Rusk, I spent a fortune on doe in heat scents when I was in my 20s. I found it to be a waste of money and time. Now, I'll make a mock scrape and pee in it myself. The deer will start using it on their own. For cover scent, I make my own from white oak acorns. I have killed several big bucks, but that's over a 30 year time frame.What is everybody's thought on using doe in heat during the rut? The guys that harvest nice bucks every year do you use any? I have seen it work well, but it seems only the younger deer.
Used a lot of it when I was younger not so much any more but I don’t really bow hunt much anymore so pulling them in close isn’t that important with a rifle if I can see it it’s not really safe. A couple years ago I had one pile of corn in front of my 625yd target. Next year when my row crop farmer plants the east side of the rd I’ll be using the rifle range as my hunting stand agian. Poured concrete shooting benches at the top of the hill in the NW corner of a 160 I can see the entire 160 from that vantage point. Targets at 500yds, 585yds, 625yds, 725yds and 1000yds on the neighbors native grass 160 to the east. It’s a different sort of hunting than some do.
This has been my observation also. I have had alot of 2 1/2 year old bucks and younger come right into the scent wick, but any older just seem to ignore it. I have also noticed that does do not like it one bit.IMO Scent is like a decoy...Ive used it and seen it work exactly like it is supposed to and Ive watched deer walk right by it without giving it any attention at all....I think it depends on their mood.
I have one friend that swears by nose jammer. He was telling how good it works. We went up to my place hunting and he started spraying it on his boots. I almost started yelling at him I couldn't believe that it smelled that strong like vannila. I thought there was no way that would alarm every deer in the woods. He shot a nice doe that day. My other friend was using another similar product that he said smells like cinnamon. He was sitting in a homemade ground blind come in 3 ft behind him. Not sure if it was attracted to the smell.Ive never had any luck with deer scents of any kind. Stopped using them 4 or 5 years ago.
On that note what about nose jammer? Anyone use it? I've been playing with it and have had deer come in from down wind consistently. But I'm not sure if that is because they are just used to human scent or if its the nose jammer. My furthest stand from my back door of the house is 200 yards so han scent is pretty normal here.
Funny, just Sunday I peed on the ground before climbing up. Had a buck come by about an hour later. He got a snoot full of it and man did he jump. Like someone kicked him.I've had smaller bucks follow doe in heat drags wherever you take them. My first buck followed the wrong trail then stopped at 15 yards.
I've never seen mature bucks brought in by them, but they definitely make does nervous....I would prefer perfectly calm does as live decoys to does that bolt out of range when smelling some doe in heat.
I also pee in every scrape I find (hint: take alot of water). I had an old timer tell me that it would scare all the deer away till I did that near his food plot and the next day that scrape had doubled in size....