Can't tell you how many times, I've "given up" on a buck, only to spook him 20 minutes later, when he had snuck in from downwind of me.
But that's me.
I believe that anything you do to draw attention to yourself has the potential of alerting mature deer to your presence. With mature deer I still believe that attempting to be invisible is your best bet and I try to keep as low of a profile as possible. Mature deer are smart, have probably heard and seen it all and know the difference between real and fake and you never know how many big bucks may have been headed in your direction until they smelled the scent/drag, heard your rattling, calling, etc. and turned and went the other way.
That being said, I like to mix things up and I do play around with decoys, rattling, calling and scents and have had some fun encounters over the years. I've found that scents work mainly on young deer. Rattling can work and I've had friends rattle in some big ones but I've rarely rattled in anything bigger than a 2.5 year old. I prefer real antlers and never had much luck with a rattle bag. Decoys can be fun but can also mess you up. Some deer spook because of them and I missed out on a 10-yard shot at a 150" class buck when the doe he was trailing saw my decoy and spooked. I've called in a lot of 1.5 year old bucks with a "can" call and I've called in a lot of bucks (and some mature ones) with a grunt call. I think the grunt call is the most valuable call there is.
My advice would be to try scout and find the most deer sign (scrapes, rubs, tracks, trails, droppings, evidence of feeding), keep a low profile (mind the wind and be careful with your scent) and hunt that area. I've killed most of my bucks near active scrapes and they are usually in areas that are frequented by deer. If you see a deer pass by in the distance, try your grunt call and/or can call. You can also call blindly occasionally too but I wouldn't overdo it.
Good luck!
Thanks for the responses. I'm starting to formulate a plan, but have some more questions. It sounds like using the grunt call somewhere between every 10-20 minutes is the best idea, with an occasional rattle thrown in. My questions are this then. Should I focus on one way or another, or can I mix them? In other words, can i use a estrus drag, doe decoy, and grunt or rattle or should I stick to one?
The best thing you can ask for to draw a buck to your stand area is to have does move through the area naturally. If you over-call and over-rattle chances are the does are going to avoid the area. I’ve never grunted a doe in and have only had one doe come in to rattling in about 40 years. If the does avoid or circle around your area, chances are the bucks will too. Too much activity in and around your stand is one of the fastest ways to burn out a stand.
Another thought I have on scent drags is this… How far do you think a deer will follow a scent drag before it picks up the human odor you are laying down as you walk? If you are trying to get a deer to follow a scent drag that means you are trying to make that deer walk on your path exactly where you walked. Are you certain that you are scent free enough that the deer will follow you to your stand and not pick up your human odor? Are you sure you are not going to leave any scent on any brush, branches or leaves? I think you might be underestimating a deer’s nose and hoping to get lucky if you think you can fool their nose. Also, how do you know that the deer will follow the scent in the right direction? It’s a 50-50 chance that he goes the wrong way and he might end up at your truck instead of your stand ;^) He might have been heading your way but then hit your scent drag trail and went the wrong way. Or he followed the drag right on your path until he smelled your human odor and now he knows you are there. But if you hadn’t used the scent drag chances are he wouldn’t have walked exactly on your trail and maybe he wouldn’t have picked up your odor. I’ve experimented with scent drags a lot over the years and not even once has a deer followed the drag to my stand. On the other hand I’ve had literally thousands of deer walk by my stand when I’ve used no scent drags, or scents at all.
First and foremost you want to find a good area and then use your head and hunt it. Stealth and hunting should be your main focus. Calls, scents and rattling should be extras that you use sparingly when the time is right or when you see a deer passing out of range.
A lot of guys are looking for a “magic bullet” that will give them instant gratification. They think they can use this scent or that call or a certain decoy, etc. and it will substitute for learning about deer or good woodsmanship. Yes, you can get lucky but I think you’re better off in the long run hunting in stealth mode.
If every deer in the woods reacted the same way to a certain situation it would be called killing...not hunting! Deer are individuals and they all react differently.
I think your focus here is to kill a deer?
Your best bet is to get into that treestand and bring a grut call with you. I've lost count on how many bucks I have grunted into my treestand...and their still coming! Deer are a very vocal animal and can be at different times of the year. From the fawn bleating to the doe to the buck trailing a doe. Dont kid yourself, it's commmon place in the woods for all deer to hear these sounds.
This time of the year deer are on the move. The deer that was in the area 15 minutes ago is long gone and not long after another deer will come along. That's just the way things happen this time of the year.
Some people like to pretend they are "purists" and that there is only one way to put meat on the table. Could not be further from the truth.
Leave the scent drags, decoys and other trinkets at home - grunt tube...dont leave home without it!
I've never rattled in a buck (that I am aware of), but I have scared bucks away by rattling. (I believe this is due to a low number of mature bucks)
I've had bucks and does come to both my buck and doe decoys, but I've also had deer react negatively to decoys.
Deer, like humans are all different, and react differently as well.
I subscribe to and read most of the major deer hunting magazines, I have purchased at least 30 books on deer hunting over the years, and I own over 100 deer hunting DVDs.
I take in all of the info I gather, than bounce it off my own experiences for my hunting area, and I use what seems to work the best. But I'm not afraid to mix it up, and use new techniques now and then as well.
The CONSTANT things in my hunting is:
Clean hunting gear washed in Scent Free or Earth Scent.
Spray down with scent killer heavily before heading into woods, at my stand, and after any cigerette, meal or changing of layers while on stand.
Combine that with trying to be a still and attentive while on stand, and sometimes I kill a deer, and sometime I don't! But I do know that the older/more experienced I get, it seems like I have more and more opportunities to harvest a deer.
Just keep trying, and keep learning, and HAVE FUN!
Some of my BEST deer hunting memories, don't even involve a deer kill.
So it sounds like scent drags are less than successful, and rattling has had less success than I was expecting. I think I'll go without the decoy on Friday and maybe try it Saturday. Grunt call will be in the bag. If any deer walks by that is close enough, I'm shooting. Antlers are awesome and I remember every minute of my biggest buck, but they don't taste all that great, and I need to get some meat for the table so if a 4 pointer walks in or a doe is just wandering through I'd be happy with that. If the big boy walks through I'd be happy with that too :) Thanks for the input everyone. Also nice to hear I'm not the only one that sits for hour after hour, day after day, and sees nothing or very few deer. I thought everyone was passing up deer left and right the way people talk around here.
There are all kinds of opinions and all kinds of ways to hunt. Some people prefer to keep a lower profile and others prefer to be a "bull in a china shop". Keeping a low profile may not scare any deer away but you may miss out on some opportunities because you didn't call them in. Being more agressive may call in some deer but you may also scare some away and they may avoid your stand permanently. Keeping a lower profile has worked better for me on mature deer. You just have to decide what works for you and have fun...
I've messed around with decoying but I'm certainly no expert. From what I've read and experienced you might have more luck with a buck decoy during next week or two.
That being said, last November 10th I had my doe decoy set up in the woods and a doe and fawn went through about 50-60 yards away but didn't see my decoy. 10 minutes later the buck in this photo came through trailing the doe and fawn and saw my decoy. He moved closer to get a better look at the decoy and I was able to get a shot. I don't think I would have gotten a shot without the decoy.
A friend of mine with another buddy both together sitting about 200 yards apart grunted and rattled aggressively until about 15 min before dark and brought in a 155" buck. Shot was 25 yards and now a trophy hangs on his wall.
Rattling works well when done right and when the timing is right IMO
Over the years, I have had no luck with grunt calls. This might be because there are 1-8 deer/mi**2 in our area and no deer has heard it.
Rattling has worked - both for small and large bucks. I have kept track for the last 15 years and it takes 20 rattling sessions on average to have 1 buck come in. Of those, I get a shot 1/3 to 1/2 of the time (and this is rifle). I have also rattled, waiting 1/2 hour and walked 50 yards to see a bedded buck - they won't always come running even if they are within earshot especially if they already have a doe nearby.
The first time I rattled, I got a 9 pt. I thought "This is a piece of cake". The last 2 years I haven't had a buck come in (that I saw).
I would also advise keeping a journal of your daily hunts and a summary of yearly stats.
Yes, his neck was huge. He weighed 204 field dressed, 245 with the guts in. It's the first time I ever weighed one before I gutted him.
I agree but it depends on the location too. I have one hunting area that is near farm country and I can sit in the same stand or blind every day and I will see deer every day or every other day at that same exact spot regardless of how hard I hunt it. However in cases like that the deer are kinda use to human scent and tractors and 4 wheelers etc. An old wise swamp buck that's never around human scent is a different story. Hell I have put up blinds and stands in the past with trail cams trying to get a particular buck and the wise ole deer see the stand and then you never see them again. lol