My first introduction to using a deer scent was hunting the McAlester Navy Ammunition Depot in the late ’60s. It was Pete Rickard’s Doe Lure.  It definitely worked; I never saw so many deer check it out during the two-day hunt. That made a lasting impression on me. I have been using deer lure and scent-control products ever since.

Millions of dollars of scent-free clothing is sold today. You can also do everything to stay as scent-free as you can. I put my hunting camo clothes in a plastic bag with a pine bow to give them a natural flavor. Watch about gassing up the truck on the way to the woods or stepping on gasoline around the pump. Mike Cowling always drags a heavily scented rag on the way to his stand. It works and he has killed several deer that way.

I always place scent near a scrape or trail 20 yards or less from my tree stand. Lately, I have been using Active Scrape, a scent dripper that will keep it fresh for two weeks. I also use Trail’s End Doe in Heat scent on a drag rag or by hanging it off a tree limb. Hugo’s Wal-Mart has a whole wall of Tink’s and several varieties of scent-attractant lures.

You can also find spray scent remover and soap that will leave no detergent smell on your hunting clothes. A twig stuck in your hat won’t hurt anything, either. Check the wind. I use a puff bottle to check the wind. Always approach your stand walking into the wind. Every time I see a deer or hear a shot, I check my watch for the time.  It gives me an idea when deer are moving. The best times to hunt are sunrise, mid-morning, noon and dusk. A deer can show up at any time – always be ready.

Ground blinds are very popular now. They conceal you and hide your scent. Put local brush on them to make them look natural.

Before tree stands, we just climbed a tree and sat on a limb. Tree stands now bolt on a tree and some ladder stands hold two hunters. Most ladder stands are 12 to 15 feet.

I prefer a ladder stand around 15 feet. Any higher and I can’t see as well. When the leaves fall, it doesn’t hurt to hunt higher.  For bow hunting, I mark off 25 yards around my tree stand. That’s my effective archery range. If a deer walks in that circle and presents a killing shot, I will take it. If not, I don’t move. It may come back later.

Standing around campfires or being in the kitchen where the cooking is going on will smell you up real good before you enter the woods. Be scent conscious on everything you do. It may make the difference for a successful hunt. Wear a safety harness anytime you’re in a tree stand. You can’t be too safe.

Remember, get your deer to the meat processor as soon as possible. Put a bag of ice in the body cavity and take it to Shorty Porter’s as quick as you can. Good Luck and Happy Hunting.

- L. FRY

Deer season is just around the corner.  What can we expect?  The drought and its effects are hanging on like mice in the attic. A possible burn ban may continue through the deer seasons. What, no campfires? Been there, done that.

It wasn’t much fun sitting around, whittlin’ and jawin’. Forest fires are a real threat, especially the arson trash that sets them.

I remember our tent camp one snowy winter near the Glover River in McCurtain County.  

It was over-crowded and cold. Billy Glenn, “the Big Wind from the West End” was cooking squirrel stew. It was great and warmed us up. Joel Mashburn had to have seconds and spooned up a squirrel’s head that Billy had used for seasoning.  Joel screamed as Billy grabbed the buck-toothed feller. He had his knife out in a second, popped the skull cap off and sucked the brains out.

Joel dropped like a rock, fainting and piled up on the tent floor. Billy said ”this is the best part of the stew; there’s some more in the pot.”  We were laughing so hard, but I don’t think any of us had seconds, either.

My plan this year is to hunt near water, if I can find any. Planting food plots in skillet hot ground may be a waste of time. The pecan tree here at my house dropped a few pecans that were no bigger than rabbit pellets.

Since archery season starts in October, advance scouting is an immediate priority. While thumbing through the BPS catalog, I spotted a fleece jacket and pants in Mossy Oak Infinity pattern. It’s quiet to wear in the early season but will add warmth wearing it as a layering outfit. I will have some by season’s opening.

Don’t forget a safety harness for your tree stand hunting. Order one now. Today’s hunter has more items to help him be successful than ever before.  

Game scents as attractants and sprays to kill your scent are made by many top companies today. They work!

Mike Cowling has used a drag rag with unbelievable success.  Squirt some scent on a drag rag and pull it behind you as you walk to your stand. Get ready for a quick shot.

The most successful tip I can give a deer hunter is to sit still and stay in the woods. The O.D.W.C. did a study once and found that most hunters stayed in the woods for eight hours per season.  Many deer are killed after 10 a.m. while hunters are returning to camp. Most deer are killed between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., according to wildlife reports.

A deer survives by his nose, not his brains.  Scent is his main defense. Many hunters are getting dressed to hunt when they gas up their trucks. Then they eat breakfast in a smelly kitchen or around a smoky campfire. The deer are on alert the minute those hunters step into the woods.

I personally put my hunting clothes in a plastic bag, hopefully with a pine or cedar branch to season them.  Fred Bear always put a branch of local fern in his hat; it worked.  I put on my hunting gear just before I enter the woods and remove it when I get back to camp. I then put on camp clothes for the work to be done.

Remember; Smokey the Bear wants you to help prevent forest fires. Get ready for a challenging hunting season. Take a kid to the woods with you.

– L. FRY