• This Forum is for adults 18 years of age or over. By continuing to use this Forum you are confirming that you are 18 or older. No content shall be viewed by any person under 18 in California.

best WHITE TAIL scent attractant?

No not kidding. It's good stuff.

When I first started bowhunting in the early sixties, anise oil was one of the old timers "secrets". Works as both a cover scent and attractant. You have to follow some what of a strict scent control program for any thing to work. No scent shower, no scent laundry, etc. The deer will still be able to detect you, but they will think you are a long ways away and hopefully not spook. For breath odor, a carbon mask will help, better yet, bring a bunch of black licorice with you. The anise scent will mask your breath. We also used to use skunk skreen for a cover scent. Don't see that used much anymore.
Here is one thing not to try:. About 20 years ago I saw this product called Ghost Scent tabs. Developed by the medical industry for controlling the smell of feces for people that have had a colectomy. I had to try it. Driving to deer camp. I would make some smart ass remarks like "my chit don't stink, etc". We get to camp, settle in probably watching "Dead Man" our camp movie. I had to relieve some gas via the rectal ducting. The odor almost made my buddy puke, then I got a whiff, next thing you know we are both outside the RV gasping for fresh air. My bud says "I do believe you can put that one on the fail list". Mike
 
Last edited:
When I first started bowhunting in the early sixties, anise oil was one of the old timers "secrets". Works as both a cover scent and attractant. You have to follow some what of a strict scent control program for any thing to work. No scent shower, no scent laundry, etc. The deer will still be able to detect you, but they will think you are a long ways away and hopefully not spook. For breath odor, a carbon mask will help, better yet, bring a bunch of black licorice with you. The anise scent will mask your breath. We also used to use skunk skreen for a cover scent. Don't see that used much anymore.
Here is one thing not to try:. About 20 years ago I saw this product called Ghost Scent tabs. Developed by the medical industry for controlling the smell of feces for people that have had a colostomy. I had to try it. Driving to deer camp. I would make some smart ass remarks like "my chit don't stink, etc". We get to camp, settle in probably watching "Dead Man" our camp movie. I had to relieve some gas via the rectal ducting. The odor almost made my buddy puke, then I got a whiff, next thing you know we are both outside the RV gasping for fresh air. My bud says "I do believe you can put that one on the fail list". Mike
That shit is funny!!
 
I use to be into Whitetail hunting in a big way, from N. & S. Carolina, WV, Miss, Alabama, and my favorite, Northern Alberta Canada. Before the season, I washed all my clothes I was going to hunt in. I mean ALL, underwears, socks, Gloves, toboggan, everything in a no scent wash like “scent away” clothes wash. Then put all those clothes and my rubber insulated boots on the back porch that was open to the outdoors completely, and got no “house smell”. I sprayed the clothes and boots down with scent away or another no scent spray. I would let the clothes lay outside for a couple of days before I wore them to hunt. I bathed in no scent soap and shampoo before hunting. I walked into my hunting area well before daylight for my scent to dissipate where I walked. I tried not not walk where the deer may be coming out or accross. And I tried to stay downwind of their bedding area or where I thought they would come out and feed. The “attactants” I have used over the years actually scared the deer away when they smelled it. Samuel Hall
 

That sucks, but, thanks for the info. Will have to go back to using Clorets gum or Gum-O-Flage for breath odor control. Or perhaps find some black licorice made with anise oil for flavoring. My usual twizzlers are made with licorice.
 
Most are attracted by a large bank account, & being hung like Mr. Ed.....
They don't much care about the hung part but if you drive a Porsche and can lick the sweat off your own forehead you'll be really popular....

But back to the question at hand, many years ago there was an attractant called Davey Bracken's Buck Lure that was really popular. I used it for several years and don't know if it contributed to my success or not. It did get a couple of us kicked out of a small diner in Candor, NY. by a waitress that said we stunk up the place.
 
Last edited:
I don’t use anything anymore because it has to be applied to the location you really shouldn’t be walking in. I just slip in early and wait patiently now. I have found great value to marginal wind but that’s advanced hunting. If you just want to try stuff that works, James Valley lethal weapon is good, vanilla extract works, mineral licks, plant a pear tree, just to name a few. Anything sweet smelling works for hungry deer.

I have found that the James Valley line of Gels is a long lasting affordable lure.
 
Last edited:
Talking about breath odor control, Several years back I started brushing and gargling with baking soda & water in the morning before leaving the house to go hunting. Then, if I drunk anything on the way or if we stopped to eat, I always carried a large bottle of baking soda water and gargled again. It really seemed to help. Like one said, deer have an absolutely great nose.

I always have used some type of doe-in-heat attraction on wicks with great success. Tink’s 69 was good and I have pulled many deer in to the wicks. When Code Blue first came out, it was the best I had ever used. But, they made a change to “A better Estrus” and I never had any luck with it. However, my best find was about three years ago. I saw “Nose Jammer” on the shelf at BPS and thought, “why not?” I have always gone to all sorts of extremes to cover my sent, along with the use of attractants.

Now, I didn’t stop washing my clothes in scent-Free/scent removing detergent, with scent removing dryer sheets. Putting the clothes in large scent-proof bags with scent wafers in them. The business of showering with scent-Free soaps and all scent-free towels and so on and so forth.

But, using the Nose Jammer, the first year I had an adult doe and a yearling come straight toward me from up-wind of me to within 15 yards. The doe looked my way as I was turning my head around. I was as startled as she was. As the doe saw me, I froze. Of course, the yearling was put on alert by then. It may have only been a minute, but it seemed like an eternity.

Finally, convinced that I was a old broken down tree (or something), they went calmly down to a creek, then started up a draw on the other side. It wasn’t 30 seconds later that here came the buck in my avatar, galloping right behind them and stopping where they had stopped. He looked around, but didn’t really pay attention to me, and down to the creek he went, and down he went for the count. Now, all three came to me with a nice breeze blowing right towards them from me and they had no idea that I was there (by scent).

Anyway, it happened nearly that way the next year. I had two does and a buck cross not 20 yards from me. Right through my scent and never knew that I was there. I expect pretty much the same this year. This stuff works!

I do something that the directs doesn’t say to do, I spray it all over me. My clothes, boots, gloves, hat, skin and whatever I have with me. Now, I don’t have much of a sense of smell, so I have no idea how it smells, good or bad, but I don’t care.

Well, time will tell. Have a great day!

Scott
 
Last edited:
Imitation vanilla. I used it in the past and it brought the deer in like nothing other then sweet apple mash. The imitation vanilla I put into a small spray bottle and apply it to some of the trees were I’m going to hunt. Though a word of advice. Don’t apply it to the tree you’re tree stand is in or if hunting from a ground blind. A doe and her two yearlings once walked rite up to me because I had sprayed the tree I was standing in front of. I could had just stab the doe with an arrow, but I won’t kill a doe who still has her youngsters tagging along.

As a side note for those who smoke tobacco. Deer don’t care about that smell, meaning it will not scare them away.
 
Imitation vanilla. I used it in the past and it brought the deer in like nothing other then sweet apple mash. The imitation vanilla I put into a small spray bottle and apply it to some of the trees were I’m going to hunt. Though a word of advice. Don’t apply it to the tree you’re tree stand is in or if hunting from a ground blind. A doe and her two yearlings once walked rite up to me because I had sprayed the tree I was standing in front of. I could had just stab the doe with an arrow, but I won’t kill a doe who still has her youngsters tagging along.

As a side note for those who smoke tobacco. Deer don’t care about that smell, meaning it will not scare them away.
He is 100% right about vanilla. I forgot all about it. I used it back when I use to Whitetail hunt years ago. Cheap too, because I watered it down and used a spray bottle.
 

Upgrades & Donations

This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.


Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.

You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.


To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.

Forum statistics

Threads
165,804
Messages
2,203,630
Members
79,130
Latest member
Jsawyer09
Back
Top