Started my mock scrapes last week. Have a doe and yearlong visiting one regularly. I use Raw Frozen Scents on wicks and in the scrape under a sapling that I tied off so the tip is over the scrape. Started it with their scrape lure and calming scent.
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Started my mock scrapes last week. Have a doe and yearlong visiting one regularly. I use Raw Frozen Scents on wicks and in the scrape under a sapling that I tied off so the tip is over the scrape. Started it with their scrape lure and calming scent.
I have never had much success with them. I only get usage at night.
I have pretty good success. One year I had 2 bucks fighting at the Mock scrape opening day, Oct. 1, but I positioned my stand the wrong way and couldn't get a shot!
Back in Ole Virginia, I used to trick them with scents.
Dominant bucks will leave a hot doe to go whip an intruder’s butt. They have territories and expect others to steer clear. The way you “lure” them is to set up a situation where they think someone is cheating. Look for boundaries, such as an old fence line. Things that divide one parcel from another. Then look for a good hiding spot.
Set out a Tarsal Gland lure along that boundary. Not tied to a string in the air, rather place it in a bush or something. Deer can smell so well that they can lock in on the exact location of the gland. In a bush works best because they think his rival is in the bush and he will approach. I have seen some crazy displays as they approach.
Doe In Heat stuff never worked for me. I met a man that used his wife’s sanitary napkins with good success, but that was decades ago. I am sure they sell some really good stuff now days. Since then, Virginia outlawed the use of scents, or so I heard.
I found the very best thing to take with me, to ensure success, was a big sub sandwich. Sitting for a long time is key to scoring the larger specimens.
tried everything there is over the years myself , one particular scent was said to be the best at one point ,,,
code something er other :dono put it on a cotton ball as said to use it and watched 2 bucks walk right by it like it wasnt there ? then ....
a coyote that I was "about" to smack was walking in that direction and I just kept the scope on him as he approached it to see what would happen , when he got to it .....a YOWL and screech like he got poked hard in the whatever and a double black flip and he was GONE in a blur ! never got to pull the trigger on that one ....:Rofl:banghead
then there was that there incense stuff back when , the buck that got down wind of it left so fast I think some of his skin was left on the ground .....:Rofl
then there was the fox pee cover scent venue and the deer that got down wind of it blew up and left so fast they about ketched on fire ! :Rofl
most of the stuff never worked for me , but I did a mock scrape one time with the golden estrus doe pee that seemed to get worked over well when I wasnt sitting there , if that counts ....
my thing has always been lack of scents, most big dominant bucks here won't leave a hot doe unless the other buck in question is within a few feet or so and wanting to get jacked up . our big bucks are often so dedicated to a hot doe they follow her all over the open fields and across spots they would never be in any other time .
that all said a not so local buck traveling in search of does might get duped into some of the scent plays , the bucks that are not from a certain area that are visiting don't know all the players sometimes , just saying
now keep in mind this , I do have a set of dried buck tarsals from last year and I might play with them , said might
These scents attract both bucks and does, and work best before the rut.. I will lay scent trails and hang wicks of doe estrous and multi buck during the rut. Seems to work well with this brand of scent. Haven't had any deer blow up on it the first two years of use. Does require some extra care to keep it fresh, but I have extra time. Good luck no matter how or what you hunt!
Coyotes in Bama surely liked coon pee cover scent. They would track you too your stand and then stare up at you. Climb up the steps of a shooting house in search of that coon also. Coon was definitely on the menuQuote:
Originally Posted by Ketchn
best cover scent I ever used was skunk , but it often ran people off like a spooked deer ......:RoflQuote:
Originally Posted by DockShootinJack
Have so many around the house I am almost immune to the smell:RoflQuote:
Originally Posted by Ketchn
I have had great success with a product that has been out of production for over 10 years. it is a mister which works on a timer and it sprays scent from a pressurized can. The only time that scent is exposed to air is when it is discharged from the can. I've seen it pull bucks from over 400 yards away right to it. It's not magic, though it's almost not fair. I know the guys who developed it. They sold the idea to Hunters Specialties. I have no idea why they discontinued it, but I bought enough cans of scent to last decades. I'll see if I can find a picture of it.
Attachment 436586
Jim
I get a lot of enjoyment by adding mock scrapes and other scent applications to my hunting strategies. I've seen a lot over 55 years of hunting. That one doesn't ring a bell but sure sounds cool. Good luck!
What I learned over the years of observing deer is; if you find a liking branch, make note of where it is, find a good stand site downwind, and be ready to hunt it when the wind is right during the season. I've found several licking branches and watched every single deer that passes it will lick, sniff, or nuzzle it as they pass. When the rut kicks in, those licking branches become scrape sites. That branch is a scent signpost where deer expect to keep track of other deer in the area, kind of like dogs to a fire hydrant. The deer won't be there constantly, but they definitely know where it is and will check it out on the way by.
Jim
the stuff I used said it was golden estrous doe pee , remember it well , as it was the only scent I tried that didnt freak the deer out . used it in a dripper bottle at one place and it had a fair amount of sign under the tree , never when I was there though darnit ....:Rofl
I've fed the deer at my house every day for 30 years, so I've had a front row seat to observing unpressured deer behavior for a while. I don't hunt anywhere near here because it wouldn't be fair and I value the relationships I have with them. It took me a long time to earn the trust of the deer, though now, 6 of the 15 regular visitors will eat from my hand. I call them like dogs and if they can hear me holler, they come. The great, great, great grand daughter of the first wild deer that ever ate from my hand visits every day. She was orphaned when she was in spots and she only ever knew to trust me, so I let her eat out of the bucket and she gets extra treats. I can pull ticks off her ears and she will turn towards me so I can catch horse flies off her back. She turned 8 years old this year. Her grandmother was 13 when she was killed on Veteran's Day 5 years ago on someone else's land.
Anyway, I use the deer I can comfortably move around to test buck lures and scent control products on. For the most part, the closer it is to the peak of the rut, the less alarming the estrous scents are. However, when estrous scent is around, there's often a rutting buck more than willing to chase the does around, hoping to figure out which doe is coming in heat. The does don't really like being chased, especially when they're hoping to eat. I mostly see yearling bucks running with the does (obviously) until they start to shed the velvet off their antlers. By then, the does run them off, because the boys are more interested in sparring & breeding than anything.
Jim
That’s pretty cool Jim.
Yep, thanks Jim. I basically test deer scents in the wild:biggrin makes the hunt more educational and interesting. Sounds like you have a great testing facility.
Attachment 436709Attachment 436710Attachment 436711Attachment 436712
Here's a few of me feeding. The most I ever had here at once was 27, but that was in the middle of winter when there was snow on the ground and wasn't much to eat in the woods. They know a sucker when they find one.
Jim
Attachment 436713
Here's a couple that raised here. The guy in the front (I called him Dude) was a runt when he was born and had the smallest set of spikes for his first set of antlers. He was a small 8 when he was 2 years old. This picture both bucks were 3 years old. Somebody took Dude out during muzzleloader last fall. I was hoping he might get a few more years. Guys don't give the bucks much chance to grow up around here. As soon as they start getting decent bone on their head, BOOM, gone. If Dude got the chance to reach five or 6 years old, he would have had a huge rack. The genetics are here, they seldom get the chance to reach full maturity. The guy in the back (I call him Dave) is still around. He was still in velvet the last time I saw him. The big boys don't tend to run with the does & yearlings, but he's around and bigger than last Fall. Neither ever ate from my hand, though they'll get within 8-10 feet of me.
Jim
That is awesome. Deer don't grow old around here so a nice buck is really a rarity. Fun to watch. My close encounters in the wild are always treasured.
Back to the original topic (what I intended before I went off on a tangent). I've been introducing mock scrapes around trail crossings and historic scrape locations just to see which ones get taken over for lots of years. Having an overhanging branch for deer to scent mark is key to the mock scrape staying active. Early in the season when all the bucks are feeling the urge, scrapes appear everywhere and anywhere. I'd guess that less than 20% of them really matter in the long run. If bucks re-open a scrape after heavy rains, it's still in play and is worth paying attention to. The scrapes I find out in the open, like field edges were likely made at night and are often the first ones to get abandoned. Sometimes I put a mock scrape in woods off the corner of a pond, which will force the bucks to scent check it from downwind & travel down that same side of the pond. The pond cancels one of the directions they can approach from. It also gives unobstructed view without as many overhanging limbs. I've done the same thing from bluff banks overlooking creeks. Deer would rather go around a bluff than straight up it. There's usually a deer trail parallel to the creek on the opposite side of the bluff, which can be an ideal place to introduce a mock scrape.
Anyway, just a few things that have worked for me. Three of my top 5 bucks were taken from those scenarios. I hope it helps somebody else. Good hunting.
Jim
I have a doe and a yearling visiting a mock scrape. I tied an oak sapling over and made my scrape under the tip of the sapling. I put scent in the scrape and also on a wick above the scrape. Also move shop fresh deer poop in front of the scrape. They are visiting regularly.
sounds like a community latrine to me , put a stick in one of em and show us bro .....
October 1, but I will be buck hunting until November. With acorns falling travel is sporadic through this area, but I will share photos when I can.
I’ve been making mock scrapes for years.
You don’t need to waste money on snake oil scents.
Just find or trim Some limbs on one of your shooting lanes, scrape the grass and leaves back to get fresh bare soil showing. Then pee in it yourself.
Deer and other animals will start to us it. The ammonia and fresh dirt smell is what gets them going.
Hang a camera and see the results.
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With all the meds I take I'd rather use fresh deer scent. Especially since I've seen such positive results from it.
Certainly works for the little Bulldog.Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenLine
best scrape I ever found was by accident when we were crappie ketchn, it was out in an open field , big lone live oak and we watched a bachelor party visit before dark early October one year , 12 bucks in all and 7 were legendary size animals , it amazed me as to how they took turns in a well-defined and not aggressive posture towards each other.
2 years later a small tornado passed the place and took out the big oak ......:banghead