Mock Scrapes

[White Oak]

In the past I've bought scrape drippers and made mock scrapes without much success. I may of had a random buck or two look at it....but not really use it.
I've tried the popular " Vine mock scrape" as well and got a few pictures , but I possibly didn't have it in the right location and I'll give it another try. Quite Frankly The BEST mock scrape idea I got was from SA FARMS MANAGEMENT on Facebook. This cost NOTHING other than a cedar branch and some cord or wire to fasten it to a tree limb. All you do is hang a cedar branch straight down from a tree limb so it's about face / chest high , scratch out underneath it with a rake or hoe...and take a whiz in it OR not it's up to you. Mine was placed on a field edge , and within hours the first day a buck was checking it out !. Now this works great...especially for free. My only negative is after a while especially in warm weather the cedar branch dries out...I just replaced mine this week....and hope it lasts until Mid Nov and I'll replace it before rifle season. This new Rope a Dope from code blue looks pretty cool....I may try it next year, if it pans out I like the idea of not having to disturb my hunting area right before the season...has anyone tried the Rope a dope ? or made you own with a hemp rope ?. They always say natural is better...like the grape vine or cedar branch, but in theory I'd think the rope would last longer. https://www.codebluescents.com/rope-a-dope

 

[SWIFFY]

Ive tried all the tricks too. It seems What works great in one place wont work at all in another. Different deer in different areas seem to prefer different things. One thing remains the same... it doesnt take a lot of money or gimmicks. A rope or a stick of some kind in the right place hung over some dirt. Build it and they will come.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I get it, but it's annoying how the hunting industry tries to commercialize everything.

Some bucks like the vines and some like a branch from just about any deciduous tree. I just look to see what bucks are using the most in our area (in our case they are shingle oak branches), and then place a limb where we want a scrape to be. I always pee in mine when setting them up and it seems to almost always work.

 

[PatinPA]

I've hung a couple of vines. Some get hit a little bit and some not at all. I think the spot matters and the ground underneath matter the most. The most productive one I have is right along the camp driveway and the ground is very rocky with no topsoil. I don't think there is much scent when scraped up and it dries out quickly. I've had much more luck with scrape drippers.

 

[Bill]

I had a rope for years that worked. When it rotted away I went with the vine.
One other thing that really works for us is taking an existing licking branch that the deer made somewhere that doesn’t help you and moving it to where you want it. We just wire it hanging where we want it. The preexisting scent must be what makes it work.

 

[Someday isle]

I know it sounds stupid but I’ve done this at my small property and it has really worked. In late summer I find a tree with an overhanging limb (usually a cedar but one is an oak tree) and I scrape the dirt back with a rake and I just pee in it myself. I’ve got three of those on my 35 acres and The deer have taken over all of them. One of them Is six years old now. Anecdotal evidence only but Ive seem it work. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Robert86]

I have had really good luck with the vine, if I didn't have something to hang it on I put in a cedar pole with 2, 2×4's. Deer have been using them all year in my area.
Those are the ones I made over a trail, some I attached to trees. Here are some of the bucks working them.

 

[White Oak]

I know it sounds stupid but I’ve done this at my small property and it has really worked. In late summer I find a tree with an overhanging limb (usually a cedar but one is an oak tree) and I scrape the dirt back with a rake and I just pee in it myself. I’ve got three of those on my 35 acres and The deer have taken over all of them. One of them Is six years old now. Anecdotal evidence only but Ive seem it work. Your mileage may vary.

Nothing stupid about that....it's smart to use an existing tree & limb whenever possible.

 

[White Oak]

I have had really good luck with the vine, if I didn't have something to hang it on I put in a cedar pole with 2, 2×4's. Deer have been using them all year in my area. View attachment 46819View attachment 46820
Those are the ones I made over a trail, some I attached to trees. Here are some of the bucks working them.

View attachment 46821View attachment 46822View attachment 46823View attachment 46824View attachment 46825View attachment 46826View attachment 46828

Awesome pictures Robert86 , as for the vine I think location is the key, and you have that figured out. They always say to put them in the middle of an existing trail. Where my stands are in the woods I don't see any trails. I think in March or April I'll hang a vine on the side of a logging road and see what happens.

​

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Nothing stupid about that....it's smart to use an existing tree & limb whenever possible.

If i had more time what I would do is go out on some state land and cut down licking branches and collect dirt from out of active scrapes. I would then re locate the branch and dirt to a mock scrape on our property. I would think that tactic would work really well. Maybe some day i'll get to find out.

 

[blueKYstream]

Deer typically use cedar around me but I've used vines in the past. I killed this buck about 100 yards up the hill from this camera in a patch of oak trees. It was windy, hot, and the "October Lull" on Oct. 12th if I recall. It was when most say I "should have" stayed home instead of hunting. If I didn't second guess myself, I should have shot one on Saturday at 20 yards.

 

[BrushyPines]

In my neck of the woods, beechnut trees hold their leaves all the way into February. Deer love to scrape under a low hanging beechnut limb here for some reason! I've always had success finding low hanging beechnut limbs and making a scrape under it. My opinion, scrape locations are going to be different per area. Scout for other scrapes and observe what they are using as a licking branch. Can't go wrong with the natural way!

 

[White Oak]

Deer typically use cedar around me but I've used vines in the past. I killed this buck about 100 yards up the hill from this camera in a patch of oak trees. It was windy, hot, and the "October Lull" on Oct. 12th if I recall. It was when most say I "should have" stayed home instead of hunting. If I didn't second guess myself, I should have shot one on Saturday at 20 yards.

View attachment 46849View attachment 46851View attachment 46850

blueKYstream and Robert86 do you'all have better luck with a 3/4 or inch Vine ?.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

This one is probably 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter. Like others have said, location is probably more important.

One thing that I have noticed is that it really helps to replace the vine each year even if it doesn't look like it's shredded up too much. I think that maybe once they shred the bark layer from the vine that it doesn't hold as much scent anymore.

 

[blueKYstream]

blueKYstream and Robert86 do you'all have better luck with a 3/4 or inch Vine ?.

I'm not sure that it matters much if it's in a good location.

 

[White Oak]

This one is probably 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter. Like others have said, location is probably more important.

One thing that I have noticed is that it really helps to replace the vine each year even if it doesn't look like it's shredded up too much. I think that maybe once they shred the bark layer from the vine that it doesn't hold as much scent anymore.

Sounds good....I have one vine and one cedar scrape out now. Next year I think I'll put out 2 or 3 Vine scrapes and I'll test out the Code Blue "Rope a dope" from the tree where I've been using the cedar branch. I'm getting the rope a dope free from Cabelas with my points so I'm not out anything. The frayed end of the rope sort of looks like the end of a cedar branch the deer are looking at in my pictures....so I'm thinking it might work.

What locations work best for you ?. I know you are supposed to put them in a middle of a trail , but the spots where my stands are would be in mostly open woods 30-40 yards in front of thick bedding area with no obvious trails. My best location so far has been hanging from a sawtooth oak tree branch on a field edge. I placed it there mid Sept right before the acorns started dropping ,figuring they would find it when the acorns dropped....but a buck found it in less than 12 hours , it's really not the best spot since it's on a slope...but the deer are using it and that's all that matters

 

[blueKYstream]

It depends. Do you want it to inventory the most deer on the farm or a spot to possibly kill a buck? A field edge may be a great spot to get the most pictures but you might get a lot at night (i.e. when you aren't hunting). Every property is different. Maybe you have a funnel or transition or a staging area that a buck might feel secure enough to hit in day light. Hunting immediately after a rain might be a good time or finding a trail or active food nearby might be options.

 

[Robert86]

blueKYstream and Robert86 do you'all have better luck with a 3/4 or inch Vine ?.

Size doesn't seem to make a difference by me, location is key in my opinion. I used to have them on field edges, and they were almost always hit at night. I made some in my hardwood valley that filters down into a swamp and they get hit all times of the day. I have 3 main trails that enter the swamp and I have a vine on each of those. Those seem to get hit the most right on the transition of hardwoods and swamp.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Only thing that I would add to what blueKYstream said is that I would consider putting one downwind of a doe bedding area. During the rut you can almost guarantee that books are going to be cruising near there. Really any transition from betting to a food source is good too though.

 

[gwm]

We've strung paracord between two trees and tied the vine over the trail where we needed it. I've also taken a small branch with a "v" and tied on the paracord over the vine when hanging a new one. Not sure the added branch is needed but I think it helps. The added noise of the leaves, etc...

Example below. Sorry for the crappy pic.