slowr1der

I think most of this stuff about calls, scents, and keeping yourself scent free is a bunch of BS.

The only call I've ever had was "The Can" and the first time I used it a fairly large 8 pointer walked in. I thought for sure this thing was magic. I used it for years after that and never called anything in with it, and deer didn't seem to react to it other than to go the other way. I realized that first time the deer was just coming in anyway.

As for the scent stuff, I've also tried using Tinks 69, several times and I've never seen anything anytime I've used it. I'm not saying you will never see anything when using it, but I just haven't.

I also used to wash everything in Scent Away, take showers with Scent Away soap and shampoo, and then spray myself down on the way to the stand. The 2nd biggest deer I ever killed was on a day when I didn't have time to bathe in scent free stuff, and I had just taken a shower that morning it Axe. It didn't pay any attention to me. Since then, I've seen deer when I've taken all of these steps, but I've seen just as many when I've taken none of them. I just don't think it has much of an effect.

Last year I killed one of the biggest deer that has ever been killed in this area that we know of. I'd been cutting on wood all day in my coveralls and I had the fresh cut wood all over me, my friend had been smoking around me, and I'd really just done nothing right. They told me before I left that I'd never see any deer smelling like that. Well, I proved them wrong when I let them know I'd just killed a huge 11 pointer that obviously didn't care about my scent. This has made me realize it's a bunch of bs.

Another buddy told me he figured out the same thing. He used to take every precaution, and the last two years he quit doing anything to control his scent, and quit using calls. He killed more deer last year than he ever has in his 5 years of hunting. This year, he killed a 7 pointer the first day, and a 13 pointer this morning. Neither time did he worry about his scent, using deer scents, or anything else scent wise. He's started telling me not to waste my money on this stuff also.

I've come to the realization, they just use most of this stuff on TV because they are getting paid to use it. I've got one buddy that insists you need it all because he see's it on TV, but he is also the same guy that hardly ever kills anything other than a doe, which has made me realize he is full of it.

Night Crawler

I use a can, and a grunt that's it. been 50-50 on results, nothing big. I use no bottled piss. I use my own works great every time.

Murdy

More often than not I've noticed no effect. I once successfully used a grunt call to stop a running doe for a shot, and last weekend, a fork buck came in shortly after I grunted. I let him walk past, and he scented me and took off. I grunted a few more times, and he looked back and changed his course a little. That's the only 2 times I've seen an effect from a grunt call. I've seen deer ignore it completely. I had a 6 pointer come in to some doe scent last year--at least he came in from straight down wind after I had put it out. Never had any luck rattling or with a can call.
I don't think they hurt much unless you get too carried away with these things.

doetrain

I think we are victims of irrational fears helped along by the slick marketing tactics many of the companies employ. We all want to be successful when we hunt and those of us who are new to deer hunting are the most susceptible to their wares and ploys. They get guys like Michael Waddell who I like and would enjoy getting to know I'm sure, and they help them sell the stuff because they sponser their careers which most of dream of having(hunting everything everywhere). But as has been pointed out all this stuff we are told will help give us success can stress us out as well as blow our meger budgets. The fear of not having what is needed to get that Buck of our dreams can move us to buy what is not truely needed. Some respond to this with,"But the Deer are smarter than they were 30 years ago." so the conclussion is we need help to get them in the modern deer hunting setting. I like many of you have employed all this stuff only to see nothing most of the time,then I go out not having time to full with it all and see more deer than I could ever hope for. Not being alert or failing to take a shot because of indecission at the last moment has cost me more deer than not using the gimmics has. So I think as I finish out the rest of my season I'm going try and purge my mind from some of the irrational bagage I've filled my already feeble mind with and just enjoy my hunts come what may.

RenaissanceBiker

I actually did rattle in a 9-point a couple of weekends ago. I put buck urine on his scrapes a few days prior to that to make him think another buck was hitting them. I left the area alone for a while. When I did rattle he was there in about 10 minutes looking for a fight. He went straight for one of the scrapes and I shot him as he was sniffing it.

These things can work when you use them as part of a plan to get a target deer you know is in the area. They aren't magic attractants that can substitute for scouting and planning your hunt.

chazspot

I think there needs to be a distinction made here between bow and gun hunting. With gun hunting, the need for scent control is significantly less than bow hunting. Also, as far as shooting big bucks, I can't tell how many times I've seen a shooter buck(or any deer for that matter) in the distance to only think if I had a gun I would have been able to reach the deer effectively.

One of the goals (or requirements) for bow hunters is to get their quarry close as most shots are taken in ranges from zero to twenty five yards. In order to satisfy that requirement one can use scent spray and possibly a lure during the right time of the season.

Nothing against gun hunters. I just think the requirements are different in this context.

keystonehunter

I USED to bea scent freak. I did the shower, clothes in bags, changing at the site yada yada yada. This past year my 2 month old scent lok clothing started falling apart...buttons pulling out and seems seperating. I decided I would try some other cheaper hunting clothes so I bought Gander Mountain GSX version and now just use the deoderant. My point is that I stopped storing my clothes in the bags and all the other BS and have seen JUST as many deer with my "lessor" clothing and tactics.
My girlfriend hunts with me at times and we make sure we hunt the wind in our buddy stand with just one scent wick clipped to the ladder for a cover scent and we have both killed a buck this way. Moral to the story is Its all about the wind and motion!
As far as calls go i use a grunt alot, but I think were people screw up using them, is they use a to deep tone on them and scare bucks away. I use in between a YD (young deer) grunt and a MD (mature deer) grunt and it is not uncommon to have a few bucks a week to come in and check it out. It also depends on the strenth of your rut and caliber of bucks in your area.
Just my $.02 sorry for the novel.....I just relized home much I typed LOL

halfbakedi420

watchin a show on tv the other day that showed how we use memory to relate sounds..so it doesnt really matter what ya use, the deer will relate a sound from what they know...so if ya get busted rattlin..then forever he will think its you rattling..per say
when i am goin to leave soon, i jack around with calls and rattlin, and have had some luck, i will keep at it i am sure.

WNYhunter

I for one like useing this stuff. I try to keep my cloths scent free and spray down before I go out. I don't blind call to much but when I see a buck that I would like to shoot I reach for the bag of tricks if he isn't heading my way. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I have yet to spook them trying to call them. But I would rather have a grunt tube or the can when the chance presents itself rather than just watching him leave.

petasux

Grunt calls and rattling dont work around here very often and they seem to have the opposite effect more often then they work.I look at it this way, i went through all the work to hang the stand, got up early and sat in the cold before daylight to get thier undetected, why do I want to draw attention to myself by sitting up there making noises.

The one exception I will make to this is during the rut, and using a doe bleat call.Ive had it work on several occasions and even when it doesnt it doesnt bother the deer, they just basically ignore it.Thats only if its a buck by himself, if a does in the area she may well try to pinpoint the sound it seems like and cause you nothing but headaches.

Scents are much the same way, I can walk into my stand and have deer walk the path I came in on 20 minutes later without issue.Seems like if I lay down a scent trail it either puts them on guard or they completely ignore it after a couple sniffs.

I have no doubt in some areas and situations these things will work just fine.Mine isnt one of those areas, probably due to the fact that for years everybody in the field was dumping deer pee, and grunting and rattling at everything in sight.The only reason the bleat still works with moderate success is most people didnt have one when the calling craze started.