Licking branches/ mock scrapes

There has been much written about mock scrapes and I very seldom had much luck untill I spent alot of time observing deer(mainly does) using licking branches as they staged up before entering food plots. It was then that i started experimenting with Licking branches. I started out using urine based lures on the branches with limited success. it was when I started to use a product called deer herd in a stick that I started to see alot of use of the branches. One other thing I found is that more than 75% of them turned into scrapes.I now use them to help control the deer movement on my farm. by setting them up in the staging areas I see more bucks alot earlier than I used to.(every buck that walks by visits these branches, licks and chews on them) this keeps the deer in your area much longer. as you can see in the pics I use roundup in mid summer and then rake out an area under the branch. When I Don’t have branches at the proper height I will use parachute cord and tie them down to about 60″ apply lure and they will use these all year long. does, fawns and bucks love these and are just one more thing to help increase your odds of being successfull.

Great info Bob

Someday we will have time to have a and talk deer

Good post Bob. I’ve had very good luck making mock scrapes and I believe one of the reasons why is that I always put it under a good licking branch that is visible in a high traffic area. If possible, I like to use a oak limb that has lots of leaves. I typically break the tip of that branch and then make a mock scrape with a stick throwing the leaves and dirt towards where I think the buck will approach it. My goal is to get any buck to check it out and then once they do, others usually come in as well. I do not use any scents in the scrape or licking branch but will certainly have to try herd in a stick. Have you tried using it on a deer decoy?

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Good post Bob. I’ve had very good luck making mock scrapes and I believe one of the reasons why is that I always put it under a good licking branch that is visible in a high traffic area. If possible, I like to use a oak limb that has lots of leaves. I typically break the tip of that branch and then make a mock scrape with a stick throwing the leaves and dirt towards where I think the buck will approach it. My goal is to get any buck to check it out and then once they do, others usually come in as well. I do not use any scents in the scrape or licking branch but will certainly have to try herd in a stick. Have you tried using it on a deer decoy?

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It has been many years since I tried a decoy I may have to give them a shot again.

Great post Bob, I to have had great luck making mock scrapes. The buck I ended up shooting last had his first pictures taken by my trail cams under a mock scrape that I made. I have pictures of as many as 5 bucks at one time around this mock scrape, I have not done a thing to it since I originally made it over 4 years ago and now almost every buck that enters the field stops by and checks it out all year long!

Great post, for those that haven’t tried it, its a great tool to get bucks close to stand sites!

most of the pics I have of the buck I shot last year are from my licking branches. They are all video. I wish we could download video as easy as pics. I can watch hours of video of bucks, does, coyotes etc at these licking branches/ scrapes. The best part is that they use the licking branches year round. I find that very few bucks that visit the site actually scrape. most just work the branch. so without the camera you would have no idea how many deer actually used it.

I have a branch already picked out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp-V3W2QVFI

Gotta love those videos!! I set most of my cameras to video mode, and have learned alot from watching them

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There has been much written about mock scrapes and I very seldom had much luck untill I spent alot of time observing deer(mainly does) using licking branches as they staged up before entering food plots. It was then that i started experimenting with Licking branches. I started out using urine based lures on the branches with limited success. it was when I started to use a product called deer herd in a stick that I started to see alot of use of the branches. One other thing I found is that more than 75% of them turned into scrapes.I now use them to help control the deer movement on my farm. by setting them up in the staging areas I see more bucks alot earlier than I used to.(every buck that walks by visits these branches, licks and chews on them) this keeps the deer in your area much longer. as you can see in the pics I use roundup in mid summer and then rake out an area under the branch. When I Don’t have branches at the proper height I will use parachute cord and tie them down to about 60″ apply lure and they will use these all year long. does, fawns and bucks love these and are just one more thing to help increase your odds of being successfull.

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Bob:

Are you applying the deer-herd-on-a-stick multiple times? If so, how often and at what intervals?

Thanks,

Joel

I am not sure what Bob will say, putting it on multiple times may increase the number of bucks visiting but I have also noticed that once they establish this as a scent post the deer really will take over it and not much more is needed to be done. I have ones I established years ago and now only need to make adjustments to the branches if they break off or become to high and the deer come all year long to mark it and see who else has been there.

I would say if you see a drop in activity hit it again, once you get it going you can’t beat the smell/scent of the real thing.

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I am not sure what Bob will say, putting it on multiple times may increase the number of bucks visiting but I have also noticed that once they establish this as a scent post the deer really will take over it and not much more is needed to be done. I have ones I established years ago and now only need to make adjustments to the branches if they break off or become to high and the deer come all year long to mark it and see who else has been there.

I would say if you see a drop in activity hit it again, once you get it going you can’t beat the smell/scent of the real thing.

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X2 I do freshen on may way out to hunt or when checking a camera, but like scott said once they start hitting it you have the real thing. The only thing about deer herd in a stick is that it is from a deer that doesn’t frequent your woods so it drives the bucks crazy knowing there has been an intruder

I hit 6 branches with the “deer herd in a stick” this AM and hung cameras over a couple. Some were already scrapes and had deer working them. Some are where scrapes normally show up later on. I’ve heard nothing but good reports about this stuff and can’t wait to see the results

Looks like I picked a good branch

Licking Branch

Looking good Pat! But you’re not supposed to lick it…

excellent post and information thanks for sharing!

Bump… It’s time to start working on those licking branches

Good info Bob! Here’s a couple pics of what I set up near my daughter’s tree stand. When I made this plot this spring, I cleared all the saplings, brush, and invasive species along a fence line by a bedding area. I strategically made brush piles to control where deer, turkey, and coyotes would enter the plot. I*n addition, I made a couple of points project out into the field so they would have the highest level of visibility from any direction along the plot. The half dozen I did last year like this were all used as primary scrapes early in the season.

Lookin good Randy