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Mock scrapes

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sstevens

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For those of you that make mock scrapes, when do you start them and what scents do you use?
 
I have had luck with both the active scrape and code blue products in the dripper bottles.
 
I have had just as much luck making mock scrapes with either human urine or with no scent at all as I have had using commercial scents. The biggest thing seems to be where you locate them and that you have licking branches present. It almost seems like bucks prefer licking branches from certain species of trees, so match the real scrapes that you find in your area.
 
Don't you think that a human's urine smells completely different then a deer's urine? It just doesn't make sense to me to urinate in a scrape, but then again I have never tried it.
 
Made three in the last week when I hung three stands. I've found they will either begin using them or just ignore them. Big deer scrape first. I use tarsal glang hair cut off last years rut bucks and some deer urine.
 
Sureshot1...we had a big discussion about the scrape self freshening technique a couple of years back.

I just had to try it because I was taught not to pee in the woods years ago.

Anyway, Busch Light seems to work the best for me. Slug down about 5 cans and head to the timber with a trail cam and do a little experiment.

This was on my camera over this scrape the very next day...
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Don't you think that a human's urine smells completely different then a deer's urine? It just doesn't make sense to me to urinate in a scrape, but then again I have never tried it.

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I used to think the same way until a few years ago. I used to always relieve myself before heading to the stand in the same spot in a fence line. One night during rut I came out early to placate my fiance and watched a very nice buck working my pee tree. He raked the trees nearby and scraped up the ground over my "scent bomb". Since then I have never hesitated to pee from the tree or freshen up a scrape near my stand. #2 on the other hand, I do keep out of my stand areas.
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That's really interesting guys. Since I started bowhunting I have been told to never pee in the woods. I have always taken an extra bottle to pee in on those long all day tree stand hunts. Ghost, haha, I'm only 19 years old, so I don't think that I could legally try what you did. I do go to Iowa State though so I don't think it would be very hard to get ahold of a couple of beers if I wanted to conduct the experiment
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I agree peeing in the woods doesn't scare deer off. Matter of fact I've had a buck come in when I was peeing from my stand looking for the source. 20 feet up on dry leaves is pretty noisy.
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i agree with you guys, i took a leak off my stand last year and 2 hours later a doe came buy and took a pee right on top of it.
 
Concerning mock scrapes: Mock scrapes are probably the strategy I use most because it seems to produce the most results. Firstly, put the mock scrape 40 yards upwind of your stand because deer will scent-check the scrape from the downwind side (between you and the scrape) hopefully offering a shot. Another way is to simply make mock scrapes all around intending to get deer to frequent the general area. I read bucks check scrapes on average at 2pm!? I don't know how they measured that or if it is true but I have seen a lot of deer checking around this time. The main thing when making scrapes is to use tarsal gland urine, I also dip the overhead branch with it too (although I wish someone would bottle forehead gland for this and mock rubs). Look for a nice overhead branch about 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 feet over the scrape, otherwise cut a branch and tie it there. Scrapes are actually year round, but I think that only goes for states that don't go into the deep freeze. Late September is when things pick up. I made a mock scrape four days ago and not but 10 minutes later a doe and her fawn were working it. They stood on top of that thing for over 20 minutes! Now it's not mock anymore.

Concerning pissing in the woods: I disagree with most of you. Peeing in the woods isn't good for the trophy wall. It may bring curious or naive deer in for a smell check but how many big boys gave you the slip that you didn't know about! I refuse to bottle my drainage so I dig a hole in the dirt and fill 'er up with regular, cover it with dirt and spray it with scent killer. Yeah, maybe a bit extreme
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but bowhunting is (extreme, that is)!
 
Bowhunting Boy, I don't know where you read or heard that the average time a buck checks scrapes are at 2pm. I have been documenting scrape activity in two different areas for more then three years now, and around 80% of the pictures I have are taken after dark. The big boys just don't seem to check them until that time. I usually set the cameras up around the beginning of October and take them down during the end of November. Just my 2cents.
 
Sureshot1,
I'll see if I can't find where I read that. I know you can't believe everything you read and this me be one of those occasions. I was never sold on that theory to begin with. But, in defense of it if there is any defense... communal scrapes near field edges seem to be hit more at night and maybe scrapes closer to bedding areas are hit in the afternoon Deer in my area are so nocturnal-I'd have to agree with you more than that study. But who doesn't like stats?
 
Bowhuntingboy, stick to your routine if it works for you. I've shot 2 P&Y Deer and seen several others bowhunting and have never bottled pee or buried it?
 
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My Bad...I forgot you were a minor...try it out with your favorite soda pop.
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Or buy some of the NA beer swill
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You boys can go around peeing in the woods as much as you like, you're only hurting yourself. And I don't care how many P&Y bucks you've killed, you're messing up way more deer then you are seeing. And yes, I too have had deer investigate and even pee right on the same spot as I have. It don't mean diddly!
Don't think deer know the difference between yours and thiers? Then why can they tell the difference between urines of fox, coon, wolf, bear, moose, and even each individual deer within thier territories?
Next time at the house when you're standing at the toilet, take notice as to the color and smell of your wizz. Depending on what you eat, what you drink, and how long it has been since you have eaten, drank, or wizzed last, your urine will have all sorts of different odors.

Ever seen the "pro's" on TV take a wizz out of thier tree? Ever heard them mention it? Tell your Outfitter that you just pissed from his treestand and see what happens.
Maybe its been brought out in print in THE HOPES THAT YOU DO LET IT GO IN THE WOODS? Think about that.

Eat a bunch of ice-cream and drink a big glass of water. Wait as long as you can before peeing. Take notice of the color and smell. Next time, eat some Oranges and drink a can of beer or pop. Its a totally different color and smell.

Yep, go ahead and wizz up a storm, its only yourself you're hurting.

As for me, I'll carry that bottle till I no longer hunt (by the way.., its a wide mouth bottle!
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). And my trophy wall speaks for itself.
 
I gues your a Biologist. I've read many articles on this subject and the animals you speek of have additional scents added to thier urine for Identification or like bucks pee on thier tarsal gland. Urine it's self has amonia, and we may add some protien smell if you eat meat, but In my experience it hasn't effected deer movement enough to justify pissing in a bottle!! I don't normally pee right from my stand, I get down and head to the creek or hit a scrape and add some buck scent. To each his own. This is Iowa isn't it?
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I have mixed feelings about the whole peeing in mock scrapes idea. Last year, on our 220 acres, we had 5 cameras set up. We were haveing a tough time getting any pictures of any bucks. We decided to try making mock scrapes. At first we used buck urine in a couple and nothing in the others. We still weren't getting any buck action. Thinking it was just the time of year, and that the bucks were just not into the scrapes yet, we weren't too concerned. On a whim, just for
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$t's and giggles, I peed in one of our mock's just to see what would see what would happen. We were amazed, on that camera, in a week, we had a role almost full of bucks. It was crazy. We started peeing in every mock scrape we had. We got pictures of yearlings, 120's, 30's, 40's and even a couple pictures of one that would probably go around 185ish. We were so jacked to hunt during the rut. When November came around we were deciding which bucks were on or off limits. How many of those bucks do you think we saw between my dad and I hunting hard all of November? NONE! I saw one 150" buck. My dad saw a 140". We had pictures of neither. That was it for the whole season. So as far as the peeing goes, from my experience, it's great for getting pictures of good deer. I've racked my brain trying to figure out where they all went for the season. They didn't follow the does away from our farm, we had plenty of them. The only thing I can think of is they came into the human urine out of curiosity and then they break camp wondering why us crazy humans are urination in their scrapes trying to pick up their does! Needless to say, this year, I'm tryng to shoot a mature whitetail, not photograph one.
 
I agree that what you eat or drink affects your urine but isn't it going to be the same with the animals?? I have no idea if it'll hurt or help but I'm never afraid to just let it rip from the tree. I've yet to see that it is hurting my hunts, I'd rather take the chance than have pi$$ all over my hands and pants.
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