Can you smell a buck in his bed?

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jcraig0313
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Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby jcraig0313 » Mon Nov 04, 2019 3:44 pm

I was out scouting today and decided to setup by a steep creek bank that just smelled like a dang horse trailer. I noticed an active scrape 4 ft. from where I got out of my kayak, it was right on the edge of the bank. The creek was at my back and the wind/thermals were coming from the NE right across my left shoulder towards the right and down into the creek. I decided to observe the area by kneeling on the ground behind some tall grass. About 20 min later at 5PM I had a 2yr old 8 pt walk to within 10 yards. I was able to get to full draw before I decided to pass since I only have 1 tag left, and he just wasn't quite what I was after. It was definitely one of the coolest encounters I've had being that close on the ground. Anyhow, have y'all ever been in the woods and just got hit hard by a big blast of buck scent? Was it the scrape I could smell first or most likely the buck? He couldn't wind me from where I was. Any thoughts would be appreciated.


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Dewey
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby Dewey » Mon Nov 04, 2019 4:11 pm

Stanley always said a rutting buck is like a walking latrine and I totally agree. If you get downwind of a bed there is no mistaking it even if the buck isn't there. If he was there recently you will know it.
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Mon Nov 04, 2019 10:21 pm

In the AM I can often smell when one has been in the area
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Huntress13
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby Huntress13 » Mon Nov 04, 2019 10:24 pm

Yes, definitely.
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby Wlog » Tue Nov 05, 2019 1:30 am

For sure. More often than not if I smell that rutting buck smell, I end up seeing that deer. When you smell it they aren’t far off IMO.
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby <DK> » Tue Nov 05, 2019 1:36 am

If it smelled like a horse trailer then it was the deer.
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby PK_ » Tue Nov 05, 2019 1:39 am

Yea. They are rank.
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby treeroot » Tue Nov 05, 2019 2:26 am

Yes I do enjoy me some ranky buck smell.
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby comeback_kid » Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:13 am

I have smelled bucks outside of the rut. I describe it as a MUSK smell.

Last year during scouting I blew a buck out of his bed. When I sat in the bed to look around there was a distinct musk odor.

Another time, when blood trailing a buck I had shot, I could smell him as he had bedded within 100 yards downhill of me. He was still alive.
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Country
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby Country » Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:40 am

<DK> wrote:If it smelled like a horse trailer then it was the deer.


Logic would tell me, if it smelled like a horse trailer, then it was a horse trailer, no?
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby stash59 » Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:50 am

If you do find a really rank scrape. Odds are a buck was just there not that long ago. Yes really rutted up bucks reek!
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby matt1336 » Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:53 am

I’ve smelled bucks. I’ve also smelled does that were in heat.
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby Kraftd » Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:59 am

Absolutely!

Also, I dragged one out a couple of years ago and my next three hunts in a row kept thinking I smelled one coming, until I realized it was my hunting clothes!
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby Grizzlyadam » Tue Nov 05, 2019 5:21 am

This is a great question I would be interested to hear from some of the seasoned aggressive buck bedding hunters. I've always been one to hunt general bedding areas and probably set up too far back most of the time. The past few seasons I've been more particular for what beds I want to set up on and trying to get right up close as I can. There have been many times in the past I have smelled strong big buck rut musk odor be it crossing a travel route or a fresh scrape. Even some of the bucks I've killed during the rut and blood trailed, I could smell them before I found them.

The other day I got set up in a killer spot less than a hundred yards downwind of a known rut buck bedding area with the wind blowing directly to me. I was thinking about this exact question. Since I wasn't smelling anything in the bedding, I started thinking about it and my confidence was going down every minute that passed till closing time came and nothing showed.
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Re: Can you smell a buck in his bed?

Unread postby Dewey » Tue Nov 05, 2019 5:42 am

I found this bed back in late September when entering onto a small marsh island. It’s not real obvious and most would walk right by it but I smelled it from downwind long before I saw it. Bucks have a strong smell even outside the rut especially on warm days. This one was especially strong.

Image

It was pretty obvious the buck was bedded there as I approached and snuck out unnoticed. My camera yesterday confirmed that multiple bucks were using that island and still were after I hunted it that day.


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