Found these 8/30 & 9/4 Wayne Co around edge of clover plot. Rut will be wide open by bow opener & over before ML! Soooo all you gun hunters might as well stay home this year & watch outdoor shows on tv
^^^^Testosterone surging as they shed velvet.
Still in velvet, or hard horn?Haven't seen first scrapes quite yet but noticed I have probably 4 times the bucks now passing by my cameras. They are certainly starting to move a lot more here in middle Tennessee.
Mostly hard hornedStill in velvet, or hard horn?
Not sure I understand this comment. There are multiple times during the year where bucks' bodies produce a surge in testosterone (mostly involving the timing of antler velvet shed and antler shed and beginning of new antler growth) that will cause bucks to briefly act "rutty" outside of the actual rut. The most prominent one is in mid-spring, usually early to mid-April, when bucks' bodies produce a surge of testosterone to start the new antler growth process. Bucks will suddenly begin working scrapes again, even though the rut is long over. Turkey hunters often notice that traditional scrapes have been reopened at this time.Nice try Lol...
I have never seen the amount of scrapes reopened in spring as I did this year, in Northern Todd Co KY. It coincided with the opener of Spring turkey opener. In a 200 yard strip along a field edge I know for a fact the hit 1/2 dozen scrapes hard, it was wild!Not sure I understand this comment. There are multiple times during the year where bucks' bodies produce a surge in testosterone (mostly involving the timing of antler velvet shed and antler shed and beginning of new antler growth) that will cause bucks to briefly act "rutty" outside of the actual rut. The most prominent one is in mid-spring, usually early to mid-April, when bucks' bodies produce a surge of testosterone to start the new antler growth process. Bucks will suddenly begin working scrapes again, even though the rut is long over. Turkey hunters often notice that traditional scrapes have been reopened at this time.
I found the biggest, rankest, most torn up scrape the opening weekend of turkey season a few years ago on a bench just under the top of a ridge. I smelled it from a long way off. I believe multiple deer were using it.The most prominent one is in mid-spring, usually early to mid-April, when bucks' bodies produce a surge of testosterone to start the new antler growth process. Bucks will suddenly begin working scrapes again, even though the rut is long over. Turkey hunters often notice that traditional scrapes have been reopened at this time.