Connecticut Hunter Shoots Giant Buck Over Still Steamin’ Mock Scrape

“I turned around to see this big 8-point chasing me across the field with love in his eyes…unfortunately, thanks to Still Steamin’, I am afraid to lay a scent trail in the dark.” Ren Arietti is a veteran whitetail hunter who has developed a unique technique for getting the attention of mature bucks. His proof is on the wall and in November 2012, he shot one of the most incredible bucks ever taken in Connecticut with his muzzleloader.

Ren is a diehard user of Robinson Outdoor Products’ Still Steamin’ line of whitetail scents.

“When I first opened the bottle I noticed it did not smell like the other brands did. I figured it was really good or really bad. It is really good.” A few days before the perfect weather conditions, Ren “sets up” his hunting area by doctoring up real scrapes, creating mock scrapes, and laying down scent trails; all with Still Steamin’ doe estrus. He does all of his work in a specific area where he knows a mature buck is spending time. The trails are laid out with a purpose; to lead the lonely buck right by his tree stand. After the prep work is done, he quietly leaves, leaving no trace of human scent or interference.

On the morning of the hunt, Ren arrives very early, hours before sunrise, and repeats the process. He’ll visit the scrapes again, with the same bottle of Still Steamin’. Ren also lays down a fresh scent trail to his stand. Early on November 29th, Ren’s plan worked once again, sort of. He was hunting an area that he “set up” on Sunday, discovered a mature buck working the area, and freshened on Wednesday. Early Thursday he saw a giant drop-tined 10-point working a scrape, and wanted to wait him out, but was running out of time due to commitments at work. When the buck wandered safely off, Ren quickly made a covert escape and planned to return ASAP after work.

At precisely 4:10PM, Ren arrived back in the field, this time in a different location. The wind had shifted and become wrong for his first stand so he sat crosswind nearby on the ground. At about 4:20, Ren heard some huge branches being broken. The same giant buck from the morning then stepped out of the woods, and headed toward the scrape. No way, this can’t be happening, Ren thought to himself.

“I didn’t have much time, and when he stopped in the opening, I had to move about three yards and shot him.” Ren watched the buck jump, run, walk, and then stumble into a pile on the ground, all within about 30 yards. “I started jumping up and down and running around in circles. I broke this buck’s heart two years ago when he realized I wasn’t a doe. This year I broke his heart with my muzzleloader.”

When asked why Ren was so loyal to Still Steamin’, he had this to say. “I have always been a fan of estrus urine. I am constantly looking for the best product within a modest budget. When I first saw Still Steamin’ and read that it was from individual deer like the more expensive brands, I thought I would give it a try. Still Steamin’ is the best scent I have used in over 20 years. This stuff works. It’s insane how good it works.”

From all of us at Robinson Outdoor Products, congratulations Ren! We’re proud that dedicated, hardcore hunters like you depend on our products. And we’re really excited to see what follows you to the stand next year!

Robinson Outdoor Products

It sounds obvious, but behind the scenes of every technical product at Robinson Outdoor Products LLC is a history of exhaustive use, abuse and in lab testing. We start with an idea, a need, and then seek out the finest fabrics, materials and formulas and start exploring design solutions to meet the need. Our advanced product lab tests materials, compatibility, performance levels and effectiveness scores with crucial data, but the final step is most crucial. We head into the field, because real world hunting needs can’t be solved in the lab alone. Such full-on testing often exposes details that might otherwise be overlooked. For example, designing hood or headcovers on a mannequin in the office is one thing. Until you climb up a high placed treestand and pull it over your head and try to draw a bow and shoot that you realize your vision and draw is compromised when that chance of a lifetime walks out. From this in-depth field-testing we have developed some of the most unique details and benefits that go into our products. Offset main zippers for clean shooting, diamond crotch gusset for a resistant free climb into a treestand, Silent Wrist Ratchet Body Lock for on stand adjustment, Gearpendent Technology for minimal movement while reaching for gear, Zip-off removable arm guard for non-restrictive shooting, tree harness slit for integrated attachment, perfect fit, function and the list goes on. Honestly, it's an evolution of understanding more than anything else. It's years of experience and many days, weeks and months of sitting in the tree stand, on the stalk, in the bottomlands, on top of the mountains shivering, sweating and soggy moments figuring out what something really does and why and what we can do to make it hunt better.