Do Mock Scrape Drippers Work?

Blog
25 Nov, 2022
Posted By: Patrick Long - OmegaOutdoors.blog

Deer rely on their incredibly keen sense of smell, which is why hunters choose to exploit this sense to increase their odds of bagging trophy-sized bucks. Scents and scrapes, namely mock scrapes and drippers, are among the most popular techniques for attracting deer. Just because certain baits are popular doesn’t mean they are effective, so do mock scrape drippers actually work?

Mock scrape drippers can be effective if you establish them before deer season in a high-traffic area such as a natural funnel. Using a licking branch with your dripper is required for deer to interact with it. With the right timing, location, and application, a mock scrape dripper will work.

Understanding Scrapes And Why Deer Use Them

Deer use scrapes as a method of communication, and understanding this will help you ensure that the time you spend creating a mock version of one isn’t spent in vain. Basically, a scrape is an area of open ground where the deer have pushed away the ground cover with an overhanging branch that they rub their heads/faces on.

Deer have no shortage of scent glands all over their bodies, and this includes the forehead, preorbital (the area around the eye), nasal, and salivary glands which are utilized when scraping. The deer will rub these areas on a branch, known as the licking branch, above the area where they have cleared the ground.

There are different types of natural scrapes that deer use to communicate, some of which are utilized year-round and others that are only tended during the early phases of the rut. Understanding where they are located will help you determine when and where to place your mock scrape to make sure it is a useful addition to your arsenal of deer attractants.

What Exactly Is A Mock Scrape Dripper?

A mock scrape dripper is exactly what it sounds like, a fake scrape with an apparatus that slowly releases scent over time. The hunter clears a patch of ground, about 3ft by 3ft, and attaches a dripper to the licking branch overhead.

The dripper holds buck and/or doe urine, which drips onto the bare ground that the hunter has scraped, essentially creating an area where deer think that other deer like to hang out. Doe urine is great for attracting bucks during the rut, and buck urine is great for attracting other bucks because they are especially aggressive during mating season.

Types Of Scrapes

Differentiating between types of scrapes will save you time deciding where to place your mock scrape dripper, and it will ensure that you are placing it near an area that has the potential to hold big bucks during the rut. There is no sense wasting precious time relocating your scrapes during the early stages of the rut when bucks are actually still interested in them.

Primary Scrapes

These are the most important type of scrape because they are found in locations where bucks tend to congregate and travel. These include highly-trafficked trails, ridgelines, and dense forests where does can nurse their young. They will always be somewhere with an overhanging branch, the licking branch, so be sure to choose an area where this can be achieved for your mock scrape dripper.

Random Scrapes

These scrapes are aptly named because they are found in unexpected spots. How can you tell if a scrape is random? You should note its location, and if it doesn’t seem like an area that deer would prefer to bed, mate, or nurse fawns, then it's probably just a one-off where the buck saw a delectable licking branch out of the corner of its eye.

Boundary Scrapes

Boundary scrapes are equally as uneventful as random scrapes because they are, you guessed it, on the borders of fields, roads, fences, or other changes in vegetation. Generally, these are made as bucks patrol their core area. They don’t necessarily signify an area where deer are going to congregate, so don’t bother taking note of these locations either.

How To Maximize The Efficiency Of Your Mock Scrape Dripper

The success of your mock scrape dripper hinges on a few variables that can be the difference between a cold day in a tree stand and a full freezer, followed by a celebration at the bar of course. How well your mock scrape performs primarily depends on when and where you hang it, your choice of scent, and whether or not you utilize a licking branch

Location

As we mentioned earlier, when identifying natural scrapes, placing your mock scrape in the correct area is of the utmost importance. Placing it in an area that doesn’t meet a deer’s needs for safety, food, and bedding won’t prove to be very effective, no matter how potent your chosen scent may be.

Some areas that are great to hang a mock scrape dripper include:

Near frequently used game trails
Close proximity to ridgelines
Presence of primary scrapes
Densely wooded areas where deer like to bed down
Near popular food sources

Timing

Simply hanging a dripper with doe urine right before opening weekend won’t guarantee that the area will be flooded with trophy bucks. These things take time, and planning accordingly will maximize your chances of attracting more deer. Scrapes are essentially communication hubs, so creating them well before deer season will give the deer ample time to discover them and become familiar with the area.

Most hunters start deploying their mock scrapes during the middle of summer. This tends to be when bucks start showing more interest in them, and it leaves plenty of time before the opening weekend for the buck to make checking your scrape part of his everyday routine.

Hanging a trail cam next to your mock scrapes is a great way to see how effective your efforts are, this will allow you to test multiple areas and change locations if need be. Although the frequency with which bucks scrape tends to increase about a month before the rut is in full swing, they can be found licking branches all year long.

Licking Branches

You will want to make sure your scrape has a branch located above the ground that you cleared. This will allow you to hang a scent dripper above it, so that the urine can fall onto the fresh dirt for maximum scent dispersion, and it gives the deer a branch to lick and rub its head on, spreading its scent for other deer to smell.

Scent

The idea behind scenting your mock scrape is to attract deer that will, in turn, leave their scent by urinating and rubbing their faces on the licking branch. Once you successfully attract one deer to the area, there is a good chance more will follow as it is perceived as a popular place to congregate.

Buck and doe urine are great choices for attracting both sexes of deer, but you can use other scents as well. Specific licking branches can be utilized to attract deer and entice them to rub their scent glands on the branch. For example, grape vines are a popular choice for licking branches because they are naturally attracted to the scent and taste.

Final Thoughts

Scrape drippers placed above your mock scrapes can increase the number of deer in your hunting area, but they aren’t a guarantee that you will be surrounded by more bucks than you know what to do with. Their efficiency relies upon outside factors like their location, timing, whether or not a licking branch is present, and the scent used to attract the deer. Hunters that take the time to consider these factors will give themselves a better chance to spot a deer worth filling the freezer with.

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