Deer Scents for Eary Season

[EHOIV]

I am new to deer hunting and have a stupid question. In the early bow season is it the right time to use a deer scent and if so what type. I figure it is too early to use a doe in heat scent but what about a tarsal gland scent. Any insight would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Ed

[willtill]

I've read on other hunting boards how some folks use vanilla as a curiosity scent. I may try it.

Kindest Regards,

-Will in Maryland

[done workin]

Tarsal, as is doe in heat, is primarily a mating scent. Curiosisty scents like vanilla, apple may work but something like a straight doe pee could be your best choice.

My personal preferance is to always go scentless and rely more on calling than anything. A friend of mine who used to use Tink 69, switched to Code Blue and had nothing but bad experciences. Spooked deer everytime he used it, both buck and doe.

The one problem with scents is keeping them fresh and depending on what the deer were eating where the scent was harvested, and what the deer are eating where you hunt, the odors can be different causing immediate alarm.

This is all assuming you are talking about attracting scents and not covering scents. I still don't use them either, although I used to use fox urine as a cover scent with good success.

Now it's its scentlock head to toe, rubber boots and scent eliminating spray on everything when I get to my stand. Never have any issues.

[Wildman]

User Bowhunters Setup , sold in cabela's. It works.

[Bass_hunter]

I used scents yrs. ago and spooked more deer than not. Was a scent once called Davy Bracken. I and buddys of mine had good luck by putting it on a drag rag going to the stand. deer would come trailing with there noise on the ground. Havent see it in a store in yrs. But i've always said i think the scents atrack more hunters for the ($$$) than they do deer. I also go scent less and do very little calling. Been deer hunting for 32 yrs.

[EHOIV]

Guys,

I appreciate the insight. Hopefully it will pay off this weekend in the woods. I do all of the scent lok stuff now but have been reading oll of the stuff on the scents didn;t know if it was worth it or not. Good luck to everyone this weekend.

thanks,
Ed

[Tail Chaser]

Ed,

One of the guys I was hunting with saw a buck chasing does in a field all afternoon last weekend in Halifax County, N.C. so the general rules may not apply. I'm also using scent loc. and careful about hunting the wind when the weather man can predict it correctly.

Last year I tried the buck bomb & the candles from hottrails. Didn't have a buck come to either but, if I had to choose between the 2 I would use the candles again bc they seemed to cover my sent well when other deer were down wind. The bomb goes off & that's it ....... vs. you can see and smell the hottrails all during the hunt that seemed to last 3-4 hrs. Didn't try the acorn candles this year during bow season bc they are hitting food sources enough that the does at least have been easy to pattern.

http://www.hottrails.com/default.htm

Russ

[ketch69]

Just a cover scent in early season. Hunt the evenings on travel routes from the bedding area to the food and you will see Deer. Learning to hunt the wind will help you much more in the early season.


DEAN

[RKOCH]

This is the only products I have used and I can tell you they work!!!!

http://www.bucksndoes.com/

[rock n crab]

Vanilla is used because it smells like acorn. Try buying acorn scent, it smells just like vanilla.
I like the scentless approach.