Make the Most of Mock Scrapes
By Mark Melotik
Most avid deer hunters know mock scrapes are one of the best ways to capture trail camera images of big, rutty bucks, with the height of this annual frenzy typically kicking into high gear beginning in the late pre-rut. Bucks are making and visiting scrapes regularly then, but I believe many hunters, especially bowhunters, fail to fully capitalize on the many ways mock scrapes can help increase hunting success all season long.
Outside of the prime time late pre-rut, researchers have found bucks make and visit scrapes at other times of the year. And paired with a few trail cameras, mock scrapes are a great way to take inventory of bucks beginning right now in summer. At this time, avoid doctoring your mock scrapes with doe-in-heat scent, which would be an unnatural choice. Better choices are fresh deer urine or other non-urine-based attractor scents. Less is typically more.
One of my favorite mock scrape techniques (beginning in mid-October in the upper Midwest) is to build a pair of mock scrapes about 20 yards in front of a well-placed stand. The goal is to have a curious passing buck visit both scrapes. If no shot is offered at the first scrape, it’s a good bet the deer’s next move will be to the second, offering a semi-predictable travel pattern.
If you can position at least one of the mock scrapes behind a sizable tree, or you can ensure there are a few large trees between the two scrapes, you will also have a built-in shield to help you draw undetected.
One of the keys to a good mock scrape is an overhanging branch, maybe 4 feet off the ground, where deer will leave scent from their preorbital/forehead glands. Several companies make products to help you construct effective mock scrapes, and the Scrape Dripper family from Wildlife Research Center is one of the all-time staples — comprised of a unique bottle holding scent, which drips slowly into your mock scrape.
One of the newer products from WRC is something called the Golden Rope Scent Rope Kit, which holds some serious promise. Not quite a mock scrape, the Scent Rope is designed to be attached to and suspended over the ground using an overhanging branch.
Because it is designed to be soaked in its accompanying scent solution, the effect is mostly the same as a mock scrape, attracting deer to investigate and interact with the scented, hanging rope. It’s another smart way to attract bucks for trail camera photos and, placed near your stand, distract them as you prepare for a shot.