Scent Attractants, Deer Lure, Doe-in-Heat…whatever you call them, hunters shell out tens of millions of dollars every year trying to find a miracle in a bottle. There are some excellent “Doe-in- Heat” products out there and some that just separate you from your money.
Early in my whitetail learning curve I was like most guys…wait for the rut to start, buy several $15.00 bottles of “pure doe estrus”, soak it in cotton balls, hang it on a tree branch, and wait for the stampede of horny bucks to run in and meet the business end of my 25.06. Let me say, I wish I had all that money back! In 32+ years, there has been only 3 times that I know for a fact, this bottled love juice worked as advertised.
Am I suggesting not using any scents? Absolutely not, as everything has its time and place. So all you scent manufacturers don’t need to write me. You just need to use what works most the time (notice I said most) and gives your wallet a break. Here’s what I’ve learned.
Think back to your High School days. Young men full of testosterone and invincible, ready to whip the world. Remember when a new kid moved into school? Like a stray dog in the neighborhood, there was always a lot of circling, posturing, and chest thumping. Normally this “new kid” got a lot of attention from the girls making the man-boys jealous. A whitetail buck acts the same when a “new” buck strays into his territory. Immediately, all the other bucks (man-boys) go on high alert trying to get a look at this trespasser and potential raider of their does.
I use this same “Boys will be Boys” philosophy when using scents. For years I have used only buck urine. I use it around my stand, and more importantly, make drag lines when entering my hunting area. I try and imitate an intruder buck in search of the local does. I especially like to circle a drag line around a fresh scrape, and even better, make your own mock scrape to really enrage the locals. There is an established pecking order and the dominant buck isn’t going to take kindly to someone else coming into “his” territory.
I have been using this technique for years and my success rate/sightings have increased significantly. When I harvest a buck, I save the urine and tarsal glands and will swap it with some of my hunting buddies who hunt at opposite ends of the county and different parts of the state. Store the urine in the refrigerator, and if need be, the tarsal glands can be frozen from year to year. Let that testosterone work to your advantage….it can be rewarding being the “new kid on the block”
Happy Hunting
Mark
