Mock scrapes on public

[Longdraw38]

Hey guys,

My 2024 season here in GA is over. But, as we all know the preparation for a good season never really stops. I have hunted on public now for 2 years and harvested two does last year. I didnt use mock scrapes. But, have had some very nice bucks on camera consistently. What are yall's tips and tactics on public land mock scrapes. Just curious on how ya'll deploy them.

 

[Swamp Fox__On The Run]

Make your mock scrapes where you want to concentrate your hunting competition and then move on to the escape areas your competition will influence.

If you can access an area no one else will get to, and if you REALY want to mess with mock scrapes, make your "real" mock scrapes there.

First point about public land: There is always someone else as smart or smarter than you who is willing to do what you do or more. You can't out-hunt him.

Second point about public land: Obvious sign is going to draw hunters, even if it is in a tucked-away area. See first point.

 

[Skunkworkx]

Most people are lazy....go wayyyy back.


Get there early, as the lazy (gets there late) will push them too you.

 

[GeoFish]

Alot of different opinions about scrapes. Some people hunt them hoping a buck will come to them.
I hunt areas with scrapes, because bucks put down scrapes in areas with alot of doe activity.
When the rut starts, I want to be where the girls are.
I don't make mock scrapes.

 

[raisins]

Alot of different opinions about scrapes. Some people hunt them hoping a buck will come to them.
I hunt areas with scrapes, because bucks put down scrapes in areas with alot of doe activity.
When the rut starts, I want to be where the girls are.
I don't make mock scrapes.

i keep wanting to try it and put a trail cam over it, but haven't yet

i'm nearly certain that the buck i killed this halloween freshened up a scrap near where i shot him like 5 minutes before

it was right in his path to my stand, and when i was walking my gear out to the truck before i went to get him, there was fresh dirt kicked from that scrape pretty aggressively

 

[raisins]

Make your mock scrapes where you want to concentrate your hunting competition and then move on to the escape areas your competition will influence.

If you can access an area no one else will get to, and if you REALY want to mess with mock scrapes, make your "real" mock scrapes there.

First point about public land: There is always someone else as smart or smarter than you who is willing to do what you do or more. You can't out-hunt him.

Second point about public land: Obvious sign is going to draw hunters, even if it is in a tucked-away area. See first point.

i think it is equally wrong to overestimate others, if you've lived a while and can view yourself and other realistically then you should have a decent idea of things

i think people do this with deer also

some folks hunt them like they are dumber than a chipmunk and some think a mature buck is almost human-like...when in reality a german shepherd is probably smarter than a deer

i've hunted public land in WV for decades, and most hunters are really ineffective (and it hurts other hunters because these bad hunters pressure the deer as much as several good hunters....a father and son that live near a WMA have pretty much ruined a huge part of it and i don't hunt there anymore.....i don't think they have jobs and they are in there constantly walking around bedding areas, etc)

 

[Swamp Fox__On The Run]

I invite anyone out there to hunt public land quality bucks in the Carolinas and get back to me on this point.

You are making a serious mistake if you think either the deer or the deer hunters are not sharp as a razor here.

 

[Skunkworkx]

i keep wanting to try it and put a trail cam over it, but haven't yet

i'm nearly certain that the buck i killed this halloween freshened up a scrap near where i shot him like 5 minutes before

it was right in his path to my stand, and when i was walking my gear out to the truck before i went to get him, there was fresh dirt kicked from that scrape pretty aggressively

A few years back on private property, I made a mock scrape (yes, I pee'd in it). Every animal that came through, squirrel, deer, fox, all checked it out and none were spooked. This was a residential spot I used to hunt.

 

[CZMark]

I invite anyone out there to hunt public land quality bucks in the Carolinas and get back to me on this point.

You are making a serious mistake if you think either the deer or the deer hunters are not sharp as a razor here.

...Or SE Wisconsin where there are not only a ton of people, we also have Dan Infalt running clinics for the locals.

 

[bfriendly]

A few years back on private property, I made a mock scrape (yes, I pee'd in it). Every animal that came through, squirrel, deer, fox, all checked it out and none were spooked. This was a residential spot I used to hunt.

I’ll always pee on a scrape. Don’t have any ideas how or where a mock scrape should be set up. I’m not buying any gimmicks pee bottles though

 

[WISCO]

This was my first year running mock scrapes. I live in Northern Wisconsin and we are a no bait county. I was very successful with bringing deer in with them this year. I had hundreds of pictures of bucks, does and fawns hitting my scrapes. I hunt mostly public land too. I do my best not to hunt near others and I dont make my mocks on the logging roads where there's a good chance another hunter will see it. I'm usually in the woods a bit off the beaten trails. For my set up I run a wick from a branch and clear a scrape out under it. I typically run 1-2 scents at a scrape. some buck or doe piss in the scrape with some preorbital on the wick. Scrape sites dont need refreshed that often, after the deer find them they do pretty good at keeping them freshened up on their own. Our rut is usually over near the end of November and I am still getting deer visiting my scrapes.

 

[Longdraw38]

I’ll always pee on a scrape. Don’t have any ideas how or where a mock scrape should be set up. I’m not buying any gimmicks pee bottles though

And this is a good point. I have pee on some the past 2 seasons and a couple i used, did happen to get some action. The only mock stuff i have ever used that got them to stop in the past was the code blue gravedigger scrape dirt. But bfriendly is right. Alot of it is gimmicks.

 

[kbetts]

I prefer not to. If I'm hunting public, the last thing I want is anything knowing I'm anywhere around.