Describe the techniques you used to attract deer this 2015 season

[Rockspek]

A good suggestion given to me was to broaden out the ways I expect to attract deer.

 

----What techniques did you use to attract deer this year?

 

----How did it work out or not work out for you?

 

I personally like my grunt calls but also rattled some plastic antlers.  Pretty sure the calling worked but don't know about the antlers.  I do know that the company that made the call and the antlers made me think I would get a great buck and I did.  May be a coincidence.

 

Early in the season I would sit for a bit then walk around as quiet as possible.  Have to work on that cause anything I bumped ran far far away.

 

Next thing I did was nothing more than getting out extra early sitting still for as long as possible.  This seemed to work well some of the time.

[diplomat019]

i used buck bomb for the first time.   idk if it really did anything but i did shoot a 8pt.  saw about 7 doe as well in that one sit.  reason i say idk if that was the reason i shot my deer was because i didn't see the deer coming into the scent smelling for it.  but i did shoot my best deer so id probably use it again lol.  i don't think it was a miracle worker but i also don't think it hurt.  just my personal observation. 

[DirtTime]

I don't use anything. I do not have a tree stand anymore, I do not have store bought ground blinds, I don't have trail cams, I used Ivory soap to shower and wash my hunting clothes in ( then I put them in a plastic container with a spruce branch as cover scent ), and I went on my way. I never put my outer layer or hunting boots on while driving! When I get to my spots I open the window and let the cooler in for a few minutes, then I get out and put my actual hunting clothes on.

I didn't use calls or deer attractant scents.

I had does ( no tags ) within 20 feet of me. The small spike I let have a pass was within bow range ( 30 yards ) of me while I was carrying a rifle in the NZ. Why I let him go is a mystery to me even now, I think being a member here and letting the small ones pass has somehow got in my head. Subjective reasoning.

I sit on the ground or my tree seat and use natural cover I can see through on public/state land. The private land I have access too I made blinds that blend into the natural terrain.

Still hunting was a bust! I am really rusty at being super quiet walking the woods still hunting. My plan to fix this is hunting squirrel and getting how I step on the ground dialed in again.

 

 

[Taylormike]

I prefer buck bomb, shot the one to the left following a scent trail I left. I have had good luck...

[stoneam2006]

I like mild sent use and the basic grunt rattle and bleat can seems to work good when the deer are interested...if they don't respond they likely won't no matter what you try

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[ants]

A little off topic, but if your getting ready head out to hunt, and are going to spray down, don't ever grab a can of buck bomb thinking its a can of Nose Jammer scent killer….

[The_Real_TCIII]

I'm not a huge believer in many calls or scents but I have to say I used Evercalm this year and think it actually put deer at ease near my stand. I had one sniffing the first peg on my climbing stick too

[G-Man]

Grab a fresh tarsal gland off a fresh road kill if it's not bloody. Can beat it for attracting all deer but will only last a day or two then toss it, I don't use any store bought scent waste of money, and one deer to a bottle? Really millions sold and deer receptive for breeding 24 hours, most is not Esterous scent but is sold that way. Call only id you see a deer out of ranger otherwise just scout!! They more you know thw land and its naTural funnels and deer routes,natural and forced.learn your trees find which ones are dropping nuts or apples what is prefered,do this and The better woodman you will be, and by coincidence a better hunter!

[Doc]

I sit in a tree and make a noise like an acorn..........sorry, I couldn't help myself.

[JJBat150]

I sit in a tree and make a noise like an acorn..........sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Doc... You're a nut.

[PrimoSupreme]

Not really big on attractants but more of lures and cover scents. I put fox urine along heavily traveled deer runs as well as around my stand. However, this year I decided to use an old one that I heard about and purchased pure Anise oil and use it as a cover scent. I'm not sure if I found a grand central station for deer or it was the oil but this year I saw probably 25-30 deer all withinh 10-15 yds, including two nice shooters opening weekend(I passed them up and kick myself over it every day now lol). 

[ApexerER]

I will get ridiculed for this but I will tell the truth anyways. I am the poster boy for any company that has something to sell me that they say works. I have tried Buck Bomb, Tinks, Golden Esterous, Code Blue, Evercalm, Nose Jammer, Scent drags of all different kinds. Probably other things that I can't remember. I have a grunt tube, doe can, fawn bleat, hot doe call and a rattle bag. There isn't to much I haven't tried if I thought it might help me. Some of you say this makes me a poor woodsman. That may be true, but I look at it more as what the heck, its $8.00 bucks....I'll try it, can't hurt. The only thing I have stopped using is the Nose Jammer. I felt like I saw less deer (not none) while using it and I really don't think anything in a $5 can is going to "Jam" a deer's nose. I can't say that anything I use has worked for sure. The 5 pt I got during bow this year came in right after I did a grunt rattle sequence but he may have come in anyways. I do feel since I started using evercalm the deer around me seem less nervous but I can't prove it has anything to do with evercalm. I have never had a buck catch a scent wick I have had out and come in licking his lips or lip curling and I have never had a buck follow my scent drag but lots of my buddies have so I continue to use them. I will probably continue to try different things. I figure what the heck, maybe I will stumble onto something...

[Five Seasons]

I think that's the point. It's hard to prove anything worked for sure and it wasn't just coincidence or a combination of things. I believe that's what fuels the scent control debate the most.

 

What I have proven is that doing the wrong thing can screw you. I've had unseen does freak out while trying to grunt in a buck. I've had does blow when using urine, i've had bucks avoid urine. It's what makes this sport such a challenge.

[chas0218]

So this  Buck came out chasing a doe not right on her but behind her. So the story goes like this (cliff note version at the bottom of post),

 

I drove to our property parked next to the barn with all intentions of hunting in a different stand but wanted to grab my memory card and figure what the hey I have only sat there once. I washed my clothes about a week ago in some dead down wind but had worn them about 3 times since then sweating and what not, but I kept them in a plastic garbage bag until I wore them in the car to my hunting spot. So I would imagine they smelled like new car scent (air freshener of choice). Wind downwind of him and the doe so I don't know if the washing or new car scent helped. 

 

Unfortunately the plowed field was LOUD being the top layer was frosted/frozen making a lot of noise but taking my time. I figured why not and used my True talker grunt tube and lightly grunting as I walked across. I heard a twig break when I was getting my card out, I figured I just spooked something up our hill there goes any deer that were there. Then I heard a light grunt and another twig break. I skedaddled to my tree (10' away) and climbed into my stand. I tried grunting a few more times and got responses. Made the hair stand up on my neck when I heard this long low grunt. I sat there watching these 2 deer come into the field (too dark to see what they were other than deer). Finally the sun broke and I could make out the deer. This guy was one and the other a doe. I looked at my phone it was literally 1 minute before sunrise so I counted it down north dakota 1, north dakota 2.... and bang shot him dropped in his tracks.

 

Cliff Note version: I put him at ease with my grunt tube (true talker) or pissed him off couldn't really tell.

[Skillet]

Grab a fresh tarsal gland off a fresh road kill if it's not bloody. Can beat it for attracting all deer but will only last a day or two then toss it, I don't use any store bought scent waste of money, and one deer to a bottle? Really millions sold and deer receptive for breeding 24 hours, most is not Esterous scent but is sold that way. Call only id you see a deer out of ranger otherwise just scout!! They more you know thw land and its naTural funnels and deer routes,natural and forced.learn your trees find which ones are dropping nuts or apples what is prefered,do this and The better woodman you will be, and by coincidence a better hunter!

 

 

    Yeah, there's no way the producers of deer urine could keep up with demand. Notice that it says stuff like "100% doe urine", but rarely says the word "deer"? (With obvious exceptions like small farms. But, I'm talking about the really mass produced stuff).

Technically, they aren't lying. It IS doe urine, but that doe happens to be a female rabbit, the majority of the time. Female rabbits are called does, & the hormones in the urine are similar, so it still attracts deer (In theory). I used to know a guy in the industry, & he laughed when he talked about the absolute garbage that people are duped into buying.

I used the Tinks smokin sticks for one season, because it was given to me. I had some good reponse with the "all season" one. I think it worked, but not well enough for me to buy it again.

Years ago, when I did use urine, I rarely used estrous scent, & never used any dominant buck lure. I didn't want to spook smaller bucks, or any doe, (because I happily kill either) so those scents would've defeated my purpose.

Now, I don't use any attractant. I shower with scent killer soap & use the scent free / no UV brightener laundry detergent. I store all my hunting clothes (inner & outer layers) in a rubber tote, until I get to my hunting spot. I get dressed once I get there. I use scent killer cover spray, hunt the wind, piss in a bottle, & try to be where the deer want to end up that morning or evening.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Skillet

[Buckmaster7600]

To each's own, I don't do anything crazy. I just hunt funnels and after sitting for a while when I'm about to call it I will rattle for a few minutes if it keeps me in he stand an extra half hr I guess it can't hurt. Other than that I hunt the wind don't pump gas in my hunting clothes and wash them a couple Of Times a year in scent free soap. I piss of my stand and spit Copenhagen off my stand and have had way more deer lick my chew spit than I have had them come in while rattling.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Buckmaster7600

[Al Bundy]

I know what didn't work.  All scents I bought.  Doe estrous and buck lure. Never saw anything from the direction of the scents and sometimes didn't see anything when I used it. Also my combo doe and buck call didn't seem to do anything, except maybe chase a buck away once.  I grunted at it and it turned tail and ran.

[First-light]

Two hot does, 5 hunters on 64 acres between the hours of 7:30 and 10:30 am! lol

[nadunbar]

first light do you need a new friend?

 

Haha nice meat pole man, hope you left some for next year

[d-bone20917]

I walk around until I see a deer and then I shoot it.  

[rj23nyr]

I attract them with salt licks and corn piles...then I hit em with the spot light

[Northsox65]

I go where the deer are, I have never used any scents or calls, I sit in a treestand 15 feet off the ground in a spot between their Dining room and their bedroom and I just wait, and wait, and wait,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 

[ants]

Take those little plastic deer alerts, that you attach to your front bumper to scare deer out of the road, and attach them to your bumper backwards.

[moog5050]

Grunting worked for me this year to call in my bow buck.  I even had to use the snort wheeze when he wasn't willing to commit.  Only worked when I saw him out of range heading the wrong direction at a trot.  Blind calls did not seem to produce much.  I didn't use any scents and rattling was not productive.

Edited December 22, 2015 by moog5050

[Billdogge]

I've had a grunt tube help bring a buck in a few years back that was in the right mood. I've also shot bucks following a dragline.