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Mock Scrapes – Week 4

By Bow StaffOctober 27, 2015

It’s been a slow week at the mock scrapes. Tons of rain and ugly weather seem to have put a damper on things. But just as soon as Hurricane Patricia moves through, things will be on. We are smack in the middle of the best days for utilizing mock scrapes and natural scrapes for deer inventory and punching tags.

We are seeing an increase in does visiting the scrapes as well as young bucks. The big bucks know when things are right. Their presence will begin to show as does begin to cycle.

It's time to keep a watch over community scrapes visited bucks and does.

It’s time to keep a watch over community scrapes visited by the whole herd.

Now is the time to move trail cameras to those primary scrapes that are experiencing the most traffic. This may be one of your mock scrapes that the local deer have taken over, or a natural scrape. One of  my mock scrapes has become a regular hotspot that draws the local herd for routine stops.

If you have the right goods in your mock scrapes, bucks will follow their nose to check things out.

If you have the right goods at your mock scrapes, bucks will follow their nose to check things out.

Still skeptical about using mock scrapes on the property you hunt? Check out this video from BHOD pro-staffer, Tyler Rector, and his 2014 mock scrapes success.

Contributing writer, Tyler Frantz, shares a little more on how to make the most of your mock scrapes over the next weeks.

Fake a Scrape for Pre-Rut Success

Pair mock scrapes with killer scents to lay down a big boy before the rut begins.

By Tyler Frantz

After the first week or two of bow season, a buck’s predictability-factor typically diminishes. Scattered, abundant food sources, coupled with sudden hunting pressure and newly disbanded bachelor groups can often make bucks more reclusive and tougher to pattern. However, as daylight wanes and temperatures begin to drop, hunters are encouraged by the reassuring notion that the best hunting days of the season are still yet to come. We anticipate steady action once doe populations approach their first estrous cycles, sending bucks’ testosterone levels through the roof.

Make the most of your mock scrapes with quality products from Tink's.

Make the most of your mock scrapes with quality products designed to continually draw deer to your scrapes.

When this magic moment happens, love-struck bucks will inevitably be on the move, in daylight, seeking pretty gals to breed. But until then, most bucks are sticking to their core areas, simply biding their time and scoping out the prospects. While most humans size up potential mates and rivals by sight, deer are primarily driven by scent. They use a unique combination of bodily scents- including saliva, urine and gland secretions- to communicate their willingness and readiness to breed, as well as establishing territorial boundaries and social dominance.

Fortunately for hunters, these natural scents are collected and bottled from live captive deer (or duplicated in synthetic form), making them easy to obtain from a variety of outdoor retailers. With proper use, deer lures can be a very effective hunting tool. An especially good time to use scents is when bucks first begin cruising a hunting area during pre-rut. My favorite strategy is to create a mock scrape near a primary natural scrape, essentially doubling my chances of drawing a buck into close range.

Natural scrapes are made by bucks, regardless of age class, and are utilized as communal signposts by members of both genders. At times, a buck will randomly scrape an area and thrash a tree out of frustration or aggression but never returns to check the sign, while in other instances, bucks reopen the same exact scrape year after year and visit it regularly.

Knowing your hunting property and being able to distinguish a cold secondary scrape from a hot primary scrape is integral in determining whether to hunt in that particular location. On my Pennsylvania hunting property, there are two primary scrapes that are reliably opened beneath mature hemlock trees every single year. One is located at the corner of a field where a low creek crossing meets a doe bedding area, while the other is situated in the dip of an oak ridge saddle, roughly 40-yards into the woods from the corner of a separate field edge. Both areas see heavy deer traffic, and trail camera photos confirm the regular visitation of various bucks and does coming to either scent-check or scent-deposit at these community scrapes.

While lesser secondary scrapes may pop up at various locations and eventually go cold, these primary scrapes tend to stay hot for the duration of all three estrous cycles. Thus, these are the scrapes hunters should really key in on.

When making a scrape, bucks will lick an overhanging branch, rubbing forehead, preorbital and nasal glands on the twigs, and then urinate over their tarsal glands directly onto the bare earth they just cleared of leaves and debris.

In this manner, bucks are leaving their calling card, saying, “I am available and interested; let me know which lucky lady is ready for some action.” Then he will keep checking back during his wind-scenting forays to see if any does came along and urinated in the scrape, indicating they’re willing to play. Likewise, multiple other bucks will use these primary scrapes to jockey for position as the top dog of the woodlot. By introducing the scent of an imposing outsider at a nearby mock scrape, hunters can pique the curiosity of target bucks.

While many primary scrape visits occur overnight, I like to shake things up by using a combination of bottled buck urine and an all-season doe urine to get things moving in my favor when bucks are out and about. Even if they locate the scrape overnight, they may begin checking back regularly- including during daylight hours.

Though I still set up close to primary scrapes, I attempt to steer bucks my way by laying down a scent drag doused in a low-key lure such as Tinks #4 Fresh Tracks or #1 Doe-P. Then, I’ll antagonize them with a mock scrape that mimics a rival buck’s secondary tension scrape.

Because the topography I hunt runs east and west, I douse a cloth with scent and drag it into my stand from the north. This creates a perpendicular line of scent that directly bisects any crossing bucks as they scent-check morning thermals rising from below.

I drag the scent past the upwind side of my stand toward the natural scrape. But instead of doctoring up the existing scrape, I create a fake that is situated just upwind of the real thing. This way, I can better control the positioning of a buck for an ideal shot opportunity.

To construct my mock scrape, I use a rubber-soled boot (or a stick with gloved hands) to expose a bare patch of earth about 20-yards from my stand. Then, I apply buck urine or a mock scrape starter directly to the ground. I’ve found that gel-based lures, such as Tinks Power Scrape Gel is more durable than liquids or sprays and can even withstand a decent rainstorm or two.

tinksgel169

Tink’s Power Scrape Gel will outlast other products. It keeps working long after other products have dried up and are no longer effective.

Hang your scent drag cloth, a saturated scent wick, or a liquid scent-dripper on an overhanging limb close to eye-level to keep things fresh and to disperse more scent into the air.

Often, a crossing buck will intercept the scent line and either approach with his nose to the ground, or parallel to the line just a few yards downwind, scanning ahead for other deer. When he gets close to the stand, he either comes directly within shooting range to the mock scrape, or skips to the primary natural scrape, from which he ultimately smells my fake and heads over to investigate.

Consider placing a no-flash trail camera over the scrape to monitor the site when you can’t hunt the stand. It’s a great way to inventory bucks in-season, while possibly even nailing down a frequent flyer at a time when patterning is otherwise difficult.

As the season progresses, mock scrapes can be made even more attractive by adding a doe-in-estrous lure such as Tinks #69 Doe-in-Rut Buck Lure or Power Scrape Pre-Rut Finisher to keep up with the changing phases of the rut.

There’s no doubt that hunting over mock scrapes is an effective pre-rut strategy for bucks of all ages. By establishing fakes near a primary natural scrape and using an assortment of lures that evolve with rut’s various stages, bowhunters can take matters into their own hands- and if they’re lucky- perhaps even a nice set of antlers, too.

Check out all the latest deer scent and mock scrape products at www.tinks.com.

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