Deer rely on their senses to survive. Deer gather sound with their big ears, they have large spread eyes to detect movement and to also see well at night. The nose is the hardest sense to beat, and the major one that we as hunters try to avoid or trick. The other sense we try to trick are the eyes, which leads us to our camo wardrobe.

Deer have a glandular system through which they communicate with. The glands are located on different parts of the deers anatomy. Mainly in the feet, hocks, eyes, and top of the head, these glands emit pheromones. The glands in the feet can release scent to warn other deer of danger. Pheromones near the eyes and the top of the head are used to rub trees and branches (mostly done by bucks in prerut and rut) to establish the area as HIS TERRITORY!

Hormones play a large part in our quest for deer. Most hunters love to hunt during the rutting period, for bucks get a little bit stupid, or should I say susceptible to getting shot. It is a time when most hunters have the greatest chance of scoring on a big buck. The period after the velvet is rubbed off is the time that bucks are ready to do their breeding. As daylight decreases, bucks become more territorial. When velvet is gone I use buck in rut urine to make mock scrapes. And when I find where they are making scrapes, I will sometimes put a drip bottle over their scrape and hunt that area.

During the pre-rut bucks make scrapes by pawing the ground clear of leaves, grass, etc. usually near a tree that has an overhanging branch where they can rub the scent from their eye area and the top of their head onto the branch. Once the ground has been cleared, a buck will leave his scent by what is called rub-urination. He stands in the scrape, puts his back legs together and urinates down his legs so that the urine runs over his hocks and down to the ground. This is the way in which he gets the pheromones from his hocks to the ground. Should another buck whiz in his scrape, look out, the temper is going to explode and a fight is forthcoming.

As estrogen levels rise in a doe the chase phase begins. Does will begin to get black colored hocks from secretions emitted from the tarsal gland where urine has been running over them. This action is usually done in the first half hour after a doe rises from her bed. It is done in front of other deer as a show of status in the hierarchy structure. When a doe has been bred she will lick her hocks until they are white again. Ok enough details, lets get down to what Ive found out over the years of using urines to get some buck antlers worth hanging on the wall. Most hunters and so-called PROS use doe urines too much. Buck urine has been underutilized by most. I believe its because its what we are told about on TV and in the magazines. They teach that using doe urine on drags to get us to our stands is what they use. And then during the rut we should be using doe in rut scent.

I can tell you what I do and why my method has worked for me. I use buck urine all season long and I work just a little bit different than most. When using a drag to get to my stand I use buck urine. I start from the truck with coon pee. After 100 yards or so, I switch to buck urine to get me to my tree stand. I do this so that if a buck should start following the trail the wrong way when he hits the coon scent he will turn back and head in the right direction. At 20 yards from my stand I start squirting drops of doe pee around my tree.

Seems like allot of work and trouble doesnt it? It doesnt take long for Trophy size bucks to become nocturnal. And if you live in an area that has allot of hunting going on, it only takes 1 or 2 weeks for them to go into the night time travel mode. To much pre-season scouting can put bucks into nocturnal mode too. You need every advantage you can get and it does take extra effort to do things right.

The reason for using buck urine is simple, (but dont tell the PROS!). During the early season when bucks are still in bachelor groups they dont pay much attention to does. But they will investigate any new buck in the area that they dont know to determine its age and dominance. If you use buck in rut urine to early in the season though, it will tend to scare smaller bucks off. So early in the season just use buck urine. As the season progresses I switch to Buck in Rut urine. Then I sprinkle Doe Estrus around the area to simulate a buck tending a doe. This method has worked time after time for me. I hope it will give you a different approach and better chance of bagging a nice Buck this year.