QUESTION: I’ve heard many different ideas about hunting over scrapes. Should you only hunt fresh scrapes? Should you hunt scrapes 2 feet wide or wider only, or should you hunt them only during pre-rut, peak rut or post-rut? Should you hunt where you can physically see the scrape or should you hunt downwind of it back in the woods? Personally, I would rather hunt rubs or rub lines if I can find them. What do we do? — Nivia W.
ANSWER: Scrapes are a very attractive target, but those who hunt them are often frustrated with their lack of success. There are several reasons for that.
Research shows that the majority of scrape activity occurs at night. That doesn’t mean deer won’t visit them during daylight hours. In fact, I once killed a buck on Anticosti Island while it was tending a scrape. Furthermore, a scrape is essentially a signpost or communication station that may be visited by several different individual deer besides the deer that made it.
As for which scrapes to hunt, there are many variables to consider. The fresher, the better, but a buck might not revisit a scrape for several days after making it, so I wouldn’t hold to strictly to fresh scrapes. Size sometimes matters, as larger scrapes indicate more use, but much depends on soil conditions, deer densities, etc.
It’s more important to select scrapes that are re-used after they’re opened. Some scrapes might only be used once, while others can be used season after season. They’ll often, but not always, be bigger and will always have an overhanging licking branch.
Most scrape activity will occur prior to peak rut when bucks are signaling their readiness but does aren’t quite ready to breed. Once does start coming into estrus, the bucks will be busy seeking and chasing and will spend less time on and around scrapes. However, they will check back periodically, and might not necessarily visit the scrape. It’s sometimes less risky to cruise by downwind in thicker cover, which could be a better location to set your stand.