Are you as excited as I am to watch deer interact with scrapes? It’s truly fascinating! Throughout the year, I enjoy observing their intriguing communication at my mock scrapes. Each experience teaches me more about their unique behaviors and the amazing way they use glands to connect with each other. Let’s embark on this exciting journey together from the scrape!
What is Your Secret?
I enjoy accepting speaking engagements and teaching people about mock scrapes. One of the most common questions I receive during my presentations is, “What is your secret to successful mock scrapes?” Before I provide my answer, I typically show the audience a video similar to the one above.
My secret is Gland Lure, which plays a crucial role in how deer communicate on a daily basis. In the video, you’ll see a young fawn stop under the scrape and stand on its hind legs to smell the scents left by other deer. That fawn instinctively knows how to interact with its environment because it was born with the natural ability to communicate using its glands. Whitetail deer are truly remarkable creatures!
Does Know!
Have you ever observed a doe working a scrape? Whitetail does produce secretions from their preorbital and forehead glands, just like bucks do. I’ve heard many hunters express frustration when does visit their scrapes, and I’m not entirely sure why they feel this way. By hitting the scrapes, does are communicating with bucks, providing them with important information about themselves. When bucks come to a scrape after a doe has visited, they can identify her by the unique odors from her preorbital, forehead, and interdigital glands. This information will play a crucial role later in the fall as the rut begins.
Curiosity……
I have heard many hunters say, “Deer are curious creatures!” But are they truly curious, or are they using their glands to learn about other deer nearby? Whitetail deer possess multiple glands that produce unique oily substances, and they also have glands that help them interpret those odors. In the video above, I placed Head-Scratcher Gland Lure on the BuckRope and Contender Interdigital Gland Lure in the scrape. The reason I use gland lure exclusively is that it allows me to introduce a “Phantom Buck” to the herd.
Observe how these two bucks interact at the scrape. One buck is working the scrape with his preorbital gland, while the other is using his nasal gland to investigate the interdigital gland I added. These bucks are trying to identify who the new buck is, while also communicating that they are using the scrape as well.
Non-Stop Action
Deer are constantly communicating through their glands, which is why I prefer using gland lure for all my scrapes. It doesn’t matter if I’m using a rope, a vine, a licking branch, or Buckstik products; deer are attracted to the gland scents they detect. They instinctively cover the scent left by the previous buck or doe that worked the scrape with their own scent. This process is a year-round game of interaction.
In the video above, you can see a buck using his preorbital gland to mask the smell of the deer that previously worked the BuckRope. At the end of the clip, he smells the scrape for the interdigital gland scent left behind by another deer. I allow deer to continue visiting the scrape for a few weeks before I return to reapply the Head-Scratcher and Contender Gland Lures. This strategy helps reintroduce the “Phantom Buck” that initially worked the scrape. The action will pick up again from this never-ending game.
If you reside in an area where deer lures and scents are banned, consider using a high-quality synthetic preorbital gland lure made by Smokey McNicholas from Smokey’s Deer Lures. Click the link below to learn more about this product.
Link: https://smokeysdeerlure.com/product/smokeys-natural-organic-deer-lure-nodl/
If you want to dive deeper into whitetail deer glands and how to use them for hunting, check out my ebook.
Link: https://www.litfoutdoors.com/product-page/non-verbal-whitetail-deer-communication-the-power-of-gland-lure-1
I will have Contender Interdigital Gland available in a few weeks. Keep an eye out for that to drop.
If you are interested in trying a Rope Scrape, take advantage of the 10% discount from Buckstik on their BuckRope. Head over to the website and use the code: Bowhunting10
www.buckstick.com