One and done.
We all like this concept for pretty much everything we do. It makes life simple. A lot of hunters like to apply the one-and-done notion when it comes to deer scent. Perhaps somewhere along the way they picked up a bottle of Super Buck 5000, sprinkled a bit around their deer stand, shot a nice 8-pointer that happened by, and never looked back.
“One bottle of this stuff is all I ever needed,” they tell their friends for years to come, ignoring the fact that the success scenario they enjoyed back then never again played out quite the same way.
It’s easy to get stuck like this.
Don’t do it.
If you’re only carrying one scent in your daypack, you’re likely missing out on a lot more deer action than you may think. The whitetail woods are fluid environments, with deer habits and motivations changing with the season. To think that a single scent option is optimal all of the time represents limited thinking. Sure, one scent may provide sporadic success, but without broadening your scent arsenal and strategy, you simply don’t know what you’re missing xe2x80x94 literally.
Although scent plays a big part in a whitetail’s life year-round, its importance seriously ramps up this time of year as we experience the rutxe2x80x94generalized deer scents are important for communication and inventorying, food scents are still highly effective, dominant buck scents pique curiosity, and estrus doe scents continue to ramp up in importance as the peak rut approaches. All of these scent categories are in play right now, and experienced hunters know that a one-scent solution is akin to giving yourself a handicap for no good reason.
Granted, scent strategies can be confusing to the beginner, and even veteran hunters know that there is no predictable formula for what will work best at any given time. The key is understanding what these scent types do, when they tend to work best, and being prepared to change tactics when things aren’t working as expected.
Scrape Scents
Seasoned whitetail hunters are quite familiar with deer scrapes and have learned to use them to great advantage. A scrape is simply a circular patch of bare earth that has been scraped clear of leaves in about a 2- to 3-foot diameter, almost always located beneath a limb, or licking branch, around 4 or 5 feet overhead. Scrapes are a communication center for whitetails. They are typically located along common travel routes, such as along ridge tops, funnels, field edges and creek bottomsxe2x80x94basically any area resident deer tend to move through.
In these scrapes, deer will urinate, leaving their scent. It is surmised that deerxe2x80x94both bucks and doesxe2x80x94can glean much information from the scents deposited on scrapes, such as deer age, size, how long ago they visited the scrape, sex, and in the case of mature does, where they are in their estrus cycle.
For bucks, identifying a doe in estrus is all-important. They know she is, or soon will be, ready to breed, and the chase will begin.
From the hunter’s perspective, scrape activity covers all of the early season and well past the main rut, going into at least early December in the northern latitudes. During the pre-rut and rut phases, setting up a stand downwind of a frequented scrape or along a scrape linexe2x80x94particularly those leading to feeding areasxe2x80x94can be the winning ticket.
The optimal scent strategy here is to use a scrape scent, such as Active Scrape or Hot Scrape with Scent Reflex technology, during the rut. These are full-spectrum scents that work on existing scrapes or mock scrapes that you create at an optimal location for your stand. Simply pour some onto the scrape, or use the Scrape Dripper for daytime controlled release of the scent directly onto the scrape.
The goal with scrape scents is twofold. First, you can use them to incite a deer’s sense of curiosity, causing them to approach the scrapexe2x80x94preferably while you are in your standxe2x80x94and linger long enough to make the shot. Second, by using the Scrape Dripper (which releases scent only during daylight hours), you stand a chance of getting a curious buck to investigate the scrape when you are on your stand xe2x80x94 and not in the middle of the night.
Food Scents
While most localized scent strategies focus on scrapes (urine, licking branches and a buck’s deposit of preorbital glandular scent onto the licking branch), attraction to your stand setup can be enhanced with the simultaneous use of a food scent. A food scent wafting in the breeze along with a urine scent from a scrape may be the one-two punch needed to grab the attention of a passing buck.
We tend to use food scents as a cover, or added layer of protection, to our standard scent elimination practice. Acorn is the usual best bet, but for an added zing to ramp up the curiosity factor, apple is a strong choice as well. For an anytime, anywhere food/curiosity scent, we’ll sometimes use Buck Nip.
Food scents are quite effective now and through the rut. They’ll help attract hungry bucks and does and continue to bring in does when bucks are more interested in them than in food.
Challenge Scents
In the weeks leading up to peak rut, dominant bucks and those seeking to move up to dominant status, become increasingly territorial. When hunting in impromptu stands or exploring new locations in a hunting area during the seeking phase of the rut (when bucks are eagerly searching for does coming into estrus), challenge scents can make it happen.
This category of scent is based, typically, on buck tarsal glandsxe2x80x94the same scent bucks deposit on scraps when they urinate on the tarsal glands located on the inside of their hind legs. Saturate a Quick-Wik with a territorial or challenge scent such as Golden Buck or Mega-Tarsal Plus, and hang it near your setup (always being mindful of the wind direction). There’s a good chance that any cruising buck of dominant size that gets a whiff will turn to see who is encroaching on his territory.
The Rut is On
When the rut is in full frenzy, we can all agree on one thingxe2x80x94estrus scent rules the day. This is the hormone that bucks key in on almost to the exclusion of all else as they frantically pursue does.
At this time, you’ll want to put away the general, multi-spectrum urine scents and use only premium doe estrus. I’ll be using WRC’s new Golden Estrus in the 3-ounce spray can this year, as the standard bottle version has done well for me in the past. This formula contains extra premium doe urine with estrus secretion that combines with WRC’s proprietary Scent Reflex Technology for added punch and longevity. Some of the things we like about this delivery system is that its high-output sprayer works upside down and the internal bag-on-valve system keeps the scent fluid separated from the pressurized air, so there is no contamination.
Whatever type of estrus scent you use, be sure you use it in the couple of weeks leading up to the peak rut dates this year, and for a few days after. And don’t be shy about deploying it. Use it on a scent drag as you head to your stand, spray it on the scrapes near your stand, and freshen the air with it a few times while you’re in the stand. Rememberxe2x80x94peak rut is the culmination of our deer hunting season. Put it all on the table and go for it!
Change-It-Up Scents Add Fuel to the Fire
Sometimes, our best-laid plans fall flat. Blame it on the weather, unexpected hunting pressure, or just the quirky nature of deer. Whatever the case, if things just aren’t happening, it may be time to pull out a heavy-caliber scent trick.
Working with the natural or mock scrapes near your stand, add a mix of buck tarsal scent with premium doe estrus scent to the scrape. Applying both to the ground will tell an important story to the resident dominant buckxe2x80x94″Someone’s hitting on my turf!”xe2x80x94and it’s going to get him fired up. If he’s cruising through the country and smells that combo, there’s a good chance he’ll come in hot with nostrils flaring.
Pre- and post-rut, simply changing scents can often be enough to jolt a buck into coming to your stand. For example, switching from Golden Doe premium urine to a multi-blend attractant such as the long-standing Trail’s End #307 can often tickle the curiosity of buck who’s either just starting to think about love or who’s worn out from it.
As you can see, deer scent comes in many formulas designed to elicit specific responses in whitetails as the fall hunting season progresses. Using scents that are specific to what’s going on with deer behavior at any given period from the early through the late-season will give you a leg up in your pursuit of a handsome buck.
Still think a one-and-done lure is all you need? We didn’t think so.
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