Although I can’t honestly recall ever shooting a buck that I knew for sure was responding positively to deer scent, I admit to being a heavy user—from Pete Rickard’s Indian Buck Lure to Tink’s 69 to Wildlife Research’s Gold Estrus. Do these products help hunters shoot deer? You’d never know it by my success rate, but I’m positive that using them sure doesn’t hurt. Which brings me to these trail camera photos that my buddy Eric texted to me last night along with a simple message: “My secret weapon.” I pushed him for the lowdown.
As it turns out, the photos were taken within the last 72 hours. They show 3 different bucks interacting with a scent dripper over a mock scrape. The content of the scent dripper is what Eric is touting as his secret weapon.
When Eric’s friend, Brad, happened upon an unrecovered bow-killed buck a couple of days ago, a light went off in Eric’s head. The pair quickly decided to cut out the buck’s bladder and slice off its tarsal glands retaining it all in a plastic bag. When he got the ingredients for his magic brew home, Eric siphoned off some of the bladder contents into a scent dripper, added a piece of the blackened tarsal gland and let it all marinate for a few hours before setting up his mock scrape ruse. The results are nothing if not pretty cool and a clear indication that the rut, at least in New England, is heating up big time.
If you happen upon a roadkill in the next few days, or if a buddy is fortunate enough to take a buck, remember Eric’s secret weapon. It’s certainly worth a try.