Old and not so old innovative methods
 

Thought this would be some fun, maybe enlightening too.

Long before the advent of all the " trick" stuff that is out there today, much of it being hyped junk, bowhunters of yesteryear also pursued the quest to hide their scent, themselves, and bring the deer to them.

Even today, there are innovative bowhunters that are not pushovers for the " snake oils," who experiment with their own techniques or other innovative techniques learned from other bowhunters.

Tell us about some.

For starters, here are a few from my past that other shooters used and, of course, claimed they worked. Some that I used that ....of course, worked. :D

1. Just before the season, a friend, an avid and good deer hunter would wear his underwear for a few days without changing them. He would then cut the shorts into strips. He would strategically hang the strips as to corral deer towards his stand, which (stand) was on the ground or a large limb. He claimed it worked.

2. One shooter would put a pocket transistor radio beneath the leaves or brush nearby, tuned to a music station that was mostly instrumental, classical, I assume, with the volume set low. He claimed the music aroused the curiosity of the deer, and they would creep in to identify what the noise was.

3. Another shooter kept a tanned tail from a deer. He would attach the tail to a bush nearby. He then attached some thin black string to the tail and held the other end at his location. If there was a breeze, he let the wind move the tail. If no breeze, he would occasionally twitch the tail with the string. He believed that a buck standing off in the brush or at a distance would see the tail moving and come to investigate. This guy did down a very big buck and claims the tail decoy was what brought the buck in.

4. For scent cover, many of us would rinse our hunting clothes in pure apple cider. Lack of apple trees in most areas and the sweet smell eventually getting to you soon eliminated the method.

5. If a shooter downed a doe, some would cut out and save the metatarsal and tarsal glands and freeze them for the next season. They would tie the glands on a small cord, pour some " Indian Buck Lure" on the glands, and then drag them on the ground behind them to where they would setup.

In 1973, while using this method, I did kill a big 8-pointer that I observed follow the exact drag trail to my location. I had thrown the treated glands on the ground about 15 yards from where I was sitting in a fall. He went directly to the glands and was sniffing the glands when I dropped him. Was it the combination, the glands, the lure? I don' t know.

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

Darned innovative ideas. I like the first one best, cutting up the dirty underwear might keep other hunters out of the woods, too.

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

I know no one wants to hear this one again, but used sanitary napkins work.

The only thing better for covering your scent than rubber boots was stepping in the biggest freshest cow pattie you could find.

Vanilla is a good attractant scent.

For shotgun hunters we used to cut an X with a knife in rifled slugs to " help" them expand quicker. Thinking back on it I now know that it sure didn' t help the accuracey of them any.

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [X(]

I don' t use any innovative method, except the mystical " Cardeer necklace" . I hold my necklace in my hands, close my eyes, clear my thoughts, and quietly say, " Teach me the ways of the deer.... Show me where they are... If one comes near, please let my arrow fly true...."

Butch

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

I still use some of the old techniques I was taught by my grandfather. If hunting near cattle/horse field, ALWAYS walk through the maure on way in(if possible, put some in your jacket pockets also. In the pine areas we hunt, pine cones in your jacket pockets work great for a cover scent. I always walk thru deer poop if possible on my way to a deep woods stand I have(great cover scent also). I cut the tarsel glands off and use them and an attractor also(have had great success with this one). Gramps always had us make a small fire when we got cold during rifle season(northern MN can easily see -20 F for the rifle season), can' t tell you how many nice deer we shot as they came to investigate. Steve

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

My dad kills alot of deer on rainy dreary days. He wears a yellow raincoat. A buddy of mine confronted him about it & he said, " hell boy, I look like a big piece of corn!"

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

I love to read and hear such things. Regardless that all things passed on and down may not be realistic and may sometimes smell of " old school," it is the respect and honor aspect that stands out and always will. Speaks loudly of a person' s character.

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

Smoke has worked better for me than any scent killing products............but hunting the wind is the best IMO !!
I also used to walk through the road apples on my dad' s farm before I got to my stand !;)
I haven' t ever done it.......but have heard you can hang an old shirt in a permanent stand all year to get deer used to the shape of a human being there ? !!

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

Once knew an " earthy" trapper that also bowhunted. He smoked his trapping gear when trapping and he smoked himself when he deer hunted. What he said back then made much sense. However, it is the one method I have never tried.

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

I think I' d almost rather go thru the fight with the wife and tie her up to the tree than mess with those. " I promise honey, I' ll shoot the deer before he mounts you" . I' d probably wind up looking like that snake always looks in the BC comic strip.

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

Taz, I agree with you, but tampons are better. Even got a string to hang them up with :D;)

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

I' ve heard tampons work.I know guys who swear by them.It makes sense that they might work.My wife who is now my ex said NO WAY!I had a girl I use to work with offer me one of her' s but she was butt ugly so I said no thanks!My grandfather would use fennel seed,vanilla and black licorice.I remember my dad notching his slugs like Taz mentioned.

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

My grandfather used to have what he called " his secret recipe" for deer attractant. He' d put a little vanilla into a table spoon of peanut butter and smear it on a branch near his stand. I' ve never tried it but if he swore by it I' d have to believe him since he hunted all year round to put food on the table.

He would also take a sweaty dirty shirt and leave it in his stand so the deer would get used to his scent being around.

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

I read a story about a hunter using a tripod stand, and the deer would step out and look at the stand and always stay just out of range. He put a dummy in camo, in the stand, and set up on the ground near the trail. The deer came out to look at the dummy and got caught by the hunter. I think it was in Texas.
I have heard of using dirty socks to make the deer use a different trail.

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

I remember reading an article where a guy got permission to hunt this ground that had this really thick swamp, where you couldn' t even see far enough to hang a stand in. All the deer were nocturnal and he wasn' t allowed to bring anyone else on to hunt. Well, he went to a flea market one day and found a bunch of wind-up alarm clocks and he made a bid on the whole lot and got them. Went out the night before and strung them up, in several rows throughout the thicket. Next morning, when it was full light, the furthest row of alarm clocks went off. Five minutes later, the next row, then the next row... He ended up having a lot of deer sneak out past him.

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

That has to be one of the most inventive ways of driving deer I have ever heard of!!!!

RE: Old and not so old innovative methods
 

I used to hunt in an area where there aren' t any kind of apple trees or fruit trees other than persimmons. My father always told me to take an apple or two and throw it down in front of the deer stand to attract the deer.

I don' t really think it worked, never saw a deer when I used apples. I don' t think the deer could identify with the apple even if it could smell it.

Thunder