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Are Deer & Elk Responsive to Scents and Bait?

I just got back from one of the outdoor sporting goods stores I frequent and was looking at several scents and cane blocks (or some such thing, as I cannot recall everything I saw). Do deer and elk respond to these? If so, how does one make optimal use of them? I know that when I was window shopping for trial cameras, a guy told me he uses food for that. But I am not certain that Oregon allows baiting if game while hunting.
stormgale> Then why is bait sold at stores?

I’ve never baited deer or elk but I have used both doe and cow in rut urine with great success. Same goes for moose. I have noted what they like to eat. Fallen apples attracts deer, moose and elk as does some other food sources. Just watch a farmers field when he harvests and you will see the deer come in to eat what’s left. I have seen deer and elk hit ranches in winter when food is put out for the cattle.
So the thing to consider about baits is what if the deer or elk have a food source better than what you’re offering? Why would they leave that field full of clover, that fall wild apple tree with all those apples etc for some marketed product you place out? But if food is hard to come by and the bait smells good I’m sure there on it.

In many places baiting is illegal. I know some who try to get around this by bringing “lunch” then throw those apples at a few trees by their stand. Its still baiting and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

So with the dependable response from hormone based scents being far greater than using bait I see no sense in bothering with bait. I have had bucks and bull elk RUN towards me when I had doe or cow elk urine on a rag hanging from a tree near me.

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