Let's talk serious about scrapes

[rascal]

A few years ago an outdoor television personality in Michigan did a segment on the doe in heat / buck in rut type pee products on the market.  To be precise it was the Buck Stop products made in Entrican, Michigan which were "collected at the peak of estrus/rut" .  Most of them explain how you should make a mock scrape and where (low hanging licking branch, soft earth, edge area etc) and this guy maintained that a well placed mock scrape had more to do with the sucess of the product than the actual product.  To test it he also used a bit of fresh squeezed pee of his own making versus the bottled stuff.  He did the scrapes and also poured about a quart of his own pee on a doe decoy.  Even using a full quart (morning fresh by his description) of pee on that decoy didnt phase the local herd.  Incidentally as I recall the host did get sued over his claims that human pee worked as well as the expensive bottled pee.

Basically I pee with purpose now when I hunt scrapes after seeing his results and my results mirror his.  Also a little trick I like is if you hunt more than one area (different buck populations) I collect samples of dirt out of scrapes and take them to other areas to seed them.  Im convinced it works.

[kctreeman]

I don't want to chance spooking a buck.  I try to be as scent free as possible.  No lures, no pee, no wafers.  I always have my gatorade bottle with me.  Makes a pretty good hand warmer if needed.

[kennym]

Treeman said it for me!
Whatever gives ya confidence to sit that xtra 30 min..........

[geno]

Originally posted by Zbone:
[QB] You guys eat asparagus before you wizz in these scraps?      


No but a little rice, barley and hops..  

[Bonebuster]

Diluted ammonia. Find an active scrape, and start another very nearby. This seems to piss them off,
and they open your fake scrape up larger and often start another. I have had very good luck this way. If they catch your scent there...its over and you will have to move. Personally, I think the diluted ammonia gives them just enough scent to make them work to figure out who it was.
I think a bucks nose is just too sensitive not to detect something in human urine, at least some of the time.

With my scouting cameras, I have also found that 90+% of all scrape activity occurs in the dark.
(where I am anyway). That being said, for mature bucks, scrapes are where its at.

[ber643]

I have come to believe it (urine is urine concept), from all I've heard and read about it over recent years. However I, personally, can't seem to whizz out of my treestand without getting it all over the stand, or some part of my gear, - especially if it is the least bit chilly -      :D   So .... I still carry and use a bottle in the tree stand. I do whizz in scrapes, and I don't worry about where I go, when on the ground, near as much as I used to. My penny and a half worth.

[BillJ]

This has been a very informative thread.  Thanks to all who chimed in.

At least it has made me feel a bit better about drinking my normal multiple cups of coffee before heading into the woods!  I won't be so worried about it now.

BillJ

[geno]

Originally posted by ber643: However I, personally, can't seem to whizz out of my treestand without getting it all over the stand, or some part of my gear, - especially if it is the least bit chilly -    

[ber643]

Ahhhh - sad but true -      :p

[Gun]

Rascal
(QUOTE),I collect samples of dirt out of scrapes and take them to other areas to seed them. Im convinced it works.

Thanks for the reminder. I've been thinking about trying that. Need to carry some baggies. I'll have to experiment with peeing in scrapes this year too. Interesting!

[Curtiss Cardinal]

Yes like Deadsimple said, Urine is urine and the scent of urine changes over time until it is just ammonia and uria. fresh urine carrys more scent that communicate information to the deer. I've seen bucks run to the sound of a doe urinating, finding her and then hounding her to get a whiff. I have seen scrapes I urinating in be just tore up soon after by at least one and possibly several deer.

[jonsimoneau]

I don't ever pee on scrapes, but I've gotta say that I've never had much luck hunting over scrapes either.  Maybe Gene or Barry can help with this one, but I think the tactic of scrape hunting works better in areas where the deer population is still growing, and where sex ratios are closer. Might still be some places in Canada like that.  Also, we have put alot of trail cameras over scrapes and while we have alot of pics of deer, I have yet to get a picture of a big one during daylight hours.  
    Having said that, I did miss a big buck over a scrape 6 or 7 years ago, but that was the only decent buck I have ever had come to one.

[Roger Norris]

I urinate from my treestand, I don't think it spooks deer. Plenty of them come in afterwards. I have never had a MONSTER come in to my urine though, so who knows?

I think much of the organic matter in urine dissapates pretty quickly, and the remaining by-product, ammonia, is all that is left.

[Stu]

1st, I have noted no harm from human urine smell when deer hunting, and plainly pee near my stands. 2nd, I have urinated in scrapes and had 'em torn to heck the next day. 3rd, I rarely hunt over scrapes so don't "freshen" scapes where I hunt.

Lastly, a tale: I once co-owned a section of land, I leased 200A of it to some friends to hunt. Knowing they were coming to look at it one day, I made a large mock scrape, with rubs & "licking branch" near a trail I knew they'd be on. I rubbed "tine marks" all over the tree with my house key. I then "christened" the scrape & left.  

I later met them for coffee to see how they liked the property. They were all excited and when I asked, "Did you see any fresh sign, scrapes or anything?" they looked at each other like they shouldn't tell. Finally, after I assured them I wasn't hunting on their lease, they told me about this "huge scrape" they'd found, right by the trail...and they knew it was fresh because they got down on their hands & knees and smelled it.

I asked a few questions about it that showed I knew exactly where & what it was, then asked them what type of rack made those multiple & vigorous rubs. While they were deciding, I pulled out my key ring, held up my house key & said "maybe this one?". They'd been had but were good boys & enjoyed it.

They took a few bucks outta there, but never the monster that made that scrape.

[John Nail]

I'm old. I pee anytime, anywhere. Deer don't seem to mind.

[John Nail]

[ber643]

LOL - yeah, that too, John.