Use Scents To Attract Whitetails
Once you have determined a suitable area to hunt Whitetail deer, you should consider using scents to attract deer to your hide/stand.
So what scents should you use? That depends on the time of the rut. In a pre-rut use either buck or doe urine, buck in rut or doe in heat scents. They are very effective at this time.
During the scraping phase, its best to imitate another buck by rubbing bark from a small overhanging branch not far from a known deer trail, then smearing forehead scent (scent from glands between the antlers) on the rubbed part. Tarsal scent (scent from the gland on the inside of the rear leg) is then poured a short distance along the deer trail starting from the overhanging branch.
Always setup any scents in a location where you can see the deer from your stand or hide.
Best Whitetail Scouting Times
So when is the best time to scout potential deer areas for next hunting season? January to March.
At this time of the year its easy to move about the woods without worrying about spooking deer, allowing you to cover lots of ground to find deer sign and new areas to hunt.
Don’t be concerned if you disturb deer, because you will have ample time before next hunting season for any spooked deer to settle down again in their normal territory. Also, its far easier to spot deer sign during this time of the year than in Summer when tall, thick foliage makes it difficult to find sign. Ideally, take a notepad along and make notes where you find deer sign.
Calling Whitetail Deer
Firstly, it is not natural to use your deer call too frequently. This can actually drive deer away from your stand/hide.
Instead, try limiting your calling to every 30 minutes, and with differing intensity or volume. And you don’t have to be too loud with your call. If you spot a trophy buck 100 yards away, don’t call too loudly. You’ll get his attention by grunting softly. Only use a loud grunt call if its really windy.
