How to Make a Mock Scrape

Is a Mock Scrape Hard to do?

When I first heard the term “Mock Scrape” I had no idea what it was or how to do it. Really, at the time I hardly knew what a real scrape was. That being the case, I honestly didn’t really care what a mock scrape was. I also figured that it was something difficult and couldn’t really help my hunting anyway. However, since I’ve always had such a passion for whitetails I did wonder how to make a mock scrape.

It’s been quite a few years since I first heard about mock scrapes. Since then, I’ve heard many more stories and seen a lot more of them popping up on the land I hunt. The addition of food plots created an explosion of scrapes. With that came a renewed interest in learning more about them. With a little bit of digging I realized just how to make a mock scrape really quickly and easily. In fact, the one I made last week had a deer checking  it out within 24 hours!

How to make a Mock Scrape

The steps I took to make this mock scrape in these photos took me a grand total of 2 minutes. It took only one tool that I brought in not including the camera. That tool was a standard hand saw that I use to clear shooting lanes. In fact, this mock scrape is within a 30 yard bow shot from a stand location. Here is a quick run down of the 3 simple steps I took to make this mock scrape.

The Steps for How to Make a Mock Scrape

1. You’ll need a licking branch. So you’ll either need to do this near a tree with a low hanging branch or you’ll need to supply your own to suspend between two trees. Here, I chose to use a vine that was already suspended high above. I pulled it down and cut it off at the height I wanted (in between waist and chest high). If you need to bring one in, use a rope and tie it between two trees. then you can tie the licking branch you brought in that.
2.  Now take a stick, one that’s pretty sturdy and has a decent pointed end to it. Find a spot that you know deer are passing by that is also within shooting range of your treestand. Use the stick to scrape a circle of dirt underneath the licking branch. Make sure that you really rough up the dirt so that you would leave a footprint in it if you stepped in it.
3. This last step definitely causes arguments in every deer camp year after year. I have to say that even I myself have pretty much always been afraid to pee in the woods anywhere near where I hunted. This year I decided to try it for myself and see what happened. That’s right, I used my own pee in the scrape. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I thought for sure I would see deer check out the scrape within about a week. Lucky for me, it took less than 24 hours!

Conclusion

Using my own pee was new for me this year. The early evidence is telling me that it was a good idea. Only time will tell if the trend will continue, but so far I’m happy with the results. I have photos of the deer right before and right after visiting the scrape. She was not spooked by it at all. I will have to change the camera over to video mode in order to see if any of the does that come up to it have actually used it or not. Either way, there has been a decent amount of interest in the scrape from the local doe herd. The jury is still out on the bucks.When I go back in to swap out the card in a couple weeks, I will switch the camera to video mode and hope to find some bucks.

The camera is located on the funnel property and is within 80 yards of where I shot my doe with a bow last season. During that hunt I nearly got a shot at a very nice mature buck. This season, a mature buck walking that same trail will not be so lucky. I chose a new tree to set up in that allows me to hide from the deer coming down that path. I’ve also got a new tree to hunt from that can shoot to this mock scrape. I look forward to seeing what comes from this one. I encourage you to get out there and use your newfound knowledge of how to make a mock scrape. Happy Hunting!