RE: How to attract deer
You'll have to check your game laws for what isn't considered bait, but here in PA they don't consider "scented lures" bait even if they smell like food products as long as they have no food value. ie corn or apple scented gels and the like.
So what I will do here is this.
I happen to work at a hotel complex so starting "now" I get the throw away apples that are too over ripe and soft to serve guests from the guy in charge ofpurchasing. Every 2 weeks or so I take them up to my hunting spot and make some feed piles. Then before the minimum time (30 days prior to season for us) I stop putting them out. Then when I go for the first days of the season I set out some gel apple scent near my stand where I normally put the feed. It only works for a day or three, but usually as soon as the wind carries the scent thru the area I have a parade of deer coming to the "dinner bell" until they realize there is no food for them.
Maybe you can use a similar stratagy there. It all comes down to how uptight your game laws are.