Sunday, October 10, 2010
Mock Scrape
I started a mock scrape last week and set one of my cameras on it. Had two small bucks and the young six pointer below come check it out. Unfortunately they seemed more interested in the camera than the scrape :(. One of the bucks did work the scrape a little so that was good :). You'll notice that the six pointer doesn't have any brow tines. This seems to be a genetic trait for my area. At least half the bucks don't have brow tines. Did have a good size doe checking it out and that's a good sign. Hopefully better results next week :).
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14 comments:
Okay, for those of us non-hunters, is a scrape set up for bucks to scratch the "felt" off their horns? And if that's what it is, why would they use a man-made scrape rather than a natural tree area? Sorry, I'm hunting impaired...
What's a "brow tine"?
My husband was fascinated with the lack of brow tines. He and my son tried some hunting for youth weekend, with no luck. Still quite warm here, so maybe better luck next weekend. Nice pictures.
texwisgirl - A scrape is made on the ground by a buck pawing the ground to clear off a spot anywhere from a dinner plate size to as big as a car hood. He'll then urinate in it. It is a marker for his area and is used to attract does when they come into heat. Most have a small branch above it that the buck will chew on and rub the glands in his face on to add more scent to the area. That's the basic idea of a scrape. A rub is when a buck rubs his antlers against a tree to either help remove the velvet, satisfy his aggression, mark his territory, or strengthen their neck muscles. See the tree in the "Big Boys" post for a picture of a rub.
Nature ID - The brow tines are usually the first points on the antler above the base. Generally they line up with the brow above the eyes before the antler starts to curve up and out too much.
Farmchick - Thanks. It was pretty hot for your husband and son's hunt this weekend. Hopefully they'll get some better weather next weekend.
very informative,great pics, I wonder if there is a reason why so many of the bucks in your area don't have brow tines?
Thanks, Joe. I appreciate the explanation on "Scrape" and "Rub". I remember your tree photo of the rub. :)
So exactly how do you prepare a mock scrape for deer to pay attention to?
Liesl - My guess is that it's just a genetic trait that gets passed along each year.
texwisgirl - First thing is to wear rubber boots and gloves so you leave as little human scent around the scrape area as possible. I find a good location with a small branch above it and use my walking stick to scrape a small bare spot on the ground. Then I hang a scent dripper above it. You fill this with scent that you can buy at any sporting goods store. This will slowly drip down on the scrape and keep fresh scent in it. I also use some gel scent that I put in the scrape and on the branch above. Then if you're lucky the dominate buck in the area will take over the scrape and start using it and we'll get some good pictures.
Our big game firearm season starts in mid-November. My husband and son will be hunting our property together for the first time. Should be interesting. Do you have earn-a-buck tags in your area? This is what Nebraska has gone to in the past couple of years. They also opened up a second earlier October season to deal with the heavy population. Looks like you have no shortage of deer in your area either. Good looking animals. Very interesting post. :)
Very cool, Joe! Lots of hunters use mock scrapes, but most of us don't get photos of the results.
Nancy - No, we don't have the earn-a-buck tag. We can kill 5 deer a year...2 bucks and 3 does. The farm I hunt on and a couple of the neighboring farms try to manage the deer herd. Only harvesting bucks with antlers outside their ears and as many does as we can to control the population.
heyBJK - Thanks. This is he first time I've tried it. Also, THANKS for the shoutout on your blog.
Not much luck on my mock scrapes so far.
Joe, since heyBJK highlighted your blog on his site, I decided to follow his too (altho I'm not a hunter or fisherman). You deserve the kudos for your blogging!!! :)
Trey - It's early. I wasn't too disappointed with the results I got.
Thanks texwisgirl :)! I’m really a fairly private person and wasn’t real sure about starting a blog. My wife and daughter were shocked when I told them I was starting one. I had emailed my daughter about it and she thought it was one of the joke emails I send her…lol. But I have really enjoyed it and that is because of all of the great fellow bloggers like you that comment on the posts. It’s also fun to see and read what other folks are doing.
I credit you with opening up my blog to more folks in the blogging community as you were one of the first to follow and frequently comment. You're right. Comments make all the difference! :)
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