What do you look for in a location to set up? What do you use with regular success? How do you set it up? How often do you check/refresh? best time of the year to use them? Will be used for trail camera/inventory purposes
I started running trail cams last year, and also started making mock scrapes last year. My first one was in late September, had decent success, not great though. Then I made some more once the Middle of October came around and they really took off. I liked putting them close to rublines and/or trail intersections. I used a rubber boot to scrape away the leaves and then just peed in them myself. I scraped away the leaves somewhere where bucks could establish their own licking branch (tried to look for spots with branches at the same height as the rest of the scrapes you find in the woods). Seemed to work much better than I expected last year and got a bunch of different bucks to check them out.
I set my mock scrapes on the edges of my kill plots. I have been doing this for a few years now and have them established. I also pee in the scrape but use Border Crossing Deer Herd In A Stick Ever Calm on the licking branch. I only need to reapply scent if the branch gets broken off and I need to add a new branch otherwise the deer keep it scented. I am looking forward to trying some Buck fever synthetics this year also ! In fact I am going to get my mocks going today ! :D
I have limited experience with mock scrapes but the most success I have had with them has been when used in a funnel the deer travel anyway. My philosophy is to use the mock scrape as a distraction rather than an attractant.
I will start making mine next week. From here on out, I'm thinking about just putting cams on scrapes the rest of the year.
