Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Deer scents, use them or not??

It seems like I see less deer when I try to use them, so no I don’t

Well, to be honest, in the 70s and early 80s, yes. Seems to spook them now.

I have and seen them work.

Do I need to have them? No. Do I feel "disadvantaged" without them - no.

Back in the day bucks would follow your trail, nose down, to your stand.
Now they creep around the edges, all on gaurd.

I try not to go too crazy with the stuff, although the expensive stuff you buy chilled fresh or frozen seems to be pretty good.

I seem to have luck only when using for the first time of the season, and that was with expensive stuff like code blue doe estrus.

I put some out and the neighboring land owner showed up and decided to cut firewood in the back of his property which was about 100 yards from my stand on the their side of a creek. After about an hour he left and it seemed like less than 5 minutes later a nice buck walked off his property, crossed the creek and stuck his nose in my scent rag which was hanging about 3 feet off of the ground. I double lunged him with my PSE bow that I had at the time.

It always seemed that I saw deer the first time but that it was not effective the next time I got out for some reason.

By observation, I think the best deer scent is old dairy farmer clothes, worn that early morning.

Have had some success with scents in the past but had more does bugger and carry-on than anything. After that cost me one of the biggest deer I've ever had an encounter with, I swore all scents off.

I hunt clean these days.

I never use it.

I use them only at peak rut which here is a couple days or so either side of Nov. 5. My observation over the past 30 yrs. Got me my first crossbow buck 2 years ago after a 2 hr. sit. Previously I never killed one using scents during rifle, so I don't bother with them during gun season.

Like others, I did way back when but haven't in decades. Toilet paper is more of a concern these days. LOL

I dabbled with them years ago. Didn't see any benefit.

The main point in building a nice porch for my blind was so I could piss from it while making eye contact with the buck I didn’t know was behind me. So no, I don’t use them.

Used to use them lots. Now only if I can get fresh from a local supplier, which isn't too often. So mostly a no.

I seen bucks come up and lick and smell those sent bomb containers. I also use that tinks spray mist and seen deer turn around and come into it after I sprayed it. My personal experience says use it. I also had a lot better lure using the real as to the synthetic deer lures.

My personal experiences have proven to me, that I always use Conquest Evercalm on boots for walking into blind.
Without the Evercalm, does will stomp and blow when they hit my walk in trail. With it, they show no sign of alarm and continue as they were.

It works for my deer.

Hunt where the does are during the rut no scent needed

No luck with it and I think I’ve tried it all including fresh piss from doe and buck bladders .
Was working in Pa some years ago snd came across a deer farm . Got to shooting the bull with the owner and thought I would ask him .
He didn’t fool with it anymore cause govt. stuck their nose in it and it wasn’t worth the hassle anymore. So I asked what he thought about using it and the old fellow replied “if it makes a fellow feel better using it , then I say use it”
With a smirk of a smile . That said it all fir me
Kenneth

Never tried it. I have slapped my clothes with a cedar limb to make them smell like cedar before slipping in to hunt.

Nope, not needed for hunting the coastal areas of The Pacific Northwest.

I've used a drag rag w estrous urine, kept refreshing it walking into my stand, hung it about 40 yards away, decided to leave the bottle open next to my tree, had a mature buck walk right up on a string to the bottle and sniff it. It's not a guarantee but it can work.

If you've ever trapped you know the importance of scent or lack there of. I've killed a couple of bucks using tarsal glands and grunting but haven't had any luck with spraying doe in heat on my boots and dragging a tampon to my stand.

I don’t. My whole day is accounting for the wind. I can smell, deer/elk, wolves, people and now people wearing elk pee. I always find it funny, the deer can smell everything, your gun, your clothing, the deer scent, your food, your family, and they have a sense of how old a scent is.

I stopped using cover scent 10 yrs ago and the size of bucks ive killed has gone up. I used to have snort and blow when they smelled that stuff. Now they never do. I also have come to believe that deer are like dogs that bite you when they sense that you are afraid of them. If you completely stop worrying about the winding you they dont seem to even pay attention to you.i have had a ton of deer really close to me that never even looked at me. Where i hunt deer come from any direction so i never fear the wind, just hunt prime time.

For years are used everything you could possibly buy but now I just hunt the wind and good sign. Most of the places I hunt I’ve hunted for several years and have fairly established patterns of movement. I’m very careful with my scent on the ground and also with wind.

I have killed more good bucks in the last few years doing this. Could just be that I’ve become a better hunter overall but I have definitely had good success.

During the rut here, I’ve found one that’s worked at least 3x on decent bucks in the last few years. Tried it because a rep friend gave it to me. I’ll continue to use their stuff, but I ain’t worried if I forget it, either.

Once or twice prior to this year. Decided to try one more doe scent this year after I killed a good deer. Tried the golden estrus stuff and nothing paid it any attention that I could tell. I'm done wasting money.

i have and still do use deer scents mostly for rifle season in mock scraps and some drags during Mn. rifle season. i do not use deer scents during archery season seems to only bring small bucks to my stand. i will use deer scents next fall 2023 again during rifle season in mock scraps and drags it can help some when i rattle and grunt call in Minnesota rifle season because that time of year is when deer are in the November runt. Pete53

Never had any problems with scents other than
a bobcat that circled in close looking for the
deer it thought it smelled

I have tried several different deer scents over the years. Used them with drips and drags, put it on my boots walking to the stand, even used a spray in an aerosol can. I cant remember the name of the stuff. I think it might have been something like Buck Bomb or something similar. It has been my observation that they work on small young curious bucks. I have had them follow a drag right to the base of my tree. I saw one 4 point come in from about 150 yards out. he had his nose to the ground like a hound dog. He never even looked up till he came to the end of the scent trail.
But I have never seen, or been able to fool a large mature cagey W.T. Buck with a scent. YMMV, I have used scents on public free range deer hunts where the deer see a lot of pressure. Those big bucks are smart. Imo, they know the difference between the real thing and what comes out of a bottle. I think there is a chance that a good shooter buck may smell it and decide to go the other way. They may work on private land where the land owner manages his deer and keeps people off his property. This is jmo. I would be willing to bet that most of the hunts you see on TV where they use scents to fool a Big ol Buck are not on public access land.

I used to but not in the last five years. Theres so many does around were we hunt I just hang out with them. That seems to work pretty good for me.