hey all. opener here in MD starts in a week or so, so i was sitting here and started to think about the rut, effective scents and all. i was wandering if there are any scents or techiniques that can be used to increase my chances of seeing a buck, or any deer for that matter. i know doe urine and all that cant be used until rut, and if used will alert the deer more than anything, but i was wandering if there is any type of scent or anything that will help attract some deer. if not, its cool, lol, just thought i would ask the experienced people. thanks

This is just my opinion. I know that there are a lot of hunters that swear by scents. I personally have tried just about everything out there. The best scent that I have used is the one that the deer cannot smell. Nothing. I have had more deer react negatively to scents than positively. Last year I swore off the notion that deer are just going to come a running in because of something I hung on a scent wick. I try to keep my human odor to a minimum and hunt stands that take my scent away from where I anticipate the deer are going to come from. If a deer smells something either positively or negatively he is or she is going to be on alert. I want them to be as calm and relaxed as possible. Again that is my opinion based on my experiences with scents.

I think your best chance with scents would be when the rut is hot an heavy, other than that you pretty well have to do your home work.

ive heard the team fitzgerald guys talk about a product called deer dander for early season use or all fall long.

I rep'd for a scent company for many years. The owner, Jackie Barbour and I are very close friends and hunting partners.

Scents play a very important roll throughout the entire season. Knowing which scent to use during a specific timeframe is key.

We've formulated scents together for nearly 20 years.

Straight doe urine based scents with interdigital is perfect for early season through the rut. A pure non-estrus whitetail scent is the key. Introducing an estrus scent before the pre-rut really kicks in spells disaster. The does' in the area will alarm and blow a set up quicker than you can imagine. The 1.5 yr old bucks may show some curiosity solely because they're gullable.

Incorporating any dominant buck lure into the set is most effective during the pre-rut as some of the "old" scrapes begin to open back up.

Estrus lure has it's place during the pre-rut through the end of the season. Using estrus lure, or any lure for that matter doesn't insure success, it increases the opportunities for success. It's not magic in the bottle. If a buck is on a hot doe, you could put out gallons and you'll never pull the buck off of the doe.

Timeframe dictates which combination of lure you'll use. More sets are blown because of two factors. The first being the most critical which is contamination by which you leave your scent while deploying the lure. The second as mentioned earlier is using the wrong scent for the timeframe.

Buying pure whitetail lures from a reputable company is paramount. Anyone can bottle piss, add some glandular and put their name on it. Buyer beware. There are only a handful of lure companies that truly can claim they own the deer from which they formulate their scents.

Do your homework before laying down your hard earned money. Call and ask questions.There are lots of claims,full page color ads,andpictures of big dead deer with someones name attached. Endorsements are a dime a dozen.

If you handle lure correctly, use a pure scent, anddeploy it properly during the correct timeframe, the results are outstanding.

good info bud. i will be rereading in detail today at work and take your advice when i go to dicks sporting goods this weekend. thanks

trad tech - so i guess a basic early season scent would be some buck urine. like ya said, i dont want to spook game by using wrong scent, but i would like to try something. any suggestions on brand names for some good buck urine? like ya said, even i can bottle some deer piss and call it "brents buck galore" lol, and put a pic of a 15 point buck, but im sure only some are true successes. i appreciate ur post

Brent - check your email.

Rog

There are several different companies that sell quality lures. I'm partial to one company, Jackies Deer Lures, as I've had marvelous success for nearly twenty years.

Most hunters who do use lure have their favorite. It really turns into a "pissin' match" when it comes to which is the best to use. There are many testimonials for many companies.

Keeping it clean is the most important factor regardless of whos lure you decide to use. Contamination will screw things up in a heartbeat. Rubber boots and latex gloves are very important.

Running scent lines via drag rags are very productive. I use one product called "retract-a-drag". I believe HS markets/distributes this product to date. I met the developer, Bill Knapke about 10 years ago and have used this simple lure drag since....not the first one I ever got. Shoot, I've probably gone through 15 since then. LOL

Scent posts are a must. A simple film canister with fresh cotton as a wick work great, or leaving some of the wick out of the retractadrag is what I do.

Most importantly, you don't have to use a lot of lure for results. More is not better when you're dealing with scent.

Use the correct scent for the timeframe you're hunting. Dominant or estrus lure should be used during the pre-rut. A social scent such as doe urine with interdigital is perfect for early season. Heck I use it all year long keeping mock scrapes open and trail cameras going.

I have had some luck with tinks 69, but its rare. I have had them actually pic up the trail and follow it the wrong way [&:]I like to let the does do the work for me here. Find the does during the rut and you will find the bucks to.