Do cover scents or drag scent work ?

[luberhill]

Do you guys spray your clothes or drag scent ?

[Caveman]

The only drag I've ever used was a tarsal gland off a big roadkilled buck. I think in an area like this it is hit or miss. maybe a truly dominant buck will get pissed off and investigate, but I saw small bucks gets spooked when they crossed the trail and does didn't seem too eager to be harassed by the newcomer either.

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[BowmanMike]

I have not had luck using drags either,have tried it with saved tarsap glands of bucks...

[grampy]

The only scents that really worked for me, was applying common "sense" and paying strict attention to wind direction.

Not saying that deer scents don't work. Many claim they do! Just that I never had them work for me. And I tried alot.  

[Bionic]

No expert here, by any means, but in my experience….I have tried drag lines every now, and then.  I shot a 6 pointer once who came right to a hanging wick I had.  He was nose up sniffing it when I shot.  One other time I had nice big tall tined 8 rip through the woods right to my after I ran a drag line passed his stand.  Deer was nose to the ground in a quick run.  It was coincidental that it was that day I ran the drag.  I feel like if the drag line works, it seems like that deer has to be in a certain mood, wind correct, etc, but like I said no idea, thats just an experience I wont forget.

[The_Real_TCIII]

I have zero faith in the sprays. Ive sprayed all kinds of natural and organic smells and they do nothing to "eliminate" or "cover" them. And deer can smell @ a billion different things at once so cover sprays are also ineffective in this Members opinion

 

I award @Grampy all the stars and likes

[Splitear]

The only bucks I have ever had follow/come to scents are little young ones. Same goes with rattling. Now, that can be as much on me as anything, maybe my skills are only good enough to fool the young dumb ones. 

[mattypotpie8S]

Last year I sprayed some estrus every 10 yards or so on my walk in on Nov 7th. Buck followed the exact trail. Decent buck. That's the 1 and only time it has worked for me.

[Bolt action]

I play the wind as much as I can. Along with that, I store my clothes in a bin full of corn in an effort to mask my scent. No idea if it works, but I've had deer walk downwind of me without getting busted. I don't have much faith in spray on scent concealers. The only one that I faithfully use is Evercalm on the bottom of my boots when I walk in. I've had deer come right in on the same trail I just walked within minutes of me and not catch my scent. I'd love to set a decoy out and put some scent on it to see how that works, but haven't gotten around to it.

[phade]

Cover scents are bunk IMO.

Using deer urine or glands - I've had some success with pairing it up with a decoy, punching a tag or two even in NY. I think it is more effective in less pressured areas going further west into the bigger deer states. 

I don't go out of my way to use it as a common practice though here in NY. I have however, covered alot of people with very large buck kills in NY for NYON and several of them directly used scent drags. I can think of a few off the top of my head without looking back at old articles - peak rut, height of bucks losing their mind. Just one data point though.

[Just Lucky]

For cover scent when I get to where I will set I like to kick around the leaves where i set.

I have never had luck with lures

[Robhuntandfish]

ive tried the cover sprays and as others not much faith in them. i will use them on my boots though.  I do like my ozone bag. I treat my clothes in it before each hunt and it takes 5 minutes. Im a big fan of that. 

Lure sprays i generally will put out a couple of drippers and i seem to get a lot of pics of them checking them out.  Do i know for sure it brings them in... nah.  But if they smell that when they come in maybe it takes away them noticing the fat guy in the tree for a minute.    

Edited September 7, 2021 by Robhuntandfish

[Versatile_Hunter]

2 hours ago, luberhill said:

Do you guys spray your clothes or drag scent ?

Dammit, I just bought some Buckfever scents and scent control spray. Why couldn’t you have asked this question last week? 
I have some trail cams out near old scrapes and deer travel routes. I’ll post if I see any changes once I manage to get out to apply the scents. 

[Farflung]

for cover scents, for a number of years I used skunk escense. Seemed to  work but got on everything and promoted rust. Have had deer walk directly to me going into my wind .... but I  get a lot of grief from the wife.

I do use doe urine and it  seems to work somewhat. Used to  use Tink's 69. Watched one buck follow a drag line that I had laid down and it came right up to my stand (and no further). Also had a tink's saturated cotton ball hanging in a tree. Just after I  was hanging it up, a doe walked up to a scrape that I hung it over, reached up and ate the cotton ball (or at least pulled it down with  her mouth). she was being followed by crotch horn that was grunting as he  came along behind her.

[DDT]

I've had good success with a drag scent at times. Fresh doe, not a bottled with preservatives. Have had bucks follow trail right in to the drag which I place on a branch in a shooting lane.  Antler ice is my preferred brand. 

Don't like cover scents. Why add more scent? When does a skunk scent, when he's scared.  Other animals know that too.  

I do all I can to eliminate scent.  Hang clothes outside.  Spray with scent eliminating Spray.  Keep a small bottle in my pack for in the stand use on long sits or warm days. Have deer up close and personal. 

My 2 scents, your mileage may vary. 

[BizCT]

My piss works, that's a fact. I can't tell you how many bucks have come into a scrape after i pissed in it. A lot of mature ones too.

[Zag]

3 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

I have zero faith in the sprays. Ive sprayed all kinds of natural and organic smells and they do nothing to "eliminate" or "cover" them. And deer can smell @ a billion different things at once so cover sprays are also ineffective in this Members opinion

 

I award @Grampy all the stars and likes

Im with you, I quit smoking a couple yrs ago and I thought id see a remarkable difference in my ability to be much closer to sent free than smoking in the stand but in all honesty I didn’t notice a bit of difference. They still freaking winded me like nothing.

[moog5050]

No.  Sorry I did not read all responses. 

[moog5050]

1 hour ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

My piss works, that's a fact. I can't tell you how many bucks have come into a scrape after i pissed in it. A lot of mature ones too.

You got to put the one on the wall to count. 

[ncountry]

1 hour ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

My piss works, that's a fact. I can't tell you how many bucks have come into a scrape after i pissed in it. A lot of mature ones too.

Yeah. I did a couple mock scrapes with cameras on them last year and 6 on one and 9 on the other different bucks used them..

[GreeneHunter]

I used to bring a small apple juice with me to my ladder stand and I would drink half and pour the other half down the tree I was in ..... no clue if it worked or not !

[BizCT]

You got to put the one on the wall to count. 

I did. My 2019 8pt. I pissed in scrape and kicked it up and killed him 1.5 hours later going wild in it


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[BizCT]

4 bucks in 24 hours from my piss yesterday. Will post in journal


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[crappyice]

I like Evercalm (the regular one not the red one) on my boots when I get within 100 yards of my tree. I will also mark a few spots where I would love a deer to stop for a shot.

I have used buck bombs (red can) with what is would call success. Spritz some every 10 yards on my walk in and had bucks walk the line on separate occasions. Won’t start that until Halloween or later.


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[ncountry]

42 minutes ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

4 bucks in 24 hours from my piss yesterday. Will post in journal


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Dang! 3 more than what I got today on camera.. how much for 3 oz.