The Season of the Mock Scrapes

As the mercury begins to drop, and the hormones of bucks begins to rise, hunters can feel the approach of the greatest part of a deer hunters' year. The rut is on the horizon for many properties across the country and with that, the boosted potential to take advantage of bucks driven by the thought of breeding rather than survival. Most hunters think about the rut as arrowing a giant buck chasing a hot doe, but there are many other ways that we can leverage a buck's natural behavior.

Scrapes and licking branches are a part of a buck's daily life year-round, being used as an email inbox of sorts for them send and receive messages about other deer in the area using scent. The activity on these "communication stations" intensifies as the rut approaches and bucks become territorial over their area of dominance. I won't elaborate any further as most reading this know what a scrape, and more importantly, a mock scrape are.

Mock scrapes can be a deadly tool in a hunter's arsenal if used correctly and placed in the right location. In combination with a trail camera, a hunter can see a deer's patterns during the rut; what time he checks the scrape, what direction he comes from, and what direction he's going. When factoring in wind direction and barometric pressure a hunter can almost get scientific about where a buck is bedding and where he is heading during certain conditions. Like mentioned above though, the mock scrape has to be setup correctly in the right spot to truly take advantage of this natural behavior. A lighthouse built away from the sea has no benefit to the sailor, and the same ideology can be used for mock scrapes.

Our HempScent Rope and Licking Branch Systems can help any hunter tailor a mock scrape to whatever property they are placed. Whether hanging a HODAG HempScent Rope over a heavily trafficked trail or placing a HODAG Licking Branch in an area scarce of low hanging opportunity, both products give customization to the hunter using them. Every property is different and every hunter knows their property better than the guy writing this article. That's why we made versatile products that hinge on a hunters woodsmanship and knowledge of the deer on their property to create a unique setup that fits their land, not ours.

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