I would like to hear who all on here has used vanilla scent as a curiosity scent to attract deer or use as a cover scent. Had a guy at work tell me that he mixes 2 oz. of vanilla extract with 10 oz. water and sprays it on his boots before he walks into his stand and it works great. I am thinking about trying it but woulnd't mind hearing a few opinions first.
I've heard about this as well, but I have yet to try it. I just have a hard time believing it would work.
I used it many years ago as a cover scent with decent success. I've since went the scent free route. I never tried it as an attractant, although it did attract bees in the early season
I tried it 3 weeks ago and it worked pretty well. I had a doe come and sniff around and some bucks heading towards the vanilla to but a neighbor scared them away. I like to make my own scents and i add vanilla to all of them.
I use vanilla extract and distilled water, make sure its the vanilla with no alcohol in it, I mix it up in a spray bottle and use it as my cover scent, when deer come by me they are usually licking their noses or they are sniffing the air, I have had deer right under me, could have spit on them and they didn't wind me, its cheap, its effective and I get a sense of pride when I make something and it works. Gersty
I've used vanilla and anise oil (separately and mixed together) since the early 1960's. I seem to always have some around, even in the off season when I use it for fishing. While I try to control my scent and hunt the wind, I still use a drag rag, or a film canister filled with cotton balls, doused in a diluted mixture, quite often. I've had deer follow my drag trail right up to the film canister and lick it. I've had deer catch the trail, follow it for a bit and, go on about their business. One thing I've never seen (as I have with numerous commercial deer scents) is a deer spooking when it came across the trail. With the millions of scents deer come across, vanilla and/or anise oil, while not natural, don't seem to alarm animals (not just deer) and, in some cases, even have a calming effect. Remember walking into mom's, or grandma's, kitchen while they were baking for the holidays? I don't care what mood you were in, or whether or not you wanted cookies or a piece of cake, the smell just made you feel good. Will it bring that buck of your dreams under your treestand? I don't know but, I am reasonably sure that if that buck of your dreams does walk under your treestand vanilla won't make him turn tail and run.
Never used it on my clothes or boots but in the summer I put out corn in front of cams and sometimes use vanilla on the corn. Deer seem to like it.
I uses it all last season with good results. I have went completely scent free this season but, it has crossed my mind to take some out with me and give it a whirl again. I mix mine with vegetable oil. About a 50/50 mix. Seems to stay around a little longer than it does when mixed with water. I mix it in an old Scent-A-Way bottle. I have had deer come in and lick branches I sprayed it on. If you want them to come to. Corn pile fast, spray it. They will come to it.
I put it on my boots to help hide the scent. Of course I do what I can to cover but it helps. I've had does walk down the same trail I just walked in on. They sniffed like crazy but never became alert. I use vegitable oil and extract. It works great. I always have some in my pack.
I've used vanilla extract a few times in the past but I have a method with deer urine that works really well now so I stick with it.
I sprayed it on my boots several times before my first sit in a stand...... a black bear decided to join me for a sit.
Heard for years that deer, and other critters, love vanilla. Some time back a local deer scent company was marketing a product they called "Sweet Demise". There was a sample in the store, I smelled it, smelled like vanilla extract to me. Just read a post on another forum where the poster did some work for a guy who turned out to be on the prostaff for Realtree. The guy gave him a recipe he could make that the deer would "go stupid" for! He said to put 1 pint of grape KoolAid, 1 box grape Jello, and 1 bottle of anise in a 3 Gal sprayer, fill with water, and just spray it around. He sprayed it by his stand and said he had deer licking that stuff off of everything. Who knows? It could work.
I use to use VK game attractant smelled just like vanilla instead of paying 14.99 per 4oz I can buy 8 oz of vanilla for 4.99
I did use grape KoolAid in a mineral mix once. The deer killed it! Smell Deer Canes Black Magic. Deer love it! It has a grape smell to it! I really may use a mix of it here shortly!
