It is often said that to be the best you can in any pursuit you follow in life, you have to know as much as you can about the opposition; and in this case, it’s the white-tailed deer. I’m a firm believer in that strategy. That’s why I feel that being knowledgeable about a deer’s anatomy, biology, and behavior is a crucial element for any hunter to take deer consistently – especially mature bucks.
A good place to start is to understand just how important a deer’s glands are to the deer’s survival, reproduction, and social structure. Knowing how to apply certain glandular odors to specific hunting tactics is equally important. Since there isn’t enough space in one column to cover all the glands thoroughly, this will be a three-part series on this topic.
There are several internal and external glands on whitetails. Each gland plays a significant and essential part in a deer’s communication, behavior, day-to-day survival, and procreation. These glands include the tarsal, interdigital, metatarsal, preorbital, forehead, orbital, prepucial, nasal, anal, and sebaceous glands. There is also an important organ called the vomero-nasal organ. In addition, the deer’s saliva plays a vital role – particularly for male deer.
Each gland and organ emits pheromones, secretions, and an unbelievable combination of a wide variety of chemicals including 13 straight-chain carboxylic acids, a single branched-chain carboxylic acid, 9 straight-chain aldehydes, 3 monounsaturated aldehydes, 5 long-chain alcohols, a ketone, and cholesterol. The four most abundant compounds are heptanal, nonanal, octanoic acid, and 6-methyl-2-heptanone, that when received and interpreted by other deer are triggers for instinctive and powerful reactions. These olfactory messages act to alert, calm, attract, frighten, identify, and even assist in establishing a deer's rank within the herd.
Interdigital gland
The interdigital gland is the most commonly used gland by whitetails. The interdigital is located between the toes of all four hooves. It isn’t as visible as many of the other glands found on deer. It is a small sac that opens from a duct. When squeezed, the sac emits a yellowish material that has the very offensive, potent odor that reeks of rancid cheese. The odor from each deer is indigenous to that particular animal and identifies it to other deer.
Each time a deer puts its hoof on the ground, the gland emits a tiny amount of interdigital scent. It is how all other deer identify and follow where other deer have traveled. It is also how all deer identify herd members and know when a strange, transient deer is in their region. When the molecules of interdigital scent begin to evaporate, the odor of the track changes, and may be how deer and predators can judge the freshness of the track and which way the deer is moving.
Interdigital scent is also used to warn other deer of potential danger. When a deer stomps its hoof, it is depositing an excess amount of interdigital scent. In doing so, it alerts other deer of any danger through scent, sound, and sight. Any deer coming upon excess interdigital scent immediately knows there is, or was, potential danger in the area. They become alerted and mill about nervously for several moments in an attempt to decipher the odor. They will then either walk back in the direction they came or take a wide berth around the scent left. They rarely, if ever, walk directly over it.
Using interdigital scent as a tactic
To use interdigital as an attracting scent, place a few drops of interdigital scent on a Drag Bag (available at deerdoctor.com) as you walk to your stand. Warning: if more than a few drops are used, it will definitely spook deer rather than attract them.
You can also use interdigital scent with an alarm-distress snort call to roust deer from cover. However, be sure to use several drops so that you create the illusion of a deer responding to danger.
Tarsal gland
The tarsal gland, an external gland, is located on the inside of the hind legs of all deer. This gland secretes fatty substances called lipids. Tan in color most of the year, this gland turns almost black during the rut. Bucks continually urinate and deposit pre-pucial scents over it, which cling to the long, thick hairs of the tarsal gland, making it darker and darker as the season progresses.
Deer use their tarsal glands and the pheromones from them (which are mostly made up of lactones) as visual and olfactory signals. In mature deer, both bucks and does, the gland emits more pungent odors and is darker in color than on less mature deer. When a deer is excited, the hairs on its tarsal gland stand erect and can be seen for quite a distance by other deer. There is little doubt that this gland is one of the more important glands to whitetails.
Any hunter who has harvested a buck or doe during the peak rut knows about the strong smell that is associated with this gland. However, not many know that the tarsal gland is used in a behavior called “rub-urination.” Rub-urination is what a buck does as he begins to use his tarsal gland scent. He places his two rear legs together pressing each tarsal tightly against each other. Then, he squats slightly and begins to urinate. The urine flows over both glands. Then, he squats a bit lower and excretes fluid from his pre-pucial gland over the tarsal glands. Next, the buck rubs the tarsal glands together several times. This action is referred to as rub-urination.
Using tarsal scent as a tactic
You will get optimum response from tarsal scent from mid-October through mid-December. Place several drops on a Drag Bag and walk to your stand. Before you get to your stand, walk in a circle around the stand about 30 to 50 yards away from it. Hang the Drag Bag on a branch about five feet off the ground. Next, put a few drops of tarsal scent on your boots and walk to your stand. The tarsal scent will permeate the area and act as an attracting scent for both bucks and does. It will also act as an agitating smell for mature bucks. Don't place it on your clothing – you don't want a buck's attention focused directly on you. Instead, direct his attention or aggression to an area off to one side or the other of your stand.
Another way to use tarsal scent successfully is to place it in mock scrapes or mock rubs that you create. Additionally, it can be used in a natural scrape or at the base of a natural rub. I often use tarsal scent in a natural scrape or rub, to lure in a belligerent buck that has become agitated into thinking a competitive buck is working his area. Both bucks and does will react by freshening the scrape or rub with their own tarsal scent. Mature bucks will tear up the scrape or rub significantly. If this happens, it is a sure sign you’re onto a mature buck in the area.
Tarsal scent can also be used when hunting with full-size deer decoys or when using a natural deer tail as a decoy. Place a few drops on the inside of the decoy's legs to add realism to your setup. With a natural deer-tail, place a few drops of tarsal scent on the ground beneath where the tail is hanging. The tail should hang about 24 to 26 inches above the ground on a branch. Last, you can use tarsal scent along with a doe estrus scent when hunting during the rut.
In the next two columns, I will discuss the remaining glands and how to use them to help take your deer hunting skills to the next level this season!
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