i have always been a set on a trail in the morning thats going to bedding,and evening to feeding,find preffered food.does anyone hunt scrape lines and how do you do it,these deer are hitting them in daylight,as i have looked at the scrapes going in and were not touched and come out and they are fresh...
I came across a set of scrapes this morning, fresh. After scouting a bit I found a set of tracks in the sandy soil, 75 yards away. No doubt this buck made the scrapes and was using the wind to check in on them. I never crossed paths with him but I think he is a keeper.
(http://i47.tinypic.com/23wunsx.jpg)
Alot of the bigger scraps where i used to hunt were getting hit in the middle of the night. but as the rut gets closer anything can happen and there no better place to be.imho
around last week of October will be your best bet. as this is the lead up to the seeking phase. esp after a fresh snow or rain. they will go around and re freshen them up.
I've spent a whole lot of hrs. in trees where I could keep my eye on a scrape. Vast majority of them without seeing any deer.
That being said, the next time I go in the woods..hopefully this afternoon or in the morning if the rain stops..I'll be sitting over a scrape.
I don't hunt scrapes nearly as much as I used to, but when I run across one that is has been tended freshly after a rain or between my passings, I'll hunt it.
If it's got big, fresh, rubs around, I can't help myself. The one I'm going to hunt now has and even gobs of white oak acorns falling on top of it.
It probably wouldn't hurt to hunt them, especially if they lead through a funnel.
If you believe in stats, 72-74% of scrape activity is nocturnal, according to D&DH i believe.
That being said, IMO you will be much better off finding a funnel and putting in your time.
Good luck in whatever you do!
where i found these new scrapes is coming off two ridges into a flat 4 trails come together and i found a secoundary trail that comes off the scrape that only has heavy hoof prints and has a new big rub lines.this is our farm and i have killed some dandys off of it,but i have never seen a scrape or rub in this area before and the only place for a stand was near a scrape and still have good backcover.i have killed two big bucks within 100 yards of this spot,but as i stated earlier i have never hunted near a scrape...oh well i guess i will find out when i hunt it....
Put a trail cam on one & find out!!
i dont do the whole trail camera thing,i like to be suprised
I'm usually surprised, trail cam or no.
I have one camera only that I put out for a week at a time. Just moved it to a fresh scrape yesterday (one in a line along a ridge). I want to see WHEN it's hit. I've seen the data on nocturnal use, but have more than once come back around to a scrape seen in the morning that was freshened during my absence. That's upsetting. Big rain forecast for tomorrow, so we'll see.
To my mind hunting a particular scrape probably needs several days straight of all day sitting. And a very good entrance and exit route. And the wind perfect. You're trying for a good buck after all.
This rut thingy is always interesting...
Don't bother. Follow the does, the bucks will be along soon after.
i have shot several bucks over scrape lines. i love hunting them. usually the bucks will be following does to the scrapes. does pee and leave sent in scrapes and licking branches just like the bucks do... now if i find a bunch of rubs in a area and no scrapes i tend not to hunt over them but i will hunt in that area.