Published: February 17, 2008 11:47 pm      

WILSON: Farm makes scents to lure deer

WILSON — Two huge Rocky Mountain elk don’t exactly greet visitors to the Buckeye Scents Whitetail Deer Farm on Willow Road, but “Billy” and “Big Jim” catch your eye, as should the danger sign.

When the elk are in full rut, they will charge the fence.

There are friendlier animals in the nearby 2,000-square-foot educational lodge. That’s because they are stuffed — except for the shy black Lab. The lodge is an educational display area that includes a 25-foot-tall giraffe, bear, deer, boar and assorted wildlife, even a monkey. There’s also a fossilized turtle shell that was found near the Niagara Gorge that may be 4,000 years old.

The handsome building also serves as the guest house for meetings of the National Turkey Federation of Niagara County.

David Erway Sr. and David Erway Jr. operate the businesses. David Sr. began Buckeye Scents in 1988 and David Jr. runs Erway’s Christmas Tree Adventure.

Buckeye Scents are sold to hunters in about 50 Niagara Frontier stores from Buffalo to Rochester. The Tree Adventure is seasonal, going from the day after Thanksgiving to Dec. 23.

“It’s hard to shoot ducks without a call. It’s hard to get a bear without bait. It’s just a tool,” Erway said of the deer scents. “When the deer crosses the scent line, it tracks it like a dog. Urine is a high sexual drive for deer.”

The urine is used to take the deer from their natural senses, the long-time bow hunter explained. When the deer approach a deer stand, they are very alert. The scent of another deer makes them think of something else and they let their guard down.

“We bow-hunted, and I used to use different scents,” said David Sr., who has state permission to raise deer on his 200-acre property. “We decided to get our own scent and collected it. Deer urine does not stink. It has a sweet smell.”

However, after a few weeks, the urine had a rotten smell. “We realized it must spoil and came up with idea of freezing it.” Erway Sr. said.

The Erways checked with a urinologist at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital, who directed them to the lab. “They actually freeze urine, too,” Erway Sr. said. “They keep it for years. As long as it’s frozen, it will not rot.”

Buckeye Scents became a success. The cost of a four-ounce bottle starts at $10. Erway provides special freezers for the urine to be protected in stores.

For special orders, Frozen Doe-In-Heat Urine is $125 a gallon. Total Deer Attraction urine is $60 a gallon. Frozen doe urine goes to $70 and frozen buck urine is $60.

“I am a huge believer in scent,” said Tom Russell, a neighbor and hunter. “What makes Dave’s scent nice is you can freeze it and thaw it out when you use it.”

Russell might start putting down scent 200 or 300 yards from the deer stand and refresh about every 30 yards. It might take 4 ounces.

“It has a dual purpose,” said Russell, a financial consultant for First Niagara Bank. “It attracts deer and covers your own human odor.”

TDA is a mix of food scents and urine scents, and Russell will use it in the early fall to attract does. “Later on, as the bucks come in to rut, I lay down scent trails.”

The urine is collected from very early in the fall to the late fall on a three-story building that has slanted floors. The urine runs through a drain in the floor and is collected in a bucket.

“Each room has it’s own high-pressure water,” Erway said. “When it gets dirty, the deer are moved to the next room. It’s a lot of work. As we move them, we wash the floors.”

After Thanksgiving, the emphasis shifts to the Tree Adventure. With the purchase of a Christmas tree, the customers get a covered wagon ride into the woods and a visit to Santa’s Lodge, where there is complimentary cocoa, coffee and cappuccino.

The Erways are sportsmen. Erway Jr. has plans to go to South Africa soon with friends. The father and son also plan a trip to Alaska to hunt sheep, moose, grizzly and wolverine.

David and Pam have two children, Natalie and David Jr. The Erways rarely advertise, but their customers spread the word.

The lodge will be used for Hunter Safety Training Programs, and the Erways will let children use the farm for a youth turkey hunt.

Contact reporter Bill Wolcott at 439-9222, ext. 6246.