5 Proven Deer Scents for Fooling Rutting Whitetails

Deer scents can be useful tools for hunters looking to attract whitetails throughout the season, and this is especially true during the rut. Keep in mind that individual results will vary based on factors such as location, weather, hunting pressure and the list goes on and on.

As for me, I can tell you that I never head into the field during November in the upper Midwest without deer scent in my pack. Do I use it during every ambush? No. But thinking back on a recent 9-day bowhunting vacation to South Dakota for whitetails, I placed deer scent nearly 75 percent of the time, and it often worked extremely well.

Here are five of my go-to deer scents to place during the whitetail rut.

Tink's #69 Doe-in-Rut

• One of the most well-known and widely used deer scents
• Formulated from 100 percent doe urine and collected from live whitetail during their estrous cycle
• The natural deer urine comes in a 1- or 4-ounce bottle that can easily fit in your pack or jacket pocket. Works well with Tink’s Scent Wicks.

Wildlife Research Center Special Golden Estrus

• Formulated with natural doe estrus urine
• Known for its strong scent and effectiveness during the rut
• Every bottle is labeled with its own serial number and “Use By” date
• Available in a 1- or 4-ounce bottle; works well with a variety of WRC Key-Wicks.

Code Blue Whitetail Doe Estrous

• Pure urine collected during a doe’s estrous cycle
• Draw in rutting bucks with the scent of a single whitetail doe in heat; works well with Code Blue wicks or scent drags
• Collected using the From One Deer to One Bottle process, guaranteeing each bottle contains urine from only one deer; labeled with the deer’s unique registration number
• 1-ounce; amber glass bottle locks in freshness and potency.

Odin’s Innovations Doe Estrus

• Synthetic scent is delivered in a biodegradable and sustainable oil base that resists moisture for 7 to 10 days
• Emits sensory signals to bucks that a doe in the area is ready for breeding
• Convenient 4-ounce squeeze bottle; simply squirt it on the ground or bushes.

Buck Bomb Doe ‘N Estrus

• Spray can contains 6.65 ounces of pure, fresh doe-in-heat urine
• Buck Bomb can be sprayed in short bursts, even upside down. Hunters can also lock down the valve to empty the entire contents of the can
• The atomized scent is equally effective when used on scent trails, in mock scrapes, or when applied to a decoy to ramp up the enticement level.

Estrus Scent Tips

• Be sure to follow local regulations regarding the use of scents and attractants, as these can vary by location. For example, I have a buddy who was picked to bowhunt whitetails during a special “metro deer reduction hunt” on the outskirts of a city, and all 48 hunters in this large wooded park were forbidden to use deer scents of any type, even synthetic ones.
• I place doe-in-heat scent on the tail and legs of a doe decoy, as well as spray it on the ground and on vegetation within 10 feet of the decoy’s tail. A doe decoy should be facing into the wind because bucks will want to approach from the downwind side.
• Scent wicks work well on the overhead branches of scrapes. Simply dip the wick into the bottle and then hang the wick. Be careful not to touch the wick with bare hands. I use a two zipper bag system; the wick goes in one small snack-size bag, then this bag goes into a sandwich-size bag. I used the larger bag as sort of a glove to handle the wick itself, so I never have to touch the wick with bare hands or even gloves.
• Scent wicks dipped in doe-in-heat also work well to stop a traveling rutting buck at a particular spot in a deer trail — i.e. your shooting lane. In this scenario, I prefer to drop the wick on the ground rather than place it on vegetation and waist or head high. Why? Because when the buck lowers his head to sniff the wick, his eyes are less likely to see me draw my bow.
• Finally, I’ve had poor success trying to use leftover doe-in-heat from one year to the next. I can’t smell the difference, but deer simply don’t react to old lure like the way they do to new lure.