Hi All,
How long does our human scent stay in the woods( or the area we hunt) and does it really have an effect on the deer to come back in any givin day? Is 14 feet high enough for my deer stand? Will hunting be as good in the post rut? Does grunting really work? Should I get in my stand the same time as the first day in opening season(5:45am is my time the 1st day). I am going out tomorrow morning. Does all those deer scents work? I would appreciate your serious expertise only! Just want to know what everyone else is experienceing. Thanks!
Robmack

1. Grunting does work. The problem lies in the fact that you have to know WHEN to grunt. The deer need to be in rut for grunting to be effective. You also have to remember not to grunt too loud. This is a mistake alot of hunters encounter. They blow on the call trying to attract every deer for 50 miles. Remember, jut because it sounds too low to you doesn' t mean a deer won' t be able to hear it.

2. The time you enter your stand should change as the season changes. I always like to be in stand a half hour to 45 minutes before daylight. As it gets lighter earlier and earlier the time I enter the woods also gets earlier and earlier.

3. Deer scents do work. I always use either tinks 69 or code blue doe estrous. I will leave a scent trail as I enter the woods to my stand. Just remember to stop your trail about twenty yards from your stand in a good shooting lane. You don' t want the deer to walk right up to your tree.

4. The distance you climb up a tree all depends on the type of cover you are hunting. as a general rule I like to be 20 feet off of the ground. However, if I am unable to see through the scrub oaks at 20 feet then I may come down to 14 or 15. It doesn' t matter how high you are if you can' t see the deer.

Good Luck! and I hope some of this helps.

bearklr gave great advice. I would add that even if you don' t spook any deer while in the tree, they can smell your presence long after you left and it could hamper your hunting in that area. I prefer not to hunt the same tree for days in a row. If you are in big woods, however, bucks may roam for long distances, such that hunting consecutive days isn' t so bad.

Don' t put any Tink' s or whatever closer than 20 to 30 yards. If gun, it might be best to keep it 35 yards or further so they don' t see you as they approach.

Go higher than 14 feet if you can. The height depends on how much cover there is. I like to go high unless there are branches for cover and I have good vision for shots...

Hey robmack, I' m not sure about how long our scent actually
stays there. Cover scents work well to mask or eliminate
human odor. I spray it on my boots and my jacket along with
around my stand, just a few blasts, don' t over do it. 14 feet
high should be high enough. Hunting the post rut is not as
good as peak rut but I still find that deer are moving around
feeding or looking for unbred does. Doe estrus scents still
work well in the post rut, from my experience. Grunting works
in certain situations. Sometimes deer will come to a social
grunt but not all the time. If you see a deer or spook one
a grunt works well to stop them or have them come investigate.
5:45 should still be a good time to get in your stand. Also
how much hunting pressure is there where you are hunting. If
there is alot of hunters it usually keeps the deer moving.
Deer scents do work if used at the right time. As I mentioned
earlier I still put out doe estrus scents in the post rut.
Tinks #69 to be exact, I believe it' s the best. Either make a
scent line or just put it around your stand. So cover your
scent and sit tight, hope I helped answer your questions.
Good luck!