I remember the very first day I carried a bow to the stand, the weather was hot and a southwest wind had been blowing all day. As the sun settled below the horizon I could hear deer coming from all directions. 

I knew I would get a shot off with no problem, or so I thought. As the wind stopped deer where filtering into the fields like mice and a nice 12 pointer came from behind my stand. When the buck stopped just shy of bow range I knew he had figured out that something was not quit right as he took off faster than any deer I had ever seen. What happened?

First, in the evenings wind thermals settle to the ground, unlike mornings where thermals rise. One of the most important ways to stay undetected from the whitetails nose is to stay downwind, if hunting for mature bucks or deer that are more pressured in the area you are hunting, find deer trails that you think will produce good deer activity, find where they are most likely bedding during the day. 

Finding what food sources deer are using during different times of the year will keep you informed on deer movement. Remember when you find the spot that you think will most likely produce a buck, you should shower, and apply some kind of scent eliminator, I prefer using Wildlife Research products after field testing for over 6 years I only trust what works.

Many hunters believe that the best cover scents are natural aromatic odors common in the hunting area, because these seem least suspicious to whitetails. If you hunt pine woods like me, you will find for example, crush some needles against your boots and pant legs, or hang broken branches around your stand. Or, if you hunt near cow pastures, step through fresh dung as you walk.

Hunters, who use commercial cover scents like me, sometimes douse the scent on special boot scent pads, or on a drag rag tied with twine to a belt loop. Or, you can place plastic film canisters filled with scent around your stand site.

If you're stand-hunting, doe-in-estrus scent can be used both to attract bucks and to cover up your own odor. You can pour it on rags and hang them on branches, sprinkle the scent on the ground, or even spray it periodically into the air so it drifts with the wind.

I've also seen instances where a hunter who soaks a boot pad or drag rag with estrus scent can lay a trail that brings a buck right to the base of the tree. 

Another effective way is to cut the tarsal gland off a rutting buck, the tarsal glands are located halfway up the inside of the hind legs, saturate the tarsal gland with doe-in-heat scent, then store it in a small plastic bag until you need it. 

When you do enter your hunting area leave a scent trail to your stand by dragging the gland along the ground with a piece of twine tied to a belt loop. Ordinary buck or doe urine, when used with other hunting tactics such as using a decoy can be just enough to bring a whitetail within shooting range. I've used and had great sucess using decoys for many seasons. 

Montana Decoys are the most realistic decoys on the market today. They are also a pleasure to carry and set up as they are lightweight and fold into a small, easily carried package, unlike other decoy manufacture's  that make  heavy bulky decoys that are just too heavy to carry a field. The Montana Decoys are so compact you can actually carry them in your favorite hunting vest.

The Wisconsin spring turkey season is only days away and you can be sure I'll be sitting in my Double Bull Blind watching the turkeys strut around my Montana Decoys. I can taste them now.

NEXT: I will talk about Decoying Basics, and how to properly use a Decoy on set-ups.