Mock Scrapes?

[Mschmeiske]

I was curious who here uses mock scrapes? How do you set them up and where? What do you use while creating them? Tell me about your results/success with them.

 

[C.J.M.]

Never had success. Finally realized they were a hunting industry gimmick after spending more money than I should've. I'm sure people have had success, but I bet there were other factors involved contributing to that success.

 

[mathhunter]

I set a few up after watching this video on YouTube.

I don't use any commercial scents, just hang a vibe in a natural spot for the deer to leave their scent and urinate in a scrape below the vine. I very quickly got a lot of trail can pics of deer visiting these, but mostly at night. However, during the rut I've had deer come right to them during the day. Last year I had a little buck walk right underneath me to check the mock scrape I was sitting over

 

[DroptineKrazy]

I have a man made licking branch hanging in front of a couple of different trees I sit in. They are like the ones that Jeff Sturgis uses and I can tell you without a doubt that they do work. It's not just bucks either. I have dozens upon dozens of pics and videos of Bucks, big and small, does and fawns and even a very persistent Fisher Cat that came back time and again on multiple nights trying to jump up and grab the branch. I assume he is attracted to the branch swinging in the breeze as well as the smell of every deer in the immediate area on the branch. I also don't even start a scrape under the branch either. The deer will do that for you.

 

[Hall17]

I think everyone should try everything once so give it a shot. I don’t see how a mock scrape where I hunt could be useful. However maybe over a plot it would make more sense than in the mountains. Not sure but for me personally it’s not worth doing them

the ones I have made I put in good locations and did not have the results I hoped for. I used a lure but not sure what it was. I was young and really had no idea what I was doing lol

 

[Robert loper]

I honestly think the licking branch is more important than the scrape.
i know that any deer sign needs to be in a good thick secure area to see day time mature buck movement.
thats the puzzle that needs to be figured out.
i walk by probably 99% of deer sign because its mostly night time sign.

 

[woodsdog2]

I agree with Loper. Its the licking branch. I think they are great for taking inventory of the bucks you have in a given area. But I find the scrapes and then hang my own licking branch made from about a 3 to 4 foot section of grape vine. Some of the knarly ones the better the deer will stand there licking and rubbing their preorbital glands on them for several minutes at a time. Don't just rely on one though, make a few at scrapes you find or at various junctions of trails or on benches where deer trails meet the benches. I'll carry a set of handheld pruners with me and some rubber wire I use for my game trail cameras. Wire the branch to a tree limb so the bottom of the branch is approximately 4.5' to 5' off the ground and over the scrape or your mock scrape. But don't wire it to the branch, Loop one end of the wire or rope around the branch and another around your licking branch so it hangs freely and the deer will play with the licking branch. Meanwhile your trail camera is there taking the inventory. I used to use some tarsal gland in the scrape or whatever but if you put them up now they will begin using them in a couple of weeks or so. We have a lot of grapes around here and they get trimmed every winter. Also a lot of wild grapes growing in a lot of the best dense cover areas of our woods around here. I always say if you're looking for buck sign, look for the places where the big and knarly wild grape vines grow. They pull down good harwood timber trees so we go through an area that's being managed for timber and try to cut all the wild grape vines. You can get a lot of them doing a day of vine trimming. Once they're cut you don't need to pull them down the strength of the tree will eventually take over and the dead vines will drop down or rot away.

 

[Horn]

@woodsdog2 , great tip that should apply for me with the grapevines. Do you happen to call any of those wild grapes "frost grapes" or is the variety of less importance? I know the frost grapes are wild here and I used to see grape vines much more often when I lived down in the south middle part of Michigan. I've also got 2 cultivated variety here at the house i could snag some trimmings from. Thanks

 

[woodsdog2]

@woodsdog2 , great tip that should apply for me with the grapevines. Do you happen to call any of those wild grapes "frost grapes" or is the variety of less importance? I know the frost grapes are wild here and I used to see grape vines much more often when I lived down in the south middle part of Michigan. I've also got 2 cultivated variety here at the house i could snag some trimmings from. Thanks

I'm pretty sure they are just grape seeds left over from all the birds, coons, deer, turkey and everything else that eats them in the actual vineyards than pooping them out in the woods and voila, we have wild grape vines all over. Because the nutrition and lack of sunlight in the forested areas, the grapes are usually very tiny, about the size of peas or less. I can tell you the ruffed grouse like them though. I try not to cut the ones in areas especially near conifers where I've flushed grouse or heard them drumming so they have a winter food source.

 

[Horn]

Grouse you say..., You're a great help Mr. Woodsdog2! Those frost grapes are tiny, I would say ours are maybe 1.5-2 pea sized. I guess they get sweeter after a frost, hence the name. I haven't thought to try one yet. Thanks for another great tip man!

 

[woodsdog2]

Here are some pics of a vertical grape vine licking branch that gets a lot of decent activity. This one was on an actual scrape I shot a buck out of a couple of years ago after he freshened it. But if you find a location with a lot of sign and make a mock scrape with an inviting vertical licking branch over it, they will start using it for sure. The last two pics are of the buck hitting the grape vine licking branch I made and then after that he went over and made a rub. I wish I would have had the camera on video mode to capture that sequence.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

I have one particular mock scrape thats about 12-15 years old. I've gotten tens of thousands of pics on it. It's not for hunting over, its strictly for camera survey.
Location, location, location. They have to be located in the right spot.
I've tested a variety of branches...grape vine, oak, white pine, doug fir, and even 2" manilla rope. I've had vine and rope hanging side-by-side to test which is preferred by deer. Seems like they liked the vine slightly more than the rope, maybe 55%-45% vine to rope ratio.
I agree that the branch is more important than the ground. Branch activity far out-paces ground scraping. But I still work the ground and I pee in it every chance I get. Ive had hundreds of pics within a few hours after human urine.
@C.J.M. I respectfully call BS on your assessment that they are a marketing gimmick. Deer most definitely use them when you put them in the right spot.

 

[woodsdog2]

I have one particular mock scrape thats about 12-15 years old. I've gotten tens of thousands of pics on it. It's not for hunting over, its strictly for camera survey.
Location, location, location. They have to be located in the right spot.
I've tested a variety of branches...grape vine, oak, white pine, doug fir, and even 2" manilla rope. I've had vine and rope hanging side-by-side to test which is preferred by deer. Seems like they liked the vine slightly more than the rope, maybe 55%-45% vine to rope ratio.
I agree that the branch is more important than the ground. Branch activity far out-paces ground scraping. But I still work the ground and I pee in it every chance I get. Ive had hundreds of pics within a few hours after human urine.
@C.J.M. I respectfully call BS on your assessment that they are a marketing gimmick. Deer most definitely use them when you put them in the right spot.

I pee in mine all the time too!!!

 

[Allegheny Tom]

This mock has been money.
Does and fawns use it too.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[woodsdog2]

This mock has been money.
Does and fawns use it too.

I have many many more pictures of does and fawns using them than bucks!!!!

 

[woodsdog2]

Have you been able to shoot that buck @Allegheny Tom ?

 

[Allegheny Tom]

I have many many more pictures of does and fawns using them than bucks!!!!

You know...they are only "mock scrapes" until the 1st deer uses it, then it becomes a legitimate, for-real scrape with authentic odor from actual deer. All deer in the herd utilize them and do so year round. Peak use does seem to be in the rut, but they do get hit all year long.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I've set them up for years and they work great for getting inventory. I got these three bucks on camera at a mock scrape that has been going for about 5 years. It is a heavy vine suspended by a rope over a scrape I started by just scaping out the leaves and seasoning it with recycled coffee, lol. I agree the vine is more important than the actual scrape. Deer of all kinds and ages use the vine all year but bucks seem to only actively scrape for a few months out of the year.

 

[BackSpasm]

@Allegheny Tom Tell me more about the "right" location for a mock scrape

 

[woodsdog2]

My mocks are typically in cover skirting bedding. The in the pics in my previous post is approximately 50 yards from an east -west major running ridge line in a pinch point at the point of an area where a woodland puddle is always wet. The deer bed another 50 or so down the ridge. There is another scrape about 65 yards to the south east of this one closer to the ridgeline in a small saddle in the east west ridgeline. I shot a buck after it freshened that scrape too. I don't like checking them during deer season though that close to bedding. For inventory in the summer, put them closer to feed fields so you can check them without buggering things up too much.