What’s a scrape?

A scrape is a disturbed section of soil that deer tear up using their front hooves and then urinate in, leaving behind their unique scent to let other deer in the area know they are nearby. Think of it as a local hangout. While we cannot smell all of the different scents made by tarsal glands, urine, estrus and other bio smells, the deer can, and they use these odors to determine “who is who” in the area.

A scrape is typically accompanied by a licking branch — a low-hanging branch that’s above the scrape onto which bucks rub their preorbital (eye) glands to add their unique scent. Both doe and bucks will visit scrapes, which is why we focus much of our attention on them. Scrapes are an especially important focal point for hunters in the weeks leading up to the rut as resident bucks increasingly visit them in anticipation of identifying receptive does and to establish their territory.

The Purpose of Mock Scrapes

While natural scrapes are always good locations for deer hunters to zero in on, you can also establish your own scrapes leading up to and during the rut. Building a couple mock scrapes near your stand will provide you with better shot opportunities, improve your odds of seeing more deer at each sitting, and allows you to encourage deer movement at your stand during shooting hours.

Another major advantage of using a mock scrape is that it facilitates capturing deer on camera prior to and throughout hunting season. Using a scent delivery system, like a scent dripper, in combination with a camera can help you learn individual deer behavior and allow you to inventory the herd. Many hunters continue to employ mock scrapes and cameras after hunting season closes to find out which bucks “made it.”

The Setup

Natural scrapes are great locations for establishing your hunting stand. Often, though, a treestand or blind cannot be hung or placed nearby for many reasons. This is where building a mock scrape comes in.

To build your own scrape, you need to think both like a deer and a hunter. First, the right location for your mock scrape is key. Active trails, near other scrapes, active rub lines, and near bedding areas are good choices. Find where deer are active and work backwards from there.

Once you decide on the mock scrape location, the next step is to create it. I simply hang a Magnum Scrape Dripper 5- to 6-feet high on a branch that hangs over an open patch of soft soil. Always wear rubber or latex gloves when handling the dripper so you don’t introduce human odor. Once the dripper is hung, work the soil directly under the dripper with a sturdy stick, scraping and flinging the dirt until you’ve opened an area about the size of a large door mat. I like to prep the soil with a mixture of old scents from the previous year to kickstart the scrape. Spraying some fresh Active-Scrape works great, too.

Remember, the location of your mock scrape is the key to success. Take the time to study the area and understand the deer activity to make the scrape irresistible.

Trails and Intersections

Look for heavily trafficked trails for placing mock scrapes. The most heavily used tend to be those connecting bedding areas to the staging areas of major feeding zones. Does and yearlings predominantly use these trails, but so will bucks when they are searching for a doe in estrus. During the rut, keep in mind: find the girls and the boys will be nearby.

Setting up a mock scrape setup on these trails can turn your mock scrape into a multiple scent scrape because local deer may start using it and turn it into a “natural scrape.” Trails that intersect are also excellent places to create your new hot spot. Observe trails that intersect, determine the optimal stand location with a good shooting lane, and be mindful of the prevailing winds before setting up your blind or treestand.

Other Scrapes

A community scrape is a large area that doe and bucks frequent prior to the rut and continue using throughout the year. It’s the “common area.” This type of scrape is typically accompanied by other smaller scrapes around it, but those scrapes may not be visited or worked as much as the community scrape.

Find a tree, clear a lane, and build your mock scrape 10-15 yards off the main scrape. Mature bucks will sometimes follow a trail straight into a scrape, but if you hunt pressured land, they’ll circle it to pick up all scents before coming in to work it. This is where your mock scrape setup might draw them into your shooting lane at the distance you’re comfortable shooting at.

Rub Lines

Early season hunting is one of my favorite times to hunt big bucks because the pressure isn’t too heavy. The bucks are still in a pattern of eating and bedding, but with the rut only a few weeks away they start working rub lines.

When I scout the woods and start finding signs of new rubs, I make note of them on my Huntstand app and put up a few cameras. Use caution when setting up cameras at head level. I’ve seen mature bucks get alarmed by a camera system. They don’t like changes in their routine or environment, so wary bucks will sometimes go full nocturnal or change trails if they get rattled in an area.

I like to hang my cameras at a higher level and slightly angle them downwards when covering a rub line. If I decide I want to chase the Mr. Big in the area, I’ll set up a couple mock scrapes along his line with one scrape in front of my stand so he will walk into my ambush.

Bedding Areas

Bedding areas are great spots to hunt yet come with the most risk. Big bucks, especially in the early season, often won’t come out of their beds until legal shooting light is long gone. If you can set up a mock scrape near his bed, you’ll increase the odds of seeing him earlier at dusk, working your scrape first. Be careful though because your presence in his bedroom could turn him into a ghost. Full ninja mode in and around bedding areas is a must. Practice, practice, practice scent control so you don’t introduce any unwanted smells. I can’t stress this enough, and the saying, “We educate deer more when we’re gone then when we are in the woods” is absolutely true. Wear gloves, spray down with Scent Killer, and put on rubber boots when you’re setting up mock scrapes and be aware of what you touch, brush against, and step on.

The Results

By utilizing mock scrapes with scent drippers both early in the season and during the rut, you can expect to see an increase in deer activity around your stand. The long-lasting scent slowly drips during the day (not at night), helping draw mature bucks to the area during shooting hours, convincing them that a doe is visiting during the day. He’ll either bed nearby waiting for her or come visit throughout the day in hopes of catching her passing through. The mock scrape allows you to control the buck’s placement for better shot opportunities and helps increase your trail camera interaction.

A mock scrape is more than a scent distribution device, it’s a valuable hunting tool that, when used efficiently, can help you tag the Big Guy.

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