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Q:
So I did not see anything in the woods I was hunting today, but on the way out we walked a trail for horses that we can hunt. In a stretch of a hundred to two hundred yards there was 6-7 scrapes. How do you hunt scrapes? Do you hunt in a stand or ground blind? Thanks.
Question by usmcturkey. Uploaded on October 04, 2009
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Answers (11)
i dont hunt on account of scrapes because you never know when the deer will be back to check them but you can up your odds by finding another bucks scrapes (best to go to another farm for that) and scoop some of the dirt and put it in a ziploc bag do your best to watch for scent and go put that dirt in the bucks scrapes he will think another buck is moving in and will sometimes comeback to that area more because he think he is being challenged
Sounds like a hot trail! You may want to give a grunt call and/or some rattling horns a try (dont overdo it though!) to get ready for that rut. You can also try Doe-IN-Estrous scents or buck pee. i would set up a stand within shooting range of the trail.If you dont want to get all of that stuff, then you still probably have a good chance of seeing him if the scrapes were fresh. I think a stand is better than a blind, but just because it gets your scent off of the ground. Go get that buck!!!
At least 3 of them were fresh dark dirt, and they were all of decent size. I figured it would be a good area during the rut, my buddy is gone this upcoming weekend but I have heard the rut kicks off around the 10th around eastern north carolina so I will be hitting the woods hard. Now I have an extra spot to add.
Stay down wind and either way will work for you. It would help if you "doctored" a couple of them to "tell him" there is a new "guy" in town and he might start hitting them more looking for him/a fight.
Good Luck and Good Hunting !
I'd climb a tree doiwnwind of the scrapes and see what happens. A scrape is a great place to place a trailcam too, as many different bucks often visit. As stated above, doctor the scrapes to incite this buck, and he'll be prone to calling. In a couple weeks this would be a great place to start using estrous, but i'd wait on that.
All these answers are great ideas and they will all work if the time is rite but remeber bucks will do 90% of thier scrapes at night so dont get disappointed when they dont produce make the buck keep a check on them put the ball in your court one year i hunted a buck he had some fresh scrapes after setting a trail camera he was checking them after dark so i decided to make a moc scrape then 2 days later went and checked it out he had tor the woods up around the scrape needless to say i climb my stand that day and an hour before dark there he was and he didnt even stop at his scrapes he made a v line to mine now he's on my wall it works try it good luck!
Congrats turk, that must've been a thrill. I would have been shaking like crazy.
I pee in my mock scrapes. It drives them wild. I hunt scrapes. Listen to above.
i hunt scrapes from a stand and mornings in pre rut are when i usually see bucks hittin scrapes hard and in the rut they will hit them all the time! my favorite hunting is srape lines!!!!!
It's important to find out if they were one-time scrapes or recurring, active ones. Somtimes a deer will go nuts down a scrape line for a few days, and then move on. Other times it signals their home territory.
Scrape lines are a lot more common on roads like the one you mentioned, so it's not surprising that you saw them. The key is whether or not he's using them a) regularly, and b) in the day-time.
You can throw some leaves over the fresh-looking scrapes and check them in a day or two to find out whether he's hitting them multiple times or not.
Another important point is that often times scrape lines are not long-term sign. In other words, a scrape that's a week old isn't very helpful. If it's a day old, hunt it right away.
Give'm a sniff, you'll know if they're active. Also look for fresh hooveprints and urine marks. By doctoring these scrapes, a buck will be more apt to show himself during the day, looking for the intruder. When a buck makes a scrape, and no other deer use it, he'll likely abandon it, just like we abandon a stand location that isn't producing. I have just started using my own urine. Sure is cheaper, though it's too soon to say how effective. I believe the guys who say it works though.
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Stay down wind and either way will work for you. It would help if you "doctored" a couple of them to "tell him" there is a new "guy" in town and he might start hitting them more looking for him/a fight.
Good Luck and Good Hunting !
All these answers are great ideas and they will all work if the time is rite but remeber bucks will do 90% of thier scrapes at night so dont get disappointed when they dont produce make the buck keep a check on them put the ball in your court one year i hunted a buck he had some fresh scrapes after setting a trail camera he was checking them after dark so i decided to make a moc scrape then 2 days later went and checked it out he had tor the woods up around the scrape needless to say i climb my stand that day and an hour before dark there he was and he didnt even stop at his scrapes he made a v line to mine now he's on my wall it works try it good luck!
I'd climb a tree doiwnwind of the scrapes and see what happens. A scrape is a great place to place a trailcam too, as many different bucks often visit. As stated above, doctor the scrapes to incite this buck, and he'll be prone to calling. In a couple weeks this would be a great place to start using estrous, but i'd wait on that.
Congrats turk, that must've been a thrill. I would have been shaking like crazy.
i dont hunt on account of scrapes because you never know when the deer will be back to check them but you can up your odds by finding another bucks scrapes (best to go to another farm for that) and scoop some of the dirt and put it in a ziploc bag do your best to watch for scent and go put that dirt in the bucks scrapes he will think another buck is moving in and will sometimes comeback to that area more because he think he is being challenged
Sounds like a hot trail! You may want to give a grunt call and/or some rattling horns a try (dont overdo it though!) to get ready for that rut. You can also try Doe-IN-Estrous scents or buck pee. i would set up a stand within shooting range of the trail.If you dont want to get all of that stuff, then you still probably have a good chance of seeing him if the scrapes were fresh. I think a stand is better than a blind, but just because it gets your scent off of the ground. Go get that buck!!!
At least 3 of them were fresh dark dirt, and they were all of decent size. I figured it would be a good area during the rut, my buddy is gone this upcoming weekend but I have heard the rut kicks off around the 10th around eastern north carolina so I will be hitting the woods hard. Now I have an extra spot to add.
I pee in my mock scrapes. It drives them wild. I hunt scrapes. Listen to above.
i hunt scrapes from a stand and mornings in pre rut are when i usually see bucks hittin scrapes hard and in the rut they will hit them all the time! my favorite hunting is srape lines!!!!!
It's important to find out if they were one-time scrapes or recurring, active ones. Somtimes a deer will go nuts down a scrape line for a few days, and then move on. Other times it signals their home territory.
Scrape lines are a lot more common on roads like the one you mentioned, so it's not surprising that you saw them. The key is whether or not he's using them a) regularly, and b) in the day-time.
You can throw some leaves over the fresh-looking scrapes and check them in a day or two to find out whether he's hitting them multiple times or not.
Another important point is that often times scrape lines are not long-term sign. In other words, a scrape that's a week old isn't very helpful. If it's a day old, hunt it right away.
Give'm a sniff, you'll know if they're active. Also look for fresh hooveprints and urine marks. By doctoring these scrapes, a buck will be more apt to show himself during the day, looking for the intruder. When a buck makes a scrape, and no other deer use it, he'll likely abandon it, just like we abandon a stand location that isn't producing. I have just started using my own urine. Sure is cheaper, though it's too soon to say how effective. I believe the guys who say it works though.
Post an Answer