I've spent a good bit of money on that stuff. Kinda makes you scratch your head and wonder about yourself when you ponder on that   I cannot say that I've ever seen a time when I was sure it was the cause of me shooting a deer. This season I didn't buy a drop. I did some preseason scouting (as I always do) and tried to be patient on stand (as I always do). I've been lucky enough to catch three bucks chasing does and they rode home with me. What does that mean? Darned if I know, but I do know one thing for certain...... payin' for pee didn't help make it happen!  

I am not totally convinced that the attractants will really pull them in from long distances, but I do believe they hold the interest of the deer once they do happen to walk by.  I don't think if you drop some doe estrus in a scrape, a buck will come charging in out of the woods. 

But, if that buck happens to come by to check his scrape, and smells the doe scent, he's gonna pay more attention to that scrape, than to you drawing your bow string back or cocking your hammer, preparing to shoot....

In a word, they work.

Sort of.

I have seen them stand on their heads for plain old Tinks 69 (not an insult the product, at all) and totally ignore it other times.

Tarsal glands off of harvested bucks work real well - this I do not know.

I also discovered this year that you can make a water based scent using tarsal glands and I had pretty good luck with it this year on mock scrapes... as far as how many of the mocks got visited and taken over by bucks.

I also make a cover scent / deer lure - you can make it by the gallons and it works great.

Both of these are posted in the tips section if you care to read them...

The real thing with scents, however, is to NOT leave your scent when you are putting out the deer scent... rubber boots, stay off of the vegetation - and rubber gloves.

Good luck!!! 

I agree with Ca_V and Jim. They can work wonders if the buck crosses the scent trail or crosses downwind of the scent post. I have killed 1 buck that I know was attracted to the Tink's 69 I put out. I saw him approach the scent pad from downwind with his nose in the air and lip curled. He came straight to the scent pad that was in a semi-open area, a place most mature bucks wouldn't normally cross any other time of year.

That being said, I have probably spent a thousand dollars on scents in my life time. I have shot a couple of other bucks I suspected were attracted to the lure but I couldn't tell for sure. I can't say a buck will respond to the scent you put out, but there are plenty of bucks killed each year over scent lures. So I contuinue to use them in hopes they bring Mr Trophy Buck by my stand.