Do scent drags work?
Connecticut
Here is my story. I go to Dicks to get some estrous for a drag. Scent has been a hit or miss for me so I put off buying it but didnt see many bucks this season so I went to Dicks to get some. They had a buy one get one free sale. So I figured I would get code blue with two diffrent "deer" and do a double drag to my stand one morning. The first video is me draggin to my stand in the dark.
This vid is same morning as Im sitting on my stand about 70 yards away. I see the whole thing happen.
Next vid is when I grunt to bring buck into shooting range. He hears the grunt and starts moving toward me. Hes at 70 yrds and Im pumped. In my head I have the backstraps cooking and wall location ready.
As hes heading toward me he is really sniffing. I figure he is onto the scent drag. Im Northwest of him and the wind is blowing from the Southwest so I am pretty sure hes not in my scent cone. For some reason he stops about 60 yrds away and stands there for a bit then just turns away and heads the opposite way. I wasn't moving so he definitely didn't see me. Damn did I swear at that POS scent drag was too much. It really was strong with a double drag and some leaked onto my backpack hanging from my stand. And still stinks weeks later. My opinion is that had I not had a drag and just grunted him in I would have had a shot. Then again it appears he was onto the drag so maybe not. I sat for another 2 hrs swearing at myself for wasting money on the scent which was codee blue BTW. What is your thoughts.
I used code red and the deer froze then got all jumpy..a couple of days later after a rain I used evercalm,.. No problems
I used buck bomb on saturday. Sprayed it on my boot soles every 50-100 feet. did a few tracks leading to my stand. Deer definitely got on the trail but hesitated. I had a 9pt that needed about 10 more yards and i would have had a shot. Turned around.
I probably would use it again but maybe much less. Jury still out on this one.
Smoothdraw has a lot of success with drag lines. I had a small buck follow one I used this season. I usually forget to use scent until I'm up in the tree. I have had success this year using a grunt call.
Oneeye
that last video looks like he's spotted something and is fully alert and walking towards it. It could have been another deer and would surely pull him off the scent trail.
I use scents OCCASIONALLY. I try to eliminate smells and hunt the wind, and I think anything you change in the woods, including putting out strong deer scents, can make the deer a bit spooky. I would rather make them think that nothing is different in the area so there's nothing to concern them. I think this works if you've done your homework and know their travel routes and patterns.
And luck is a huge part of the hunt as well :)
Good luck.
I haven't had great luck with scents myself, but I also don't use them religiously. A buddy of mine shot a 7 point last week that walked right up his drag line and stopped where he turned off to his stand. Never had it work before this. He was using the Wildgame squirt scent. He still can't believe it worked.
I think some of the success depends on the deer and timing. Some folks swear by it and have more success as well. Great videos of a nice buck Hope you get him.
I've had deer walk right in on drag's made with buck bomb, golden estrus and 200 proof. Doesnt always work... but sometimes it does. Cool vids!
Trappers use the "less is more" theory. Make the buck interested and curious with just a little. Like a woman that walks by with just a hint of perfume is interesting. A woman that takes a bath in it is so overwhelming that the guys want to get away from the odor. Same with coyote trapping. If they can smell it strong from a distance, he's done. If he gets that hint of it, he comes closer to the dirt hole for a better whiff. Remember, if you can smell it with your 5 million scent receptors, a deer's 300 million will be overwhelmed. JMO.
Good pint on the amount of scent. The stuff was pretty darn strong. Too strong. I poured it on the drags in a zip lock bag but a few drips would probably been better. It was to much for me so probably way to much for deer.
Damn good point indeed "Brian M"
BrianM
that's exactly the way I believe scents should be used. For a drag trail I place a single Q-Tip in the doe pee and then place it between the laces on my boot, so that as I walk it occasionally brushes off on the trail.
The LESS things that change in the deer's living room the less there is to spook them.
Dang!!! I've been putting used feminine hygiene products in my boots..guess I wont be doing that anymore
notme
yeah bud, they would hold way too much scent for hunting purposes, or for the purpose for which they were intended ;) If you put 2 on each boot it would look like tassels,....sweeeeet!
If I use any doe scent, I put it within range of my stand.
nah I go to the old folks home and get the big used ones
I will say this, more is not better when using drag rags. I have always had great luck with drag rags. The thing you have to remember how good a deers nose is. They can smell a doe in estrus from a half a mile away or more. I treat my drag rags in a baggy overnight. Than when I get to my hunting area I dig up some ground near where I park and mash the drag into the dirt with a stick and try and make the rag less potent. than when I get to where I want to start the drag, I add a drop of scent, just a drop. I than go at least 100 yards before I add another drop. Less is more when using drag rags. I also try and use scent I collect myself that season from bucks or does killed by me or my friends. I would say to stop using it now and try again after Thanksgiving when some of the does that were missed come in to heat again. Shawn
