Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

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Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Yes
31
35%
No
45
51%
Yes, On his way to the scrape
12
14%
 
Total votes: 88
JoeRE
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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby JoeRE » Mon Oct 21, 2013 12:41 am

Never killed a mature buck right over a scrape but a couple close to primary scrape that they probably would have worked. Most scrapes out away from bedding do get worked only a night by the biggest bucks in the area but those big bucks will work those scrapes close to their bedding in daylight, like Dan mentioned. I think of them as just another piece to the puzzle.


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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby dan » Mon Oct 21, 2013 3:45 am

Ridgerunner7 wrote:
dan wrote:I have found plenty of huge scrapes ( size of a car hood ) they really don't do much for me... They are usually in low land where the loose soil makes it easy for the deer to rip up a large area.... For a scrape to be effective to hunt over it needs only two ingredients:


1 ) It must be a scrape that is used more than one time ( the buck has to return in order to kill it )

2) It must be where the buck moves in daylight.


Most of the bucks I shot over scrapes were at a scrape in there staging area, and generally where 2 or more buck bedding areas staging areas over lapped.

The 400 pound slob was shot over a scrape 75 yards from his bed 10 minutes after I passed on a 140 class buck who worked the same scrape after coming out of a sattalite bed. ( mid October )

I shot a giant 11 pointer opening weekend in Wisconsin (early September ) over a simalar scrape... The two bucks are arguably my two biggest bucks with bow.


Dan have you ever seen older deer J hook to scent check scrapes say 50-75 yards down wind? The two primary scrapes I used to hunt, I witnessed this behavior on 3-4 good deer probably 3-4 years of age. They J hooked from down wind then came in to work the scrape. Had I been sitting over the scrape they would have pegged me. I ended up killing one moving in to that area the following year.

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Can't say that I can ever remember seeing a buck J -hook a scrape or circle down wind, but I sure hear a lot of people say that... It does make sense to a point though, cause I have seen hot does work scrap[es and then bed beside them apparently waiting for the buck to return.
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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby attackone » Tue Oct 22, 2013 1:36 am

has any notice a pattern if scrapes will get visited after a rain/snow event to be freshen up
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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby liv4rut » Tue Oct 22, 2013 2:32 am

I think scrape hunting is very tough!! killed one i "think" was going to scrape november 5th 2005.? I will take rub lines over scrapes any day!
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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby dan » Tue Oct 22, 2013 4:17 am

attackone wrote:has any notice a pattern if scrapes will get visited after a rain/snow event to be freshen up

Yes... One of the biggest bucks I ever shot was shot mid day when he freshened a scrape right after a storm.
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E72
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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby E72 » Tue Oct 22, 2013 4:46 am

Saturday we had rain , stopped around 330. Temps in the 40s . My son and I sat in a blind on a field edge with standing corn. Have it brushed in behind a big cedar tree. Theres a field edge scrape under some oaks 45 yards to our left but never had any pics with it being hit during the day last year. Just before shooting light was up, a LARGE 8 that we know came along the corn , ripped an ear off and started to munch. He took his time and just before dark he worked the scrape then hopped into the thicket . Not sure if he was bedded in the corn or a small crp field but we'll try again near that spot later this week. First mature deer my son has seen while hunting. He was shaking pretty good. :D
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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby Sweet Shot 7 » Tue Oct 22, 2013 4:50 am

E72 wrote:Saturday we had rain , stopped around 330. Temps in the 40s . My son and I sat in a blind on a field edge with standing corn. Have it brushed in behind a big cedar tree. Theres a field edge scrape under some oaks 45 yards to our left but never had any pics with it being hit during the day last year. Just before shooting light was up, a LARGE 8 that we know came along the corn , ripped an ear off and started to munch. He took his time and just before dark he worked the scrape then hopped into the thicket . Not sure if he was bedded in the corn or a small crp field but we'll try again near that spot later this week. First mature deer my son has seen while hunting. He was shaking pretty good. :D



That's awesome!
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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby attackone » Tue Oct 22, 2013 5:49 am

dan wrote:
attackone wrote:has any notice a pattern if scrapes will get visited after a rain/snow event to be freshen up

Yes... One of the biggest bucks I ever shot was shot mid day when he freshened a scrape right after a storm.


that is what i have seen as well, was just wondering if other people have noticed it also
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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby dan » Sat May 23, 2015 4:20 am

bump
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Jphunter
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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby Jphunter » Sat May 23, 2015 4:44 am

I can't say that I have had much luck hunting over scrapes. Then again I haven't found many of the big primary scrapes that I hear people talking about. The ones I run across are the small scrapes that look like they are hit once and then left alone.

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Hawthorne
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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby Hawthorne » Sat May 23, 2015 5:02 am

I have never killed a buck over a scrape. I had a camera over what I thought was a primary scrape for 3 falls in a row. I woukd put it up in early october and not check it till december.I only had one picture of a mature buck during daylight. Location is the key I believe.

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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby stash59 » Sat May 23, 2015 5:37 am

I put yes and no because I actually missed a few of my biggest bucks over scrapes. A 150's class 10 pt. that I had placed a scent trail to a scrape was my biggest. My best bow buck was killed after he left a scrape I had doctored. A120's 3y.o.

All of these incounters occured on public but in areas I consider semi wilderness. Another words I was miles back in. These deer were more in tune with animal predators than man. I always wore hip boots and rubber gloves while near or placing scent at or near scrapes. After learning from Dan about dead skin cells and skin cell rafts from Jim Brauker I realized these lower pressured deer must have been more tolerant of human odors. So I now believe that if your hunting heavily pressured ground placing out scents may cause more harm than good.

Although the big 10 and my 10pt. bowkill were at a single scrape I've had better luck with scrape lines. 3 or more scrapes with no more than around 100 yards between them. Usually much closer. Alot of times rubs could also be found on this travel route. I always tried to set up on the scrape that would give me the greatest advantage. Plus being at a scrape I hoped the buck would have a lesser chance of spotting me because his interest was on the scrape. The other advantage of a scrape line is it gives you a direction of travel. So it helps you to be able to play the wind. Also I've read that with many single scrapes the bucks scent check them from down wind. That's why I would place scent trails to single scrapes to try to get the bucks to travel in a way to miss my scent stream.

This was well before trail cameras. But I believe alot of the time a scrape line is only being worked by one buck. Thus you may find out if it's a certain target buck by using a camera some where on the route. And remember mature bucks never always do something. So scrapes and scrape line use will vary with personality and age. And more importantly hunting pressure.

My best results have been pre-rut. Last week of October thru the second week of November. All in northern latitudes.
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DaveT1963
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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Sat May 23, 2015 2:38 pm

I've killed a few downwind of scrapes.... I usually set up 50-80 yards down wind.

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Last edited by DaveT1963 on Sat May 23, 2015 4:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby BCam » Sat May 23, 2015 3:01 pm

I put an arrow in a 139" 8 pt over a scrape along standing corn. Didn't kill him unfortunately but an old farmer got him during gun season. I also got busted by a really big old buck that same year because of the previously mentioned j hook scent checking the scrape. Back then I thought it was a fluke but after seeing it a few times it finally clicked what was going on.

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Re: Have you ever killed a buck over a scrape?

Unread postby DeerDylan » Sat May 23, 2015 3:17 pm

I shot a 2.5 year old 8 point in 2008 right after he worked one on Nov. second I think. On November 8th 2010 I watched a 3.5 year old work a line of scrapes in a creek bottom pinch, I shot him two days later from the same toothpick sized ash as he followed a doe.

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