Does elk scents/lures work?

[farmboy]

Just wondering if anyone uses scents like cow in heat lures when hunting? Myself ,I used to use buck lure but after spooking a nice buck a few years ago I just use it to doctor up mock scrapes. I do hunt very heavily hunted areas in Michigan and Ohio so I think that has a lot to do with how well it works. But just curios if anyone has any experience on elk. I`m thinking it must not work to well cause I never hear anything about it. Thanks for any input.

[Trophyhill]

A couple years ago while calling for a friend, we were set up about 40 yards from him. He was sitting on a stump. He kept hearing the bugles that were coming from a drainage a good distance behind us and got antsy after about 20 minutes and walked over and asked us if we should go after that bull. Before he walked over he sprayed some cow in estrus on the stump he was sitting on and planned to hunt this ridge again. Right about that time a big rag horn stopped about 20 yards from his stump with nose to the air. Then that bull walked over and started licking the stump lol. Too bad for Harold because where we were calling from Harold had no shot. I've never used it because I want to be able to smell the real elk.

[WapitiTalk1]

Ahh, the old elk scent yes or no topic. I only know this for certain....nothing disguises human scent. So, if a hunter is in close proximity to a film canister or cotton wafer containing any type of elk scent, it will not help said hunter out. As far as using it for a possible attractant or stopper for Bullwinkle passing by under a stand, or, off wind of a ground blind by a waterhole or wallow, I'm not sure of it's effectiveness? Without running upstairs to grab my copy of Treestand Hunting Rocky Mountain Elk, I'll just say that I don't believe the author (Swede) is convinced of any significant benefits of using elk scent while hunting from treestands or ground blinds. Hopefully, he'll chime in on this one.

[ishy]

I have one buddy that hunts solo that is one of those 10% guys, in fact he is probably counts as two of the ten percent as he usually buys a second tag and fills it also. When the action is happening like really on, he uses one of the gells on surrounding brush, limbs etc, and moves downwind. He says it really closes the deal in certain situations. It buys him few precious seconds that probably wouldn't materialize without it.

[Swede]

I have tried it on different occasions, but have not had much success. I placed it on some unscented toilet paper and draped it over a bush in the early morning and evening in a draw. I would like to try misting (a fine spray sent into the air) someday with some very fresh elk urine mixed with natural spring water. I would want to know the elk were down wind.