Deer Tarsal Gland

When do you remove the tarsal gland from a deer? Do you use a special knife?

I do it when im cleaning the deer, just cut it off, put it in a ziploc bag and freeze it. Next time you go hunting, take it out of the freezer, microwave a few seconds (not long, just enough to warm it up), cut a hole through it, put a string though said hole and tie to your boot so when you walk you leave a scent trail. When you get to your stand tie it to a tree limb. It works trust me

Just use a regular knife

Pretty much like deftsound states except it's the last thing I'll cut off of a deer. Cut a hole through it and freeze it. Take it out the morning I'm going to hunt and tie a string to it and drag it into the stand. About 50-100 yards upwind of the stand I'll tie it about waist high and leave it until I'm through hunting that morning/day.

I've had better luck if I can get one from a deer from someplace else. Seems they catch the whiff of 'strange deer' and have to come check.

Yep, they are 100% right. One of the best hunting secrets there is. I've had deer walk up and stick their noses right up to them.

I have been using these glands when rattling for over 40 years. Simply hang them on a limb just downwind of where I am set up to rattle. A buck responds because you are playing to his ears, trick him even further by fooling his nose.
Adios,
Gary

Good advise from deftsound.

yep, I have done this numerous times ... it actually works very well if you kill a mature buck and then use those tarsal glands on a different property, it really ticks off the more dominate bucks in that area with some new buck coming in to their territory.

Cut em off and freeze them is what we do... but I can say I would never put that in my microwave... ever.

Dad has been patient on more than one occasion and taken a tarsal off a buck that my brother or I shot and shot some very nice bucks over it the next hunt.

Never tried this...is the gland good for the one hunt or day?

Couldn't tell you for sure. We have froze them for a period of time and then used them. We have used them on a couple day hunt if the weather is cool, but I couldn't say how long they are good for. At our place we have left them out overnight and coons or something will eat them by morning.

They are good for more than one hunt but I don't drag them. I am not very patient so I am a rattler, not a sitter. After putting them out on a stand, put them back in a plastic bag. When you go back to the truck, put in an ice chest if hot, if not, leave them in the bed of the pickup. If I am hunting 3-5 days, will use the same set every day.
Adios,
Gary

Thanks, can,t wait to try it out.

X2. Bringing me back to some of my roots. I'll try this season. Thanks.

I like to remove them first thing before I start the gutting process to get the sticky things out of my way. It only took one time of accidentally grabbing the gland moving the leg around and getting that smell on my hand.

It smelled the rest of the day and all those deer trying to hump me was annoying...

I knew a guy that boiled them and then mixed the juice in with his scent free shampoo.

That is hardcore

In fact, I mentioned the use of these glands in the article, "Common Sense for Rattling Hill Country Whitetails" in the July/August edition of THE JOURNAL OF THE TEXAS TROPHY HUNTERS. What I did not say is that when you remove the glands, the fleshy side will be sticky and you can place them on top of your cap, shoulder, whatever. This relieves you of the duty of having to dig them out of a plastic bag and place down wind....if you can stand the odor. The odor never bothered my three sons but Mom sure did not like to find them in the washing machine.
Adios,
Gary

Great for cover sent when bow hunting, for sure.

My brother got a buck about 40 miles from my place and then brought to me to help him clean it. While working that buck deer started walking in on us and really didn't care we were there. It was cool enough to to leave him hang for a bit so I could try to get a shot at one. My brother calls me and says to come back to the house real slow. A young 8pt had come up and hit the deer hanging on the cleaning rack. The rut makes deer do some crazy chit.

I always new something was not right with you man