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The whitetail deer's nose is probably their
biggest weapon against all predators in the wild. The whitetail deers nose & sense of smell, sight
and hearing present a formidable challenge for hunters. In that day-to-day struggle to survive, the whitetail deer’s
nose may be its best protection. Few animals have a better sense of smell than the whitetail. They can detect odors much better
and from a lot longer distances than humans. A large portion of the whitetail's brain is devoted to odor reception and interpretation,
and its nasal chamber can concentrate odors so they're more identifiable.
The whitetail knows when somthing smells like
it don't belong & for hunters that means they are LONG GONE way before you even know it.There are some things that
affect their sense of smell for instance,Weather conditions affect how well deer detect scents, Gusty winds disperse odors,
making it hard for deer to locate the source. A light drizzle,
greatly improve a deer's ability to smell, but heavy rain washes odors from the air. Steady breezes carry odors long distances,
especially in flat, open country.Warming and cooling air can move scents toward or away from deer. Heavy
rain washes odors from the air. In the morning, warming air carries scent uphill; In the evening,
cooling air carries it downhill. Stand hunting is usually harder for deer to detect the odor of
a hunter ABOVE the ground than that of one at GROUND LEVEL.Whether you’re after a buck or a doe,
the right scent at the right time can put more animals in your shooting lane. The right one at the wrong time can be a day
without seeing any deer. Many hunters don’t clearly understand how to use deer scent and often have disappointing experience
when using scents. They must realize that using Sexual-Based Scents too early will chase away does and bucks. The whole idea
of using deer scents is to bring deer towards your stand. The use of scents should help you position a deer so to allow you
to draw the bow ,or gun, and hopefully make a good shot. But you have to learn to use the right scent at the right
time. Besides using the wrong scent at the wrong time of the season is, the fact that many hunters use too much scent. Read
the label on the bottle and if it says, two drops then don’t empty the content of the bottle in one place. Too much
scent will spook deer away. When I first starting using scents like doe in estraus I went over the instructions qwickly &
when it said use 2 or 3 drops & it would bring the buck in running I figured, well imagine I thought if I lay
half the bottle on my boots & surrounding area lol. Well that didn't work the way I had planned, in fact there were times
I knew for certain there was good bucks around me, but they avoided me like the plague. Deer know what they smell like at
what time of the season, and they also know how strong the smell is. Therefore deer know perfectly well that there are no
deer in the woods the size of a Cow and if the amount of scent you use suggests a deer the size of a cow then they know something
is not right and will avoid the place like I stated earlier like the plague. Doe-in-heat urine is most effective
during the "ACTUAL RUT" but can also actually hurt your chances of scoring, if used too early.
Why you ask? Well for one thing, you want does to come your direction while you’re hunting. Bucks are often nearby,
often slipping along secondary trails, corriding the doe’s movements. If a group of does picks up the scent
of a doe in heat, it will vacate the area. Doe's that are not in heat learn to avoid the rutting bucks & will qwickly
move away from the area. Bucks that are in Rut, Except for the brief period during rutting season when whitetail
bucks are actively seeking doe's big bucks are very shy & reclusive animals. This changes quite a bit
once their testosterone levels start to flow in them. However, bucks in your hunting area won’t just magically
go into rut just because you pour a few drops of doe-in-heat scent on the ground in the woods your hunting, and
It has been my experience seeing other hunters in various area's that obviously believed this however . Of course, you
might get lucky, and a buck that’s not rutting might react positively to a scent or a young buck . But more often
than not, even the most dominant buck won’t let his buttons be pushed by the scent of a doe in heat, until
his better instincts tell him the time is right. Again, influencing deer movement with scents is all about using the
right scent at the right time. Early season scents Generally deer attractants are what you want to use. The same goes
for food-based scents as to sexual attractants. If the bucks know that there are no other deer the size of cow's
then they also know that there are no acorn nuts the size of basketball. The same is true for using food scent where
that type of food does not exist. Using apple scent in a pine forest where there isn’t a apple
orchard around for miles completely defeats the purpose and will scare the deer away. Also there are no cornfields in
the middle of a pine forest. A good idea as well is to lay a food based scent between you & where the deer travel through
if you know an area that leads from a bedding area to a feeding area , and lay down a scent trail that will help funnel deer
right past you or better yet right in front of you , no matter which trail they start out on as you obviously can't
be at 5 different stands at once, so try & centrally locate your scent pads etc. If you use a food scent pad
or drag pad(both available from local sporting goods stores). First slip quietly down toward the swamp or thicket from
the open area. Notice which way the wind is blowing, so you can bring the deer to you on the upwind side this plays an important
role here . Begin at one end of the thick cover. Apply the scent to the pad, and lay down a scent trail that cuts across
the various deer trails and angles up! out of the cover, To the upwind side of your stand. Add scent to the scent pad
or drag it occasionally, Increasing the amount you apply, as you get closer to your stand. Go over to the other
side of the thick cover and do the same thing. Now you have two scent trails, both of which cut across a number of deer trails
leading out of the swamp or thicket toward the food source. Your scent trails should be set so that you will be
sitting downwind of any deer that follows them. You have just increased your chances of attracting deer in your
direction. To finish setting the trail, I lay a scent pad etc. or pour a concentration of the scent onto a
tree or other brush about four three to four feet off the ground that will serve to hopefully stop and position
the deer for a shot. Pick a spot that should the deer pause to sniff this concentration of scent, it should be in a clear
shooting lane and facing away from you. This is a proven tactic, I have used on several occassions, it positions
the deer so you can make a good shot. But you need be prepared to give out a baat noise or deer grunt etc. to stop the
deer just in case!! .
Well folks I hope I was able
to give you some insight on deer scents & stratagies as well as on using them at the right time ,
Remember with "ALL SCENTS" "ALWAY'S MATCH the Scent" with the area your hunting be it apples, corn. acorns,
etc... Also sexual scents ony during active season during various stages of the "Rut"
Until Next Time Have A Great Safe Hunt!!!
And
May You Bag The Deer Of A Lifetime
Wally  
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