Scrapes

[tn droptine]

So the specific buck thread got me a thinkin - do bucks use the same scrape location year after year? I have found a scrape the past two years (not sure how many years before it has been used, only had my property the past two) that is in the exact same location as the year before (even uses the same licking branch). Is it possible that a different deer would use it, or is it more likely that it is the same buck coming back each year?

 

[BSK]

Once an individual buck starts a scrape, virtually every buck that comes through the area will visit the scrape and potentially rework it.

Traditional scrapes are my favorite place to put trail-cams. Bucks learn these locations and learn to visit them through the rut. I can place a black-flash cam at a traditional scrape in mid-October, leave it until mid-December, and capture pictures of nearly every buck in that area. I often give known traditional scrapes a bit of a "kick start" early in the year (open them and pee in them around the beginning of October) to get bucks using them as early as possible.

But to answer your question, it's possible the same buck opened that scrape in the same place two years in a row, but far more likely any buck that used the area two years in a row eventually visited that scrape at some point during both years. In essence, a trail-cam would have captured his picture there two years in a row. I've captured the same buck on camera at the same scrape 3-4 years in a row.

 

[BSK]

Let me also add, that for those interested in "inventorying" their local buck population with trail-cameras during the hunting season, traditional scrapes are the right place. I would have to look through my records, but I bet I've camera-monitored individual traditional scrapes that produced pictures of 20+ unique bucks in a single season.

If a person is limited in the number of trail-cameras they can purchase, setting up those few cameras on traditional scrapes can pay big dividends.

 

[Andy S.]

If a person is limited in the number of trail-cameras they can purchase, setting up those few cameras on traditional scrapes can pay big dividends.

Yes indeed. Good piece of information right there.

 

[BSK]

All three of the pictures I posted in the "Specific Bucks" thread were taken at traditional scrapes. Traditional scrapes are almost always where I get my best buck pictures. Now most of the pictures will be taken at night, but that's the nature of scrape visitations (and mature buck activity).

 

[tn droptine]

BSK, do you see a trend in daylight activity at scrapes after a heavy rain, or do the mature bucks still wait until nightfall to freshen them?

 

[BSK]

BSK, do you see a trend in daylight activity at scrapes after a heavy rain, or do the mature bucks still wait until nightfall to freshen them?

The only obvious trend in mature buck use of scrapes in daylight is that of rut timing. Daylight use of scrapes by mature bucks peaks the 10-days to two weeks prior to peak breeding. For instance, peak breeding on my property is usually Nov. 12-19. During this period, scrapes "go dead" (bucks stop opening them, although trail cameras will show younger bucks still visiting them). Daylight pictures of mature bucks at these scrapes will peak the two weeks prior to this period. On my property that would be October 28 through November 11, but each property will have a unique window based on the local peak breeding dates. I will also see a small secondary peak of daylight use of scrapes by mature bucks just at the back-end of the rut, about 3 weeks after peak breeding.

 

[J-WO]

I echo the guys here,scrapes are the way to go to scout out an area. As far as A buck using the same scrape year after year,it would not surprise me at all if they did. Deer are very habitual,and usually wont change much unless they are forced to.

 

[Boone 58]

Yep, we hve one such that i know of for sure and a few years back on the first night we placed a cam over it in mz season in november we had 7 bucks use it the same night.

 

[W.Seay]

If a person is limited in the number of trail-cameras they can purchase, setting up those few cameras on traditional scrapes can pay big dividends.

Yes indeed. Good piece of information right there.

X3!

 

[OCLhunter90]

I have created scrapes and set cameras over them. Usually I find a good one and refresh it. But by far I have gotten the majority of my buck pictures over scrapes.

 

[BSK]

That two week window just before breeding activity explodes is DEFINITELY the best time to not only catch bucks at scrapes with a trail-camera, but also hunt mature bucks, as they are most active during daylight at that time (usually on the move constantly, cruising from doe group to goe group).