do they work this time of year was thinking of making one and setting a camera on it for a little while? what would be a good scent to use in it? hawgs synthetic gland scent

Scrapes are used for breeding purposes, so I would have to say no, they will not be effective this time of year. Once the bucks loose theirvelvet their aggresive nature will start to shine, though.

I make scrapes in early Nov and Dec. I also use my "own" scent. I call it the Greg Holland special lure. Pee on your own scrape, believe me it works.

lol ive never heard of that before, are you sure it wont scare them away? how often do you pee on it

Cougar, I've heard lots of people say that. I've not seen it first hand, but apparently it's no urban legend, it actually works.

I've been keeping two "artificial" scrapes going all year long for several years. I keep the leaves clear as necessary, and don't bother with adding any scent anymore (I have peed in them, added dirt fromother far-distant (fall) scrapes, and experimented with commercial lures in prior years). Deer have adopted both of them - they'll check the licking branches above the scrapes during the spring/summer and keep them open during the fall/winter.
-fsh

Aaah, the old "pee" question...

God, how many times have I written on this one?

ABSOLUTELY NO, human pee does NOT scare deer.

I have a large community scrape just 20 yards off my property line in PA that is used year round, I actually visited it this weekend and it is still well used and fresh. The area is about 5'x 3'. I will have to take pictures of it next time I am down there. If it was on my property I would have the leaf river game cam onit, however I think the "neighbors" would probably steal my camera if I left it there.

Rick, thanks for telling us that. I have never heard of a scrape "out of season". Learn something new every day I guess.

I made a mock scrape within bow shot last year and would pee on it every now and then. I can't tell you how many deer stopped to smell that spot for a few seconds. Long enough to release an arrow. Definitely a curiousity factor rather than a fear factor for most deer in my humble opinion. Plus its cheaper than buying the bottled stuff. Not sure it would make for a very good scent trail though if that's what you were aiming for.