Using the Tarsal Gland

[Swampbuck]

Anyone have success with using a ripe tarsal gland? I hear some having success with it but my thoughts have always leaned toward it pulling in more younger bucks since if it can smell the gland it can probably smell me as well. But I recall reading Eberhart having success with this so wandering if their is something to it and if any of you guys use it effectively

[JakeJD]

Honestly, I am not sure how anyone could place or use scents effectively.

Any deer that is downwind of the source is also downwind of the hunter, so it is not like you are going to pull buck in from hundreds of yards away. Scent dispersion via swirling winds assures that the hunter's scent will surely mix with the attractant.

Tarsal gland and other scent drags are also following the hunter's trail. It may work on some deer that are rutting and simply throw caution to the wind. But I do not believe that many mature bucks would follow a scent drag to their death without also picking up the predator (human) scent.

[JoeRE]

I used fresh tarsal glands a ton for a few years. Most of the time I would hang one 30 yards or so each direction in a crosswind in rut funnels with the idea that a buck would hit the tarsal scent and circle in toward that scent before hitting my scent stream. I had a success or two but a lot of failures where the scent scared the bejeezus out of bucks when they smelled it so I quit bothering with it.

The one "success" that sticks in my mind was a massive 9 point that I first missed, he moved off then hit the tarsal scent and stomped back in allowing me to miss him a second time Most did not go that way.

What I saw was if the tarsals are from a really dominant buck then anything but a similar dominant buck gets scared, tucks tail and slinks away. Only an aggressive dominant buck would come in - you only run into that kind of buck occasionally even in good hunting areas and honestly he probably could be called in with a well timed grunt or snort wheeze anyway.

If the tarsals are from a younger buck more bucks just ignored it from what I saw. In the peak of the rut it disturbs many does that come through too which is something I didn't want to happen.

Long story short what I learned was a lot of hassle for doubtful reward....as with any scent I have tried.

[stash59]

The Wensels used to peg them down in scrapes. Yes when using scents controlling human oder is key. Use clean rubber gloves to handle scents and wear rubber boots. I used to always wear hip boots even when no water was involved. I've had my best luck using lures (not just urine but a mixture of glands and urine) especially ones made by James Valley Scents. Unfortunately most of my experience in this occurred during my traditional phase and I would forget to pick a spot when the real bruisers came in. Just like other tactics nothing works 100% of the time.

[checkerfred]

I was just about to post this...I just cut off the tarsals off my 2 recent bucks. I guess it's not worth it. I had thought about hunting a cross wind and putting them out in from of my field of view. But during rut, I definitely don't wanna disturb the does.

[Southern Man]

The one "success" that sticks in my mind was a massive 9 point that I first missed, he moved off then hit the tarsal scent and stomped back in allowing me to miss him a second time Most did not go that way.

Nice

[PK_]

Yes. I use them any chance I can. Not sure how the real smell of a real deer could be a bad thing. When a buck smells that tarsal he thinks he is smelling a buck, not where a buck has been, and sometimes they come in as if they know a buck is there…
I generally rub them around on brush knee high making a scent trail where I want it, then lay or hang the tarsal where I want the buck to stop. Had many bucks come in sniffing everywhere that tarsal touched and then put their nose right on the tarsal. All age classes.



This buck was cruising a high bench just out of range, he hit my entrance trail and turned on a dime. Got stiff legged, ears cocked back and walked right down my entry putting his nose on EVERY sapling I wiped the tarsal on. When he got close to the actual gland he turned sideways and postured and sidestepped towards it. After I put a muzzy through his ribcage he just bounded a couple times then looked back towards the gland before crashing down. That was the coolest experience I have had with it, but lots of other good ones over the years, yes mostly small bucks but that is mostly what is running around the woods!

[Longbow]

Could u freeze them for next year?

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I don't see why not but I would vacuum seal it

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[PK_]

Could u freeze them for next year?

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Yes, that is what Eberhart does, he dates them and then uses them same timeframe following year. I have only used fresh ones.

[checkerfred]

Yes. I use them any chance I can. Not sure how the real smell of a real deer could be a bad thing. When a buck smells that tarsal he thinks he is smelling a buck, not where a buck has been, and sometimes they come in as if they know a buck is there…
I generally rub them around on brush knee high making a scent trail where I want it, then lay or hang the tarsal where I want the buck to stop. Had many bucks come in sniffing everywhere that tarsal touched and then put their nose right on the tarsal. All age classes.



This buck was cruising a high bench just out of range, he hit my entrance trail and turned on a dime. Got stiff legged, ears cocked back and walked right down my entry putting his nose on EVERY sapling I wiped the tarsal on. When he got close to the actual gland he turned sideways and postured and sidestepped towards it. After I put a muzzy through his ribcage he just bounded a couple times then looked back towards the gland before crashing down. That was the coolest experience I have had with it, but lots of other good ones over the years, yes mostly small bucks but that is mostly what is running around the woods!

Cool experience Palmetto and very nice buck! OK so. Now I'm gonna try it haha. I kept them off of both of my last bucks.

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[Singing Bridge]

I've used tarsal many times in the past very effectively in scrapes and mock scrapes. The local bucks were ticked and wanted to know where it came from. I've had bucks kick dirts/debris/leaves ten feet or more up in the trees in reaction to the tarsal scent while doubling or tripling the size of the scrape. Some of the bucks had some age on them...

[James]

I shot a nice mature buck with my bow early enough in Wisconsin last year that it made sense to use the tarsel gland while hunting in MN. I played with it some and definitely had a couple young bucks coming right in to check it out but nothing mature.

[Stanley]

I tried them 35 years ago. Not much success so I haven't used them since.

[backstraps]

I have used the glands off both buck and doe.

I had a hunter on stand on an earn a buck hunt once. He shot a doe, never killed a deer before. I dressed the deer, cut off her glands, and emptied her bladder. Got the doe removed and hung her glands 35 yards from him and scattered her urine all over the ground (just like you'd see in the movies, hahaha)
I didnt make it 15 minutes down the road and got a call to come back and get him he just spined a 10pt and it was gead under the glands!

I have used them with success myself, but most of my encounters have been with younger bucks on high elert when they came back in. I have frozen and reused glands from previous years with no success. When the glands thawed, they almost smelled weak if thats even possible???

[dan]

No amount of scent control is going to stop a deer that gets close from detecting the human contamination... With that said, tarsal glands, doe in heat urine, and other scents "work" some of the time... I don't think the scent off a tarsal gland taken from a dead buck perfectly mimics live scent from a live buck who by the way has a lot more glands and scents than just tarsal that are smelled by down wind bucks. Same goes with other urine based scents (tarsals are covered in urine too) they break down and do not work as good when they are not fresh...
Lets face it, if you had a doe in heat walk up wind of a swamp every buck in the woods would come running during the rut... But, we sure don't get those results when we put scents out, do we?

The way I see it, scents are like a hunter trap... They work just enough if you find a buck thats in the exact right mood and wants to come in to tease the hunter. They come in on pins and needles expecting a trap, or expecting a buck that wants to fight, "if they come in at all". They use thick cover to come in, and jump the string when shot at, and they are searching and listening trying to catch any movement or noise. And they like to come in from down wind and circle trying to smell anything. Pretty hard to kill a mature buck under those circumstances...

I have played with scents, I have had some nice bucks come in, and I have seen some smell the scents and run away... I personally do much better by hunting deer, rather than trying to get them to hunt me. Mature bucks do not get to be 5 years old by walking into scent traps. They die young if they do that. They have had scents and calls and everything in the book thrown at them by the time they are mature, and unless your on some huge cushy managed land where they don't see hunters, its pretty hard to "fool" a mature buck. My best tactic has been to stay mobile, set up on sign or bedding areas, and catch the buck totally of guard and by surprise.