Setting up a scrape dripper in the early season is a good way to encourage daytime visits from deer. Make sure to set up well down wind of any scrapes (mock or real) to catch bucks as they scent check them from a distance. Because you are inviting the deer to walk in an area you were just in, make sure to wear scent free clothes and to use rubber gloves at all times.

The archery hunting world is full of products meant to make us more successful. The problem with all of them is that they are just a small piece of the puzzle, a tool we can use to our advantage if we simply learn how to use them right. A screwdriver is of little use to pound a nail, just as a crescent wrench is of little use to cut a piece of plywood. We need to learn how to use what we have at our disposal, and this is definitely true when it comes to scents and lures for whitetail deer.

Sexual attractants, curiosity scents, and cover-ups all work at one time or another. Our job as archery hunters is to wade through the stories and gimmicks and find what truly works where and when we most commonly find ourselves hunting.

Early Success
The first time I successfully used any kind of scent while archery hunting was when I was a teenager, a teenager who desperately wanted a set of antlers on my wall. My standards then were simple; if a deer had antlers he was a shooter, and that was that. My father had given me a quick tutorial on how to drag a rag to draw in a buck, and I was ready to get out and test this method. Youthful optimism was something I definitely did not lack, but after failing while using every kind of call I could get my hands on, I was convinced using scents would yield the same results.

Pay attention to your surroundings when using curiosity scents or cover-up scents. If apples or other natural foods are found in your hunting area, choosing a scent to mimic their smell would be a wise choice.

I donned my rubber boots, put on latex gloves, and doused a long scent wick in doe-in-estrus scent. After that I tied the wick to a string, and then tied the string to a long stick. I started walking and soon was dragging scent through a series of scrapes around one of my favorite stands. Not really having much of a plan, I freshened the scent often and walked through, or by, every piece of deer sign I could find (think Family Circus cartoons). Eventually I had made a rather large circle around my stand and ended up at the base of my tree. I hung the wick up, climbed in and got ready.

It was the last week of October; an absolutely beautiful afternoon. As the night progressed I heard a barrage of footfalls coming from the hill behind me. Five does and fawns had begun to meander their way around my stand. I was preoccupied with them when I heard a deer approaching in front. Turning slowly I saw the little six pointer drop his head, take a big whiff, and look up. That was all it took. He started trotting my way, and seconds later caught a glimpse of all the does and fawns. That poor little buck looked like he had just won the lottery. He had a snoot full of doe-in-estrus and he could actually see several does. His odds were good.

My odds weren’t. I had only shot a few deer by then and the buck fever kicked in pretty hard. As the little 1.5 year old approached I drew, waiting for him to come out from behind a basswood clump that was located just in front of my stand. As he stepped out I shot, and my arrow buried in a small tree. I recovered long enough to nock another arrow and he stopped at about 30 yards to look back. My reptile brain must have kicked in because I made a good shot on him and he made it only 40 yards up the hill. To say I was happy would be an understatement, plus I was sold on the idea of using scents.