Over 20 years ago, I embarked on my adventure with mock scrapes, and what a journey it has been! Despite my limited knowledge at the start, every year brought new insights into why deer create these fascinating scrapes. I faced my share of bumps along the way, but each mistake transformed into a valuable lesson, guiding me towards success. If you’re just starting with mock scrapes, I’m excited to support you in your journey and help you avoid the pitfalls I faced. I highly recommend checking out my article, “Mock Scrapes 101,” and then returning here for even more insightful tips. Together, we can enhance your experience and make it rewarding!
Preorbital Gland Lure
It took me years of observation to truly understand the intriguing behaviors of deer, especially their interactions with licking branches and vines. Once I discovered the significance of the preorbital gland situated just below their eyes, everything clicked! This knowledge made creating scrapes a breeze. I wholeheartedly recommend using a natural preorbital scent, like Head-Scratcher, or a synthetic alternative when setting up your mock scrapes. Remember, it’s best to steer clear of applying urine, interdigital, or tarsal gland scents on licking branches. Watching a young buck engage with the BuckRope and leave his unique scent is simply enthralling!
Interdigital Gland Lure
Have you ever wondered what makes a deer scrape truly captivating? It’s fascinating! Deer leave behind several unique substances beneath a licking branch, and understanding these can elevate your mock scrape game to the next level! When deer dig in the dirt, they release secretions from their interdigital glands, located between their hooves, creating a distinctive scent unique to each deer. Plus, they might also urinate in the area, enhancing the overall aroma, especially as bucks begin to rub against their tarsal glands leading up to the rut. This powerful scent is their way of announcing “I’m here!”
For the ultimate deer magnet, I highly recommend incorporating both preorbital and interdigital glands into your mock scrape. This dynamic combo mimics the presence of a phantom buck, grabbing the attention of other deer. It’s thrilling to watch as a buck approaches the scrape, sniffing around to pick up clues about which deer have ventured there before.
Location, Location, Location
To ensure your scrapes consistently attract deer, place them in areas where deer naturally travel. Some of my favorite locations for mock scrapes include inside corners, major trail intersections, pinch points, funnels, food plots, and the edges of bedding areas. Use prevailing winds to your advantage when creating mock scrapes; let the wind carry scent into areas where deer are likely to roam.
For example, the BuckBranch featured in this video, captured by the SpyPoint Flex-S-Dark, is situated on a ridge near a bedding area. Bucks frequently travel along this ridge and often stop to work the scrape. By setting up your scrapes in these recommended locations, I guarantee that you’ll see more deer interacting with them.
Height Matters
A mature buck typically stands about three and a half feet tall at the shoulders, meaning the top of its head can reach another foot and a half or more. When I create my mock scrapes, I like to position the rope between 48 and 54 inches off the ground. This height allows deer to engage with the rope without stretching too much. For all my horizontal scrapes, such as the BuckBranch shown in this video, I set the height to 50 inches. You’ll notice how easily the buck can walk under the BuckBranch and immediately begin working the branch with its forehead and preorbital gland. It’s important to pay close attention to the height of your licking branches, ropes, vines, or any other materials you use.
Daylight Visits
I focus on hunting over mock scrapes throughout the entire fall. I set up cameras on all my scrapes year-round, and in recent years, I’ve been able to pattern some fantastic bucks that I have been fortunate enough to harvest. I aim to place my scrapes in areas where deer will feel comfortable approaching them during daylight hours. Since we can’t hunt at night, it’s essential that the deer feel safe when visiting the scrape. Remember to keep the wind and thermals in your favor, and avoid putting pressure on the deer by checking the scrapes too frequently.
Don’t Do This!!!!
One major mistake to avoid is using scents that are naturally found on the ground on your licking branches, ropes, vines, or other products. Deer can sense when something isn’t natural and will often avoid the scrape or even become spooked.
The Buck Rope shown in the video above has been in my food plot for nearly a year. I have only applied Head-Scratcher Gland Lure to it, and many deer have interacted with that rope. After discussing mock scrapes with a few people, I decided to spray the rope with both buck and doe urine to see how the deer react.
You can see the bucks’ reactions as they realize something is off. They instinctively know that urine should be on the ground! It’s likely that the rope carries a smell similar to ammonia because urine breaks down quickly. This weekend, I plan to return to the rope and reapply Head-Scratcher.
If you’re interested in how deer communicate through their glands, take a look at my eBook, “Non-Verbal Whitetail Deer Communication: The Power of Gland Lure.“ It’s an easy read packed with information about each gland and the way deer utilize them to communicate.
