Buck attractant ie Doe urine, grunt tube rattling ect

[Honkey]

Hello everyone,

I love this forum. I am looking for info and advice when it comes to deer hunting. I live up in Jackman, Maine. Up here there is very low deer density, like maybe 1 per square mile according to QDM web map and Maine DFG. There is also no agriculture so deer are not easy to pattern going and comming to a field to feed and going back to the woods to lay up. Deer up here seem to roam around at random constantly forraging for what little food they can find up here in the woods. However as a result of the tough enviorment and natural selection the few deer we have up here are HUGE !! The most effective (but not easy) way to hunt up here is on rifle season and tracking on snow.

I have had good luck during Muzzloader season up here tracking on snow,
I am not a big muzzleloader guy but I bought one just so I can be in the woods longer and have another chance at a buck. Also it is nice as all the out of state hunters are gone and the wood are your own.

I bought a bow last year for the same reason, just so I could get in to the woods earlier. I have hunted with a rifle and shotgun my whole life at first the bow was just another tool, and an extention on the hunting callender, but after a year of shooting and getting real good and enjoying it I realy want to get a buck with the bow.

Which brings me to my question... I REALY WANT TO TAKE A BUCK WITH MY BOW !!! Since I can't set up on an active trail that I can reliably expect Bucks to use How can I get a buck to come to me???

I am considering rattling, using a grunt tube and most of all I am looking in to Doe urine. Has anyone had any sucess using any of these things in a similar area with limited deer numbers and no agriculture.


THANKS ALL INFO AND COMMENTS WELCOME

[KwackWacker]

With deer densities very low in your area I would suggest you look at rattling. This technique is awesome during pre-rut, but in my experience it tapers off during the rut. I believe that's due to bucks being more interested in does than in fighting other bucks during the rut. It does pick up a little in post rut, but not anywhere near as good as pre-rut. Rattling can call deer from a long ways away and you have a better chance of seeing him coming in. Use a grunt tube while you're rattling to make the fight seem more realistic. I don't use scents much in the stand because I feel in order for an attractant scent to work, the deer has to be down wind of you. And if he's downwind of you, he's more likely to smell your human stinkyness. Although I've never had the opportunity to hunt an area like yours, I have seen rattling work in all different kinds of deer woods. And the area you hunt sounds like the perfect place to try.

[Honkey]

Thanks KnackWhacker,

I agree with your idea about the scent. That is why I have never been a big SCENT LOK fan. Dont get me wrong, I try to be as clean and sweat free as possible. However by scentlock's own admission their product cuts down on scent by 80%. With a whitetails ofactory ability I think this is a moot point. I have argued this question with a co worker of mine who is an avid scent lock user. I use the comparison that if I took a dump in his truck and then put it in a shoe box the odor would be reduced by about 80% but you would still smell it.

[DocHolladay]

its almost pointless to use rattling in Tn unless you are trying to get a deers curiosity, we just have to many. ive been told that you dont rattle as hard during the pre rut because the bucks are just "practicing" for the rut and arent fighting that hard. but you really let em have during the rut though. the louder the better. as for doe urine, you can make a drag to your stand to give the deer something follow, then hang it a couple of feet off the ground. just my two cents.

[artjaggard]

Hi folks,
My experience is that after the rut is over deer actually will avoid rattling. I think it works best on the front end of the rut. As for scent, I save the bladder from the bucks from last year. It doesn't work with does. It gives me enough to wash my clothes in. I wash after every hunt. I usually put a little on my hunting hat. The effect of all this smell is that nonhunters leave me alone when I'm in Wallmart. Other than that...
Art

[progers]

Only thing that really works after rut is food! Considering the bucks has starved themselves in search for doe! I would tend to lean more on the dominent buck lure in the pre rut. This is the time the bucks are starting to seperate and are running the scrapes to check out their competition for the doe! I have had some success ratteling in the pre rut but, it is mainly smaller bucks that are just curious.

I mainly stick to scrapes and rub lines in the pre rut. Hunt the concentrated doe areas during rut and hunt the food source after rut!

[KwackWacker]

Good idea Art, never thought about an antihunter DEtractant. You might be on to something.

In my earlier post I said rattling picks up a little after the rut. That's what I've seen in my areas, but I haven't noticed it all over. I'm sure it's different everywhere. I believe it picks up a little where I hunt because usually there's a much less pronounced second rut on our club and surrounding areas. I believe that not all the does get "serviced" and the ones that don't, go into heat again. I've talked to other people about it and they seem to think the same thing. What about the rest of you? Anybody noticed a second rut where you hunt?

[truk]

yes a second rut occurs here in December usually around the second week.

[progers]

It appears that way! Seems like the younger doe without yearlings come in first then the ones with yearlings come in a little later. It's pretty much "prime time" here in December!