent in the tree while saddle hunting

Anyone ever hung deer lures in the tree while saddle hunting for cover scent. Tinks 69 stuff like that? Just curious. Was a thought i had just now, thought i would post and ask.
saddlehunter.com
 
I don't hunt bucks anymore, but I used to cut the wet tarsal glands off any bucks I killed (if they were active).
Put them in ziplocks in the freezer, then hang one up when hunting in a good position based on wind.

Not foolproof, but very effective most of the time.
 
I will squirt the tinks gel stream where I want to stop a deer when bow hunting. It will squirt around 15+ yards for most of the can depending on wind and how high up you are. If a deer walks over it, it will stop. If it walks adjacent to it then wind and phase of the rut effect how well it works. I do not use it to bring them in.
 
The ONLY scent that I've had consistent "luck" with has been vanilla extract. It's a curiosity scent, that doesn't alert them, even though they've never smelled it before that day.

Otherwise, NO, I don't use any scents of any kind for any reason. The mature deer (3 1/2 years or older) know full well what and who is in the area and are not fooled, but rather are on high alert when they smell something that isn't "normal" or familiar for that area.

If I find an area that I want to hunt, the reason for hunting there is based off of that area's merits. Trails, acorns, standing corn or soy beans, scrapes, rubs, bedding areas are the merits of that area and that's why I would hunt it. :)
If I change what is in that area, whether it is with estrus scents, corn, apples, etc., I am in effect changing the dynamic of that area....and that will put a mature deer on alert or at the very least suspicious of the area.
 
I have never really used scents for real. I’ve dabbled just for fun here and there in the past. But I did buy DH3 system recently and I’m going to give that a try and see what happens.
 
Still Kicking said:
Conquest Scents Evercalm stick for at least 5 years now and not a single deer spooked by my entry trail. I simply rub the stick against the inside edge of my boot before walking in.
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I have not used scents for at least 15 years. However, I have heard nothing but positive things about Evercalm, enough so that I am tempted to try it walking to the stand just for personal study.

I wonder if some things are psychological confidence builders more so than effective.

I do always say if it gives you the confidence to hunt well then do it. I don’t have any confidence in scent eliminating sprays, clothing or anything like that but I know guys who do.
 
I was using Antler Ice, that was solid frozen at ****'s Sporting Goods around here, and you were supposed to thaw it out before each hunt and pour some in a container. Well, I had Buck in Rut break in my freezer. I stripped that freezer down many times and cleaned it with Dawn, baking soda, orange cleaner, etc. 10 years later it still mildly stinks like buck pee, and I have to be careful to seal food really well. I need to just buy a new freezer.

That turned me off from all scents :)

I see more deer now, but I've learned to hunt better. I saw no noticeable success with it, and I also tried the frozen doe in estrous and pretty much every type they sold.

I tried Evercalm once, but I wear my hunting boots in the truck to hunt, etc....and that stuff smells like a wet, stinky deer....so I stopped after one try. I don't want to dedicate a pair of boots to stink like that. Maybe if my feet could take rubber boots, then I wouldn't mind, but I'm not doing that to an expensive pair of leather boots that I like.
 
BowhunterXC said:
The ONLY scent that I've had consistent "luck" with has been vanilla extract. It's a curiosity scent, that doesn't alert them, even though they've never smelled it before that day.

Otherwise, NO, I don't use any scents of any kind for any reason. The mature deer (3 1/2 years or older) know full well what and who is in the area and are not fooled, but rather are on high alert when they smell something that isn't "normal" or familiar for that area.

If I find an area that I want to hunt, the reason for hunting there is based off of that area's merits. Trails, acorns, standing corn or soy beans, scrapes, rubs, bedding areas are the merits of that area and that's why I would hunt it. :)
If I change what is in that area, whether it is with estrus scents, corn, apples, etc., I am in effect changing the dynamic of that area....and that will put a mature deer on alert or at the very least suspicious of the area.
Click to expand...
If you get a chance, check out a book called “Whitetail Advantage: Understand Deer Behavior for Hunting Success”. Pretty interesting section regarding natural and unnatural scents in scrapes recorded during a biological study. One of them was “new-car” scent.
 
BeauWPS said:
If you get a chance, check out a book called “Whitetail Advantage: Understand Deer Behavior for Hunting Success”. Pretty interesting section regarding natural and unnatural scents in scrapes recorded during a biological study. One of them was “new-car” scent.
Click to expand...
I tried that a long time ago during the rut. I never seen a mature buck, but every doe and young buck that came through that morning stopped and sniffed that new car scent scrape. None of them really acted too spooked.
 
I've Had The Opportunity to Observe So Many Deer the Last Few Yrs and Watch How They Act Around Us. I Always Wear Rubber Boots ( Hating Every Minute Of It) and I Never See Deer Alert to My Trail. Not Sure Why, Unlike Others Have Stated. I Once Watched a Nice 10 Point Walking a Trail Just Downwind Of My Tree and When He Got to My Scent Stream, He Just Stopped Like He Hit Something and Backed Away a Few Steps. Then Walked Slowly Away W/his Head Down. I Wonder How Many Times We Get Busted Like That and Never Realize it. Just keep Trying!
 
Blacksmith said:
I've Had The Opportunity to Observe So Many Deer the Last Few Yrs and Watch How They Act Around Us. I Always Wear Rubber Boots ( Hating Every Minute Of It) and I Never See Deer Alert to My Trail. Not Sure Why, Unlike Others Have Stated. I Once Watched a Nice 10 Point Walking a Trail Just Downwind Of My Tree and When He Got to My Scent Stream, He Just Stopped Like He Hit Something and Backed Away a Few Steps. Then Walked Slowly Away W/his Head Down. I Wonder How Many Times We Get Busted Like That and Never Realize it. Just keep Trying!
Click to expand...

I can't walk long distances in rubber boots due to foot and knee issues (flat footed, custom carbon orthotics, wide feet, I have to be locked in to those orthotics...if I don't wear orthotics then my knees hurt...it's a manageable mess).

What has really helped me with leather boots and not alerting deer as badly is: before season and maybe once during season....washing the inside of the boot with a drop of dawn dish soap and wash the outside of the boot with a boot cleaner (Dawn is hard on leather). Dry them on the boot dryer. Then I wear silver treated, anti stink liner socks (Fox River) and ALWAYS put my boots on a boot dryer after every hunt. Drying the sweat out immediately really keeps the funk down. You can stick your nose in my hunting boots I've had for years and they smell like someone has worn them casually in the office for just a few days....you can hardly tell they've been worn. I have deer walk right over my foot path all the time and not alert.

Besides that, I just don't do anything dumb like let dogs rub on my boots or wear them to pump gas or something.

PS A few years ago I was also coating my feet with antiperspirant before hunts. This helped but I got away from that, partly being lazy and partly just not wanting another spot on my body that various chemicals absorb through. But it does keep down stink and also makes blisters less likely since sweat softens your skin. But a liner sock with an over sock, sometimes 2 liner socks in hot weather, is THE blister preventer.
 
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In a nutshell, I’ve had mixed results. I think I’ve posted this on here before when this question arose.

I’m a trapper too so I have also witnessed how scents work with coyotes and other furbearers as well.

In my experience the animals have to be undesturbed and in the mood. I had a beautiful mature buck several years ago stick its nose right in a scent wick Hung that morning. It was a fresh doe in estrous liquid scent from a trapping lure maker near my area. I had hung it before first light, climbed up over the primary scrape about 12-15 yards away and he came in at high noon. It was November 8th and a blue bird but mid 30’s day. That buck still haunts me as I never recovered him. He was probably a low to mid 130’s deer.

Anyway, I’ve also had some luck with the more commercial types of spray scents. I experimented with a spray can of the special golden estrous a couple of years ago and It certainly didn’t scare the mature 10 away. Of course this was on November 10th and I would have killed him if I would have snugged up another 15- 20!yards to a better strip of transition cover.!

Was it location or the scents.? I think it can’t hurt during the rut.

Sometimes I just don’t wanna deal with it but what haunts me is that I know how effective scents can be for trapping and so I’m constantly toying with that in my mind and with the experiences I’ve explained above and others not detailed, I’ve come to realize it’s just like rattling and grunting sometimes they all work sometimes they never work sometimes they scare the deer away. Sometimes they attract.
 
Still Kicking said:
When I was still after bucks, I did have several younger bucks that died for Tinks 69 scent. Never anything over 3 years old or greater than 8 point. The mature bucks avoided it, and I watched them sneaking away no closer than 60 yards downwind from the canisters.
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Now see in my experience, If I’ve even had any reaction at all to scents, it was only more mature bucks. I’ve never had young bucks come in to scents. My theory is they don’t want to get whooped. I feel like if they smell doe in heat scent , they’re super cautious because they assume the bigger bully bucks are alerted
raisins said:
I can't walk long distances in rubber boots due to foot and knee issues (flat footed, custom carbon orthotics, wide feet, I have to be locked in to those orthotics...if I don't wear orthotics then my knees hurt...it's a manageable mess).

What has really helped me with leather boots and not alerting deer as badly is: before season and maybe once during season....washing the inside of the boot with a drop of dawn dish soap and wash the outside of the boot with a boot cleaner (Dawn is hard on leather). Dry them on the boot dryer. Then I wear silver treated, anti stink liner socks (Fox River) and ALWAYS put my boots on a boot dryer after every hunt. Drying the sweat out immediately really keeps the funk down. You can stick your nose in my hunting boots I've had for years and they smell like someone has worn them casually in the office for just a few days....you can hardly tell they've been worn. I have deer walk right over my foot path all the time and not alert.

Besides that, I just don't do anything dumb like let dogs rub on my boots or wear them to pump gas or something.

PS A few years ago I was also coating my feet with antiperspirant before hunts. This helped but I got away from that, partly being lazy and partly just not wanting another spot on my body that various chemicals absorb through. But it does keep down stink and also makes blisters less likely since sweat softens your skin. But a liner sock with an over sock, sometimes 2 liner socks in hot weather, is THE blister preventer.
Click to expand...
200%?agree with drying your boots out every night. My peet boot dryer works all year round. My feet sweat and my boots virtually smell like new every time I take them off a dryer session. It also keeps my feet from getting cold. One of the best investments you can make.
 
woodsdog2 said:
Now see in my experience, If I’ve even had any reaction at all to scents, it was only more mature bucks. I’ve never had young bucks come in to scents. My theory is they don’t want to get whooped. I feel like if they smell doe in heat scent , they’re super cautious because they assume the bigger bully bucks are alerted

200%?agree with drying your boots out every night. My peet boot dryer works all year round. My feet sweat and my boots virtually smell like new every time I take them off a dryer session. It also keeps my feet from getting cold. One of the best investments you can make.
Click to expand...

Yep, I should do it with my daily shoes (tennis shoes) that I wear to work and workout in also.
 
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