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Thoughts On Scrapes

The Silence

The Silence

PMA Member
Would love to get your input on things that have worked for you when hunting scrapes or about scrapes in general. Here are a few of my thoughts:

Last year I had a group of scrapes that were getting pounded daily during the 2nd week of October. Bucks were active almost up to shooting light. I pulled my trail cam at the end of that week unfortunately. Based on the time they were stopping by, the following week or so they would have been active in legal shooting light. It seems like that time during October scrapes are getting hit hard.

It seems like scrapes inside of the timber and very near travel corridors get visited on a regular basis by bucks and does alike, and continue to stay open longer.

Normally, I've just used a little doe urine to get things started and things take off on their own after that.

I want to try using buck urine/gland scents this year to try to pull the chain of more mature bucks if I know there are some in the area. I've read an interesting scientific study on the use of buck urine in scrapes and it seemed to get the boys jacked up so they started hitting the scrapes earlier than normal in the season.

I found a cluster of scrapes/along with some rubs earlier this spring in a fairly small area. I just pulled a trail camera from that area and I had a nice buck that looks like a 4.5 year old who must be bedding very close by. Have you guys seen this type of activity/sign in buck core areas?

Thanks for any thoughts.
 
Never had much luck over scrapes. IMO best time is during that pre rut phase mid October, in the evening, right after a rain lets up.
 
I rarely hunt scrapes, but last year during November I was able to see 4 different mature, shooter bucks use the same community scrape during daylight. This was in the November 7-11 timeframe and unfortunately it was on the neighbors property about 400 yards away. These bucks were cruising hard and each one stopped to work this scrape on a field edge. It wasn't their core area by any means, but this scrape was just in the perfect spot. I don't think this is a scenario you can re-create by any means, but if you can locate one like this then it would definitely be worth the time to hunt it.
 
I believe scrapes are just too unpredictable. No doubt right place right time it could happen but I would much rather hunt a funnel or bedding area. I've been running scrape cams (both mock and natural) for years and 90% of the action is after dark. Of course there's been card pulls where the big one shows up during daylight and I was somewhere else but it doesn't happen very often, maybe once every 2-3 years. I used to chase the daylight scrape pics thinking the buck would eventually show itself again only to be disappointed. Scrapes are great for hanging cameras on to see what's around but I don't get too excited over them anymore. I don't hunt early season over food so early field edge/food plot scrapes may be a different story.
 
I don't think scrapes are necessarily a destination point for bucks, but they will visit them if they happen to be along their intended path. I use scrapes mainly as a spot to hang a camera to inventory what is around, but don't focus on them to hunt over. They can be an added bonus to your chosen hunting spot and serve as a stopping point/shooting point for deer as they pass, but don't rely on a scrape as being the main reason you choose a particular location
 
Scrapes are my favorite places to get trail camera pics of really big bucks during the rut, but I don't factor them into my hunting at all. most scraping is done at night. I don't place much stock in where they are in relation to my stand.
 
I'm like the others that said above scrapes are great for pics as I don't use bait or mineral. I only set my cameras on scrapes which is natures finest calling card. Scrapes amaze me as I try to figure them out.
The deer I shot two years ago was visiting both scrapes multiple times each day and was very killable but that's not usually the norm.
I've tried hunting them in the past with minimal results. Now I just try to get the big picture on the area and hunt the funnels and major travel routes during the rut.
 
I have had amazing luck over scrapes in late October. Especially after a good rain. Usually once the weather ends it wasn't long they were hitting the scrapes I'll usually pee in them before getting in my stand and always seems to get them fired up
 
Good for trail cams but that's about all the luck I've had on them. I did shoot my buck last year mid November over a scrape though.
 
Thanks for all your thoughts guys. Love the input. I'm going to start another thread on travel routes and trying to determine where those are for more mature animals. I agree with the
basic idea that scrapes can be a real plus in helping to bring animals within bow range if they are in natural travel corridors and are being used during legal shooting light. The last few years
I've found a couple places where I think that may be the case.
 
I agree with bowtech84. Only I'd go a step further and say speaking of mature bucks it's even higher than 90% night time visits.
 
Usually don't hunt them , but do believe in peeing in them when your running a cam on em . Had em hit it 2 hours after I've pulled the card and took a leak on it .
 
I've got some pics on scrapes over the years, and have seen a few bucks work them when they are passing thru, but I usually don't hunt specifically based on the scrapes (like others above). I've put in a few mock scrapes but not sure they've really changed behavior. When I first started bow hunting, I did the scrape drippers, but now I usually either leave them alone or pee in them if I need to go. Several of my stands have natural scrapes near them each year, but they're also set up in travel ways or on the edge of fields. I may do a couple mock scrapes again this year by my stands for fun.
 
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