Mock Scrapes....Are They Effective?
 

Since the season is closing in, I'm starting to shoot my bow and watch hunting shows religiously. On one, can't remember which, I watched a guy make a mock scrape. He upturned some ground at the base ofa tree and then went and collected dirt from a real scrape off in the woods as well as a small branch overlooking this scrap. He then came back to his mock scrape and dumped this dirt on top of it and tied the branch into the branches of the tree. That was kind of funny because this tree was like a maple tree or something and the branch he had procured was an evergreen branch:DAnyway, when he came back to get in the stand, he sprayed doe-in-heat on the scrape and got up in the tree. Throughout his wait, it seemed like buck after buck after buck were lining up to play around in this scrape he had made. And yes, eventually he shot one right on that very scrape. Can you really make a mock scrape this effective if you do it the same way I've just described when you know there are deer in the area? Any modifications?

RE: Mock Scrapes....Are They Effective?
 

I always hunt over mock scrapes, and have had really good luck doing it.

Wearing rubber gloves and boots, I just bend down a licking branch, and put some non-dominant buck scent on it. I then make a scrape with a stick and trickle in a little scent that corresponds to the stage of breeding at that time.

I hang a few scent wicks around too.

During the rut, i drag estrus trails into my scrape, and hang about 4-6 scent wicks slathered in estrus.

I guess I'm just one of those guys who likes playing in scents. I'm not big on calling.

RE: Mock Scrapes....Are They Effective?
 

Has at least one buck responded to every scrape you've made?

RE: Mock Scrapes....Are They Effective?
 

Definitely not. The areas that I get to hunt aren't exactly "bursting at the seams" with deer. I sometimes only have a couple hours to hunt. I've spent plenty of days where I never even saw a living thing.

Modestly put, however, I have had very good luck and have fared far better thanjust aboutanyone I know in my neck of the woods over the past six years or so, in spite of my time constraints.

The key is not slopping the area up with your own scent. At least around here, the mature deer are pretty easily spooked at the first hint of human scent. A 30 cent pair of latex gloves and some knee-high rubbers take care of those problems pretty well.

Honstly, I don't see bucks in my scrapes every day. If you find a trick that puts a buck under your stand every time, you better get a patent on it : )

My experience is that the deer I'm usually killing are moving around in the area anyway, and just catch enough of a whiff that they come in to check it out. It takes a deer that would normally be out of range and puts him in range. Other times, I'm just on a pre-existing scrapeline, and my scrape is intended only to stop the buck for a shot. It's very effective.

Believe me, if you set up a mock scrape, bucks won't come running from miles around like the tame ones in Buckmasters. You're not going to see a whole lot more deer. IMHO, it's just another little trick that you can use to get them to stand where you need them to stand, and divert their attention, even if only for a second or two.

RE: Mock Scrapes....Are They Effective?
 

Illini, did that buck happen to drop in his tracks?

RE: Mock Scrapes....Are They Effective?
 

Yes he did. I'm sure someone on here would have seen the same show.

RE: Mock Scrapes....Are They Effective?
 

Can you make a mock wherever you know there are deer, or do they have to be somewhat close to other real scrapes?

RE: Mock Scrapes....Are They Effective?
 

I always put my mock scrapes on known travel routes - it doesn't necessarily have to be on an existing scrapeline. Field edges, logging roads, pinch points and transitional areas make great locations for a mock scrape. Bucks will often lingerdownwind ofdoe trails and even existing scrapesand will"scent check" the area without showing themselves. They won't come to investigate the scrapes, if they don't smell anything worthy of a look.

Around the rut, if you hang some doe estrous, and make a mock scrape,at some point, you'll probablyget a buck to come looking for that hot doe, he obviously won't see anything, b/c there's IS no doe. However, if he can see that scrape, more often than not, he'll come over and sniff around before leaving.

I can't stress this enough - be very careful not to contaminate your area with your own scent. Use rubber gloves when applying scent, and rubber boots walking in.

I'm partial to sprinkling a bit of that Tink's powder and a dribble of doe estrousin my scrapes, with scent wicks doe estroushanging in the licking branch. It takes a while to "activate," and it seems odorless, but I've had deer come to it.

Use regular doe pee during the early season. No estrous until rut activity starts to intensify. You have to match your scent to the natural scents of therut activity.

If a deer is hitting your scrape, and you don't know when, freshen up the scent a bit,scatter some leaves over it, and check back in the morning. If the leaves are pawed off, you'll know it's nightwork, and you can plan your next move. If the leaves are still on it, you'll know he hasn't been through yet.

I've had really good luck timing the bucks' patterns just using leaves in my scrapes.

Good luck.

RE: Mock Scrapes....Are They Effective?
 

I like mock scrapes on private property not on public property.

RE: Mock Scrapes....Are They Effective?
 

i saw the show. it was on keith warren's show a couple weeks ago. he ended up dropping a non-typical in his tracks. i figure that it couldn't hurt to try a mock scrape.