He does not have the strength of body or purpose to make the large deeply worked scrapes like a mature buck makes. In addition, he really doesn't know what he is doing. He is making scrapes mostly because of instinct. As they travel during the pre-rut, they'll make scrapes along their trails and travel corridors. A so-called "scrape line" will form. These scrapes will also show signs of continual use because as the buck travels his trails and corridors, he'll continually rework his scrapes.
If they are fresh and still being worked, these "scrape lines" may be beneficial to hunt. If there is evidence that the buck is still visiting the scrapes, don't delay in hanging a stand if you believe the buck is a shooter. Keep in mind that you must set up quickly before any does come into heat. Once this happens, the buck will temporarily abandon his travel pattern.
Set up downwind of the scrape that shows the most use. A buck may travel through his corridor using different routes at times. However, the scrape that shows the most use is the one that his travel patterns intersect most of the time.
Another reason one of the scrapes may be visited more often than the others is that one or more does may start urinating in the scrape as they come into estrus. This will be especially true if there are no older age-class bucks in the area, which is sometimes the case. Mature bucks will make scrapes in a particular location for a purpose. They'll make scrapes in the same locations that you'd hunt if your purpose were to shoot as many does as possible.
They'll place scrapes where two or more doe trails cross, at funnels where many does pass through, in feeding areas and anywhere else does might congregate. Mature bucks don't have to be filled with testosterone before they start scraping.
They no longer are working from instinct alone. They know what is coming. The most dominant buck in the area will start scraping early to let the does know that he is still around and available.
It might surprise some hunters to discover just how early in the fall a mature buck will make a scrape. On Aug. See the July and August issues for the complete story about my hunt for Mountain Mike.
I'd been keeping tabs on this buck for three years. I found a large breeding scrape that he had been working for at least a week. The scrape was 7 feet across and 10 feet long. The scrape was located about yards from Mike's bedding thicket. It was also located within 20 yards of a woods pond. At that time, Mountain Mike was still in full velvet.
It was very hot and dry and we were in the middle of a severe drought. The streams had dried up and all of the deer in this location were watering at the pond. With all the local does using the waterhole, there was no better spot for Mike to make a scrape than here. Several months later when the does started coming in heat, they'd all remember where Mike's scrape was located.
Made by mature bucks, these "breeding scrapes" or whatever you choose to call them are made in strategic locations and will receive plenty of attention just before and during the time that the older does start coming into heat and using them.
However, you must set up on them at the right time. You must hunt them during that short window when the rut urge has moved a mature buck from his nocturnal pattern to being out during daylight, just before the majority of does come into heat. I believe a mature buck's main purpose for making scrapes is to find that first old doe that is receptive.
He has been waiting all year and if he has reached dominance, it is his desire and right to breed with the first doe in heat.
Does, particularly old does, want to breed with mature bucks. When the majority of does come in heat, a mature buck's scrapes will be abandoned because of the availability of hot does. However, when things start slowing down, or when he is between does, he may start revisiting his scrapes. These scrapes will be large -- often 3 to 8 feet in length. Mature bucks have developed the muscle mass and body size to tear up the ground and they will.
They don't want to keep their scrapes secret. These scrapes will be well worked and they'll have a major limb hanging over them. There may even be two or more limbs that are being used. Sometimes the limb will be as large as a man's thumb and it will often be mangled. Finding large rubs close to large scrapes is another sure sign that these scrapes were made by a mature buck.
I have seen rubs made on the sapling or tree that the overhanging limb was attached to. I have also found small saplings in or near scrapes that were twisted and broken off at the ground by buster bucks. Don't be fooled by the size of the sapling rubbed. If you find saplings, even small ones, that are twisted and mangled, the damage was done by a mature buck.
Never assume that just because you find one or more scrapes near or in the edge of a field that a young buck made them. A field may be a prime location for the area does to feed and mingle in. This may be the most productive place for a mature buck's scrape, particularly if there is little to no hunting pressure at that spot. If you find large, overhanging limbs with considerable damage done to them, or if you find large rubs and tracks around the edge of the field, you can bet that a mature buck is working the field.
However, if you hunt in an area in which there are no older age-class bucks, you may never see one of these scrapes because they're made by the masters of the woods, the "super" bucks that have reached the older age-classes. Seldom is one of these super bucks killed by a hunter! Of course, you can call large scrapes made by mature bucks "breeding scrapes. You could also call them "community scrapes" because once the does start using them, it causes a chain reaction. Any buck that happens upon one will put his scent in it, as long as there is not a more dominant buck close by.
In this way, they are like other deer sign such as rubs , tracks, droppings and bedding areas. To confirm the activity and get more information you can setup a trail camera. A scrape gets deer to pose for the camera, it can also get deer to pose for a shot.
Half the challenge of bowhunting is getting deer inside your effective range. Positioning yourself near a scrape can give you a close shot at a distracted, motionless deer, which is a perfect scenario. Then use a stick to scrape a bare patch of ground. Archery shops carry deer scent you can distribute onto the scrape and the overhanging branch to complete the illusion. These are usually visited infrequently but are a good indicator for buck activity.
If you find a large scrape, then you should get excited. Photo Credit: Charles Alsheimer. Scrapes will be an oval on the ground. Photo Credit: ATA. Bucks create scrapes by pawing at the ground, which deposits scent from their interdigital gland between the toes of their front hoofs. Fresh, active scrapes appear moist, smell musky, and contain deer tracks. Scrapes lose their smell as they age and accumulate leaves, pine needles and other debris.
Miller suggests keying on scrapes that have been worked several times. Large, well-used scrapes usually mean active deer in the area. Knowing how to read rubs and scrapes will help you navigate your next move. Individual bucks have been known to make several rubs or scrapes in a cluster. These clusters might prompt other bucks, perhaps mature bucks, to join the behavioral conversation. A rub or scrape line can also help identify which direction a buck is traveling.
Therefore, face the rub and look beyond it.
0コメント