Mock Scrapes?

[BOWHUNTER14]

Find or make your licking branch then scrape the dirt out and pee in it... They will open it up once they find it.

 

[Topdog]

Troy Pottenger is a big mock scrape hunter, google search his success.

 

[Horn]

Thanks for all the information guys! This thread is really putting some pieces of the puzzle together for me. Looks like I've got a good spring project

 

[Robert loper]

I pee in mine all the time too!!!

Me too lol.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

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

You need to keep in mind what purpose you are trying to accomplish. For me, I seldom hunt right over any scrape real or mock. My purpose is strictly for camera survey. So with that in mind, I'm looking for a location with "edge" that not only borders night time feeding areas, its also in a spot that deer naturally travel anyway.

Convergence of multiple edge can be a good location. I really don't believe that bucks will go very far out of their way just to hit a scrape. They hit them because it's along their travel route. And since I don't plan to hunt a mock, I'm fine with it being in a night-use location. I actually prefer that because it's less disturbing to check cameras.

I think some guys, for various reasons, have a particular tree they want to hunt and they think if they make a mock that bucks will magically appear because of that mock. I doubt it will be productive very often.

Some guys want a mock solely for hunting. I think the main purpose for those situations is to get the buck to stop in the proper position (angle) for the shot, not necessarily to draw deer from far distances.
When I toured Neal Daugherty's property he showed us a hunting mock. They had a great stand tree, and a fantastic trail at just the perfect distance and wind situation. But there was no reason for a buck to stop in the shooting lane, and there was no existing tree to hang a lick. So they ran a cable between 2 trees so that they could hang a lick in just the exact spot over that buck trail. Neal said it was almost impossible for any buck to walk past there without it stopping to check/work that lick. The point is that the lick was located where the buck traveled anyway. It's purpose was basically a "stop sign" for bucks.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

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

Nope. But someone else killed him. But that's another story. Wasn't an illegal kill, but there was a bit of unethical behavior...so the local rumors go.

 

[Gator]

What Tom says! Location is very important. One thing I tend to do often is open up scrapes earlier than they would if I left them alone and I also keep them open after the season sometimes. Just clear the leaves out, pee in it and change out the SD card

 

[Robert loper]

You need to keep in mind what purpose you are trying to accomplish. For me, I seldom hunt right over any scrape real or mock. My purpose is strictly for camera survey. So with that in mind, I'm looking for a location with "edge" that not only borders night time feeding areas, its also in a spot that deer naturally travel anyway.

Convergence of multiple edge can be a good location. I really don't believe that bucks will go very far out of their way just to hit a scrape. They hit them because it's along their travel route. And since I don't plan to hunt a mock, I'm fine with it being in a night-use location. I actually prefer that because it's less disturbing to check cameras.

I think some guys, for various reasons, have a particular tree they want to hunt and they think if they make a mock that bucks will magically appear because of that mock. I doubt it will be productive very often.

Some guys want a mock solely for hunting. I think the main purpose for those situations is to get the buck to stop in the proper position (angle) for the shot, not necessarily to draw deer from far distances.
When I toured Neal Daugherty's property he showed us a hunting mock. They had a great stand tree, and a fantastic trail at just the perfect distance and wind situation. But there was no reason for a buck to stop in the shooting lane, and there was no existing tree to hang a lick. So they ran a cable between 2 trees so that they could hang a lick in just the exact spot over that buck trail. Neal said it was almost impossible for any buck to walk past there without it stopping to check/work that lick. The point is that the lick was located where the buck traveled anyway. It's purpose was basically a "stop sign" for bucks.

I agree 100% and want to add nighttime vs daytime activity or visits will totaly depend on how much pressure is on the deer.
Food and pressure dictate almost everything. (outside of the rut).
The rut is just so different but, I still think there needs to be some secure thick edge for a mature buck daytime visit. Yes even during the rut.
With that said I also believe alot of us,
(like I did) especially very early on in our hunting careers get caught up in doing alot of stuff these big TV shows and even alot of the now big “do this and kill this” you tube channels do.
to me if bucks walked around the woods like some of these guys claim bucks do all while using thier tactics, we all would be shooting spikes and fork horns every year.
in my honest opinion from years of hunting @Allegheny Tomis super spot on with what he says.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

A scrape is sort of like a message board for deer. They check in every once and a while and see who has been through and can probably tell a lot of things from visiting that we humans have no clue about. Real ones will be in areas of high deer traffic so when you see one you at least know there are deer around at some point during the day. For me to hunt a scrape it needs to be in security cover. I really seek out primary scrape areas where there are multiple scrapes in one small, confined area. Picture of a primary scrape area below.

To be reasonably sure a mock scrape will "take hold" and become a real scrape, a mock scrape should have security cover nearby and be in an area where deer already travel regularly. The licking branch is more important than the actual scrape, but they go together, and I think the bare dirt is a visual clue to deer to visit the licking branch. Once established the deer know where it is and will repeatedly visit the location making it into a real scrape. If it is a scrape, mock or real, that I want to hunt I will season it during pre-rut and rut with a real buck tarsal gland and a doe gland and pee on it. This seems to work and makes the dominant buck using the scrape territorial.

Mock scrapes can also be used to "anchor" hunting pressure. Years ago, several of us used to do this on the club I was in. We would make the competition's spot look better than it actually was by adding a few scrapes and some mock rubs. They would think the spot was hot and plant themselves there and not look for other spots, lol. They were pretty lazy and were happy to stay put and believe their spot was prime even though they usually rode a 4 wheeler up to the base of the ladder stand. Therefore, I always view any scrape or rub with just a bit of suspicion and look for complementary sign to verify that is real and not Hollywood.

 

[woodsdog2]

I just want to clarify and echo @Allegheny Tom's advice on hunting over scrapes as well. I rarely look for scrapes to hunt over and the area in the pictures I provided above is a private farm I have permission to hunt and the mock licking branch over the actual scrape and the other scrape I referenced happen to be at a location that I would hunt regardless of if the scrapes were there or not. It is along an east-west running main ridgeline close to a slight saddle in the ridgeline coming from a south facing slope where deer like to bed and that saddle also leads to a bedding point. Both bucks shot after using the scrapes were heading back to in the morning or cruising through that bedding area. I agree that hunting over scrapes or mock scrapes or licking branches as a strategy alone may prove disappointing. But as part of an overall location where deer are either heading to them as a destination or hit them along the way heading to a destination is a good strategy. Plus, its neat to see and watch bucks and other deer do what they do naturally before..... wabamm!!

 

[Allegheny Tom]

I just want to clarify and echo @Allegheny Tom's advice on hunting over scrapes as well. I rarely look for scrapes to hunt over and the area in the pictures I provided above is a private farm I have permission to hunt and the mock licking branch over the actual scrape and the other scrape I referenced happen to be at a location that I would hunt regardless of if the scrapes were there or not. It is along an east-west running main ridgeline close to a slight saddle in the ridgeline coming from a south facing slope where deer like to bed and that saddle also leads to a bedding point. Both bucks shot after using the scrapes were heading back to in the morning or cruising through that bedding area. I agree that hunting over scrapes or mock scrapes or licking branches as a strategy alone may prove disappointing. But as part of an overall location where deer are either heading to them as a destination or hit them along the way heading to a destination is a good strategy. Plus, its neat to see and watch bucks and other deer do what they do naturally before..... wabamm!!

I will add that, IMO, the main purpose of having a mock at a stand location is not to actually draw deer to that location, the main purpose is to get bucks to STOP at that location in order for us to get a shot. I'm really not a big fan of trying to stop deer by mouth gruntting. That buck may (or may not) stop, but then he will be on alert and more likely to duck an arrow or spot our movement.

With that in mind, when possible, try to situate the branch so the buck's body angle will be advantages.

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