TREESTANDMAN Report post Posted November 15, 2006 Last year sometime I shared an experience of sitting in a treestand and having a doe wind me, snort blow and take off with her tail up. 30 minutes after she had left a buck walked in to get some salt. He sniffed the ground at the exact spot she had spooked, put his tail up and took off. This has happened several times since that occation 8 yrs ago and I've always felt they secrete a danger scent somehow. Here is a short quote from an article I read written by TR Michaels who is a deer behavioral biologits. "The metatarsal gland on the outside of the leg is largest in mule deer, next largest in blacktails and smallest in whitetails. It's been suggested that blacktails, and possibly mule deer, use metatarsal scent when alarmed to express danger. The use of this gland is not totally understood in whitetails. " Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowhuntinmaniac Report post Posted November 15, 2006 Now that you mentioned it, I have seen deer alert in the same spot as a deer that spooked. Did the doe wind you or pick up yer scent on the ground? One thing I firmly believe in is wearing rubber boots to yer stand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TREESTANDMAN Report post Posted November 15, 2006 Ditto on the rubber boots. It appeared she had winded me by air current, and it appeared he was alerted by the smell on the ground where she had been standing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deernut Report post Posted November 16, 2006 Some research has been done on the Metatarsal Gland (MT) but the bottomline is we don't really know what it does. There have been researchers who support the "Alarm" theory and some that don't. Others have mentioned that the MT glands are positioned in such a way that it they would leave scent in the deer's bed when it lays or also that it might rub scent off on vegetation as it walked through. These are all just theories. My book discusses this in some more detail with citations of all the scientific work I am aware of on MT glands. Don't forget the interdigital glands between the hooves - they might leave a strong spot of scent when a deer bolts and runs. JIM http://www.deernut.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TREESTANDMAN Report post Posted November 16, 2006 Thanks for your input Jim!! I will be buying your book very soon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowsniper Report post Posted November 16, 2006 So far, my experience is that, at least where I hunt, you don't need to bother with rubber boots. There have been several times when I have been out with my kid and dog setting up a camera. We are just wearing our old smelly hiking boots. (except for the dog!) Then, somtimes as fast a 60 minutes later, I get a picture of a doe or buck, not caring about our scent on the ground. Mark Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
