scott44
5 year old buck +
Thanks! I'm looking forward to trying this.
bigeight
5 year old buck +
Just get it right out in the open, and easy shooting distance from your stand. They will use it a lot more if it sticks out like a sore thumb, instead of blended into the natural edge of a plot.
I usually place it about 25 yards from the edge, but located directly out from a deer trail gap in my edge feathering.
Rather than the bucks popping out with 1/2 their body in the woods surveying the field, and looking around, they get tunnel vision and lock in on the post. Makes a big difference with fading light. They don't linger in the edge, instead they make short work of getting right out in the wide open. It also Makes it easy to get to full draw if you desire, and keep those deer's eyes (including does) focused, instead of looking up in the trees for danger :D
I usually place it about 25 yards from the edge, but located directly out from a deer trail gap in my edge feathering.
Rather than the bucks popping out with 1/2 their body in the woods surveying the field, and looking around, they get tunnel vision and lock in on the post. Makes a big difference with fading light. They don't linger in the edge, instead they make short work of getting right out in the wide open. It also Makes it easy to get to full draw if you desire, and keep those deer's eyes (including does) focused, instead of looking up in the trees for danger :D
Redonthehead
5 year old buck +
Last year I put in four "trees" in food plots within bow range of stands. They did have activity as the posts above, but for me they did not help much with the main goal, which was to draw a large buck to the tree while I was in the stand. I have some large food plots which obviously you can see a lot more deer than you can shoot at with a bow. Usually does were already in the plots before a good buck would show - and he would ignore the "special tree".
bigeight
5 year old buck +
I don't think the leaves matter that much long term, but I think it helps them to get started, the moisture/sap in the branch is probably more important. Thats why I wait till bucks are almost scraping on their own before I install. (Sep 1) So they don't dry out before they start getting used for the licking branch aspect. I don't think it matters at all for the rubbing aspect. I like the licking branches just as much as the rubbing aspect because most of the does in the plot will come over and visit the licking branch as well as young bucks. The older bucks will posture at a young button buck on the plot and come over, even if he has no intentions of using it. I think Shingle oaks would be a fantastic tree to use anyway ! I have basically no Oaks to easily harvest, or I would try them.
I figure MOST of the natural scrape trees have shed their leaves by November anyway. So JUST a branch is probably the norm. JMO, But I would use whatever is convenient to harvest. I usually put in 6-8 a year and do so in a couple hours from start to finish (even harvest time) I don't think it will matter THAT much either which way, so no sense turning it into a major production :)
Opposite of Redontheheads experience, I have almost ALL the bucks that use the plot come over and at least take a sniff of the post/rub/scrape, or all three ! Even most of the does will visit. Not #1 priority like the bucks, but they do eventually wander over. Although our age structure with our bucks is probably way worse than the norm. Not sure if that matters.
I did harvest my buck this year, after watching him beat up one of our rubbing posts for a few minutes. Awesome to see :)
I figure MOST of the natural scrape trees have shed their leaves by November anyway. So JUST a branch is probably the norm. JMO, But I would use whatever is convenient to harvest. I usually put in 6-8 a year and do so in a couple hours from start to finish (even harvest time) I don't think it will matter THAT much either which way, so no sense turning it into a major production :)
Opposite of Redontheheads experience, I have almost ALL the bucks that use the plot come over and at least take a sniff of the post/rub/scrape, or all three ! Even most of the does will visit. Not #1 priority like the bucks, but they do eventually wander over. Although our age structure with our bucks is probably way worse than the norm. Not sure if that matters.
I did harvest my buck this year, after watching him beat up one of our rubbing posts for a few minutes. Awesome to see :)
scott44
5 year old buck +
Thanks Bigeight, I think I have a good spot for this.
This spot is just about as you described, where the doe is is where I was thinking, she just came out of the woods on a tail and there is a stand in the trees on the left, last year the smaller bucks ripped up that olive right where the doe is so thats where I was thinking.
Steve Bartylla
5 year old buck +
Much like Big8 said, my experiences say it helps initially.
Someone asked about timing. If you're going to rub/scrape route, like Big8, I can see how it's matter when you "planted" them. My route, not so much at all. If planted in April, it sticks out like a turd in a punch bowl and is located where deer are feeding that time of year, they most often are used as lick branches. Even when you do lose all the leaves before season starts, it's already turned into the local coffee shop and the regulars are often are stopping by to keep tabs on everyone else. Once that happens, so long as it has a lick branch, what it looks like doesn't really matter.
Buckly nailed the positioning strategy I use. I should have explain that better. There are 2 reasons I use them: for scout cams and to give me a shot. For hunting, I'm placing them out far enough in the plot to get the "turd in a punchbowl effect," but close enough to the stand to give a reasonable shot. Pointing the branches towards the stand both helps position deer for the shot, and focuses their attentions away from me, while I'm in the stand. That generally allows me to get away with a lot more movement. I personally don't try aligning them with trails or anything more than placing them out from where my stand is. Sometimes the stand is there because of a trail. Other times it's there because I can slip out of that location easier. There's other times that it's just a pinch in the food source. I can't say I personally have noticed any difference in use or how fast bucks enter the plot, based on where the scrape tree is planted vrs trails. That may well be a combo of pressure/lack of pressure and/or buck age structure, though.
Someone else mentioned they don't have much luck with them. Big8 said he has most every deer check his, but speculated that "may" have something to do with not having a lot of mature bucks. In my case, I don't believe maturity has anything to do with it. Some locations, I get very good use from every buck. There are a handful of locations that they pretty much ignore it. Then there is everything in between those to extremes. I don't think it's a world changer every time in every location. It's just another little thing that one can do that may change the world when it matters most. That said, I've seen no differentiation in use based on age. With what I do, the oldest bucks in the woods are hammering them where the youngster are. When the old bucks aren't using them much, none of the other deer are either.
Now, what I am convinced does have an impact are deer numbers. In areas of lower deer numbers, I tend to have a bit of a higher % of the lower end results. In higher deer numbers, more of the "almost every deer checks them out" extreme. I believe that's merely the competition factor. High deer number areas, all deer have to work harder to establish their spot in the dominance ladder.
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scott44
5 year old buck +
Thanks for starting this discussion BJE80, and thanks to everyone who has answered my questions. I am looking forward to giving this a try later this summer.
What kind of rope do you use??
Tap
5 year old buck +
My buddy tried it that way. I think they kept pulling the tree out. I think it would work fine if a hole was drilled thru the pipe and tree so a pin or bolt could be put through.
Just shoving a tree in a pipe doesn't hold the tree tightly enough, I guess.
I bought 20 12 foot long 4 inch diameter cedar posts for my installations. I am using a 9 inch PTO auger to dig the holes. It will go down to about 30 inches.
My question is, at what height do you hang branches or the bottom of the rope? Do you do anything to the ground around the post to encourage scrapes? Is it best to use branches of trees that are native to your land?
My question is, at what height do you hang branches or the bottom of the rope? Do you do anything to the ground around the post to encourage scrapes? Is it best to use branches of trees that are native to your land?
Tap
5 year old buck +
I've only done licking branches. Never did a post.
I think 4 to 5 feet off the ground seems to work, but I've seen bucks standing on their hind legs to work natural branches that are over 6 feet off the ground.
I usually rake out and expose some dirt and then I pee in them every chance I get.
I had an amazing licker made from a grape vine. The bottom of the vine was in the way of my tractor path so I cut it off and it hug about 5 feet off the ground. It got checked or hit by almost every deer that passed it. The most important thing is location, location, location. Lickers have to be in a spot that deer are already using, IMO. I don't believe they will go much out of their way to visit a branch.
Think about the location of a real scrape. Those are there because its where deer frequent. Bucks don't go out of their way, off their route, just to make a scrape. They scrape where they are because its where they already travel and where other deer will see/smell it.
Lickers should be located the same way. I've actually cut off and relocated lickers to my mocks. Once you get real deer to work a mock scrape which creates genuine scent, then it essentially becomes a genuine scrape.
All mine have been for camera set-ups. I don't make them to hunt over.
BTW, I think that hunting directly over any scrape for mature bucks is the wrong approach. Most mature buck scent check primary scrapes during daylight hours. A stand set downwind 75 yards or more is a better way. At least that's the way it is in heavily hunted areas. Old bucks don't get old by taking risks.
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Nova
5 year old buck +
All the talk about this I had to try it. I put one 20 yards from a stand overlooking a food plot last night. I put it right in the bean plot they have been using a lot lately. I used a grape vine screwed and zip tied to the tree as the licking branch. I put a cam on it and will see how they use it. Been wanting to do this for years, but this thread spiked my interest at the perfect time of year. Thanks gentlemen!!
j-bird
Moderator
This is a pic I pulled from a video of where this buck was on a trail in the back ground and stopped and came over to investigate as the does had already started working here. I simply cut a 2 or 3 foot piece of 1" or 2" diameter of grape vine and it's hung from a tree branch with 550 cord. This is on a path that we had used for logging. What I did find is it's all about location. I had other methods and the like along this trail that had no sign of use, but this one was. So try a lot and expect only a few to work, but when they do, they work well.
I have tried the trees and my advice there is to make it as big as possible and as obvious as possible as well. I have also lashed grape vine to other trees to do this as well.
I have tried the trees and my advice there is to make it as big as possible and as obvious as possible as well. I have also lashed grape vine to other trees to do this as well.
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Tap
5 year old buck +
I have taken easily over 20,000 pics from this licking branch in the last 10 years. The original vine eventually got torn down. I've rebuilt it 2 more times. Last year was the 1st re-build and, although they still used it, it didn't get quite as much use as the original vine. So I put up a new vine this summer and so far, it is getting used, but there are also more pics of deer just walking past and not checking it. Hopefully, after velvet shed, they may get a little more aggressive and curious about it. With the previous vines, practically every deer that walked by, stopped to check it out.
2 things about this new one...Ive had numerous pics of turkeys dusting in the scrape and also coons reaching up and stretching to touch it. I may need to shorten it slightly.
I didn't keep any of the pics of coons or turkey dusting but its happened many times this summer. I don't know if it effected the attractiveness of the set up.
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2 things about this new one...Ive had numerous pics of turkeys dusting in the scrape and also coons reaching up and stretching to touch it. I may need to shorten it slightly.
I didn't keep any of the pics of coons or turkey dusting but its happened many times this summer. I don't know if it effected the attractiveness of the set up.
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