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Mock Scrapes – Week 2

By Brodie SwisherOctober 10, 20153 Comments

Several weeks have come and gone since we last checked in on our mock scrapes at my new farm in west Tennessee. Despite the noise of us building a house on the property, the fifty-acre chunk of ground has seen an increase of deer activity over the last few weeks as we’ve rolled into October and surrounding farms are being harvested. Upon making the rounds, I was bummed to discover an SD card that had played out and no longer recording data. However, we did still manage to capture a little action at the primary mock scrape that was put into place. Here’s a look at Mock Scrapes – Week 2.

I’m always amazed at all the critters beyond deer that will come by and check out a scrape. Predators like to snoop and will often be caught sniffing around your mock scrapes. It honestly seemed as if my mock scrape had turned into a litter box for the bobcats in the bottoms. Several weeks ago I had the stockiest cat I’d ever seen show up investigating the scrape.

This cat is a stud! Look at how muscular he is through his shoulder and back.

This cat is a stud! Look at how muscular he is through his shoulders and back.

I didn’t think much of the cat being at the scrape until he returned…and began working the scrape himself. I actually moved the scrape to the other side of the tree but the cat continued to show up at the previous scrape sight.

catscrape169Whether he’s marking territory, or just thinks he’s found a nice litter box with my scrape, this cat is certainly making the mock scrape his own.

This big bobcat has grown comfortable with my mock scrape and continues to come by for frequent visits.

This big bobcat has grown comfortable with my mock scrape and continues to come by for frequent visits.

With an abundance of bobcats and coyotes running these woods the last few weeks, particularly at the mock scrapes, my concern was that the deer would not continue to frequent the mock scrapes. But immediately after moving the scrape around and freshening it up, I had several bucks come by to check things out.

This young 8-pointer has been caught on other trail cameras around the farm, but just showed up at the mock scrape in the last couple weeks.

8atscrape169

Keep in mind that bucks aren’t the only ones to use a scrape. Does will begin to frequent scrapes more and more in the coming weeks as signs of the rut draw near.

doeNfawn169

Watch for does to give their little ones the boot as they prepare for the arrival of the rut.

We’re adding more mock scrapes to the mix this week so be sure to check back for updates as we roll through the season with mock scrapes.

Brodie Swisher
Brodie Swisher is a world champion game caller, outdoor writer, seminar speaker and Editor for Bowhunting.com. Brodie and his family live in the Kentucky Lake area of west Tennessee.
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