No scrape usage = No bucks using bedding?

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hunter_mike
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No scrape usage = No bucks using bedding?

Unread postby hunter_mike » Wed Dec 14, 2016 7:28 am

Hypothetical Situation based on something I experienced. Public Marsh/Swamp, cattails, red dogwood, buckthorn, small popple islands.

Lets say in the spring you find some somewhat remote bedding on the little popple islands. About 200 yards from the best bedding, you find an active scrape and set a trail cam over it to monitor the area.

May thru September you get nothing but doe/fawn and 1.5 yr old buck pics. All of a sudden at the beginning of October, you get pics of 6-7 different bucks, a couple mature ones even, just ripping up that scrape.

Mid-october you go in and hunt the best bedding. You get to your pre-picked tree about 60 yards from the bedding and there is a fresh scrape ripped open under it. But that night you see nothing. Cant hunt for a while after that, never go back, oh well maybe next year.

What does all of this tell you about that bedding area?

Is it primarily doe bedding for that first part of the year until september? Or do you think there are bucks using that spot earlier in the year and they just leave the scrape alone till october?

Does no scrape usage = No bucks using the bedding?


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Re: No scrape usage = No bucks using bedding?

Unread postby hunter_mike » Fri Dec 16, 2016 8:05 am

Bump, let me simplify my question:

If there is a scrape 150 yards from bedding that is active year round, how likely is it that a buck would use the bedding but not visit the scrape outside of mid October-early december?

Do all bucks use scrapes outside of mid October-early december? Why do some use scrapes year round, why don't some?

This question is based on me trying to figure out if bedding is being used by a buck by monitoring a scrape ~200 yards from bedding with a trail cam.
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Hawthorne
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Re: No scrape usage = No bucks using bedding?

Unread postby Hawthorne » Fri Dec 16, 2016 11:21 am

I think there's a good chance the scrape will be worked if there's bucks bedding there. My guess would depend on competition. Would be a good place for a cam that far from the beds. Also I think they would still use the licking branch outside mid-oct to december. If not probably a rut bed for bucks

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Re: No scrape usage = No bucks using bedding?

Unread postby gjs4 » Fri Dec 16, 2016 12:39 pm

Scrapes are Facebook for deer- nothing more or less.

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