How To Create a Licking Branch

A licking branch in combination with a scrape is a lot like a fire hydrant in your neighborhood.  Any dog being walked near it can’t help but go scent check it and deposit its own scent on top of the other dogs’.

Any scrape made by a buck in the woods has a licking branch associated with it.  The scent glands on the forehead and eye deposit scent on the hock glands deposit scent on the ground under the licking branch as the deer urinates on them while standing on the scrape.  Deer will use these places to let other deer know they are in the neighborhood, what their breeding readiness is and possibly their social status.

Does and young bucks visit licking branches often, leaving their scent.  It is thought that a doe will leave scent that indicates breeding readiness.  A  dominant breeding buck will scent check these places, sometimes just by walking downwind of them and be able to tell if there is a doe ready to breed in the area.

As white-tailed deer are a creature of thick woods, they evolved to communicate by scent and are able to find each other at that critical short period of time when the doe is ovulating and ready to breed.

In this blog post, I will go over how to create a scrape and licking branch in the woods where you would like deer to visit both for the purpose of getting a picture with a game camera or possibly a shot with a bow.

Once created in a place where deer travel, both bucks and does will start leaving their scent there. When kept up, they will become a common point that deer will frequent as they move through the area.

Here is a video of deer using a licking branch I set up in New York.  Notice that the branch got a little too high and I will explain that mistake later.

How To Set Up and Scent a Licking Branch

To set up a licking branch and scrape is a very simple and easy process.  Location is important as is the height, the soil and branch material.

You want to make it a permanent place that will not deteriorate and stop being used. Here is what to do step by step:

1. Find a good location – This is the most important step. A well worn deer trail that leads to night time feeding or “destination” feeding areas or a skid trail or a field edge is a good spot.  A place where scrapes often show up naturally is perfect.

Locate them back in the woods for a hunting setup.  Field edge scrapes tend to be used after dark.  Make sure a deer can see all around them and there is space to move.  Also, be sure there is some good soil underneath the licking branch and the spot is not real stony.

Lastly, be sure to locate the licking branch where you have picked out a good spot to place your tree stand on the downwind side.

 

2. Find licking branch material – Oak branches that hold their leaves are a good choice for material, but a nice piece of grape vine material works the best.  A vine is very long lasting and has a shaggy bark that will hold scent well.

 

3. Attach the branch or grape vine to an already overhanging limb –  Or, when none exist, run wire or rope over the trail and attach it to that at the right spot. Adjust the end so that it will be at about 4 ft above the ground.

Keep in mind that branches will move up and down depending on temperature and moisture content of the tree.  In the video, I attached my vine to a spruce.  It started out chest high then ended up a foot higher as the tree limb moved up.

4. Make a scrape – Once the limb or vine is firmly attached, rake the duff layer from the forest floor and stir up lots of topsoil.  The smell of freshly disturbed topsoil is very attractive to deer.

Once you bear the soil it will attract deer and when they see the licking branch they will lick it and rub their forehead and preorbital glands on it.

 

5. Place scent – This is optional.  It is probably best to let the deer do the scent.  The big buck in the video smelled me and while all the younger deer had no problem with it, he didn’t like it one bit and I never got another picture of him.  You may even want to wear rubber gloves and boots.

 

6. If you want to scent the scrape, then you can pee in it yourself.  You can also purchase some deer urine and pour it in the scrape. There is a product called “Old Smokey’s” scent that is supposed to be forehead gland scent that you could use on the licking branch.

Beware of products on the market that claim to drip scent into the scrape. I really don’t think these do anything positive for your setup and may hurt your setup by having something unnatural there.

The visual cue of the branch and the newly disturbed earth should be enough to get deer started.  Once they start using it, they will use it like dogs use a fire hydrant.

Some of your scrapes will become very popular and develop into “hub scrapes” where deer will come from all around to deposit scent.  I have found some of these in the wild and there are always fresh tracks in them.

Conclusion

The late Charles Alsheimer was the first to create “mock scrapes” decades ago.  He noticed that deer frequent these spots and thought “why not make them where we want them so we can bring deer to a stand location.”  I think he may have coined the term “mock scrape.”

Creating licking branches and scrapes in a location where you want to set up a trap for a buck is a great tool to use in our advantage when hunting the elusive whitetail.

As far as what to put on a licking branch the short answer is nothing.

Related Questions

• How can a hunter use a licking branch to their advantage? By placing a licking branch in a spot where one can approach hunt and exit without spooking deer between bedding and feeding areas, a stand can be set up where odds are good a buck will show up for a shot.

 

• How can I be sure that my licking branch will attract deer? By locating a licking branch where deer are naturally traveling, and you follow the steps above, you can be sure deer will be attracted to them and frequent that location.