It would not be summer if I didn’t post a humongous rattler. This one has been floating around social media the last few weeks and is allegedly an “11-footer from Texas.” I don’t think rattlesnakes grow that large, but no matter. This is an especially troubling image, so vivid in my mind, since I’ll be hunting in south-central Texas next week. With all the rain they have had down there, the brush will be thick, and who knows what lurks beneath… I have my snake boots ready, but it’s my heart I’m worried about if I ever see one of those things.

Another 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 [...]