When Scrapes Work
Posted By
Bill Winke
at
6/22/2011 12:00:00 AM
I am starting to notice that the traffic on the site is picking back up as deer hunters start to think about fall. In response, I am going to make an effort to have a new blog up on the site every two days. I will post a number of generic subjects at first, but as we get into the prime summer scouting times, I'll get more into the specifics of what we are doing and why. I hope you enjoy (and can use) the tips I'll be bringing you over the next couple of months.
Nothing says “the rut” quite like a smokin’ fresh scrape along the edge of a wood lot. But for all its emotional appeal, that small circle of scuffed dirt is one of the least understood
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Scrapes are only effective when hunted at |
Let’s start with the right time. Scrapes are laid out and freshened most consistently and regularly during a single week that falls just before bucks start aggressively chasing does. Once the bucks start actually cruising and looking for the does – even though they may not yet be breeding –the scrapes are increasingly ignored.
Unfortunately, most hunters turn to scrapes at just the wrong time - when they see signs that the rut has finally arrived. In other words, they start hunting them when they see bucks chasing does. That’s when the bucks are too preoccupied to worry about scrapes. In the Midwest, you need to focus on scrapes from about October 20 through roughly November 2 or 3 (rough estimate).
The right place is just as important. Scrapes found along the field edge are obvious, but they aren’t the ones that a buck will most likely visit during daylight hours. The best scrapes to hunt are those that you find back in the cover along believable travel routes - funnels. Ideally, the one you watch will be a part of a whole line of scrapes that gives away the travel route of at least one buck.
