Community scrape?

[upwind predator]

Was scouting a public hill country bluff yesterday afternoon for possible future rut hunts this coming fall and came across an area with scrapes and rubs which signified rut cruising to me. Anywho i zig zagged and went to a saddle i had originally marked on a map with help from you guys and about 50 or so yards from it i came across this big scrape. Licking branch is broke but still hanging so if it is a community scrape when i go back in a week or 2 to finish scouting im gonna add a oak branch to it to keep it open. What you guys think? Iv never actually seen one till now if it is one. Heavy cover is adjacent to it.

[Tennhunter3]

I wouldn't add anything.
Keep any human scent away I've seen scrapes die out from me messing with them. A scrape that well established isn't going to change. Broken licking branch or not.

That's a primary scrape and it will continue to be used year after year as long as pressure remains low. It's a solid find for sure.

Where is bedding in relation to the scrape? Both buck and doe. Plan on the heaviest trails near the scrape to be doe trails the faint ones or transition trails should be the buck trails.

When the thermal is rising and falling you need to know where that scent in scrape will flow too because that's where the buck will be coming from to check it.

I would be looking to find the faint checking trails and find a entry direction without crossing them. Most likely hunting off to the sides of the scrape if the buck is using any kind of hook to downwind check it.

If any any point that the heavy cover edge and the scrape thermal overlap that's a great spot for rut travel. And would definitely be a spot I paid attention too will probably be a Rut kill spot if its hunted correctly.

Depending on bedding distance it may or may not be ok for bow season.

If you find beds nearby go on the day you expect the wind is right for your setup. Carry at least 4 smoke bombs use one at the scrape and watch the thermal then go to your tree repeat. They are pretty cheap to get a case of them.

It's best to test these during midday sun and evening falling thermal. These do matter I've definitely made this mistake and been busted on thermal fall.

[upwind predator]

Straight in front of the scrape up the trail 30-50yds and to the left is some thick cover(a couple fallen trees) when i followed that up i jumped a horse of a doe, well i think it was a doe couldnt get a clear look. To the right is more open. Run into private. Ill attach this picture. Blue circle is the community scrape the icons there stand icon is possible setups. Orange line is a heavier trail comin off the knob to primary and continueing to private. The red line is the saddle. Green are faint trails i did notice. Ill have to go back and check wind and thermals, and ill remember to bring a compass to see which direction the location actually is in relation to North. There is a hiking trail that goes thru that saddle that i could use to access, its not maintained at all. My thinking tho is i could pull an all day sit here once i figure wind and thermals out. sit on the knob i call it, its way higher in elevation then where the primary scrape is, which is less then 100yds away. Sit there till thermals switch then tear down and sneak down to where the primary scrape is and finish out the day? Or set up farther to the right in the morning where the other scrape icons are in the am then move later. I do have a post in the deer hunting section showing the whole property from earlier last week. Only one access and id have to walk most of the property to get her. The bluff runs north and south. and east and west is where it dumps down to private fields west side is STEEP on the boundry. My biggest challenge will be figuring out what wind to go in on for an all day sit in mass hardwoods like this. Im used to farm country. Sorry for bein long winded tryin to learn the hills.

[upwind predator]

Straight in front of the scrape up the trail 30-50yds and to the left is some thick cover(a couple fallen trees) when i followed that up i jumped a horse of a doe, well i think it was a doe couldnt get a clear look. To the right is more open. Run into private. Ill attach this picture. Blue circle is the community scrape the icons there stand icon is possible setups. Orange line is a heavier trail comin off the knob to primary and continueing to private. The red line is the saddle. Green are faint trails i did notice. Ill have to go back and check wind and thermals, and ill remember to bring a compass to see which direction the location actually is in relation to North. There is a hiking trail that goes thru that saddle that i could use to access, its not maintained at all. My thinking tho is i could pull an all day sit here once i figure wind and thermals out. sit on the knob i call it, its way higher in elevation then where the primary scrape is, which is less then 100yds away. Sit there till thermals switch then tear down and sneak down to where the primary scrape is and finish out the day? Or set up farther to the left in the morning where the other scrape icons are in the am then move later. I do have a post in the deer hunting section showing the whole property from earlier last week. Only one access and id have to walk most of the property to get her. The bluff runs north and south. and east and west is where it dumps down to private fields west side is STEEP on the boundry. My biggest challenge will be figuring out what wind to go in on for an all day sit in mass hardwoods like this. Im used to farm country. Sorry for bein long winded tryin to learn the hills.

[upwind predator]

Left by the other scrape icons i meant not right

[Tennhunter3]

If your wondering I think I got my smoke balls from party city they come 72 in a box.


I would not sit that funnel soon as the thermal drops it's going to create a mixing zone of oder.

That island high spot is going to pull so much scent to it midday if you setup around it. You may get away setting up low on the south edge at falling thermal south of your stand spot. East of my orange.

If I was hunting this I would hunt it on a wind blowing to the south. I don't think you can hunt it on a west wind because of where I would expect bedding.

Those trails are all south facing so odds are good the buck is using that point on a southeast blowing wind. Not being able to scout the private that would guess. This is I would look at this though others probably would hunt it differently.

It's a low elevation sit but at falling thermal travel will probably be low and wind is blowing down into the bottom from setup tree.

Of course I havent scouted it and it can be hard to tell by maps. Some elevations , slopes ,ditches ect aren't obvious.

The orange circle would be probably my sit area.
Yellow thermals rise fall.
Blue wind.
Blue dots expected travel of buck.

Screenshot_20200302-152016_Photo Editor.jpg

[Tennhunter3]

Probably the best kill spot would be on the private landowners south of that scrape. . If you could get permission to hunt it.

Your thermal rise would go to the scrape during midday. But that bucks going to hook in low to that scrape at dark. If the bedding prediction is correct.

The north part of that island may work north of the scrape on a wind out of the south. Thermal should still go to the scrape area midday.

Be cool to see some of the other beast show where they would predict to sit.

Second orange dot south east of first.

Screenshot_20200302-153452_Photo Editor.jpg

[upwind predator]

I should say im not trying to hunt a specific buck bed on this piece im not ready to go full beast yet, just feel this could be real good during rut and pre rut cause it dont get much pressure and no one goes that far back, its aways back n id only shot a monster like 140 plus lol. But figured itd be good to hunt them searchin for does. I know for sure i couldnt get permission to hunt the private, that bluff is locked down good by all the private owners. Ill have to look at the smoke balls. Would it be to risky to get in there way early before daylight and make a big loop as showin as an example in purple, access is the only access in the lower left(purple cirlce at bottom of the bluff), and set up somewhere in the green. There is a creek north of that you can see on the topo before i marked it up and it gets real steep and ditchy on either side the farther NE it goes. Blue arrows are pointing towards a big private cornfield just over the property line maybe 100yds past. Could i use that to my advantage on a South, Southwest wind or maybe even a South east wind to my advantage. Wind and thermal wise? The creek is in a bottom by the blue arrows and as it goes back up in elevation it gets real ditchy and steep banked from run off washin it out?

[upwind predator]

Heres the pic, i forgot to post it in the last post

[Tennhunter3]

You could setup somewhere along that green line in Am rut with a wind out of the south.


That scrape scent should be blowing to you until mid morning. You might just catch a buck traveling inside that western field edge looking to check for does.

That definitely looks like a good spot if the landowners havent gotten onto it.

If they are bedding on that northern slope point on a south wind you should be in a good spot to at least find out if they are bedding in that spot on that wind. They might come in before daylight and spook but at least you will learn something from that sit.

They will most likely be near that thick cover if the fields are pressured.

[upwind predator]

Valid point you make. What would you suggest for a pm move if i was doin an all day sit or should i just base the am sit off movement then go from there. I still got more of it to scout i ran out of time but got a good chunk done. Id pry try to get in and sticks n stand up the tree 2hrs before daylight, n unfortunately that field side theres a stand right on the line facin public but i think its a gun stand by the looks of it. I’ll investigate that scrape area closer when i get back out i was runnin out of daylight when i found it

[upwind predator]

And your sayin in the evening when the thermals drop the winds still out of the south but thermals are sucking back towards the scrape when there falling?

[Tennhunter3]

It's really upto you when you hunt it.
Just be sure to keep falling and the rising thermals in mind.

I'm not a expert theres many on here that are fantastic hunters . I have just learned from making alot of mistakes lol.
Hopefully others will give their ideas of the area also.

If your hunting the north slope on a south wind blowing torward the north.
Early morning they will fall into low spot.
From 8-9ish the thermal will began rising with the sun torward the scrape.

By 4ish after sun stops hitting the ground they will fall low again.

If it's a rainy day they will fall as long as theirs no heating from the sun. Heat creates Rise.

Keep in mind certain objects , blowdowns ect can have some effect on wind and thermal current. Which is why cotton balls , milkweed, smoke is so important.

Now water thermals are a totally different complicated issue .

[upwind predator]

The goal is an all day sit or sits on this property, even if i gotta tear down and move at some point. Ill definitely have to get some smoke balls since i dont got much milkweed left from the season and go in there before green up on a south wind and see whats goin on, on the surrounding terrain as well and a couple other spots to. I agree itd be great if any other beasts could chime in with there thoughts as well. Really appreciate it tennhunter. Im sure by fall they’ll be sick of me asking questions and pickin brains haha.

[Twenty Up]

I’d hang a cell camera on that in September and get ready to hunt that scrape October into early November. Personally, from experience and running lots of trails cameras, scrapes down here get worked the hardest in Mid to late October. Once does come into heat, bucks don’t pay much attention to scrapes.

I’m willing to bet there’s trails forming a “T” and that scrape is in the middle. One trail going straight down the saddle, the other going across. Depending on what the camera tells you, is how I’d setup.

Depending how close it is to bedding & thick cover will determine how much daylight action you’ll see.