WNYhunter

petasux, you know I agree with you alot. I like to not bring any attention to myself at all. But I carry some doe pee with me and squirt in on the tree next to me just so where ever my scent goes the doe pee goes also. as I said before I dont really call blind but I love working a deer in close to me if he is headed the wrong way. I have had alot of success calling to deer but I usually wait to see what they are doing first.

hardwoodhank

I have killed 4 bucks in the first week of muzzleloader season, which usually corresponds with the pre rut and during the rut. I have had awesome success rattling bucks to the very tree I am in each time. The gimmicks I dont go for is the bombs, however I always use a drag when going into a good spot, and during the rut I always put out tinks wicks high enough to just cary with the wind (who knows what is 100 plus yards down wind).

My philosophy is to climb higher than usual to get out of scent range, however I do believe in carbon and silver lined scent control. It has proved to allow me to get closer to deer than without.

I have a seperate woodshed that I keep all of my fresh cut and split oak and cedar in. In that shed is where I keep all of my hunting clothes, boots, socks, and even a designated towel to use after showering with scent prevent soap and shampoo.

Does it work? I believe in science and the better I can control my scent, and the more curious scent I can put out there...the beter the odds. In 20 years of hunting, I have never used anything more than a field spray. The last 4 or 5 years I have killed more mature bucks as close as 5 steps away, which I have never accomplished in the other 2 decades.

If you are an archery hunter, you will understand the concept. When you are shooting at 150 yards away with a high power rifle, its a different kind of hunt...IMHO. I can honestly say that the last 4 mature bucks I have grunted, rattled, and caught their curiosity enough to have my farthest shot at no more than 20 yards, using archery tackle, smoke pole, or shotgun.

Oh, and by the way, my "boss" 130" decoy doesnt hurt either when you rattle. It seems that all the juniors and senior bucks want to see a little action and the decoy is just another "gimmick" that gives me an advantage.

Im not complaining about anything new. Its all for the better of the sport as far as I am concerned.

rustynobles

Yeah, I have all of the aforementioned items (piss, scent killer, grunt calls, snort wheezes, bleat cans, etc.). All I have to say is I never killed any really decent sized bucks until I stopped trying so hard and just enjoyed my time in the woods. This year has been very good to me. I put on my comfortable old camouflage hand me down coveralls that I took from my dad (that I've only washed twice in the past 5 years), my orange hat, grab a pack of cigs, a Mountain Dew, my bow/muzzleloader/rifle (depending on the season), and roll. I sit in my stand, take in nature, enjoy my drink and smokes, and eventually if I'm quiet and patient, deer walk out. This method led me to the two nicest bucks I've yet to kill. Killed both this season, and wasn't really "trying", I was just enjoying myself. When we get down to it, isn't that what we should be doing? The vast majority of us aren't hunting the deer farms we see on t.v., won't ever get any endorsements for using these products, and have probably only ever had marginal success with them. Instead of investing all the time, money and effort that makes hunting a job, why not just hang a stand in a good location after a little scouting, and sit quietly, enjoy nature, and if a monster walks out, calmly put down the cigarette, spit out the dip, etc., and pull the trigger?

WIbuckchaser

Well said. This evening I rattled in a decent buck twice. I laid a scent trail. The buck did not give me the shot I needed. I guess the trick or tricks worked for me tonight sort of. I would say almost every year I have had the tricks help me out one time or another.

C. Davis

One thing not mentioned is the region of the country you are from. Here in SE Texas, it may be 80 something degrees in November, and sweat is an issue. I find myself washing my hunting clothes often. The main scent item I use is scent free laundry detergent and earth scent dryer sheets. I learned that unscented Sure is a whole lot cheaper than scent free under arm deodorant you find in the sporting goods section of Walmart. I do spray my sweaty hat with scent spray. Our woods are very thick, so my rifle hunting is a lot like bow hunting set-ups. I like to get in the stand and stay quiet. I use doe pee or raccoon pee as cover scent.

I have probably used everything. What I have learned is that the deer are either moving or they are not. I just try to make myself as much a part of the woods that I can. Probably the best tactic I have found is being down wind of a good deer trail.

C. Davis

Bukmastr

Gidgets, gadgets, and pixie dust don't kill big bucks... Hard work and hard scouting does...
Every now and then you can trick one, but really, big bucks don't get big by running in evertime they hear or smell something.

hunter440

Guys that dont rattle, grunt, and use scent are missing out big time! This stuff works anywhere! I would never just sit there and wait. I called in 23 bucks so far this year. Brought in 6 with the decoy. Iam starting to scent them in this week. Try this: buy $40.00 worth of doe estrus, dump into a old windex bottle or spray bottle. Take it to the stand and spray it every 15 min. The wind is your friend. It will carry and be ready, the bucks will come in fast. If you see nothing, hang a gamecam there when you leave. Over the last 25 years Ive brought in: rattle and grunting= 250 deer, bleat can= 40 deer, scent= 30 deer, decoy= 15 deer. I just started using decoys 3yrs ago. Also, does do not like the estrus. These methods will work in any woods! I tried this in many different areas and it works in the most remote woods to the farm fields and even city deer. A few of my friends were disbelievers and I took them and now they are hooked on the bag of tricks!

ihookem1

It does not work everywhere, not when every Tom, dik and harry are doing it all over. I almost never have anything come in. I tried piss and grunting this year again and nothing. Once in a great while it seems to work.