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A Question of Human Scent and Human Urine While Deer Hunting
Marty,Is it a good idea to urinate in a deer scrape?
If I hunt where there is a pool of water or brook, I usually urinate in spurts to make it sound like a deer urinating. Do I do that for nothing?
I have heard a lot of stuff from the old hunters. I don’t want to teach any body the wrong thing. It is hard enough to get a deer and I don’t want to do anything to scare them way for any reason.Thanks,
Marcel
Marcel,
The subject of urinating by or not near your deer hunting tree stand has been a deer hunting topic debated for years.
Decades ago when I started deer hunting, I was taught to never urinate by my deer hunting tree stand or anywhere near my deer hunting area. As a result, I always carried an empty soda bottle and used it. If I forgot my bottle, I would walk a half mile or so, relieve myself, and head back to my deer hunting tree stand.
Sometimes the bottle posed a challenge of its own. On a cold day, hitting a small target while bundled up in my deer hunting clothing didn’t always work so well. (LOL) Unfortunately, there were times I just plain missed and ended up wearing some urine on my deer hunting clothes anyway.
If I forgot the bottle and walked a good distance away from my tree stand to relieve myself, it seemed I was consistently jumping deer on my way back to my deer hunting tree stand. Usually the deer were only a few feet from my tree stand.
Since I couldn’t go an entire day without relief, I began to search for the answer.
Over the years I have read countless stories on whether or not to urinate by a deer hunting tree stand. Many articles stated human urine does not affect deer behavior. I’ve also read a few that still touted never to pee by your deer hunting tree stand.
So, of course, while deer hunting I had to try my own experiments. Here’s what I’ve found from personal experience.
I tested different scenarios:
1) Climbing down from my deer hunting tree stand and peeing at the tree’s base
2) Walking a short distance from my tree stand and relieving myself
3) Urinating right off my deer hunting tree stand platform
The results were really shocking.
When I climbed down from my deer hunting tree stand and either walked a short distance away or peed at the tree’s base, I saw fewer deer. On the days when I relieved myself from the deer hunting treestand platform I saw more deer.
Interestingly enough, no matter where I relieved myself, I found deer tracks on or near the pee.
I believe on the days I was climbing in and out of my stand to go, my movements, not the smell of the urine, is what kept the deer from coming in.
As far as urinating on a deer scrape, I personally have not tried that one. I read one guy has tried this. He even went as far as to create a mock scrape using only human urine. He claims to have photographed more deer on that scrape than ones created by deer themselves.
In regards to peeing in spurts in a stream to sound like a deer, I would get it done quickly and get back to hunting. I’ve found the deer are more spooked by extra movement than attracted or spooked by human urine.
Good Luck and Great Hunting
Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com
Posted by Marty Prokop
