Everything you need to know about mock scrapes
Why should you make mock scrapes
Scraping is far too often underestimated, but it can easily make the difference between success and failure. Finding the buck of your dreams is becoming more and more complicated and with the use of this technique you’ll have the best possible chances for success.
Why do mock scrapes? To increase the concentration of individuals, of all sexes and ages, in the vicinity. The scent will stimulate movement which will bring more deer to your area.
With a higher concentration, competition increases which will make deer less alert and create more movement at all times of the day. Mock scraping increases your chances of coming face to face with your trophy this year.
How to create mock scrapes
Location is critical, and in most cases, it is the difference between success and failure. Find a place where deer traffic is high. Find a major 'trail' or, even better, the spot where two 'trails' cross and form an 'X'. These are the places where rutting bucks like to scan in search of the scent of a female in heat.
You absolutely need a branch between 4 to 6 feet above your chosen spot for the bucks to lay their glands on. Loosen the soil below the branch to release the black earth smell and attract bucks. One trick our experts use is to spray the ground with soil odour to make it more noticeable. A deer more than 100 meters away will pick up the scent and be drawn to it. Great care must be taken to avoid leaving human scent in the process. It is recommended to take a shower before going into the forest and to use a soap designed specifically for hunting that neutralizes human odours. Our DIZZAPEAR soap is perfect to make sure you don't leave any odours behind. Also, apply a scent eliminator on your equipment to ensure you go undetected.
Choosing the right products
To increase the effectiveness of your mock scrapes, you can use products that will attract and provoke deer.
Pre-orbital glands are magical in attracting deer to your mock scrapes. Applying the product to the licking branch will stimulate the deer to leave their scent at your mock scrape. Learn more about pre-orbital glands on our product page.
Another way to attract deer to your mock scrape is to use synthetic urine. This entices the buck to come and scratch off the scent you applied and put on his own. Once your scrape is activated by a buck, repeat the process, but with buck urine and female urine to make the buck believe a female in heat is attracted to the other buck. The buck will be furious and no doubt very active. Provocation with synthetic urine is a tactic that will increase your chances of having an aggressive buck in your line of fire.
We developed a synthetic urine that perfectly mimics the presence of another mature male. Bucks can't tell the difference between natural and synthetic urine. In order to simulate the presence of a female in heat, once your mock scrape has been visited, you can use this synthetic urine.
When to make mock scrapes
We start the make mock scrape just before they loose their velvet at the end of August. We use pre-orbital glands and outsider buck synthetic urine to tease them and coax them into our fake scratches. It's like installing a signpost in the transition line. It will start coming and will continue until December.