Jackie's Deer Lures

Whitetail Deer and How to Use Scents

By Jackie

In this article lam going to discuss what I have observed and learned after twenty-six years of breeding and raising Whitetail Deer. Also, I will give in depth .instructions on how to use scents properly. I hope the following information will be of some value to you.

Most hunters misinterpret what a deer lure is designed to do. A deer lure's role is to attract deer from a reasonable distance to a scrape, mock scrape, dripper, or follow a scent trail you have laid. When applied properly the lure will aid in positioning the deer for you to place a clean shot. Don't think just because you are using lure that the buck of a lifetime will appear. He has to be in your hunting area before you can harvest him.

Many hunters think that using scent is magic in a bottle. This is not true nor will it ever be. Deer lure is only one piece of the puzzle. You must make all parts come together to be successful. You must be able to read deer signs, such as trails, scrapes, rubs, bedding, and feeding areas. Plus using the wind to your advantage. You have to do your "homework". Scouting your particular area without leaving human odor is very important. Also omitting human odor from your body and clothing is important.

How I Use Scents

Several weeks before the hunting season I will scout the area and hang my treestands. I try to have the wind currents hitting me in the face. I try to lay a scent trail in a parallel course in front of me. This gives me a broadside shot. When I get about 50 yards from my stand location, I start laying a scent trail with "Jackie's ID #4 Scent"" while wearing rubber gloves. Since I strictly bow hunt, I will lay a scent trail about twenty yards from the base of my treestand making a complete circle around the tree. Be extra careful not to touch anything. When this is done I hang the drag in an open spot about three feet from the ground. I then hang one film canister on a limb filled with scent, making sure these are placed in an open area and preferably in front of me. Getting settled in my treestand I spray a few pumps of ''Jackie's No-Scent Plus Earth Cover Scent" to my shirt or coat and if perspiring I will apply a few pumps of it to my face and armpits. I will do some light rattling, and give three or four short grunts on my "Posi-Call Deer Grunter". After this, I spray whichever scent I am using for that appropriate part of the season, two or three sprays of molecules in the air. Repeating this method every thirty to forty minutes. Do not over blow your grunter because deer are not that vocal. It is not natural to use too many scents in an area, plus, never leave your canister unattended. Never apply to your clothing or boot soles. Use a ziplock plastic bag to store the canister and Drag when not in use. After using, simply refresh your canister by adding two or three drops of scent for your next hunt.

One question I am asked is "if you have scent left over from the previous season, is it any good?" It all depends where you have stored the scent. If it was kept in cool, dark storage, such as abasement or cellar, it will be okay. If there is an ammonia odor, remove the cap and let the container breathe for a couple of hours. Usually it will dissipate. Never freeze scents, as this will weaken the smell and strength.

Observation of Whitetail Deer

After twenty-six years of raising Whitetail Deer, I have noticed Whitetail Deer rely on their senses to survive. (1) Radar nose: they have hundreds of millions of receptor sites inside their nose. We humans on the average have five million receptor sites. (Receptor sites are nerve cells that are exposed to the outside air). (2) Sight: their eyesight is keen on moving objects. I have noticed if you stand next to something, or stand out in the open and don't move, they hardly every pick you up. (3) Hearing: their sense of hearing is keen as a razor.

I have read numerous books by so-called experts that if a young buck's first rack has spikes, or are forkies, they are inferior. This is not true. I have had young bucks like this that have gone on to be 150-170 class bucks at the age of four years old.

Usually velvet shedding begins here at the farm about the middle of

September. This process takes a matter of fifteen minutes once they start rubbing. They eat the velvet as they rub it off. Once the velvet is gone they are capable of breeding.

Usually the majority of the does start to come into estrus the tenth of November. We have some older does that will come into estrus in October if we have some cool nights. Two signs to watch for: their tail will be standing out, sort of slanted, and she will urinate frequently, but will just do some dripping.

The rubbing of the hind legs on their tarsal glands (both buck and doe will do this) is hereditary, as I have watched fawns do this at three days of age. It is a normal instinct.

Talking with hunters, some of them tell me they are hunting a big buck because they have seen his hoof prints in the mud. I, or no one else, can tell the difference between a mature buck or mature doe's tracks. Although, sometimes a buck's hoof is rounded and a doe's is pointed.

The glands on a Whitetail Deer can really benefit you in hunting, if you know which one to use. The tarsal gland on the inside of the hind legs are very pungent smelling if they are harvested in the fall of the year. Remove these glands from the deer you have taken. Keep them frozen in a plastic ziplock bag until you are ready to use them. (Must be kept frozen to pre-vent decaying). When in use, I apply a few drops of deer scent and hang them on a limb or bush in my shooting lane. Be sure to wear rubber gloves.

The forehead gland between the antlers of a buck is waxy if harvest-ed in the fall. I place a piece of this skin. on the overhanging branch over a primary scrape. This is a very good method for hunting.

Does are usually a day coming into estrus, twenty-four hours in estrus and a day going' out of estrus. The urine is collected from estrus does October through February. We do not force our does into an estrus cycle with injections because this is not Mother Nature's way and can be harmful to them.

Truth about Scent Companies and Trade Secrets

The deer scent industry today is under a lot of scrutiny, suspicions, and should be. Since I have been in the business, I have to tell you what I have seen and heard. Other than politics, this business is the most deceitful there is. But remember, one bad apple doesn't always spoil the whole batch. Scent companies have been accused and found guilty of diluting their urine products with water, livestock urine, glycerin, and alcohol to increase their volume so they can stretch their profits.

When you see a big name endorsement, have you ever thought of how much money that company had to pay that individual for the use of their picture? Advertising today is a big business. The monster kills in the magazines with full color page advertisement gets your attention, but it doesn't tell you where their supply came from. We have one of the largest Whitetail Deer herd in the scent industry today. Unlike most other scent companies that have to purchase urine from an outside source, put their name on it, not knowing what is inside the bottle, and don't care as long as they make a sale. Also, how much urine would it take to supply all the chain stores, archery, and sport shops nationwide? Nobody has that many deer, and it cannot be done if the product is 100% pure.

Some of the sale pitches these companies use to sell you are:

1. Dating the bottle.

2. Selling estrus urine in August or September that was collected that year.

3. Some supply dealers with refrigerators.

4. Color of the urine compared to someone else's product.

I can go on and on with these ridiculous claims. If you will just use some common sense, you will be able to read through them, too. One of the biggest trade secrets in the scent industry today is, with over two hundred companies, big and small, less than 1% of them have their own deer herd.

Have you been sitting in your treestand not seeing any deer, and start- ed thinking about the bottle of scent you just purchased? Did you ask your-self these questions: what is in this bottle of deer scent, where did it come from, and when a deer approaches, it stomps it foot, gives a warning blow, or starts to get nervous? If you have seen all of these, start using a real scent, Jackie's Deer Lure. We know where our raw urine comes from.