Man made scrapes
 

Any tips on making your own scrapes? Where to make them? When?

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.

making mock scrapes
 

first and foremost..make sure you are scent free ! i use scent away products make sure you use rubber gloves ..grab a tree branch and clear an area about 2 foot around about 1 and a half feet away from the tree , find a fairly low hanging branch above the "scraped" area ..about 4 to 5 feet above it and break the tip of the branch ..what you'll need next is pre orbital gland lure and dip the tip of the branch in it (be careful ! ..a little bit goes a long way !) too much and the deer will get hip to you ! next..get some TINKS trophy buck lure (this has interdigital gland and tarsal gland lure combined together ) which is an integral part of a mock scrape ! ..combine that with buck urine (i use dominant buck lure !) and there it is ! now ..during early season (scouting ) or early bow season go real easy on the scent ,you want to peak their curiosity not scare them ! and a good deer call doesen't hurt either ! ,during the "rut" you can go more liberally on the scent . i've used this method for many years and have produced some dandy bucks my best being a 12 pointer in hulbert,michigan ! try this techinique out ! you may be pleasently surprised !

Sounds like you have a good method there, Sal. Any recommendations on pre-orbital gland lure?

I have used Buck Fever Synthetics in the past with success!

Now, how did....
 

Dan'l Boone ever hunt?????

Where's my uav and gps coordinates.

I create them every year. I will start them around the beginning of September at corners or natural crossings with a good overhanging branch.
1. Clear the ground with a stick or your rubber boot
2. Freshen the scrape - How? Pee in it. Yes, you read that right. First time I tried it, had 6 bucks hit i the first night. First one within a few hours.

I've also used Bob Kirschner's Silver Top with a lot of success as well.

Ive always used my own urine on mock scrapes. It works better than anything else i have seen anyone use and its the cheapest.

Ill be starting mine up in about a month.

I am still experimenting with mock scrapes...though I have killed two bucks standing in my scrape in the last five years...

I tend to use a dropper bag (HS Scents, I believe) with their mix of deer scents...there are probably better combinations though...

During late October through rifle season, I always drag a "rag" loaded with DOE-IN-HEAT (Tinks 69) right through the mock scrape and any other real ones...tie the "rag" about 4 feet up in a tree within easy shooting distance...

I usually make mock scrapes during the pre rut. Usually around mid late October. I try to be as scent free as possible. I'll take a large branch scrape out the leaves and rough up the dirt. I always put the mock scrape under a branch about 5 feet off the ground. Then I hang the cotton wicks on the branch above the scrape (id rather use a tarsal gland), I make sure I put buck urine on the wick. Then I place doe in heat in the scrape. The large branch I used to scrape the leaves and dirt with, I take it with me as I leave so there is no human scent around the scrape. I will usually make a scrape line 3 or 4 scrapes close to my stand site. Ive killed quite a few bucks with this method.