vanillaAnother scent that you might try in place of deer urine is vanilla, which some hunters swear by. Here’s a homemade recipe that a hunter named John sent me.

“Mike: I’ve been using vanilla as a cover and curiosity scent for years here in Iowa, and I swear by it! Take a 32-ounce spray bottle, fill it with three-quarters imitation vanilla (I use Baker’s Imitation Vanilla), add three tablespoons pancake syrup, add a little water and top off with more vanilla.

Shake vigorously and you’re good to go. Apply it to your boots and clothes, and spray on trees and brush around your tree stand.

Don’t wash your pants and coat until the season is over. Re-apply the vanilla concoction on every hunt. With the continuous use of it on unwashed clothes, you take on sort of a candy store smell. It’s a little sticky, so as you walk through the woods and grass, you pick up more and more scents that add to the cover up. Plus, it’s a pleasing scent to deer and not alarming. I’ve had many deer and some bucks come right to it.—Thanks, John”

I have heard similar things about vanilla from quite a few archery hunters over the years, though I have never tried it. Have you?