Dayime buck sign

[backstraps]

While listening to Dans rescent Podcast, there was a mention of recognizing fresh daytime scrapes or rubs....maybe both I cant recall exactly...BUT

How do you guys tell the difference in buck sign made at daylight vs night time? Is it the actual location of the sign in relation to bedding?

[dan]

When its close to bedding or along a rut cruising wrought

[purebowhunting]

It's impossible to say sign was made during daylight or under darkness, but the location can tell you the likelihood a target buck may be using the area during daylight. It's location relating to bedding and cover is the main key outside of rut.

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[JoeRE]

Yea location is the only way you can tell the difference between day and night sign like Dan said. If I see a big torn up primary scrape 70 yards from what I know is good buck bedding that's probably day sign, whereas those big field edge primary scrapes 100s of yards from bedding are typically night work.

If you want to confirm time of use - hang a cam. That can really help in educating a hunter for evaluating future situations.

[BHC]

Obviously you can't know for certain. Sign in fields open woods, and feeding areas is no doubt used at night. Sign near known bedding is going to be used by deer( not necessarily mature buck) during daylight sometimes. The thing to remember( something many hunters don't understand) is all scrapes are utilized by several deer. Rarely will u find a scrape and it not have already been hit by 2 or 3 deer. Also rarely will the same buck hit a scrape more than once. He may pass by but usually not work the scrape again. I have learned a lot about bucks the last 7 yrs tracking them will trail cams. Mostly by scrapes and bait stations during preseason..

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[remmag]

Obviously you can't know for certain. Sign in fields open woods, and feeding areas is no doubt used at night. Sign near known bedding is going to be used by deer( not necessarily mature buck) during daylight sometimes. The thing to remember( something many hunters don't understand) is all scrapes are utilized by several deer. Rarely will u find a scrape and it not have already been hit by 2 or 3 deer. Also rarely will the same buck hit a scrape more than once. He may pass by but usually not work the scrape again. I have learned a lot about bucks the last 7 yrs tracking them will trail cams. Mostly by scrapes and bait stations during preseason..

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You said the same buck rarely re-visits a scrape, so what if that scrape is say 100 yards or so from buck bedding, and is estimated that its from daylight activity, is it worth sitting over then?

Also, I've read on here that someone was saying one of there favorite tactics during the rut is to hunt over a scrape, mainly during or after a rain because bucks go around and freshen them up.

Have you (or anybody else) found this to be true? I found some nice primary scrapes during scouting and marked them as potential rut hotspots. Personally I've never hunted over a scrape so not sure what the outcome will be

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[dan]

rarely will the same buck hit a scrape more than once.

All depends on the scrape...

I killed what may be my two biggest bucks with bow on scrapes I watched them use from a distance over and over, day after day as they exited there bed's... Next weeks podcast is on this very subject...

[BHC]

That's interesting dan. I have to wonder if it has to do with the regions we hunt. I hunt southern middle Tn. It has been noted in collared studies that deer in the Midwest are more daytime active. I have hung cameras on many many scrapes. I may get 3 pics of the same buck from a camera usually but many times they are just passing. Usually the biggest deer I only get once. You may think well they are avoiding that area, because your scent but we have killed them with in shooting distance of the camera.

What really makes me believe we are hunting different animals, is the way u use observation stands. Where I hunt you never and I mean never see the same shooter buck in a season. Most are never seen by anyone. I have a buddy who could not believe how much his deer sightings went down when he moved here from Indiana.

I have learned certain scrape areas are the best place to kill target bucks, but rarely do I get a pic of anything but the younger bucks working that scrape in daylight. But the big boys will pass in daylight 2-3 times a season( not necessarily using the scrape). There may be something to inching closer to the points they may be bedding which is what I plan to try this yr.. My problem is of our 3300 acres 1500 are small pines. But I do get pics during daytime of the big boys once in a while...

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[dan]

I have hnuted 9 different states, and scouted ande advised in many more, Whitetails are whitetails where ever you go... The biggest difference is in the habitat. I don't think your getting what Im saying about scrapes... I see the same thing you do "on most scrapes" Im talking about scrapes that are right up against bedding areas. Both those big bucks I shot over scrapes were bedding within 100 yards of the scrape.

Most of my observation sits are set up to watch an area within 100 yards of a known or suspected buck... We get very little daytime movment here also, especially on the heavy pressured public I am usually on.

[BHC]

You may be right dan. I will admit I am a young hunter in comparison to you and others on here. I have learned a lot with my cameras and maps, but I may have never hunted a scrape as you describe. What I have learned is some of the bucks were "unkillable" using my methods. And some did exactly what I hoped first sit. In. Going back and looking many of my success match your hill country strategies. Related to another thread I don't think I responded to most deer I see prior to the rut are traveling into the wind. I'm sure this has something to do with the way I set up, but it has worked my and my buddies I've helped biggest bucks to date traveled into the wind to us..
So having only hunted Alabama and Tennessee I can't disagree w you.. So maybe it's just how I have set up..

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[BHC]

Dan if you don't mind my asking out of curiosity, what % of your hunts each season do you encounter a 3+ yr old buck?

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[dan]

You may be right dan. I will admit I am a young hunter in comparison to you and others on here. I have learned a lot with my cameras and maps, but I may have never hunted a scrape as you describe. What I have learned is some of the bucks were "unkillable" using my methods. And some did exactly what I hoped first sit. In. Going back and looking many of my success match your hill country strategies. Related to another thread I don't think I responded to most deer I see prior to the rut are traveling into the wind. I'm sure this has something to do with the way I set up, but it has worked my and my buddies I've helped biggest bucks to date traveled into the wind to us..
So having only hunted Alabama and Tennessee I can't disagree w you.. So maybe it's just how I have set up..

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Well, because of the way hill country bucks bed, and the way most hunters hunt, it forces you to set up for bucks going into the wind. If they are bedding on points and your hunting above them to stay out of the swirling winds in the bottom, your setting up upwind of the bucks so most of the bucks you see will be coming from down wind.

[dan]

Dan if you don't mind my asking out of curiosity, what % of your hunts each season do you encounter a 3+ yr old buck?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

It varys based on where I hunt... Last year I pretty much stayed on public and pressured private. maybe 1 out of 20? You could check my hunting journal from last year. Its posted in the greatest threads at the top of the deer forum. When I hunted managed land last, I hunted 10 days and saw about 20... So that would skew the numbers...

[BHC]

Thanks! I figured it would vary.. I've got some things I'm going to try a little different this season, which will prolly be the least amount of hunting I've done in my life... But will see what it yields

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