Bow_hunter15

What would help attract deer in early season that is not considered bait because in Iowa baiting is illegal?

wayomic

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.

nodog

Depends, but if it's on my own land I drop trees that will later be used for fuel. Maples are good. One of the trees I dropped last spring and hung a stand close to has 2 new runs not 20 yrds left and right of the stand. It is also something I look for on other lands. I think they love feeling safe more than anything. Give them that and you'll have deer.

Buellhunter

All right, another Iowa hunter!
There are many scents out there to lure deer in. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.
I use Trail's End 307 early in the season
During the rut I use either Tink's 69 or Code Blue

I think I'm going to try some Doc's this year.

Like I said, I have had deer come right in and stick their nose right on my scents before and I have also had deer walk right past it and not even given it a second sniff? It all depends on the deer I guess.

RDHunter

I'll use sent wicks and diffrent things from early season right up to the last day.
For early season I'll put on some boot pads one with trails end 307 and the other with coon urine.
When I get to my stand I'll set out sent waffers ( I like the acorn sent ) and other wicks at diffrent ranges.
With so many products on the market its hard to detreming what will work.
I personaly like Wildlife Research and H.S. products.

gibblet

find a place withsomedeer sign,food, water, and some very thick cover nearby for bedding, and attract yourself to that.

kevin1

Apparently ,the sound of human snoring is a deer magnet , at least in my case ...

Early season I go with food scented lures such as vanilla or apple to attract does , during the rut I don't use anything except estrous urine , late season I switch back to food scents .

Tbyrnzy82

I would tend to agree

Tim

Arrowmaster

During the early bow season I position myself where there is a natural food source. Mainly I stick myself around acorns. Make sure you scout and find where the deer are munching on acorns. Late bow or pre rut I begin using a Tarsal gland, dominant buck urine and Tinks 69. I make a scrape with a stick (try to keep your scent out of it) Hang the tarsal gland about 5 feet off the ground over the scrape. Then pour some dominant buck urine on the tarsal gland. Then add some Tinks 69 to the scrape. This strategy has worked for me numerous times in the past. I repeat this process until the end of rut and gun season. After that Im usually tired from all the hunting and will just set back and hunt with my Muzzeloader on logging roads or fields.

buckhunter2054

Best way to attract deer especially in the early bow season is to plant a food plot. In about the next 3-4 weeks will be perfect time to plant one too. If you have any natural opens where you hunt that would be a great place to start and figure out how and where you want your plot so that your able to hunt over it. It takes alittle work but, it will bring the deer in. Plant some kind of a clover or chicory or there lots of different kinds of annuals that you could plant. Thats just my 2 cents anyways