For Todd Amenrud, a buck’s scrape is more than a calling card to the does, it’s a breeding territory marker to all other deer in the area, and a tool to draw a buck in close for a good shot.

Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time, an overhanging branch about 5 to 6 feet off of the ground, most often referred to as a “licking branch,” is necessary to induce scrape activity.

Interrelating with the licking branch by chewing on and/or licking the branch, and scent-marking it with their forehead and preorbital glands, are almost always the first steps in the process when a buck makes a scrape. The majority of scrapes are made underneath these licking branches. The actual ground scrape is made by the buck pawing the ground and whisking the leaves and dirt away. Then, he will urinate down his hocks and over his tarsal glands into it. The order of these steps may vary from one buck to another, but most often they will occur in exactly this order.

“Mock” scrapes are a great way to entice bucks into an area, hold them there longer, and bring them close enough for a shot. The best results I’ve had come from making a “series of mock scrapes” and using Magnum Scrape Drippers over them.

So, where should you locate your mock scrapes? You can’t just go out to any overhanging branch and expect success. Concentrate on areas closer to bedding areas. Target an area a buck is already claiming as his; move in and make it look and smell like there’s a rival buck invading his turf. Look for areas with the largest scrapes, spots that contain numerous scrapes or clusters of scrapes, and scrapes that you know have been freshened again and again. Once you locate an area with activity, try to duplicate the variables the local bucks preferred.

You can also use a buck’s existing scrape(s). In the whitetails’ world, the same scrape may be utilized by many different bucks. However, more often than not, I’ll make my own, trying to copy the specifics found with existing scrapes in the area.

The actual mock scrape is best created with a sturdy stick found in the area. Try to make the scrape on flat ground (if possible) and make sure it is free from all debris.

I prefer to use several drippers, each on their own scrape, and possibly vary the scent in each. I believe with more than one mock scrape you’re increasing the chances that something’s going to be right with at least one of them that will draw a response. My three favorite scents are Active Scrape, Golden Scrape or Trail’s End #307 used in the dripper.

Consistent with just about every successful mock scrape setup I’ve had are “mock rubs” that I also produce. With a pruner or wood rasp, I “rake-up” 2- to 6-inch saplings in the area. A real intruder buck would typically also mark the territory in this way. On the rubs, and in various other places around the setup, I use a scent called Mega Tarsal Plus. It’s a territorial intrusion scent. The illusion I want to create is that a foreign buck has moved in on his breeding territory. Select Buck Urine is also placed out at several key places in the area.

Timing is important for mock scrapes to work. In the Midwest, I seem to have my best luck from the second week of October through the first week of November, and then again after Thanksgiving and throughout the rest of the season. When the bucks are actively chasing and breeding, mock scrapes are probably not your best tactic. You want the bucks to be “claiming and protecting territory.”

When making a mock scrape, you must be cautious of scent transfer. Rubber gloves should be worn to avoid leaving smells behind. I actually like to hang my drippers on a higher branch above the licking branch if available. This keeps bucks from getting a good whiff of any foreign odors that may have permeated the dripper’s cloth cover.

Don’t expect your exact mock scrape(s) to get hit. Sometimes, they may annihilate the actual mock scrape, but my goal is simply to draw them to the area during legal shooting light and hold them there for a longer period of time. I could care less if they touch my mock scrapes; I just want the shot opportunity.

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