How to jump start licking sticks & mock scrapes
Imagine that you come home from work, walk into your living room, and the TV remote is in a different spot than usual. Now imagine walking into your kitchen and you catch a whiff of a unique odor. Each experience would make you curious and most likely have you investigating each occurrence. Not much changed in either scenario, yet you wonder what is different. That is the power of change. The line of products at HODAG aim to get that same curiosity from a whitetail deer.
At HODAG we make many analogies to help people understand a deer's perspective. Your property is a deer's house and creating a change in their "living room or kitchen" can spark the curiosity in them as well. The HODAG Licking Stick, Licking Branch, HempScent Rope, and AllSeason Scent are all designed to trigger curiosity about each unique setup. Once deer are drawn into any setup their natural instincts of scent communication take over, allowing us to leverage that natural behavior. Whether a tree grows overnight, a vine appears out of thin air, or a branch sprouts from a normally bare tree, deer will investigate the same way we would.
Apart from the visual and odorous changes that our products make, a hunter can take more steps to make a new Licking Stick, Licking Branch, or HempScent Rope even more appealing. Using a trimmer, we cut down any vegetation around our setups and disturb the dirt around or beneath. The visual change of vegetation that doesn't match the surrounding area and the smell of fresh dirt can make your setup even more noticeable to an observant deer. Clearing away any obstructions around your setup, whether tree debris, saplings, or brush can also help make your setup more attractive and assessable to a buck or doe from any angle. The additional benefit to clearing vegetation and brush is that your trail cameras will not be triggered by that dreaded moving branch or leaf that leaves you with hundreds of false pictures.
Through the changes made, your setup will jumpstart a deer's natural curiosity and in return trigger the natural scent communication of a whitetail creating a communal scent hub that will be used for years to come.
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It's a Stick NOT a Tree
The biggest mistake hunters make with Licking Sticks
The most common phrases from any unhappy customers are "The spring needs to be stronger", "Deer aren't using it", "My tree won't sit up straight", "The spring can't fit a decent sized tree", and more. The most common mistake we see people make with our HODAG Licking Stick is that they buy a Licking Stick but expect a rubbing tree. We often compare this to buying a shot glass but expecting it to hold a gallon of water.
Licking sticks can be found virtually everywhere on every property. Most have never seen one because they are exceptionally unremarkable, like a stick used for roasting marshmallows. What most hunters find exciting is the rubbed bark and disturbed dirt found on and beneath trees during the rut. The only difference is that Licking Sticks are more valuable and heavily used throughout the year (not just limited to the fall).
The spring on our Licking Stick System is designed to give you instant feedback about the sapling or branch you choose to use. If your spring is leaning, then more branches need to be removed. We cut off anything above chest/neck height (5 feet) since deer can't reach that high and trim off most branches from the sapling. Excess branches will act as a sail for the wind to take hold of, which can often lead to false pictures and full SD cards on your trail camera. Hinge cutting branches and letting them hang parallel to the stem of the stick is a great way to balance your Licking Stick, while leaving leaves to apply more AllSeason Scent during initial setup.
When your setup is finished it should look like a stick not a tree. It won't be flashy, but we promise it will be effective. There are millions of trees in the woods, and whitetails don't care about another tree sprouting from the ground. What they will notice is a stick that looks similar to ones they have been using to communicate since they were fawns. If you buy our product expecting to make a rubbing post, then you will likely be disappointed, but if you use it like the name on the packaging describes, than you will reap the benefits of a licking stick in your control. We truly want every customer who buys are products to find success with them and we will help anyone who wants it. Check out our setup videos to see these words in action and take your hunting to the next level.
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Trail Cameras: Video vs. Stills
How to Improve Your Scouting Strategy
Trail cameras have been a revelation in the hunting world, helping us to better scout and pattern deer. Now advancements like cellular cameras, hunters can get instant alerts as to what's going on in the woods when they aren't there. However still images capture a micro-fragment of what's going on, just like a page from a book does not tell the whole story. Most cameras are customizable, allowing hunters to control intervals, recording lengths, and sensitivity settings. Though stills and videos both accomplish the same general goal of letting you know what's in front of your camera, one remains superior.
Initially I used still images to improve my scouting strategy, but no matter what camera and settings I used my SD cards were filled up with blurry racks, cutoff heads, and missing pieces to the puzzle, leaving more to be desired. I was worried about low quality videos filling up my cards, capturing the infamous moving leaves and branches, but I decided to give it a shot anyways. The results were more valuable than I could've imagined and showed the true difference between stills and videos.
Since I was young after every long unsuccessful sit, my Dad has told me that a season can change in a matter of seconds. If a hunting season can change in seconds than imagine what happens in front of our cameras between picture intervals. The third buck in a bachelor party, the rack behind the hot doe, and the exact direction a deer appears from are all missed pieces of information that can be vital to a hunter's success.
Here at HODAG we sell products whose success on store shelves depends on our ability to capture deer using them. We utilize both cell cams and cameras set to video on every setup to get both instant feedback and valuable scouting information. Using this strategy, we have a unique opportunity to see the difference of information gathered by each one. A blurry still of a buck on the edge of a food plot vs. a closeup of a buck's antlers feeding, a picture of a deer's tail vs. a video of a deer's bedding direction, and a buck walking near a mock scrape vs. a video of a buck working it (one to show your hunting buddies). The amount of additional information that can be gained from video may be the missing piece to put our hands on the antlers of a mature buck. Think that old saying should be changed to "Pictures are worth a thousand words, but videos are worth a thousand pictures."
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Improving Your Food Plots
How a Licking Stick Can Take Your Efforts to the Next Level
As the temperatures rise and bucks begin growing their newest headgear for the season, most hunters flock to the woods beginning their preparations. Cutoff t-shirts and sweat stained hats are common sights through the green leaves of summer as ground is broke in food plots all over the country.
In recent years, food plots have become a necessary part of many a deer hunter's plan for the year, and nowadays a hunter must have a little farmer in them to keep up with their neighbors. Meticulous planning goes into almost every hunter's food plot, choosing where, what, and when to plant. Through a commitment of time and effort, a quality food plot can change the way one hunts. However, most hunters understand the struggle of deciding where to put up their "killer" stand, and invaluable trail camera location. There is no way of determining what part of the plot a deer will frequent each day, and sadly a trail camera that moves where it is setup on its own, has yet to be invented. So, what is a hunter's best bet at putting deer where you want for the purpose of scouting and hunting?
Here at HODAG we often say that the woods are a deer's home, and if someone came into your house, added a lamp, end table, and in this case a tree to your living room we would all notice. That ideology transfers to the HODAG Licking Stick and leverages the visual change in favor of the hunter, creating a year-round communication setup.
The HODAG Licking Stick allows you to deploy a communication hub where you decide and is extremely effective in food plots. When a stick "grows" overnight, it creates a visual change in a normally uniform looking food plot putting deer in front of your camera and stand. The Licking Stick acts like a lighthouse drawing deer visually at first out of simple curiosity and later, out of habit after communal scent marking at your setup begins. Although deer may appear in different areas of every food plot, they will gravitate to the Licking Stick, stopping for a shot or clear trail camera pictures and videos. Our goal is to let every hunter get the most out of the money, time, and effort invested in their food plots. The HODAG team is made up of hunters just like you, who go through the same struggles and frustrations, and we want to help every customer find success on their property.
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Hemp Rope for deer scent communication
There will alway be technology advancements in the hunting industry, and it can be challenging to keep up. No matter how far technology comes and goes, there will still always be simple, time tested concepts in the woods. We have put a modern twist on a concept as old as the deer themselves that gets our customers results.
The use of hemp rope for deer hunting has been around for decades, generally focused around mock scrapes during the whitetail rut. However, the trend has seen a resurgence in today's technological hunting world and we combined that old tactic with our proprietary AllSeason Scent. This has created an invaluable tool in a hunter's arsenal helping them in pursuit of whitetail deer. With chemical free hemp rope blended for maximum scent absorption and durability, we give you the perfect pairing for our AllSeason Scent, which is designed for jumpstarting and invigorating a deer's curiosity. By providing enough HempScent Rope for multiple different setups, the phrase "hang and hunt" has taken on a new meaning.
Deer are social animals who's communication isn't limited to the months of October and November. They communicate year-round and HODAG products leverage that natural communication to help a hunter Inventory, Pattern, and Hunt the deer on their land. We see as much activity on our HempScent Rope Systems in summer and winter, as we do during the rut. Instead of creating a mock scrape to be used for a few weeks out of the year, we are creating a communal scent hub where deer go to communicate with one another. Using the numerous glands on their head and face a deer uses the HempScent Rope the same way a dog uses a fire hydrant, leaving their own scent and investigating who's been there before them. The AllSeason Scent draws deer in and encourages them to leave their own scent. It then becomes a self-sustaining location where deer continue to visit and scent mark without the need for you to apply unecessary pressure. The more deer use the HempScent Rope the better it gets, week after week, month after month, and year after year. Eventually this setup will become ingrained in a deer's habits and patterns. Seeing deer check in at these communication stations is key in keeping tabs on your deer herd, and more specifically, your target bucks. The patterns that can be drawn from an effective setup could be the missing piece in your strategy to bag that elusive whitetail buck.
Instead of making things more complicated, we have simply improved a tactic that has seen tried and true results for decades. With hemp rope and scent specifically designed to jumpstart and hold continued deer interaction, this old tactic has turned into a year-long scouting and hunting tool that every hunter can use to improve their experience in the woods.
Summer deer scouting:
create a deer scent communication hub
When should I put my HODAG deer scent communication products out? This is a common question with a simple answer. When most think of deer scent communication; the rut, mock scrapes and the smell of doe urine come to mind. Of course, these types of setups are very successful in the fall, especially in that pre-rut time frame. However, many are missing out on some of the best deer scent communication activity by limiting their scent communication strategies to only the fall.
On our Wisconsin properties, trail cameras are put in early to mid June. As we start our scouting efforts for the year, we are also setting up our HODAG Licking sticks, Licking Branches, and HempScent Rope Systems all used for deer scent communication. Some might question why we deploy these tactics before velvet comes off the antlers? The answer is that deer are very social animals who use their scent to communicate year-round, not just during the breeding season. We see just as much activity throughout the entire summer as we do when the leaves begin to fall.
As an avid hunter, I use the summer months to inventory the deer living on my property as best I can. This allows me to get a better idea of potential targets as the season nears and helps me see patterns that a specific buck might have. These setups not only help me get more pictures on my camera, but also higher quality images that tell a more complete story about a deer's age, personality, and travel patterns. Most hunters contemplate about where to put their trail cameras, only to be frustrated when the pictures taken (if any) are blurry or full of tails instead of heads. The Licking Stick, Licking Branch, and HempScent Rope draw the deer in front of the camera and keep them there, allowing you to gain valuable information.
Along with summer scouting, I want as much natural deer scent and usage on these setups as possible leading into the season. Bucks, does, and fawns can all be seen using these setups, each leaving their own scent on stick, branch, or rope. As time passes, these setups become hubs for deer communication, acting as a "sign-in" for deer in the area. Throughout the season bucks will check these setups to keep tabs on the does in the area, as well as their competition when breeding season approaches. Taking advantage of how deer communicate to establish a scent communication spot of your choosing, attracting deer year-round, will always be more valuable than a rag soaked in a strange does urine hanging beneath a hunter's stand.
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For early season HODAG Licking Stick Setup video and "How To": Early Season Licking Stick Setup
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For early season HODAG HempScent Rope Setup video and "How To": Early Season Hemp Rope Mock Scrape Setup
A Northern Wisconsin Buck Tale
"How One Buck Changed Our Northwoods Deer Camp"
Deer camps of every shape and size can be found tucked away along the backroads of northern Wisconsin. These camps are filled with stiff drinks, good food, card games, and laughter. Those who have been part of these historic camps can picture the walls lined with spike buck mounts, shot during a time when horns were an afterthought, and meat on the table was the only concern. The Quality Deer Management revolution has since become prevalent throughout many camps, while others remain the same. QDM is a management strategy that is easy when thousands of acres can be managed, and the bucks are safe to grow and mature. In reality, it's effectiveness often relies on your neighbor's trigger finger as much as it does your own. Passing young bucks, only to see them on the back of a pickup or a pile of bones from a wolf's last meal, is the reality of most QDM situations. How can you try to manage your own deer without taking away another hunter's traditions? This is an issue that exists in more places than just northern Wisconsin.
For years our deer camp's QDM has been a loose practice, predicated on a buck having 8 or more points to shoot. The result: a buck pole filled with young 8-point bucks, taken well before their prime. It was decided that we would rather wait for a great buck than shoot an average one every year. We didn't decide what deer to shoot based on the size of their body and how old we think they are. We agreed that the deer would have to be worthy of a trip to the taxidermist in order to shoot. A simple practice, but one that's difficulty is only known by those hunting less than prime land and less than great genetics, as can be seen throughout much of the northwoods. However, "taxidermy worthy" is a subjective measurement based on one's own idea of a trophy buck and we were okay with that. Afterall, our deer camp was started to share the enjoyment of hunting with friends and family, not to "raise elk" as my grandpa used to say.
The story of "Larry" begins in 2020, which happened to be the first year we started this new management strategy. A nice (by our standard) 9-point buck with large G-2's who had broken its G-3 in velvet, making it stick out at a 90-degree angle. The name "Larry" came from this tine, as we laughed about how it looked like Packer Legend Larry McCarron's pinky finger. If you don't know the reference, google at your own risk. "Larry" was a rockstar while in velvet, showing himself on almost every camera on our property. When the velvet disappeared, so did "Larry". As the rut began, he reappeared under a HODAG Licking Branch working a scrape and claiming his territory. He was seen by multiple hunters during the final weeks of archery season but could not be deterred from a hot doe's trail. Gun season came and went with no trace of him. We feared the worst, and kept little hope that he would show back up the following year.
The 2021 summer came fast, and we worked harder than ever to make changes to our property to better our chance at the elusive northwoods buck. This included more food plots, stands, trail cameras, and HODAG Systems to hold and keep track of the bucks that frequented our property. Then it happened.... we got a picture of a deer with unbelievable G-2s and massive 8 point frame. When the pictures were sent to the members of our deer camp, a few responses came back saying "good joke" and "nice try" thinking they were being tricked with a fake picture. We had no doubt in our mind that "Larry" had made his return as a certified stud. He continued to show up throughout the year on HODAG Licking Sticks located in our food plots. "Larry" was seen on stand in September, working his way across one of our larger food plots and stopping to check out a HempScent Rope along edge of the woods, just outside of bow range. The encounters we had during early season reassured us that our goal of shooting him was obtainable. As it usually goes, just when we thought we had him figured out Larry disappeared. We had a few other bucks on our property, but most decided that "Larry" was the only buck they would hold out for. Two weeks before gun season he showed up on almost every trail camera on the property in just a week. We knew that our best chance to put our hands on those massive G-2s was to hunt him hard during the last two weeks of archery season, and it almost worked. An intense encounter ended with a disappointed hunter in the stand and "Larry" walking off at 40 yards with a doe.
Gun season loomed, and we were told that "Larry" was popular on all of neighbor's properties as well, making us uneasy at the thought of the orange army soon headed into the woods. Larry had quickly become the talk of the area. As the sun rose on opening day of the Wisconsin 9-day gun hunt, I sat attentive and optimistic, envisioning the scenario where Larry would walk broadside into a shooting lane, but that was nothing more than a hunter's mind passing the hours of a long day on stand. Opening weekend came and went, and we had little hope he was still alive. About 9:30 Monday morning, a 270 shot rang through our river bottom. The cell towers in the area had a hard time sending all the text messages inquiring about what buck was shot and if he was down. Coincidentally the member of our camp who shot had left his phone at the camp after a few too many old fashion fueled card games the night prior. We waited on pins and needles until we finally got word that "Larry" was down. Everyone let out a sigh of relief and a fist bump of excitement from their stands. The old buck had gotten careless, trailing a hot doe that led him to his end. His last steps taken along the iconic river that runs through our property, filled with brook trout and the last stubborn leaves of the fall.
There was nothing that could keep us from leaving our stands to help in the process of getting him out of the woods. No envious thoughts crossed our minds as we congratulated the man who had put "Larry" on the ground. Smiles were abundant as we approached the body of the largest buck shot during our camps 45 year history. Pictures, laughter, and beers were shared while getting him out of the woods and back to camp. After a night of celebration and admiration of the 13-inch cigar-like G-2s and the nearly 140-inch 8-point frame, "Larry's" history was enshrined at our camp with the traditional kill shot of moonshine and a group picture. This wasn't just a trophy for the man who shot him, but for our deer camp as a whole. You won't find him in any record books, but the memories shared in the pursuit of this buck are forever engrained into the walls of our deer camp and the lasting image of his body hanging from the buck pole is one not soon forgotten. He was more than just a buck for our camp, but an indicator that large deer can be found in the northwoods, and a hopeful reminder that every buck passed during the season waiting for "Legend Larry" to walk by, could be the next deer we build memories chasing.
Although the Hodag Products we used throughout the season weren't his final demise, they were instrumental in keeping track and gathering information on this northwoods monarch throughout the summer and fall. Our "scent communication hubs" set up throughout our property allowed us to use multiple different setups to determine where "Larry" was living, as well as several other target bucks we had our eye on. Getting more quality pictures allowed us to get a sense about the deer's attitude, personality, and patterns. "Larry" had barely avoided our strategic attempts at him throughout archery season, but couldn't avoid a rifle bullet, a few hundred yards from the HODAG HempScent Rope he was last seen at.
Although we didn't manage "Larry" on his journey becoming a 5.5 year old northwoods brute, we were awakened of how fun chasing a mature buck is, and the satisfaction to be had watching "shooter" bucks from years prior, walk beneath our stands. Some may scoff at the idea of our chase for an old 8-point buck, but that's the great thing about deer hunting, it's about perspective.
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With hunting season well under way in most areas, some hunters have asked if it's too late to set up their HODAG products? In my opinion, it's NOT too late. Anytime I have cameras in the woods, or am going to be on stand I find value in our HODAG products. What I think is important to keep in mind is that with the changing of seasons, there is going to be a change in the deer behavior. Those changes in behavior can and will dictate some of my changes when it comes to their purpose in the field. Deer use scent as a primary means of communication all year round whether it's with our HODAG line of products or using other natural varieties. It's important that we understand deer use these means of scent communication at different times, for different reasons, and adjusting our strategies to that will help you get the most benefit from them.
From Mid-October through Mid-November, I will see a major focus of buck activity around scrapes, rubs and overhanging Licking Branches as this correlates directly with pre-rut and rut activity. We are in the middle of that time period right now. Scrapes will continue to be freshened and new ones will be opened up daily. Installing a HODAG Licking Branch and creating a mock scrape underneath it in a regularly traveled area will be a sure attention getter by all bucks in that immediate area.
With pre-rut upon us and with the prime rut right around the corner, this is a great time to use the HODAG Licking Branch and/or the HODAG HempScent™ Rope. With either one of these HODAG products you can create a mock scrape that acts as a communication hub for the deer in your hunting area. It is a great way to get deer in-front of your cameras so you can monitor the deer in your area before you hunt and see the behavior they are exhibiting. It's also a great way to attract the deer to a spot in-front of your blind/stand to present a clear shot at the deer of your choice while also knowing how far away the shot is if you set up your HODAG product up as a yardage marker.The HODAG Licking Branch is also a great tool to help prep for this upcoming gun deer season. As stated before the Licking Branch is a great way for you to keep tabs on the deer in your area. By creating a mock scrape with the Licking branch you are going to catch the deers interest as they are very curious when there is disturbed soil as well as different scents from either other deer or from the HODAG AllSeason Scent™. By using the AllSeason Scent™ on your Licking Branch and/or HODAG HempScent™ Rope you are going to jumpstart the scent communication process and start attracting more and more deer to your area. The more scent from other deer, the better chance there is that you will attract a larger buck to the area. In preparation for gun seasons, there is no better way to take inventory with minimal pressure and without using bait.
This is also still a good time to set up your HODAG Licking Stick to continue/start the scent communication between the deer in your area. With the HODAG Licking Stick you will get doe's, fawns and bucks of all ages leaving their scent on the branch which will help attract dominant bucks to where you want them...in-front of your camera and/or blind/stand. The more deer you have using the Licking Stick the better the chances you have of capturing pictures of a big buck. With more pictures and videos you can get a better understanding of the movements/patterns and behavior of the deer. With this you can decide when and where you want to hunt and you have a better understanding of what deer you are looking for and which ones you have the best chance of seeing while on the hunt.
We have received many requests to sell your favorite HODAG products in bulk, so we are excited to say that we are now offering 6-packs of HODAG Licking Sticks and HODAG Licking Branches with a savings of $45 on Licking Sticks and $39.99 on Licking Branches. With any purchase of a HODAG 6-pack, you will receive a HODAG hat FREE! You will receive a total savings of $70 for a Licking Stick bundle and $64.99 for a Licking Branch bundle.
The ALL NEW HODAG HempScent™ Rope
We are excited to announce another new product to our HODAG line called the HODAG HempScent™ Rope, which acts as an alternative to a natural vine. Most hunters understand the value and power of scent when it comes to deer communication. Deer often use natural vines when they are available, unfortunately, natural vines are not always available and/or where we would like them to be located. With the HempScent™ Rope you can place a replicated vine in the spot you want it to be.
Hang the HODAG HempScent™ Rope over a mock scrape, apply the HODAG AllSeason™ Scent and jumpstart an extremely effective way to put deer exactly where you want them...in front of your camera and/or stand. Cut the rope to the desired length for your specific setup and apply a zip tie or small piece of wire whatever distance you would like to prevent the rope from fraying further than desired. Experiment with your HempScent™ Rope setup. There is no wrong answer on how to setup your HODAG HempScent™ Rope.
Knowing what you want to use your HODAG HempScent™ Rope for is very important when it comes to finding a location, and location is key. Do you want to use it for scouting or hunting purposes or maybe even both? Food plots, logging roads, field edges, & heavily traveled deer trails are great locations to use. If you are using the HempScent™ Rope as a hunting aid, place it where you have a good shot, and where it can serve as a yardage marker. [hr]Don't be afraid to experiment with different ways to set up your HODAG HempScent™ Rope to see what the deer like best when paired with the AllSeason™ scent. It is important to liberally coat your HempScent™ Rope with the AllSeason™ scent to maintain the deer's interest. We also recommend you to create a mock scrape under the rope as well to stimulate curiosity and encourage the deer to interact and investigate, leaving their scent behind.
