What's the best way to attract deer?
10-11-2006, 09:43 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 62
What's the best way to attract deer?
Hey guys...as my post below mentioned, I'm new to the forum, actually just stumbled upon it Monday morning while looking for some advice on trail cameras. Anyways, the purpose of my post is to find out what everyone thinks is the best method to attract deer.
Here's a little background...last year, my family and I walked into a deal that was too good to pass up and purchased 60 acres of land in Northern Minnesota, strictly for hunting, nothing else. The land is great...it has a little bit of everything. 2 big clearings, a slough (thanks to the beavers), and small stream running from a lake at the south end of the property to a lake just across the highway on the north end of the proprty, a large hill (I'd guess about 500 ft. higher elevation than the base)....basically its got a little bit of everything for Northern Minnesota. Anyways, we've seen tons of deer up there and I actually shot this buck last year, even though we purchased the land about a month before hunting season and had very little time to scout out the area.
The reason I'm asking is because we just recently built four feed bunks, which we typically fill with corn and a mineral block. However, I've heard many other suggestions as well.....apple blocks, vegetable blocks, vanilla, urine drip bags, and a variety of other things. We're about 3 1/2 weeks away for rifle season in Northern MN and I'm planning on one last trip up to put out some corn and try to attract the deer to our stands now that we've scouted out the territory.
What works best, how exactly do you do it, any examples would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Not bad for the first deer shot on the new land....
Here's a little background...last year, my family and I walked into a deal that was too good to pass up and purchased 60 acres of land in Northern Minnesota, strictly for hunting, nothing else. The land is great...it has a little bit of everything. 2 big clearings, a slough (thanks to the beavers), and small stream running from a lake at the south end of the property to a lake just across the highway on the north end of the proprty, a large hill (I'd guess about 500 ft. higher elevation than the base)....basically its got a little bit of everything for Northern Minnesota. Anyways, we've seen tons of deer up there and I actually shot this buck last year, even though we purchased the land about a month before hunting season and had very little time to scout out the area.
The reason I'm asking is because we just recently built four feed bunks, which we typically fill with corn and a mineral block. However, I've heard many other suggestions as well.....apple blocks, vegetable blocks, vanilla, urine drip bags, and a variety of other things. We're about 3 1/2 weeks away for rifle season in Northern MN and I'm planning on one last trip up to put out some corn and try to attract the deer to our stands now that we've scouted out the territory.
What works best, how exactly do you do it, any examples would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Not bad for the first deer shot on the new land....
10-11-2006, 11:05 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Lake County, Florida
Posts: 3,313
RE: What's the best way to attract deer?
you will probally get lot's of different answers for your question. obviously everyone is going to list whatever they have had the greatest success with as being the best "deer attractant". my advice is to experiment with everything and see what works for you and in your area. i hardly ever use cover scents and attractant scents. i mainly use a combination of grunts and rattles. this seems to work good in my area.
10-11-2006, 12:07 PM
#4
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location:
Posts: 4,553
RE: What's the best way to attract deer?
Hello fellow MN. I think that you should just refresh the corn and leave alone until you hunt. When actually hunting, hang a scent bomb, do a little rattling if that is your thing and simply be patient.
10-11-2006, 12:52 PM
#6
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location:
Posts: 4,553
RE: What's the best way to attract deer?
"Finding deer" makes sense when hunting a good chunk of land, but were talking 60 acres with likely several people at once, so finding deer would likely just push them out and gone.
I hunt a 60 acre plot of private land with two others, usually two of us at a time, and it simply is not practical to go looking for them, but to attract.
I hunt a 60 acre plot of private land with two others, usually two of us at a time, and it simply is not practical to go looking for them, but to attract.
10-11-2006, 01:03 PM
#7
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 62
RE: What's the best way to attract deer?
In our case, We've got 5 guys hunting the land. However, directly adjacent to the South and directly adjecent to the West is national forest which we can hunt. So even though we technically own only 60 acres, we have a few hundred at our disposal. With that being said though, we do like to keep our stands on our land, or at least relatively close to it.
While I understand the "find 'em, set-up, and kill 'em" theroy, I was more looking for methods people use to attract deer towards their stand (i.e, feeder plots, mineral blocks, corn, urine drip bags, etc.)
While I understand the "find 'em, set-up, and kill 'em" theroy, I was more looking for methods people use to attract deer towards their stand (i.e, feeder plots, mineral blocks, corn, urine drip bags, etc.)
10-11-2006, 02:31 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 3,406
RE: What's the best way to attract deer?
ORIGINAL: jmjuergensen
....Anyways, we've seen tons of deer up there and I actually shot this buck last year, even though we purchased the land about a month before hunting season and had very little time to scout out the area.
Not bad for the first deer shot on the new land....
....Anyways, we've seen tons of deer up there and I actually shot this buck last year, even though we purchased the land about a month before hunting season and had very little time to scout out the area.
Not bad for the first deer shot on the new land....
Heaven forbid you should go in, spend some time scouting on your own, come up with a "personal" gameplan on your own and hunt them on your own.
What am I missing here?If the others huntersdo not have access to your little piece,that's what they would have to do.
Maybe there's more satisfaction in Northern Minnesota attracting deer to your stand than not.
Just my two cents....
10-11-2006, 07:08 PM
#9
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 62
RE: What's the best way to attract deer?
Heaven for bid a guy asks a simple questions without someone jumping down his throat.
When I said "I've seen tons of deer up there" I meant in the area. Obviously if I've seen tons of deer on our land, I wouldn't be asking this question.
As far as going out and scouting the area, there have been many weekends spent scouting the area and the adjecent national forrest. Maybe next time before immediately criticizing someone's post, you could ask a few questions.
Heaven for bid a guy throws out a conversation topic.
When I said "I've seen tons of deer up there" I meant in the area. Obviously if I've seen tons of deer on our land, I wouldn't be asking this question.
As far as going out and scouting the area, there have been many weekends spent scouting the area and the adjecent national forrest. Maybe next time before immediately criticizing someone's post, you could ask a few questions.
Heaven for bid a guy throws out a conversation topic.
10-11-2006, 08:30 PM
#10
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Kountze, Texas
Posts: 5,386
RE: What's the best way to attract deer?
jmjuergensen,
I also hunt on private land. About 5 of us hunt on 500 acres of very thick stuff. Even the hardwoods are thick to the point where a 100 yard shot is rare. I usually have to cut lanes through the woods to see a hot trail. The deer movement really depends on when the acorns fall, and all of my scouting is done with the acorns in mind, and good hot trails are more attractive to me than rub lines or scrapes.
I usually have a good chunk of that 500 acres all to myself, so instead of trying to attract the deer to me, I try to insure that the trail I have my stand set up on is hot. I find that I don't make the deer move, I have to wait for them to move.
My favorite way ofmaintaining a good trail is first to find a good one, and the place two cattle size salt/mineral blocks at two points on the trail and strategically place my stand to where I am in position for when the deer move. I set out the salt blocks in mid to late summer, and the big blocks last through the deer season.
Someday I might figure out how to attract them to me, but the best I can do right now is to figure out how to put the odds in my favor for when they decide to move.
C. Davis
I also hunt on private land. About 5 of us hunt on 500 acres of very thick stuff. Even the hardwoods are thick to the point where a 100 yard shot is rare. I usually have to cut lanes through the woods to see a hot trail. The deer movement really depends on when the acorns fall, and all of my scouting is done with the acorns in mind, and good hot trails are more attractive to me than rub lines or scrapes.
I usually have a good chunk of that 500 acres all to myself, so instead of trying to attract the deer to me, I try to insure that the trail I have my stand set up on is hot. I find that I don't make the deer move, I have to wait for them to move.
My favorite way ofmaintaining a good trail is first to find a good one, and the place two cattle size salt/mineral blocks at two points on the trail and strategically place my stand to where I am in position for when the deer move. I set out the salt blocks in mid to late summer, and the big blocks last through the deer season.
Someday I might figure out how to attract them to me, but the best I can do right now is to figure out how to put the odds in my favor for when they decide to move.
C. Davis
