The deer scent industry is a multimillion dollar a year business. It is, however, a business that is very secretive and cloaked in mystery. A very large portion of that industry revolves around products that are produced from actual deer urine. In the past, it has been very hard to glean information from urine producers because of their claims for the need to protect their "trade secrets." During the past four years, I have managed to get into several facilities for a peek, but not a full-scale explanation of how the business is run. I have heard many rumors and speculations about what goes on in the industry, which has filled my mind with a number of important questions. In pursuit of answers, I have spent the last few months interviewing people involved at different levels of the deer urine industry. I have by no means come up with all of the answers. If anything, I have more questions than before. I would like to share with you some of what I have learned.

The rancher

On June 5th, 1997, Gary and Gina Tank of "Tank's Fatal Attractor" invited a group of outdoor writers and newspaper reporters to come to their ranch and tour their state of the art deer urine collection facility. The ranch, which is located just outside of Pillager, MN, is owned jointly by Gary and his father Gene Tank. The tour provided each attendee an opportunity to see the inner workings of a quality collection facility and to gather some accurate facts and "first hand" information.

Gary Tank is a 3rd generation deer rancher whose family has been raising deer and elk since 1964 in central Minnesota. It has grown into one of the largest herds there and is the only scent manufacturer that raises, owns and collects urine from its animals in that state. Tank began collecting urine from individual animals in 1989 and has experienced steady growth, since that time.

Gary and Gene have a 33-head elk herd as well as a 190 head of whitetail deer. The ranch has no other creatures on it with the exception of a few Canadian geese and some wild turkeys. His facility currently consists of 72 collection units in which 1 animal/stall is kept for a period of approximately 4 days. During that time, each animal's daily urine excretion is collected and then placed in 2 ounce bottles and labeled. Each bottle is marked to indicate whether it contains buck or doe urine. The Fatal Attractor is then shipped to retailers or to individual mail order customers.

When the animal has "served its time" in the collection stall, it is released into the pasture. Each stall is pressure washed to sanitize it and then the next group of animals is funneled into the collection unit so that the process can begin, once again. Tank's facility is an extremely clean ranching operation and I was very impressed by the great amount of thought that has gone into its construction and design. Many years of trail and error have created a system that allows for effective and humane management of his animals. Working on a daily basis with the large herd is made easier by the well-designed runway and funnel system.

Gary was able to answer many questions about the whitetail deer and his method of urine production. In his promotion of Tank's Fatal Attractor, his only guarantee is that it will be fresh, 100-percent pure whitetail urine, collected from a single animal. He has never sold a "doe in heat" product and makes no claims in this area. When I asked questions about doe in heat products, Gary told me that he was a rancher and that for the answers to my questions, I should go to people that were more qualified to respond. He went on to explain that he and the other ranchers he deals with want their does to be with the bucks when they come into heat. His business depends on getting his does bred, not collecting their "hot urine." Even with the large number of animals that Gary has, the amount hot urine he would collect would be minimal and the next year's fawn crop is far more important to a rancher.

When asked about the large amounts of "doe in heat" products on the market, he said that he could only speak for his product and would not comment on the credibility of the competition. He would only say that he believes that fresh, 100-percent pure deer urine collected from a single animal is the best attractant you can buy and he has the testimonials from successful users of his product to prove its effectiveness. Gary has a promotional video about Tank's Fatal Attractor and his collection process, which is available for $5 to cover shipping and handling. To order this video call 218-746-3900 or mail your request to TANK'S FATAL ATTRACTOR; RT 1, BX 102; PILLAGER, MN 56473.

The doctor

To learn more about the use of deer urine, I visited with Galen H. Adkins who is a District Veterinarian for the state of Minnesota and who also owns his own herd of whitetail deer. Mr. Adkins works for the state board of health and deals with disease and quarantine situations, mainly with domestic livestock. He was able to share some valuable information about his personal studies and experimentation with scent products on his own herd of whitetail.

As a life-long deer hunter he has used his herd to substantiate the claims and effectiveness of attractants and cover scents. He maintains that the most effective path to success is for the hunter to use his head. Common sense hunting practices like wind direction, stand placement, and scent elimination must be the foundation for a successful hunt. Once these basics are properly taken care of, then the hunter can begin to concentrate on attractants.

Mr. Adkins has experimented with all forms of scents and lures with his herd, but is quick to point out the fact he is using "penned animals" for his testing. Results may vary in the wild. Personally, however, he is quite confident about the results of his tests and will not use any product the does not work with his animals. Adkin's research has included any and every product that he's been able to get his hands on. He has found that only 30 percent of the attractants, which he has tested, get a positive response from his deer. He believes that urine collected from a single animal is more effective than mixed urine. He has found that his animals are very interested in the scent of a strange deer that may have moved into the area and will check out the new odor.

He has learned that doe urine causes curious examination from both bucks and does. The introduction of a foreign buck's urine to his pasture, especially during the rut, causes his dominant-breeding buck to go crazy. The does are only made curious by the new male's scent. His testing has demonstrated to him that the best results come from straight deer urine and that there is no increased benefit from products, which are labeled "doe in heat."

The bottom line is that 70 percent of the products he has tested have no effect on his Whitetail’s, at all. If there is no positive response to the product from the animals of his herd, Galen does not even consider using that particular attractant during his actual hunting time.

The researcher

To learn more about the reported dangers of urine products, I visited with Tony Newman of Ambush, which markets a full line of deer urine and scent elimination products. During his work with deer and elk urine that had been purchased from various wholesalers, Tony was infected by a dangerous bacteria in the urine. He became sick and during an illness, which lasted the better part of 2 years, almost died. The experience motivated Tony to research and study the industry products. He then patented a process and developed the machinery that pasteurizes urine, removing all contamination from the product.

Tony shared several articles that have been published warning the consumer about the health dangers of using urine products. According to Tony, not only could a hunter be infected by the urine coming into contact with an open wound or sore, but it can also occur by inhalation or simple absorption through the skin.

The contamination comes from fecal matter, which can not be practically avoided when collecting urine from confined animals. Recent reports of deer urine, which is really sheep manure mixed with water, have surfaced in the industry. It appears that some suppliers will do anything in order to keep up with the increased demand for product.

I would like each of you to join me in thought about a few things. We (the consumer) are dealing with and paying a great deal of money for a product that we, obviously, know very little about.

The problem

Think about these questions: What is actually in the products that we are using to attract big whitetail bucks? Are we in danger of becoming sick from something that is being thrown together simply to meet the high demand for deer urine? Are "doe in heat" products really legitimate or is the consumer being duped by an unethical marketing ploy? If there is such a thing, how can so much product be available when there is only a limited amount of genuine "doe in heat" urine which can be made available? Where are the thousands and thousands of gallons of the product on the store shelves coming from? What proof can the suppliers provide to substantiate their advertising claims? Is the urine industry above the law when it comes to "TRUTH IN ADVERTISING"? How is it possible for a contaminated waste by-product, which does not even come from a deer, to be sold as whitetail urine? What is being done to correct an unregulated industry in which some of the members may be abusing the consumer?

The lack of regulation in the deer urine market has sparked discussions about an industry association being formed to police the production and quality of deer urine products. At this point in time, little interest has been shown by most of the players in the industry. Often, I hear folks complain about the increasing amount of government regulation in our lives. I agree with that philosophy. Unfortunately, there appear to be a few people who are willing to do anything to make a dishonest dollar, like selling sheep manure and water as pure whitetail deer urine. If this type of behavior is not controlled by the industry itself, believe me, it will be controlled by government regulation eventually.

I am going to continue to ask questions and try to learn more about the products and the practices of the deer scent industry. I will share what I learn with you as the facts are uncovered. If you have any specific questions about the deer urine industry that you would like answers to, write me. I will do my very best to get honest answers from credible people who I meet in the hunting industry. Also, if any one has ANY documentation, which will prove or disprove industry claims, please share it with me. I am very interested in seeing it and adding it to my files. All I want to do is learn the truth, whatever it may be. The main objective is to prevent the grass roots hunter from being victimized by con men who care more about money than honesty and integrity. I believe that we shouldn't be so quick to pursue the "magic potion", which we believe will help us put a monster rack on our living room wall. The desire to be a successful hunter often creates fertile ground for the manipulative marketer to make a few quick bucks and to take advantage of the ignorant consumer. If we are spending our hard-earned dollars on an expensive product, we deserve to get the best that our money can buy. Please send your comments and questions to: Daniel James Hendricks; POB 50; Glenwood, MN 56334 or call 320-634-3660.

ED NOTE: Though this article does contain scientific merit, the opinions of the author do not necessarily represent the views of this web site.