Like many adults in their twenties, Brett Andrews knew that his career satisfaction was lacking. He was a hard-working guy that took part in the daily grind but knew he hadn’t found his true place yet. Blessed with a supportive wife and beautiful son and daughter, he pondered work alternatives often. He tried different careers, including medical sales before finally acknowledging that his true area of interest had a common denominator; hunting and the outdoors. He went on to consider various outdoor-related ideas and occupations, including establishing a wild game-based restaurant. This is nothing new for many outdoorsmen. Like any other field, entrepreneurship is rampant in the outdoor industry – and many a hunter dreams up good ideas for outdoor products that conjure up images of a successful career doing what they love. I know I’ve had my share of niche product ideas in this area. The difference is, Brett has actively sought it; and with a vengeance.

Outdoor Life, Innovation and Honesty

It’s really no wonder. As early as age 5, Brett often went hunting with his father Gary, who taught him many valuable outdoor lessons. The father and son combo spent long hours witnessing sunrises, sunsets; and animal behavior. Now, twenty-five years later, his love of hunting is stronger than ever. This passion would drive Brett and Gary to develop and market an exceptional line of whitetail deer scents. Not just any scents though; a premier set of all-natural ones that are incredibly effective. Texas Raised Hunting Products was born.

Today, there is a myriad of scent mixtures on the market and it can be quite overwhelming. As such, the deer scent industry continues to be under a lot of scrutiny. The most popular types typically include doe-in-estrus, dominant buck and glandular lures and these are the ones I’ve found to be most effective for rutting bucks over the years. Additionally, the creation of “mock scrapes” continues to be an effective way to attract, inventory and ultimately harvest whitetail bucks. I likewise employ this strategy as part of my arsenal and have had immediate and consistent success with TRHP’s Scrape King and Breeding Buck Preorbital – a true super combo for creating and maintaining mock buck scrapes.  One key commonality among these and other TRHP blends is that they are designed for creating communication with mature and dominant bucks. This however only scratches the surface, as this rising company offers a variety of genuine hormonal, curiosity, and passion-induced communication scents.

Indeed, not all whitetail lures are created equal. Realistically, there are several questions that need to be answered before buying. However, at the end of the day, the real question is what’s actually in it? The inherent competition in the deer lure industry makes it a tough one to succeed in. TRHP’s sits firmly on strong ground though, with a foundation built on real science, logic, extensive field testing; and honesty. This means challenging many of the myths common in the industry. “Many companies claim to use 100 percent deer urine collected from one deer to one bottle. When you consider the number of bottles on store shelves, this would require countless numbers of deer to keep up with demand”, Andrews said. A seemingly impossible feat.

Communication and Science

How whitetails communicate with each other has a whole lot to do with their glands. That is, they communicate through pheremones, which play a major role in all phases of their daily communication, such as urges to mate, aggression and survival. Therefore, TRHP’s scents utilize authentic deer urine combined with extracted pheromones. This results in various combinations that directly affect deer behavior. Says Andrews, “Deer urine on its own, has no communicational value. Once sensed, the only thing it tells a deer is that it’s another mammal. It creates curiosity and a calming effect and that’s it. Our research and testing against the industry’s leading brands indicates that our scents contain roughly three times the scent molecules found in deer urine.”

Other key attributes of TRHP’s lures are that they contain an odorless food grade glycerin which is sweet to the taste and helps preserve and prevent spoilage. This also slows down the process of evaporation and freeze-proofs the product, resulting in longer lasting freshness; up to 10 years in fact. Perhaps best of all, being based on true whitetail pheremones, these blends work in any part of the whitetail woods; from Texas to New Hampshire, Iowa to Canada. You name it.

Determination and Confirmation

Never satisfied, Andrews continues to study whitetail behavior, not only expanding his knowledge but adding value to the TRHP offerings. He constantly challenges himself and his field staff in testing, verifying and explaining the products and how they work. His passion and tenacity have paid off, receiving many positive testimonials from deer hunters across the country. In fact, his products and approach have been endorsed by Larry Weishuhn (aka Mr. Whitetail), easily one of the all-time top whitetail hunting and behavior authorities. Credible validation for sure.

So, it all comes full circle. Brett still logs as many hours in the deer blind as his work and family obligations allow; often on the family ranch near Vanderpool, Texas. This includes time outdoors with Gary; his dad, hunting mentor and business partner. What started with his father over 2 decades ago is alive and well today. “My partnership with my dad has only brought us closer together”, says Brett. I’m willing to bet that if Brett has anything to do with it, TRHP’s potential for success is limitless.

• Texas Raised Hunting Products not only produces a variety of deer hunting lures, but very effective cover scents, such as Scent Guardian. For more information on Texas Based Hunting Products, visit TexasRaisedHuntingProducts.com.