Attracting deer, whether for observation or hunting, relies on understanding their biological requirements and behavioral patterns. Deer are driven by two primary forces: the need for sustenance and the instinct for reproduction. By strategically manipulating the environment to satisfy these needs, you can increase the likelihood of deer frequenting a specific location. Proven methods integrate long-term habitat improvements with active, short-term sensory appeals.
Creating Permanent Attraction Points
Long-term attraction begins with establishing a consistent, high-quality food source. Food plots act as magnets, offering nutrition that often surpasses native forage. Perennial plantings, such as clover (white or red), are excellent choices for year-round attraction. They provide a high-protein diet, which is vital for antler growth and lactation.
Annual plantings provide a seasonal but highly attractive resource. Brassicas, including turnips, radishes, and kale, are effective in the cooler months. These plants become sweet and palatable after the first hard frost, offering a dense source of energy and protein for deer preparing for or recovering from winter. A reliable source of clean water and secure cover must also be present to complete the habitat.
Establishing mineral sites supplements the deer’s diet. Deer require minerals like calcium and phosphorus for bone and antler development, especially does during fetal development and nursing. The natural craving for sodium, which is often low in their diet, makes a quality mineral mix attractive. The best sites are placed near travel corridors between bedding areas and food sources, ideally in a covered location where deer feel secure.
Appealing to Deer Senses with Sound and Scent
To actively lure deer, appeal to their acute sense of smell and social nature through sound. Deer communicate heavily through scent, and various lures mimic different social or reproductive situations. Doe estrous urine, which signals a female is ready to breed, is the most powerful attractant during the rutting season, drawing in bucks searching for a mate.
Buck-related scents, such as buck urine or tarsal gland scent, exploit the male deer’s territorial instincts. The tarsal gland holds a strong, musky odor that bucks deposit on scrapes as a sign of dominance. Using these scents in mock scrapes can challenge a local buck, prompting him to investigate. Always eliminate human odor, as a deer’s nose can detect even trace amounts, causing immediate alarm.
Auditory calls mimic the sounds of communication or conflict, which can pique a deer’s curiosity or aggression. Grunt calls are versatile, simulating the sound of a buck trailing a doe (tending grunt) or simply passing through (contact grunt). The bleat call, particularly a doe or fawn bleat, is a calming or social sound that draws in does and curious bucks.
Rattling antlers simulates a fight between bucks, inciting a territorial response from a mature male. The intensity of the rattling should match the season, ranging from light sparring early on to aggressive, prolonged clashes during the peak of the rut. Combining scents and sounds, such as using an estrous bleat followed by a tending grunt, creates a realistic scenario difficult for a cruising buck to ignore.
Strategic Timing Based on the Deer Calendar
The motivation of deer shifts throughout the year, requiring attraction methods to change accordingly. During the early season (late summer to mid-fall), deer behavior is predictable and driven by food. Attraction should focus on high-quality food plots and predictable travel corridors between bedding and feeding areas.
As the pre-rut begins in mid-to-late October, the focus shifts toward territoriality and seeking mates. This phase is the ideal time to begin using buck sign, such as tarsal gland scent and light rattling, to challenge lower-ranking bucks and draw in dominant males. Daytime activity increases as bucks wander farther from their core areas.
The peak rut, typically occurring in early to mid-November, is when breeding activity is highest. This is the prime window for using aggressive attraction methods, including doe estrous scent and intense rattling sequences, because bucks abandon caution searching for receptive does. After the rut, deer are exhausted and have lost significant body weight. Attraction returns to a survival focus, with deer seeking the most accessible, high-calorie food sources, such as standing grain or cold-tolerant brassicas, to replenish energy reserves for the winter.