Public land scent and calling

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BigRed
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Public land scent and calling

Unread postby BigRed » Mon Aug 30, 2010 5:51 am

Just curious on everyones opinion and experience with scent and calling on public. I think a have an idea already, but still curious. For me i've never really had success, if anything its been negative, except one time. I few years ago, i got rust penetrant in my right eye at work, was blind for a week and it took a month before i could see my bow pins. But i wanted to get out in the woods so went out and just sat. It was late October, so i put out some doe scent and tried some blind calling.A decent 8 2.5 came in running but then a real doe showed up, and he took off after her. That was the only time it worked. Last year my dad had some doe scent out, nad he had 8 does come in. They hit that scent trail and dynamited the brakes and were freaked out. He did shoot one, but the reaction of those deer pretty much said it all he said. I just wonder how many times in the past it has hurt my hunts when i havent seen anything. I think there could be a time and place for scent and calling, i just dont think its pressured public.


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Black Squirrel
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby Black Squirrel » Mon Aug 30, 2010 6:00 am

I have NO confidence in any scent attractant. Maybe I wasn't using them right, but I don't recall any positive results. Always negative. So I haven't used them in years. I have had much better results with calling. I usually call when I don't think the deer will pass by me in range, on his current path.
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby dan » Mon Aug 30, 2010 6:30 am

I usually call when I don't think the deer will pass by me in range, on his current path.

X2

As far as scent goes, my results showed occasional success private or public on sub-mature bucks. I did once have a mature buck respond favorable in conjunction with rattling right after hearing a buck fight break out down wind.
My belief is scents do more harm than good, and you really can't fool a deers nose, it might work on immature bucks, but not often on mature bucks, at least not often enough for me to rely on it as a legitimate way to hunt mature bucks.
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magicman54494
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby magicman54494 » Mon Aug 30, 2010 6:53 am

Years ago I devoted an entire rut season to scents and calling. I used a drag rag and put out cotton balls with tinks 69. I never once got anything to respond. Rattling produced mostly does!

What has worked great for me is imitating a buck chasing a doe. I break as much brush as I can and throw in a few grunts then set up and wait. The key is waiting. All but 1 buck that I have called in was a shooter. Most didn't show for well over an hour. It's like they stage out a ways and wait then eventually they just come walking right thru without a care in the world. The odd thing is they don't seem to circle down wind like most people say they will. I usually make noise before entering my stand on purpose now (during the rut).I enjoy cold calling.
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby ocontocnty » Mon Aug 30, 2010 7:27 am

I've never had luck with scents either.
I like that breaking brush and waiting method Magic. I'm going to give that a try. I usually end up on some stalking missions when the wind is strong. Walk into the wind awhile. Make some noise. Grunt a couple times. Wait. I like the sounds of that.
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby BigRed » Mon Aug 30, 2010 2:32 pm

I like that idea as well magic. Do you throw in any bleats at all or just stick to the grunting? So heres another question magic, what are your buck to doe ratios? Our ratios are farely high, quite a few more does. The asians like to shoot anything that moves so a lot of spikes and small bucks get taken, but they implemented antler restrictions in SE MN this year so that is cool. I mean no disrespect, but its the truth. They have also brought intensive harvest tags in a lot of areas to get the does down also. Im thinking this could also be part of my problem to many does leaves lots of choices.
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magicman54494
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby magicman54494 » Mon Aug 30, 2010 3:00 pm

BigRed wrote:I like that idea as well magic. Do you throw in any bleats at all or just stick to the grunting?

I probably have bleated but not usually. I don't grunt a whole lot eithor. Just a couple series of 3 grunts. I do make as much noise as I can!


BigRed wrote:So heres another question magic, what are your buck to doe ratios?


I hunt northern Wis and I'm not sure about the ratios but the deer numbers are very low. My area I would guess 8- 10 deer per square mile. I'm sure this would work the best in areas of closer to 1:1 ratios.
BigRed wrote:Our ratios are farely high, quite a few more does. The asians like to shoot anything that moves so a lot of spikes and small bucks get taken, but they implemented antler restrictions in SE MN this year so that is cool. I mean no disrespect, but its the truth. They have also brought intensive harvest tags in a lot of areas to get the does down also. Im thinking this could also be part of my problem to many does leaves lots of choices.
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby Swampthing » Mon Aug 30, 2010 3:52 pm

that,s funny cause 2nite I was watching a hunting show alla about calling and rattling.All they talked about was how awesome it works and how everyone should be doing it.I was sitting there watching this with a friend ,so I say to her "Yeah mabey if your on managed land with high Buck to Doe ratios,where bucks actually have competition for does.But you won,t here the experts talk about that.And 5 seconds later Stannn Potts says remember this won,t be as effective if your property has low buck to doe ratios where there is little competion for does.She thought I had already seen that episode b4,cause i knew what he was gonna say.Usually you don,t here them talk about all the buts and ifs.Kinda funny
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby Dewey » Mon Aug 30, 2010 5:13 pm

I have used both on public land with good results.

Two of the largest bucks I have seen came into a grunt call.
I don't do much blind calling anymore except during the peak of the rut but instead use it for a buck that is out of range. I have had quite a few completely change directions and come into my calling that otherwise I would not have had a shot at and would not have killed.

As far as scents go.... Dan is right about mostly inmature bucks coming into scents. I had a few pushing maybe 3 1/2 years old come into the scent but you can tell they are much more cautious than the younger bucks who almost run in right to the scent wick and put there nose on it.
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Brandon
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby Brandon » Tue Aug 31, 2010 5:09 am

im not carrying any of that with me this season...

im going in like a sneaky ninja!
You can't kill em on the couch
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Hodag Hunter
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby Hodag Hunter » Tue Aug 31, 2010 5:50 am

On pressure public no scents or blind calling for me.....if a buck is sighted but moving away, I'll lightly rattle with the horns on a rope jiggling them on the ground and a few grunts. Has worked but sure not a fool proof method, but worth a shot.

On light pressure private land.....doesn't even seem fair. The exact opposite results as the high pressure public. Shot a 5 1/2 year old last year grunting in to the scent. He was hot and zig zaging back and forth grunting every step (trott) Layed a scent trail and was spraying the doe in heat in the air from the stand.

I figured a buck may be held up in the thick cover, shot him around 2:30 in the afternoon after returning from a morning to 1:00pm sit. In the stand no more than 5 minutes.
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby AC Rider » Tue Aug 31, 2010 6:27 am

I've had SOME luck with grunting, rattling and bleating - like once every couple of years. I do like hanging some doe in estrus scent wafers in late october and November. I've had more luck doing this than calling but the action is still far and few between.
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby BigRed » Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:23 pm

I guess my biggest fear, is not educating the deer, this public gets a fair amount of pressure so the deer are pretty wary. However from what you guys have said there has been mixed results so i may not give it up completely, maybe just be alot more selective about when i use them. At the same time i had a situation last year when i had a nice 10 pointer about 40 yards out in the brush, but didnt have a grunt to coax him in, that probably cost me a deer. Live and learn i guess.
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby PASwamper » Wed Sep 01, 2010 3:57 pm

Rattling has worked great for me from the ground for 2.5's. I usually throw in some grunts to start, then scrape the ground and make a lot of noise in the leaves while rattling (I think thats key). I imagine if those 2.5's were mature bucks there'd still be chance they'd come but not as much. A buddy of mine shot a very large buck he rattled in by hanging his antlers from a treestand on a rope and lifting and droping them to make them clank together and make noise on the ground. I also use a grunt when a buck is passing by and he's not gonna be close enough for me. Sometimes its worked, sometimes it hasn't. Scents work incredible for bringing in young deer, never had much luck with them for anything big though. I think theres a much higher chance of getting busted when using scents too. In either case theres a time and place for each in my opinion and you might be missing out big time if you don't give these tactics a chance.
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Re: Public land scent and calling

Unread postby virginiashadow » Thu Sep 02, 2010 4:33 am

The ONLY thing I have been succesful at in terms of scents/calling/rattling is rattling. I have rattled in and killed a couple of 2.5 year old bucks. Calling and the use of scents where I hunt seem to be counterproductive. I do not use scents at all anymore. I bring a grunt tube with me just in case, but the deer just simply do not want to respond to the calls.

The thing I have found out about rattling is it must be used at the right time. You have to be very specific in its application. Here is an example. 3 years ago I spotted what would have been my biggest buck to date, about a 100 inch 8 pointer. He was cruising the edge of a doe bedding area. I called at him as he was 50 yards away and the sun was setting. He got nervous and would not come to me. I got out of the area, waited two days and then re-entered the area when the wind was identical. I was on stand 1.5 hours before sun-up, silent as could be. Right at sun-up I gently rattled one 20 second sequence. Within 2 minutes that buck came to me on a rope and I arrowed/killed him at only 7 yards. He actually had a doe following him which I had never seen before.

Two years ago I entered an area that had not been hunted the first 3 weeks of October. I was not even allowed access on the spot as it was closed down due to military training. There was a buck in there that had left big sign for two years but I had never seen him. The deer in the area had not experienced any hunting pressure so I figured I might get a positive response from rattling, plus I did not know if this was the only chance I would have to hunt this area becuase the Marines could close it down at any time and I would be out of luck. I had not had a chance to in-season scout the area so I went to a central hub type area around 1pm. I waited one hour then I cracked the crud out of the antlers, as hard as I ever rattled. Within 2-3 minutes a monster buck comes running up the hill looking to kick the crap out of whoever was in his area. I had him at range for several minutes but my shot angles were not good. He eventually winded me and ran off...


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