Having heard many success stories of using genuine tarsal glands as an attractant, it leads me to some collection/storage questions. How do you guys go about it? Cut them off in the field? Wait untill deer is skinned, them remove? Store in refridgerator/freezer untill next year, or just give them to a buddy who hasn't tagged out yet? I personally have never used them, just cut around them while butchering.

I understand the scent/attraction aspect, but just what is the best way to handle these nasty stinkbombs??

Carry some plastic baggies with you when you go out , if you get a buck carefully cut the tarsals from the legs and stow them in one of the baggies until get home . I keep them securely wrapped in the freezer . They work best if soaked in some buck urine before use , but they have a definite shelf life once they're thawed .

My oldest son shot his first buck last weekend, and I had a tarsal galnd from the doe I shot a couple weeks ago hung up in a tree out in front of him. Made a believer out of me and him, he said as soon as the buck smelled it he went or it straight as a string. Here is the story and a pic on my teams thread. I just cut them off when I was skinning, put them in a ziplock bag, and threw them in the freezer. Laid them out in the sun for a couple hours before we went out that evening.

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1653062&mpage=12

A buddy of mine puts the tarsal glands into an old babyfood jar filled with some sort of oil. Canola...mineral..I don't remember, but it was a clear or very light-yellow colored oil. He then stores it in the fridge, and within a few days, the oil itself begins to hold the deer scent very well.

I kept one off my buck. I'll try it this weekend. I'm hoping to just get something to stop and smell it in my lane.

Cut them off after you are done field dressing it. Store them in a plastic bag by themselves. I have always heard of putting them into the freezer. Then whenever you want to use it just tie a string around it and drag it through the woods to your stand.

Rubber gloves in the field,place them in a clean zip lock bag.Either refrigerate or freeze depending upon how quickly you will use them.If you are going to store in the freezer for an extended time,vacumn seal them if you can,put apiece of clean paper towel in there with them.Always handle with rubber gloves,needle and heavy thread through them to make for easier hanging.A great combination is to hang a buck tarsal gland and a doe tarsal gland at the same time,paints an enticing picture for the curious or defensive bucks.