Vanilla Is A Good Homemade Cover Scent

Davexx1

Senior Member
Vanilla has been used for years by many as a cover scent and has been known to actually attract deer of all ages. You can mix it with water and put in a small spray bottle to be used on self or srayed on bushes near your stand site.

Drag rags can be soaked with it and pulled along as you walk to your stand creating a sweet smelling trail that deer and other critters will follow looking for the source. Freshen up the drag rag several times as you walk along so as to to give the sense the trail is getting fresher toward your stand.

Keep in mind that animals trail toward the fresher direction of any scent. If you only put any scent on the drag rag one time at where you begin the drag trail, as you walk toward your stand the scent trail is getting weaker the further you walk. By refreshing the drag rag several times along the way you make the scent trail fresh and easily followed.

Dave1
 

ultramag

Senior Member
Dave i have also heard this.Do you just use the vanilla extract and how strong do you mix it?

Another good cover scent is pure gum turpentine and mix a small amount in a spray bottle with water.Dont mix it very strong.This works good anywhere there are pine trees.I am sure it would not be as effective say in Illinois or Kansas.But here in Ga with all of the pine trees it works.And it sure is cheaper than all of the high dollar cover scents.
 

Slug-Gunner

Senior Member
Dave i have also heard this.Do you just use the vanilla extract and how strong do you mix it.

If you're going to try this, be sure to buy "natural" vanilla extract and not the "artificial". They are DIFFERENT.
 
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I have never tried vanilla but The person that told me about it said the same, it had to be pure or natural. Has anyone used this with success?
 

pnome

Senior Member
I think I might give this a try. I hope it's as effective for me than Nicodemus' 'swoller of the Apple Cider Vinegar' to ward off ticks.
 

doenightmare

Gone But Not Forgotten
Careful putting it on you - I found out it attracts yellow jackets as well(not the kind of Jacket I'm partial to).smilabeille.gif
 

Paymaster

Old Worn Out Mod
Staff member
Been using vanilla extract for years. I do not dilute it. I put it on cotton balls about 2 feet off the ground in 4 areas around my spot in case of wind shift.
 

Flash

Actually I Am QAnon
Been using vanilla extract for years. I do not dilute it. I put it on cotton balls about 2 feet off the ground in 4 areas around my spot in case of wind shift.


Ever watched any deer come and smell it??
 

Duramax

Senior Member
I have used vanilla as well. In the extract form and it has worked fine for me. I have used on several occasions by spraying it as a cover sent. Also spraying it on limbs and bushes on the way to stand to only climb up in the stand get settled in and look and see deer walking down the trail sniffing where I had sprayed. Shot a decent 8 pointer like this once.

It does work.

Duramax
 

Deerhead

Senior Member
I have heard people use vanilla as a cover scent for years. But I do not know of anything in the woods, on a deer, or on any animal that smells like vanilla? Just call me skeptical. I would rather use scent free soaps… and play the wind. But what ever works for you – can’t argue with success or trying something different!

Good luck!
 

Paymaster

Old Worn Out Mod
Staff member
Ever watched any deer come and smell it??

Naw, I don't usually let them get that close before shooting:biggrin2: . But I have never noticed it spooking them. Every deer I have ever killed,but the first one, I was using vanilla as a cover. I read an article in Sports Affield back in the early 70's about it. The writter was an outfitter and guide. Back in those days they used the two part skunk scent. They had no smell until you mixed the two parts. Well anyway, the guy said that some of his clients could not handle the skunk scent and that vanilla was almost as good. I have been using it ever since. I have had raccoons come up and lick it before. And Yellow Jackets will show up if it is warm out.
 

DCHunter

Senior Member
I have heard people use vanilla as a cover scent for years. But I do not know of anything in the woods, on a deer, or on any animal that smells like vanilla? Just call me skeptical. I would rather use scent free soaps… and play the wind. But what ever works for you – can’t argue with success or trying something different!

Good luck!

I may be wrong on this, and I'm not trying to be a smart%$^ but my theory is that a deer don't have the reasoning capabilities to smell something like vanilla and think to itself "hey, there's no natural vanilla around here...there must be a hunter using vanilla extract as a cover scent". But I suppose it could make them approach the source of the smell a bit suspiciously.
 
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