The scrape was so fresh it steamed like microwaved hotcakes. I vowed to be nearby that evening.
I was, and the next morning, and the day after that, as the fresh earth turned a pale brown and leaves began to clutter the once-cleared patch of ground. Surely, a buck made that scrape, yet it was not one that bucks return to.
Hanging a stand over a hot scrape is very motivating, yet buck scrapes are often one-night-stands that rutting deer rarely return to. How can you tell the difference?
I located the scrape mentioned above while pheasant hunting. It was at the end of a rock-break in a cut cornfield, the kind of place that bucks visit at night. The edge of a field is another place where scrapes are rarely productive, since bucks make them when they’re in the open and looking for does. Also look for a licking branch. Without that broken bow above the scrape, the buck’s return is doubtful.
Productive scrapes are usually along deer trails and are often accompanied by rub lines through cover, the kind of place where bucks and does feel safe.
If you have multiple days to hunt, re-check the site to see what has happened, or post a trail camera. If leaves fill the scrap on your next visit, you know that it isn’t a primary scrape. However, if it remains fresh for two or more days, check the wind and hang a stand.
On November 1, I combined the first day of fall turkey season with a deer hunt. I quickly found a red-hot scrape with ample licking branches above. The next morning, only a spike buck came past the scrape, but didn’t actually approach it. When I rechecked the scrape in the daylight, I could see that leaves had begun to cover it, a sign that the buck may not return.
On my next trip, I found another serious scrape about 30 yards away. I also found a six-inch diameter tree rubbed and gauged, an indication this was a big buck.
After posting a trail camera, my suspicions were confirmed. I planned to be there at dawn.
Before approaching the site, I put a dose of Tink’s 69 gel on the sole of each boot so that I had a scent trail, and I headed to my stand. By flashlight, the scrape was still fresh. I climbed in.
The morning went slow, yet at 2:00 pm, the buck chased two does past the scrape where it hit my scent trail. It paused at 30 yards and my Excaliber unleashed a lethal arrow.
The bigger the diameter of the scrape the better, because multiple deer may be using it. I once carried a shotgun for turkeys and came across a fresh scrape line. It looked so promising, I walked back to the truck and picked up my bow. I waited barely 30 minutes when a grunting buck came by. That day, I bagged far more than a turkey dinner.
