3 tips to get the most out

of YOur HODAG products

Being the small company that we are, every customer's question makes its way through our warehouse.  We are all hunters, with different philosophies and ideas on answering those questions. Throughout the year we see and hear customer comments and questions asking, "what is the best way to use our products".  We also see a few common mistakes made so we've decided to share our recommendations to fix those mistakes, hopefully before they happen to you. 

1.) Don't set up near a bait or feeder. 

One of our first questions to a customer comment about lack of deer using their HODAG system is..."Is your setup located next to bait?". The answer to that question is often "yes". The goal of our products is to start natural communication in an area that we choose, ultimately getting us more and better pictures or even a shot opportunity. The problem in putting a setup next to bait is that the deer are in that spot for a reason...to eat your bait, not necessarily to communicate.  If you are using a setup on top of a bait pile or next to a feeder, reevaluate what your goals are with our products. Your bait is already putting deer in front of your camera.  

2.) Have faith and patience.  

All good things take time, and our products are no different. You are trying to create a scent communication hub that will be used for years to come, so don't be defeated if deer aren't using it in the first few days. It can take time for the deer to find the setup and in reality, it can take time for the woods to go back to normal after it gets disrupted while making a setup. We have the customers who see results the first day but also have customers find success after a week or two. I don't care what the score of the game is in the first quarter, it's the end of the game that matters.  Don't sweat it if your setup isn't a deer magnet right away, our real goal is creating a communication station that will become an integral part of the deer's routine on your property for years and generations to come.  There are so many variables in the woods over the course of a year that effect and change a deer's home range, travel routes and daily patterns. More often than not, the hunter who is patient wins.   

3.) Get Creative

I know I just told you to be patient but there will be times when the setup just isn't in the right spot, or the species of tree you're using isn't the kind the deer want to use. After putting out thousands of setups we usually have a pretty good idea of where systems should be placed, and we are still finding new ways to make setups even more effective on our personal properties. I put out a Licking Stick this summer and decided to try out a spruce branch for the first time. Well, I can honestly say it has been one of the best Licking Stick setups I have put out to date and spruce (when available) may be at the top of the list for me to use in future systems. That's the thing, we want to give our customers the chance to tailor their setups to the property their hunting. Every property is different, and every setup should be different as well. There isn't a one size fits all approach to anything in hunting and why should creating a scent hub be any different. Don't be afraid to change the location, tree type, height, etc, and try something different. There are so many ways to make a setup unique to your property, experiment and see what results you get. 

Overall, we want every customer to find success using our products and we are always here to help our customers who want some advice or direction. Using these 3 tips will hopefully help you alleviate issues before they occur, and every customer will have a more successful approach to using our line of scent communication products.