Deer attractants, if used properly, are an important tool in any hunter’s toolkit. There are several different kinds of deer attractants which serve slightly different purposes. This makes finding the best deer attractant more of a trial and error kind of utility. Different types of lures will attract differently, and one kind that may work well for one hunter may not work well for another one. For me for example, the best deer attractant is falling asleep in my stand or going to the potty. I always get at least 1 deer that I miss. But I digress, before diving in, let’s quickly go over the main types of attractants.
Table of Contents
Types of Attractants
The mineral supplements act as both deer attractants and a tool to make the deer healthier. Feeding them rich mineral supplements will help them to grow bigger and better antlers. The minerals can also increase the growth of the deer itself. However, it is crucial that the mineral supplement contains just enough sugar or salt as overdoing any of those ingredients, or having the wrong ratios, might not only cause less deer to consume it but might even stunt their growth. And we definitely do not want to do that.
The other type of deer attractant is called a deer lick. A deer lick is basically a salty or sweet base that the deer will lick, similarly to how mineral supplements work. Both of these types of attractants are meant not only for attraction of the deer but also supplementing them with beneficial minerals that will make them bigger, as mentioned before. If you are planning to use them for mainly feeding purposes, we recommend
Warning
Some states do not allow any kind of deer attractants or baits to be used for hunting. It is your responsibility to know your state laws. Here’s a nice list which states which states can and cannot use deer attractants.
Things to Remember
As mentioned before, you need to try out different kinds of bait to figure out which one is right for your purposes. Sometimes an apple or some corn will do the job just fine. Other times you’re better off getting a premixed formula that was developed especially for the purpose of deer attraction.
Also be wary that some formulas might attract more than just deer. You can attract elk, and in some cases, even bears as well. As such it is important to be prepared at all times as you don’t want to be stuck in a situation with a bear. Trust me on this.
Another tip is to not wear leather boots when you’re using bait. The reason for this is that the leather boots can leave marks which will tip the deer off. Deer are excellent sniffers of something being off, as they need to do so to survive in the wild, and as such you need to be careful if you want to attract them. Plus, as you already know, try your best to minimize movement and sounds as to not alert any deer that are discovering your bait.
Placing the Attractant
Just simply having good attractant is not enough in many cases as you need to also know how and where to place it for maximum effectiveness. For all cases, you need to also do some research yourself where deer frequent as having even the best deer attractor scents won’t really pull the deer from where they typically spend their day. Finally, to make sure that only deer eat your attractant and other animals don’t take any, you can use a deer feeder. If you don’t have a deer feeder you can either buy a cheap one or bury it. Although an important thing to note is that burying it is not beneficial if it’s not a mineral feed as deer will shy away from moldy or old attractant.
Don’t put too much attractant at once as well. Deer have a sharp sense of smell and as such they will find the attractant if they wander closely enough. If you put more in hopes of it catching the attention of more deer, you might get more deer but you will also get raccoons or even bears.
Another thing to note is that some attractants will also not work as well if they are wet. As such it is important to know what kind of weather you are expecting to decide whether to place the attractant or not as you don’t want it to not work optimally.
Trail Cameras – If you’re using trail cameras it would help to concentrate the attractant in an area where you can take the best photos.
Hunting & Baiting – A mistake that a lot of hunters make is that they put a giant pile of attractant all in one spot. It is more beneficial, and will make the deer feel more at ease, if you put the attractant dispersed around. This is because it more closely simulates a foraging area.
Best Deer Attractant Reviews
Antler King No Sweat No Till Plot Mix – Best Plot Mix Attractant
This deer mix contains a variety of clover, oats, rye and brassica. This is a type of attractant that grows a mix of perennials and annuals over an area in the field. Our recommendation is to plant it somewhere around September to have it sprouting around November, which is around when season starts. Although if you want to use it for more immediate purposes, or have a short time frame, 2 weeks should be enough to grow out a decent number of sprouts. It grows fairly quickly as well, we had a couple of 6-7 inches tall sprouts in only a week of growing. Not bad at all.
There is enough plot mix here to cover roughly a quarter of a football field. This equates to roughly 11,000 square feet. The plot mix should last quite a while as well, with the clovers lasting up to 2 to 3 years. The best part is that it is easy to grow as well, and you can choose to use fertilizer or not, as it will work either way. To plant it you don’t need anything fancy, just scrape the area with your boots to make sure the seeds actually touch the soil and let it do its thing. It does help to plant it during rainy times, or water it a bit if it gets too dry, but it should work well regardless.
C’mere Deer 3 Day Harvest Hunting Scents – Best Scent Attractant
The hunting scent is another great option for those looking for a deer attractant. Many people have reported great success while using it, and depending on location, deer came within a few hours to a day or 2. This mix works especially well for whitetails as it attracts them quickly. However, do note that you must be careful when putting it down as getting it wet or having rain will make the attractant not work as well as it will just turn into white mold from its original pebble shape.
As with all deer attractants, there is a chance that this scent won’t make much of a difference which is where most of the negative reviews about it come from. As mentioned before, finding the right attractant is a trial and error process so it is understandable why it works fantastically for some and not so well for others. Considering it only costs about 10 dollars, it’s worth a shot to see if it works for you. Worst case scenario you lose a few dollars but best case scenario you find a fantastic cheap deer attractant.
Wildgame Innovations Acorn Rage – Best Feed Attractant
The Acorn Rage formula was made to not only be attractive to deer but to also benefit them by providing nutritional value. As such it will also support antler growth of the deer consuming this feed. You can place this deer attractant either on the ground, or on a deer feeder. As always we recommend using a deer feeder to prevent other animals trying to eat it but at the end of the day it won’t make too big of a difference.
Squirrels also love this stuff and it’s always funny seeing them just bury their heads in it looking as if though they just went through a couple of lines of cocaine. In fact, this was one of the best deer attractants that we reviewed as it had a higher success rate or attraction among its users as opposed to some of the other choices. So while it does cost a bit more than some of the other choices, you’re getting a better attractant as a result.
For best results, put this down when food is scarce, as that will increase the chance that the deer will seek out food resources and stumble upon this. A good time is late season as by that time the cold would have destroyed quite a few of other food sources for the deer leaving them out foraging for all that they can find.
Primos Donkey Juice Molasses Attractant for Deer
The Primos Donkey Juice uses sweet acorn and molasses flavor to attract deer. You can use it by either pouring it over stumps, feed or even directly on the ground. This attractant works well by itself and even better when combined with something else, something like corn perhaps. In fact, it works so well that many people have reported to have attracted bears with it as well. So you definitely want to watch out for that.
The Donkey Juice also works pretty quickly and you can even start seeing deer and other animals coming to the attractant in less than an hour if you’re lucky. However, most of the time, you should wait a day or 2 do judge its effectiveness. It’s not really much of a deer exclusive formula, so you can expect to see raccoons and turkeys as well if you have them in your area. This is an important point to consider as well because if you want solely deer you might want to look at some of the other choices.
In Conclusion
Now the choice is up to you. Also don’t exclude some other choices for attractants as sometimes simple corn or apples will do the trick just as well. As we mentioned a few times now, some deer attractants work fantastically for some deer and others don’t work at all. Your best bet would be to try to find a person who either used that attractant in your area with your species of deer or just buy one and try it out. After all, the attractants are pretty cheap, and finding a great attractant will be worth every penny.