Tips for Scent Setups...
When using scents, it's critical to set up properly. The first thing to determine is the
direction the scent will be carried from your setup. This is affected by the direction of the
wind, changes in wind direction, terrain, and thermals. Checking the current wind direction
is a good starting point and this can be done with the common small plastic bottle that
puffs powder into the air. If you don't already have one, I encourage you to invest in a small
portable weather radio. A weather radio will let you know what the wind direction will be
and if any changes in wind direction are forecast for your local area.
Lure Setups
Setups for lures are generally simple affairs with scent placed in a single spot or in a few
spots bunched together, close, but just upwind of your stand. The stand location is a little
more forgiving when using lures as opposed to deer scents, because with lures the deer
generally isn’t expecting visual confirmation of what they smell until they are just about on
top of the source. Some advocate leaving scents out in your hunting area overnight or
even using long lasting scents and leaving them out for weeks. The idea being that you will
increase the deer activity in that area. This idea has merit for deer scented products,
especially when treating scrapes or rubs, but it’s a bad idea when using food or curiosity
scented lures. Deer are pretty smart. If they pickup an attractive odor, they are likely to
seek out its source. If they go to the source of the scent and don’t get shot, they will see
that, in fact, there is no food at the end of the scent trail. How many times will they pickup
that same odor and follow it to its source only to be disappointed? They will soon learn to
stop reacting to that particular scent. Leaving lures out when you aren’t hunting will
educate the deer in that area and destroy the lure’s effectiveness. This is mitigated
somewhat in the case of mast type lures where its possible for all the mast to have been
eaten one day and be replenished by newly fallen fruit the next. I still think its best to
collect your lure at the end of the hunt and put it out again the next day.
Deer Scents
When using the scent of a deer, it’s important to distinguish between setups that indicate a
deer is here right now and those that indicate a deer passed through the area earlier. A
setup using Realdeer, for example, says a deer is here right now. If you put this scent out
in a fairly open area,
you’re making a mistake. Bucks will come in from downwind and will be able to pinpoint the
source of the scent down to a reasonably small area. If they can see the whole area and
there’s no doe, they will start to get nervous and your trap will fail. Worse, you may educate
them to the best product available to you and ruin your future chances as well. Much better
to put this type of scent out where there’s enough cover so a buck has to come in close to
get visual confirmation.
Setups for deer scents that say a deer was here are a little more forgiving. The deer doesn’
t necessarily expect to see another deer as it nears the source of the scent. Usually these
deer are intent on picking up the trail.
Scent Placement
Where you put the scent in relation to your stand is critical. Sooner or later you are going
to find yourself in the terribly frustrating situation of having a deer come in to your scent
setup but not present a shot. The reason of course, is that you put the scent in the wrong
spot in relation to your stand. You need to put every bit as much thought and effort into
selecting the proper spot to put out your scent as you do in selecting the right tree for
your stand. First, the scent should be placed upwind of your stand site, especially when
bowhunting. Second, you must have a clear shot to any deer that is right up at the scent.
Last, you must have at least two and preferably more clear shooting lanes at deer
approaching the scent from downwind. These rules are important because some
percentage of deer will walk right up to the scent setup and some deer, especially bucks,
will hang up 20 or so yards from the source of the scent. If you put the scent even with your
stand or worse, downwind, you will not be able to get a shot at those deer that only come in
part way.
direction the scent will be carried from your setup. This is affected by the direction of the
wind, changes in wind direction, terrain, and thermals. Checking the current wind direction
is a good starting point and this can be done with the common small plastic bottle that
puffs powder into the air. If you don't already have one, I encourage you to invest in a small
portable weather radio. A weather radio will let you know what the wind direction will be
and if any changes in wind direction are forecast for your local area.
Lure Setups
Setups for lures are generally simple affairs with scent placed in a single spot or in a few
spots bunched together, close, but just upwind of your stand. The stand location is a little
more forgiving when using lures as opposed to deer scents, because with lures the deer
generally isn’t expecting visual confirmation of what they smell until they are just about on
top of the source. Some advocate leaving scents out in your hunting area overnight or
even using long lasting scents and leaving them out for weeks. The idea being that you will
increase the deer activity in that area. This idea has merit for deer scented products,
especially when treating scrapes or rubs, but it’s a bad idea when using food or curiosity
scented lures. Deer are pretty smart. If they pickup an attractive odor, they are likely to
seek out its source. If they go to the source of the scent and don’t get shot, they will see
that, in fact, there is no food at the end of the scent trail. How many times will they pickup
that same odor and follow it to its source only to be disappointed? They will soon learn to
stop reacting to that particular scent. Leaving lures out when you aren’t hunting will
educate the deer in that area and destroy the lure’s effectiveness. This is mitigated
somewhat in the case of mast type lures where its possible for all the mast to have been
eaten one day and be replenished by newly fallen fruit the next. I still think its best to
collect your lure at the end of the hunt and put it out again the next day.
Deer Scents
When using the scent of a deer, it’s important to distinguish between setups that indicate a
deer is here right now and those that indicate a deer passed through the area earlier. A
setup using Realdeer, for example, says a deer is here right now. If you put this scent out
in a fairly open area,
you’re making a mistake. Bucks will come in from downwind and will be able to pinpoint the
source of the scent down to a reasonably small area. If they can see the whole area and
there’s no doe, they will start to get nervous and your trap will fail. Worse, you may educate
them to the best product available to you and ruin your future chances as well. Much better
to put this type of scent out where there’s enough cover so a buck has to come in close to
get visual confirmation.
Setups for deer scents that say a deer was here are a little more forgiving. The deer doesn’
t necessarily expect to see another deer as it nears the source of the scent. Usually these
deer are intent on picking up the trail.
Scent Placement
Where you put the scent in relation to your stand is critical. Sooner or later you are going
to find yourself in the terribly frustrating situation of having a deer come in to your scent
setup but not present a shot. The reason of course, is that you put the scent in the wrong
spot in relation to your stand. You need to put every bit as much thought and effort into
selecting the proper spot to put out your scent as you do in selecting the right tree for
your stand. First, the scent should be placed upwind of your stand site, especially when
bowhunting. Second, you must have a clear shot to any deer that is right up at the scent.
Last, you must have at least two and preferably more clear shooting lanes at deer
approaching the scent from downwind. These rules are important because some
percentage of deer will walk right up to the scent setup and some deer, especially bucks,
will hang up 20 or so yards from the source of the scent. If you put the scent even with your
stand or worse, downwind, you will not be able to get a shot at those deer that only come in
part way.
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