I've found that some of the best mock scrapes are made early, in fact I establish my Mock Scrapes by late Sept. Also, I have consistently had trail cams prove that some of the most active times for mature Bucks to utilize these scrapes is during a very odd time frame.... between Oct 10-18. This is a time period generally called the "lull" and a time where many hunters are still waiting to hit the deer woods.

These Mock Scrapes that I'm talking about are also made inside of protective cover and near sactuary thickets. However, I will make one fairly close to one of my hunting plots but thats much later in the season and its generally made just for photo ops and not hunting purposes.

Another note, I know that you can use a LOT of different scents and lures but by FAR, the most effective I've EVER used is James Valley Scents Scrape Gel and Lethal Weapon Gel.