Deer Attractant

[Hunterdad]

I'm looking for some sort of deer attractant that any of you guys have had success with. I'm still looking to shoot my first ever deer and want any type of edge I can get. I'm not concerned at all if its a buck, just looking to put some meat in the freezer.
Mi was looking at buck bombs, but not sure if they even work. If they do, would it detract a doe?
Any help is appreciated!

Thanks
Adam

Forgot to mention.....baiting deer with a food source is illegal in NY, so those kind of attractants are out.

 

[barstoolguru]

they are a waste of money, do your homework and early scouting and you will increase your chances. look for the scrapes and rubs, trails and food sources. These are the places deer are at. if you are hunting public land look along fence lines and see where the deer are going to eat at, they are crossing from public land into private plots to feed on corn

 

[buck460XVR]

Sex scents when used properly at the right time of year will sometimes bring in bucks to investigate if they have not been fooled previously. This is hard to do on most public land and does not work if the deer are pressured, such as they can be during gun seasons. Food type scents do not work well usually because deer are already accustomed to where the food supply is. Many times this is why baiting where legal needs to be done for weeks before the season starts. Food scents work better for cover type scents if one needs them. Fawn bleats and doe calls may work better than the use of scents if you need to attract deer, but again, only if deer are not already spooked or heavily pressured.

 

[303tom]

Mostly just good for cover scents..............

 

[Hunterdad]

I don't mind using it as a cover scent either. Any ideas of what would be best?

 

[matrem]

they are a waste of money

Way too much observation and way too much trail camera footage to the contrary to even begin to agree with that statement.
And Knox, Ashland, Coshocton counties in Ohio have no shortage of food or deer.

This fall it was a pail of apple flavored stuff called "Lucky Buck", and though I sure wouldn't advertise it as a buck attractant, (at least in Oct or Nov) it sure brings a lot of walking venison to specific locations they normally don't frequent.

do your homework and early scouting and you will increase your chances.

That is the most important factor in success.

 

[MCgunner]

Corn works best. Really don't need it if you scout well and find out where the deer bed and eat and get situated on a heavily traveled trail.

 

[matrem]

Corn's not much of a special treat in central Ohio.
There's semi truck loads still standing virtually everywhere you look around here.
Food baits sure depend on the area you hunt.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

take the 10 bucks a bottle of attractant cost and go to the grocery store and buy a couple bags of apples.

 

[matrem]

14.99 for a two gallon pail of granules. A pint or so makes em dig, paw, stick around for a while, and keeps em rechecking it for at least a week.
No doubt apples & pears sure work, but it gives em too much of an "eat n run" excuse.

 

[d2wing]

Sex attractants do work sometimes. But can do more harm than good if not used properly just like every other lure. If you do not control your scent, sound and movement you will just educate the deer. There is not magic that makes up for skill hunting truly wild deer. Do not put out food if it is illegal.
If you do use a scent, the high quality refrigerated stuff works best. I think the brand is Hunters Specialties. I have a 14 pt buck in one of their brochures.
Since I do not know much about where you hunt I can't help much. Advice will vary a Great deal from state to state.

 

[barstoolguru]

Deer are going after acorns (18% protean) and mushrooms in the fall, things they can't get during the rest of the year. Remember they are packing on weight for the winter and rut. a buck will lose 20% of its body weight in the rut looking and fighting for doe's.

if you watch a wildlife show everything works because the camera lets it. It’s like the fishing shows using a sponsor’s lure to catch fish. What happens is off camera they switch lures and so you the one that didn't work for sponsor money. Same with deer if you are hunting on a farm with an extremely high population they deer are more competitive but try that stuff on public land and you'll be throwing it out when you get home

 

[jrdolall]

It all depends on the deer's state of mind and I have yet to figure that out. Yesterday I had a small spike spend 15 minutes sniffing the trail I walked in on and I was au natural. Two does walked over the same trail about an hour later and ignored it. Last year I put my drag rag with Tinks #69 on a low hanging branch and had a large doe vacate the area when she got within 20 yards of it. A little later I had another doe walk over and sniff the rag.
I like scents more for "distractants". Seems a lot of deer get caught up in figuring out what the smell is so maybe it covers the human scent a little bit. I have never personally seen a mature deer come to a scent of any kind. That does not mean it does not happen but just that I have never witnessed it. I DO NOT take anything I see on a hunting show as truth. Those people are selling advertising and Scent Blocker will not pay if they have every deer blow at them when it gets downwind.