Last month I described my 2006 hunt for a 4 1/2-year-old buck that I had watched grow up for two seasons. I described how I saw this buck at a mock scrape that I had created on two consecutive mornings, and how on the second morning I killed him. For those readers who have followed my articles over the years or those who have read my book, this type of scenario might seem out of character for me because I've made no bones about the fact that I'm very cynical when it comes to gadgets and gimmicks for hunting mature whitetail bucks.

The author's trail camera captured this buck late in the 2006 season. On the day this photo was taken, the buck visited this scrape four different times during daylight hours. Don thinks the buck may gross well over 170 inches.

I've always reasoned that, by nature, a mature buck is already a very edgy and alert creature. Anything you do to get his attention will just further heighten those already hair-triggered senses. For that reason, I'm very reluctant to use many popular hunting gadgets or tactics.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that other approaches to trophy hunting won't work, or that my way is the only way. There are times when just about anything can bring a whitetail buck to his demise. However, I have always felt that when dealing with mature bucks, the element of surprise is by far the best approach.

While I still firmly believe in that approach, a couple of veteran whitetail hunters who I greatly respect recently opened my eyes to the fact that using mock scrapes can offer the detail-oriented whitetail hunter some incredible possibilities.

COMPARING NOTES WITH AN EXPERT
During the summer of 2006, I had a chance to meet Bobby Worthington at an event we were both doing at Buckstop Archery near Brownstown, Illinois. Like many other avid whitetail hunters, I had become familiar with Bobby's success in hunting mature whitetails through the pages of North American Whitetail. However, after talking with him in person, I gained a new respect for what he has accomplished and how he has done it.

It became obvious to me that Bobby is not simply a good hunter seeking recognition and fame for his success. Instead, Bobby is a great hunter that recognition and fame somehow found. His humbleness was refreshing. As soon as I realized that I was talking to someone who very likely could offer me information that might take my hunting to another level, believe me, I was all ears!

A couple of days after our initial meeting, Bobby spent some time at my home. Thus I was privileged to glean several more hours of whitetail knowledge from this gifted hunter. After our meeting, Bobby and I shared a number of phone conversations. It seemed that every time we talked, he would bring up the subject of mock scrapes. I became intrigued and tried to open my mind to the potential that this tactic might offer a serious trophy whitetail hunter.

As already mentioned, I'm not trying to insinuate that mock scrapes are a new idea. I remember reading about this tactic back in the early 1980s, and I'm sure it goes back way beyond that period. However, I had always shunned the idea of using mock scrapes for several reasons. First, I believed that any mature buck investigating such a setup would be on full alert. I also concluded that creating a mock scrape would almost certainly contaminate the area with human scent.

page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5