• Sexual attractants lure bucks in rut.Deer image by Pinhole from Fotolia.com
  
  Deer scents and lures attract deer to areas and make them more comfortable because they smell other deer. Most deer scents and lures contain some kind of deer urine or extracts from leg glands. Scents and lures aren't enough to attract deer to uninviting or unattractive areas. They should be used in a complete cycle of wildlife management, including food plots, cleared areas, controlled hunts and feed supplements. Deer scents and lures work by convincing deer that there is food, a mate or other deer.
  
  

Food Scents

• If you don't want to actually distribute food or don't have a food plot for deer, food scents work well for bringing deer to area. Soak pads in the scent and hang them around your hunting area, but not too close your stand or blind. The best food scents are concentrated oils from apples, nuts or other natural food sources. They come in liquids and wafer form. Don't use a food scent that does not grow in the area. Food scents work best in the early deer hunting season before the deer transition into rut or mating season.
  
  

Sexual Lures

• Deer are incredibly sexually active during hunting season, which is the prime time to take down trophy bucks. To lure big bucks to your hunting spot, use lures that appeal to their sexual drive before, during and after rut. You can use territorial lures or simple sexual attractant lures. Territorial lures smell like other bucks or dominant bucks and they work best when placed around trees with deer scrapes. If there aren't many fresh scrapes, you can simulate one by scraping a tree and spreading dominant buck scent on it. This incites territorial defenses in bucks and makes them run around looking for rivals. To convince bucks that there are prime does around, spray estrous doe urine or doe scent around your deer stand or near scrapes and deer trails. You can also soak thin strings in the scent and hang it across a long expanse to attract bucks.
  
  

Cover Scents

• Just as important as luring deer with food or sexual scents is covering your human smell. Deer have an incredible sense of smell and can detect odors that are unusual or not natural to their habitat. Bathe and wash your hunting clothes in unscented hunter's soap. Spray your stand or shooting house with cover scent that uses a combination of deer scent and natural odors to mask any lingering human smells. This prevents deer from becoming uncomfortable or wary.