Calling Whitetails & Advanced Deer Scent Hunting Techniques

Deer Hunting Tips & Advice From Our Owner

Hi, my name is Dean Vanier with NWCS. I'm here to discuss how to increase your odds of success by using deer lures and advanced scent hunting techniques.

The name 'North Woods' comes from where I was born and raised: the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. I started by making my own cover scents like earth, pine, cedar, and apple—all of which are common scents of the North Woods. Thus, NWCS came to be. I started hunting, fishing, and trapping at an early age. While trapping, I discovered that if I could beat an animal's nose, then I could catch them. I took it to the next level and thought that if it works with coyotes and foxes, then it should work with deer. I learned to hunt from a tree without a tree stand at the age of 13 and used cover scents to mask my scent.

There are many ways to hunt the whitetail deer: spotting and stocking, still hunting, deer drives, and, of course, tracking. I believe tracking to be one of the most consistent methods to take big whitetails in New England; however, conditions need to be favorable, and you need to be in reasonably good shape. I have used most of these methods with success, but the technique I enjoy the most is calling and scent hunting. Calling and scent hunting is totally different than any other method out there. You have the opportunity to see deer doing things you've never seen before, such as scraping, hooking, grunting, and sparring.