Post by "BIGTYME" on Jul 26, 2006 19:25:36 GMT -5
Jeff Murray
bowhuntingworld.com
7/25/2006
This is going to sound more like bull than buck, but it’s true: Last year I fooled an 8-pointer two times within two days with the same trick. Not only that, I’ve gotten these kind of results on many other whitetails in recent years. Let me recount last year’s encounter, and I’ll let you in on one of bowhunting’s biggest secrets.
It was the second week of the pre-rut, a time when some bucks were paired off with does and some bucks were still looking. I was parked in a transition zone where really big bucks like to troll when they find their lips curling and their nostrils flaring. So when a 125-class 8-pointer appeared in the distance, I knew I’d just sit back and live in the now. What happened next is how a rut scent should be scripted: The buck appeared yanked on a string, did a figure-eight below my treestand, retreated, then retraced his steps, including the figure-eight. As alluded to earlier, the same buck did the same thing the next day, about three-quarters of a mile away while I was hunting out of a different treestand!
Best Scent Money Can’t Buy
If you want to fool bucks during the rut like this, you have to use what they’re looking for: The scent of a female. I haven’t found a commercial scent that can do this, although quite a few do a good job of stopping deer or distracting them for a quality shot. Others work on the principle of attracting deer by arousing their curiosity. Still others keep deer interested in specific areas, allowing you to hunt more effectively. But nothing works like my scent: the tarsal glands of a doe.
Over the years, many hunters have experimented with the tarsal glands extracted from bucks, but it doesn’t make biological sense: Rutting bucks are preoccupied with the estrus cycle of does, not the testosterone levels of fellow bucks. And speaking of biology, I’ve got science to back up my real-world experiences.
A few years ago University of Georgia researchers studied the fascinating world of urination and rub-urination. They focused on female deer. And they proved that my tarsal trick can help hunters get real close to bucks. Ironically, the starting point is doe urine, which is primarily responsible for causing tarsal glands to smell the way they do: "Tarsal scent" results from the whitetail’s peculiar habit of rub-urinating. In one study group, does urinated about nine times per day and rub-urinated at least once and sometimes twice per day.
However, urine by itself is like an incomplete sentence; it needs a messenger. That’s what happens when a doe rub-urinates: A component within her urine (technically cis-4-hydroxydodec-6-enoic acid lactone) is "selectively retained" by the tarsal tufts onto a sticky substance called sebum. This explains how tarsal glands communicate key biological information, and why I’m able to fool bucks into thinking a doe is below my treestand. In other words, what deer seem to find attractive are the selected fat-soluble compounds extracted from urine onto the doe’s tufts, not the odor of urine itself.
Another intriguing discovery the Georgia study turned up is the fact that tarsal glands do not undergo chemical changes during the reproductive cycle. This means that tarsal glands removed from a doe that’s not in heat are no less seductive than those removed from one that’s cycling. Conversely, tarsal glands collected during the rut won’t spook does after the rut.
A final tidbit to be gleaned from this study: The tarsal gland’s generous supply of flypaper-sticky sebum makes for a perfect scent dispenser of fresh urine (more below). Put it all together, and you have the essential ingredients of a scent strategy that works on all deer all fall.
Tarsal Tricks
Tarsal glands are easy to hunt with: Place them strategically—dragging doesn’t work—and deer will follow their nose right to your lap. The whitetail mating game explains why: A buck can’t tell if a doe is in heat unless he practically sniffs her rump; the tarsal gland says a doe’s on the loose and, all factors being equal, the buck will want to investigate. But to get the most bang for your buck, position a pair of tufts—one to your right, one to your left—upwind from your stand or blind; for optimum air circulation, hang the tufts on a branch or twig about waist-high.
Take it to a higher level: Add a third tuft near your head when hunting from a treestand. I’ve watched bucks 75 yards away change directions on a dime (there was no way they would have ended up within bow range without this extra tarsal gland). Naturally, your scent-control system better pass the muster: Hunt super-clean and take advantage of high-tech scent-elimination clothing, such as Scent-Lok, or Robinson Scent Blocker.
About the only way to louse up this setup is failing to remove the tufts at the end of a day’s hunt: If you forget, you’ll condition deer to the scent while you’re gone. Because the tufts can be hard to find in the dark, either memorize their locations or add some reflective tape (Hunter’s Specialties’ Limb Lights is a good commercial option).
More Tricks
Removing tarsal, or "hock " glands, is a simple task. Located at the elbow of the deer’s back leg, the stained patch of hair carves out easily with a sharp knife (always wear rubber gloves and never breathe on the tufts). But collecting a full arsenal of tarsal glands takes some planning. In states where hunters must register their deer, it’s easy to monitor local deer kill registration sites. But don’t overlook road kills. In the suburbs, give the police department your name and phone number. Meanwhile, spread the word within your hunting network.
Tarsal glands require TLC. When the sebaceous glands within the tarsal tufts decompose, they lose their ability to strain critical compounds from deer urine. On the other hand, fresh deer urine can enhance the effectiveness of tarsal glands and even extend their life. Be forewarned, however, that urine decomposes rapidly and produces ammonia-like by-products that overwhelm compounds within the urine. So anoint your tarsal glands with the freshest deer urine you can find. Some commercial urines are stored in glass bottles and kept refrigerated. If you can’t find a local supply, tap the bladder of a fresh harvest (and don’t forget road kills).
Two final rules for winning the tarsal sweepstakes: Always refrigerate the glands overnight during hunts, and always freeze them between hunts. You can cut down on oxidation and freezer burn by storing them in a doubled Ziploc bag. To be sure, it’s a high-maintenance system…but you’re about to discover it’s also a high-reward investment.
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