Would you believe that deer hunting can be one of the easiest and enjoyable adventures any hunter can embark on? It is not as tough as most hunters have experienced and not as scary as new hunters see it.
The answer to today’s question, what smells do deer like, lies in simple scents. One of the most critical and successful factors in deer hunting is managing smells and odours that can alarm and spook these elusive creatures.
Although deer hunting requires good skills and patiences, an excellent understanding of the game, especially with factors such as what smells do deer like, is a win for hunters and wildlife lovers.
In this post we shall explore the key smells that deer like and how these scents and be used to lure deer to your yard.
The Science Behind Deer Smelling Abilities
Deer have a good sense of smell which is exceptional and helps them detect and avoid danger. Deer have so many olfactory receptors in their noses that aid them in their sensing abilities.
Deer have an olfactory bulb that’s about four times larger than a human’s. This part of the brain processes scents, with 297 million olfactory receptors in their noses as compared to men with 5 million receptors.
These receptors are designed to help detect smell, the high density of these receptors enable deer to detect a range of odours from a distance.
Top Smells/Scents Deer Like
- Food Based Scent
Naturally, deer like food and are very curious about food sources. Food smell is an answer to our intriguing question, what smells do deer like?
Food related smells can draw deer attention, especially strong-smelling human foods like fast food, strong spices, and cooking odours.
Another alarming food smell is not from the food itself but from preparing it before hunting.
Common food with good scents that attract deer;
Corn: Corn has a sweet and earthy aroma which attracts deer from afar. Corn is a deer nutrient rich food and among the top cereals grains for deer.
Apples: Apples have a sweet and fruity aroma that can travel far and is associated with high energy and water content that allures deer.
Acorns: Acorns has nutty, earthy aroma that appeals so much to deer
Peanut butter’s: Many deer find is difficult to resist Peanut butter’s rich and nutty aroma
Clover and Alfalfa: These two types of vegetation naturally draw deer. They produce a fresh and green smell which indicates the presence of nutritious foliage that deer enjoy grazing on.
- Flower Scents
Aside from food scents, deer prefer to smell some flowers more than they eat them. Deer are particularly curious about floral scents, although they may not consume these plants, the flower base scent can attract and lure them.
Top Deer Flowers That Best Answer The Question; What Smells Do Deer Like.
Roses
Roses have a classic sweet that can easily catch deer’s attention. Rose bushes can be tempting and deer may sometimes eat them. Rose fragrance is strong and deer are often more interested in the flower’s scent than the plant itself.
Honeysuckle
The sweet and sugary fragrance of honeysuckle makes it irresistible for deer. Honeysuckle grows in a natural environment and their scents can signal a safe, familiar area.
Lavender
Lavender’s calming and floral scent generally appeals to humans and to attract deer. Deer will slightly eat lavender due to its slightly bitter taste. Its soothing aroma makes it a strategic choice for attracting deer.
Daisies, Clover, and blossoms are other flowers that produce smells that deer like.
- Synthetic Scents
Unlike the other Scents discussed above, these are lab created fragrance designed to replicate the natural smells that attract deer. They are chemically produced scents that mimic food and other natural sources.
Types Of Synthetic Scents That Deer Like Their Smells.
Doe Estrus Scents for Deer
This is a chemically replicated scent that has been engineered to imitate the smell of a female deer in heat. The time when the female deer wants to mate, bucks are very responsive to the scent of estrus in response to mate with the doe.
Musk and Glands scents
Synthetic musks are chemically manufactured and designed to replicate the appeal of the original substance without using material from animals. They are commonly used now to replace historic deer musk in perfumery.
Synthetic musk imitate both doe and buck gland scents
Synthetic Food Based Scents
Just like the food based scents, these are chemically made fragrances that replicate the natural scents of food that deer like.they are available in different forms such as sprays and blogs. Always available for different hunting seasons and scenarios.
- Urine and Musk Scents
For many, Urine may be a surprising answer when they’re looking for answers to what smells do deer like. Urine and musk are key tools in hunting, specifically for attracting deer.
What Kind of urine best fits the question, what smells do deer like?
- Doe Urine: The smell of doe urine is strong and attractive especially during the rutting season. bucks are easily drawn to the scent of females in estrus.
- Buck: Deer, especially bucks, are attracted to buck urine as well. Buck urine is purposely used to indicate the presence of another male deer in the area, the smell will influence dominant bucks to investigate.
- Estrus Blends: Special estrus blends mix urine with estrus hormones, which increases attractiveness for bucks during the mating season.
You can explore this resource for additional deer attractants tips.
How To Attract Deer With These Smells
What smells do deer like, is an essential subject for hunters and deer lovers. It is also essential to know how to attract these creatures with these smells.
| Scent type | How to attract deer with the scent. |
| Food-Based Scent | You can apply food spray around areas where deer feed. Scents blocks or sprays can also be used on vegetation or tree trunks to keep deer coming back |
| Flower-Based Scent | These Scents can be sprayed near trails or on low branches in open areas |
| Urine and Musk Scent | It is effective to apply urine or musk scents to scent wicks, drag rags, or mock scrapes along deer trails |
| Synthetic Scent | These Scents can be used all year round. You can apply them near trails, feeding areas, or scent wicks. |
To wrap up , our question, what smells do deer like, has been answered. It is key to note that, In attracting deer, certain smells, both natural and synthetic are effective in doing that.
Success in attracting deer relies on strategy, patience, and respect for wildlife. By combining well-timed use of scents with thoughtful placement and ethical practices, enthusiasts can improve their chances of successful encounters and also ensure a balanced approach to wildlife interaction. Continue to explore Deer hunting gateway for more hunting tips.
