Beginning with the 2021 hunting season, it is no longer legal to possess, sell or use scents derived from the urine or glandular secretions of live deer in New Jersey.

According to the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife the ban is intended to help safeguard the health of the state’s deer herd from the threat of Chronic Wasting Disease. The thinking is that using natural deer products in the woods could increase interaction between animals and possibly increase the spread of the disease.

It should be noted that reputable scientists and lead authors of commonly referenced studies on urine and CWD agree that “the risk of urine-based scents spreading CWD is virtually zero”. See more about this at www.cwdfacts.org

In a press release, New Jersey wildlife officials said, “The Division is doing everything in its power to prevent CWD from entering New Jersey and to protect the long-term health of our deer herd and our deer hunting heritage.”

Bottom line: If you hunt in the Garden State, do not carry or use real deer urine. Switch to a manufactured lure like Synthetic Estrus from Wildlife Research Center. I use this scent here in Virginia, where natural urine is also banned, and have found it works just as well as the real thing.