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A mock scrape is another tool in the hunter’s toolbox. It consists of bottled deer scents and a pawed-up area of ground located on a main deer travel corridor. You can use it to help pattern bucks, make a nocturnal buck cruise his territory during the daylight hours in search of an intruder or when used in conjunction with a trail camera, to take inventory of bucks in your hunting area.

Scrapes are visual and scent communication posts. A buck will paw the ground, clearing it of leaves and debris and then urinate in it or urinate on its tarsal glands, which then saturate the dirt below. A buck will also rub its preorbital, forehead and nasal glands on a “licking” branch above the scrape. This deposits communicating scents above the scrape.

While a buck can make a scrape any time of year, the majority of scrapes are made during the pre-rut period a few weeks prior to peak breeding. These scrapes can serve as boundary markers in a buck’s territory or can be made along well-used trails, paths or field edges between bedding and feeding areas.

When creating a mock scrape, it’s best to place it along a well-used trail and especially along a path between bedding cover and a prime-feeding area. Check out this quick video to learn how to make a mock scrape and start attracting bucks to your hunting location.