Doe estrus effecting doe hunting?
10-20-2009, 10:43 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: long island ny
Posts: 300
Doe estrus effecting doe hunting?
Come time for the rut I have grown acustom to using doe estrus to attract the bucks in the area, at the same time the if the opportunity arises i have no problem harvesting a doe and i enjoy it as much as taking a buck. my question is, will using doe estrus effect the does on the area as to possibly keep them away from the spot i am hunting or do u think that it will have little to no effect on them?
10-20-2009, 11:34 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1,304
I think in many parts of the US, there are many hunters who themselves use doe estrus as a means to attract bucks. I mean, why not? It couldn't hurt to try... or could it? I do believe any time you go around your stand to use these products, are the activities hunters do that can tip a buck off a hunter is around. Leaving human scent on the ground for deer "after" you are hunting is a major source for deer to realize humans have been there. So in line with that, be certain you take measures that you are scent-free when distributing your lures and scents.
I don't think using doe estrus in a spot will alarm the other does.
You know, I want to share something with you I learned... or "heard" about many years ago. Several hunters have heard too. Whether it's true or not remains to be seen, but I believe it to be true...
There's really no such thing as "doe estrus". It's said that the urine from an estrus doe has volatile chemicals in it called pheromones. It's said these pheromones evaporate very quickly once the urine has left the body and therefore it's ability to attract a buck is less the longer time passes on. I believe by the time it's collected, screened, bottled, refrigerated, packed and distributed ultimately to the consumer, it's just urine now.
When I learned that, it totally made sense. Why? Because I too used the doe estrus urines and I never saw a buck so enamored with the smell, he felt like he wanted to hang out near the scent or scrape. They just dipped their head, smelled the urine and moved on.
Look at this way, if they worked so well, you'd be hearing stories about it all over the place! Instead, you hear of stories of how the buck came in smelling the estrus and got killed as a result of that. However, if you have seen some of my posts, hunters are short on coming up with satisfactory results that it was the urine/scent that drew the buck in. I use lures a lot and had many bucks and does get killed as a result of that. Sounds good, doesn't it? What I did not tell you is that I was hunting off a trail. The deer were already on that trail and just because I added some lure, doesn't mean that's the reason I had the success. I use these products as a means to get the deer to have their attention on something so I can take advantage of it.
Now given regular doe urine or estrus urine at the store next to each other on the rack, and if they are the same price, I'll go with the "estrus" urine. If it's more, I'll have no problem opting for just the regular doe urine.
Make your mock-scrape under a licking branch or find a natural one, place the scent and sit back having fun watching the deer react!
Good luck out there this year! Be sure to show us pictures of your results too!
iSnipe
I don't think using doe estrus in a spot will alarm the other does.
You know, I want to share something with you I learned... or "heard" about many years ago. Several hunters have heard too. Whether it's true or not remains to be seen, but I believe it to be true...
There's really no such thing as "doe estrus". It's said that the urine from an estrus doe has volatile chemicals in it called pheromones. It's said these pheromones evaporate very quickly once the urine has left the body and therefore it's ability to attract a buck is less the longer time passes on. I believe by the time it's collected, screened, bottled, refrigerated, packed and distributed ultimately to the consumer, it's just urine now.
When I learned that, it totally made sense. Why? Because I too used the doe estrus urines and I never saw a buck so enamored with the smell, he felt like he wanted to hang out near the scent or scrape. They just dipped their head, smelled the urine and moved on.
Look at this way, if they worked so well, you'd be hearing stories about it all over the place! Instead, you hear of stories of how the buck came in smelling the estrus and got killed as a result of that. However, if you have seen some of my posts, hunters are short on coming up with satisfactory results that it was the urine/scent that drew the buck in. I use lures a lot and had many bucks and does get killed as a result of that. Sounds good, doesn't it? What I did not tell you is that I was hunting off a trail. The deer were already on that trail and just because I added some lure, doesn't mean that's the reason I had the success. I use these products as a means to get the deer to have their attention on something so I can take advantage of it.
Now given regular doe urine or estrus urine at the store next to each other on the rack, and if they are the same price, I'll go with the "estrus" urine. If it's more, I'll have no problem opting for just the regular doe urine.
Make your mock-scrape under a licking branch or find a natural one, place the scent and sit back having fun watching the deer react!
Good luck out there this year! Be sure to show us pictures of your results too!
iSnipe
10-20-2009, 11:46 AM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ponce de Leon Florida USA
Posts: 10,079
You need to remember that does and bucks urinate many times a day all over the place. Some does may be in estrus, but the other deer in the woods smell it all the time and there is no reason the smell would affect another deer in any way negatively, unless it doesn't smell right. The stuff in a bottle may work some of the time, but I don't think it is a magic bean all the time.
