adams

If you want to try an early season scent yu may want to consider Buck Fever synthetics. The pre/post rut is designed as a curiosity scent. You can make mock scrapes or freshen last years scrapes. Deer will use these "scent post" all year long although the most obvious sign of use is durring the rut.

If you're interested is some interesting reading check this out.
http://www.hawgslimited.com/bestresults/
Take it with a grain of salt because they are obviously trying to sell a product but from my experience with their products they are pretty straight shooting.

Good luck.

I_Want_the_Big_Buck

I would just try to stay as scent free as possible.

Avalanche

I use the Buck Fever Synthetic scents and they work great for mock scrapes, I started mine a few weeks ago and noticed today that they are really starting to hit them.

johnl

like everyone else I haven't had much luck with pre rut scents stick to being scent free and maybe find a food scent that might help but don't use acorn scent if you hunt a apple orchard

AR 34 eight point

I burned quite a few sent sticks last year. I never saw anything the hunts I used them on.

chilly

Ditto to all the replies that recommend trying to remain as scent free as possible. However, you won't be able to eliminate 'all' scent from you. For this reason you may want to use a cover scent such as fox or coon piss or whatever critters you see in your given hunting area. I am a fanatic to a point of trying to remain scent free: up an 1hr early to shower w/scent free soap; store clothes in scent loc container; change when I arrive at the hunt site, etc). However, after getting in my stand one morning I watched a red fox come in and cross the trail I had walked in on and turned and went back the other way. He was not spooked, but apparently just didn't like what he smelled. Have tried using doe & buck pee in the early season w/o any luck.....

PABowhntr

I tend to agree with the others to an extent but I believe we are all operating under one simple assumption....that scents are meant to attract the animal. In which case I totally agree with previous comments. I have yet to actually have an animal come into hunting range because of a scent that I had laid out.

However, I have used both straight doe urine (Tinks Doe-P for example) and Bob Kirchner's Curiousity lure at specific locations within my shooting range to get animals to either stop or just move into a potential shooting lane. I would recommend either for the early season.

rybohunter

Lots of good answers here. You should always try and be scent free yourself, but as far as scents in the early season, I use straight doe P. No estrous stuff. It will serve a duel purpose of acting as a bit of a cover scent, and as mentioned above, it can get them to stop in a lane to shoot.