Do Deer Scents Actually Work?
There is one question I see online a lot, on both Facebook and various deer hunting message boards. Do Deer Scents Actually Work?
First, let’s mention the two basic types of deer scents people think about. These would be urine/ glandular based scents and food based scents. Each is very different in its usage and should be considered separately from each other. In this article, we will be discussing urine scents and glandular secretions. Food based attractants can be great, for sure, but that is another topic for another day.
Deer communicate through the odor and chemical composition of their urine and secretions. These items can relay quite a bit of information from one deer to another. It can give such information as individual identity, health status, breeding status, herd hierarchy and more. By using natural and synthetic deer scents, you can “talk” to your deer and fool them into thinking they are talking to another deer in the area. This can be very effective.
For real urine scents, I will say that it is critical that you get them very fresh and from someone who uses clean methods to collect them. While they naturally contain all the necessary chemicals and pheromones to attract other deer, obviously, the age and quality of the urine matters a lot. Stale, spoiled or contaminated urine can be counterproductive to the deer lure’s success while in use. Preservatives used to artificially extend its life can also “bruise” the urine and make it much less effective. I am also very skeptical of “natural secretions” added to natural urine. Questions to consider are how they collect enough glandular material for making scents in bulk, are they tincturing the secretions before adding to the scents to stretch the very limited supply and what solutions they are using to tincture them for use. I have heard some crazy answers, like tincturing glands in vodka, freeze drying urine and even boiling tarsals in real urine. Obviously, these examples are certainly terrible conditions for the scent to go through. In my opinion, none of this is good for real urine and should be avoided. If you use real urine, find it from a fresh source that bottles in season, uses only refrigeration (not freezing) to preserve it and only ships pure, uncontaminated and unadulterated deer urine. Once you have this quality deer pee in your possession, make sure to keep it refrigerated, tightly closed and don’t try to keep it too long. Real urine can be very effective, which is why we have been selling freshly bottled deer urine ourselves. Just make sure to use the right scent the right way.
My belief is that synthetic deer scents are the future. One reason is the bans placed on the real stuff due to CWD. In some places it just isn’t legal to use anymore. The bigger reason, however, is that while it may surprise some, advanced synthetic deer scents and glandular secretions are simply more effective than natural products. Some of you are now probably asking “If this is true, why haven’t synthetic deer scents worked for me”? At one time, I asked the same question. That is the reason I got into this business. The problem with many synthetic scents is that they are simply very poor representations of true deer urine and secretions. A portion of this is to blame on retail marketing. To be competitive in such a crowded market, the scent cannot cost a lot to create. That limits the ingredients one can use or effective research one can dedicate to formulation. Another reason is that the people creating the scents are generally not that skilled at it. It is hard to discover and compile the data to make chemically relevant scents. It is MUCH easier to create a “pee perfume” (in fact, some deer urine formulations use the exact same methods and materials used by perfumers). At best, it smells like generic urine TO THE HUNTER. After all, the hunter is the one with the wallet, it is more profitable to fool him than the deer. Sure, deer can be curious and some will eventually sniff it. Market those often nighttime, spooked deer pictures you get while proclaiming that you “attracted” them. But curiosity isn’t attraction. Only familiarity creates true attraction. That means having the right chemical signatures and quality scents based on the latest science and technology.
At Nelson Creek Outdoors/ Lucky 7 Scents, we pride ourselves on the quality of our scents. True chemical relevance, true familiarity and true attraction are the hallmarks of our brand. NO ONE makes a better synthetic deer scent. When you buy a scent of this quality, it DOES work. Deer are completely fooled. We not only fool the deer by smelling right, we also actually improve the attractive qualities over the natural scent. Time release properties, stable PHEROMONES and new “multi-age” technology create a better than real illusion deer will consistently fall victim to. In the modern era, science often bests nature. This is quite true in our state of the art synthetic deer lures.
In the preceding paragraph, I mention “multi-age” technology. We have just introduced our new deer scrape scent, Lucky 7 Mock Scrape Magic. This innovative new product contains this technology. It is the odor of synthetic deer urine and PERFECTED tarsal gland scent in a great, easy to use powder format. When sprinkled on the ground, parts of it will continually remain smelling like it is extremely fresh. Other parts will gradually break down at a very reduced rate and after some time will smell like older urine. This makes it appear as if this mock scrape has had multiple visits over time without need to refresh it. The resident deer will believe it is a very active deer communication hub and will want to visit it often. What a great way to keep deer on your property and away from the neighbors. After all, what deer scents attract deer the most? Ones that create familiarity and paint the ultimate illusion of an area deer want to be in.
