Should you hunt scrapes during rut?

Should you hunt scrapes during rut?

This two-week period prior to the rut kicking in is an optimum time to hunt scrapes. Scrapes located in the woods near travel corridors and doe bedding areas are the key scrapes to hunt. These scrapes will be regularly checked until the first does in the area come into estrous.

Do Bucks use scrapes during rut?

Mature bucks may visit scrape locations after dark during the bulk of the season, even within their core daytime areas. A buck may even ignore a scrape all-together during the peak of the rut – in fact you can often determine when the rut has actually started when the scraping activity stops.

Do scrapes work after the rut?

This is the peak of the rut. During this time bucks rarely take time to work scrapes. They simply go from one receptive doe to another. Most scrapes will remain inactive during the peak of the rut.

How often do deer check scrapes during rut?

We discovered that during the two weeks leading up to peak breeding mature bucks made 6 to 12 scrapes every hour they were on their feet. During the two weeks leading up to peak breeding mature bucks can be expected to make between 6 and 12 scrapes every hour they are on their feet.

Should I hunt rubs or scrapes?

Although scrapes can attract deer and influence their behavior, rubs are a much more effective signpost for deer. As noted by such experts as John J. Ozoga, bucks make rubs to show dominance. That’s why mature bucks usually make the most and biggest rubs each season.

Do female deer pee in buck scrapes?

Bucks are typically the only deer that will urinate in the scrape, but does and fawns invariably stop and use the licking branch.

Is it better to hunt scrapes or rubs?

Should I put doe urine in a scrape?

Deer are attracted to the smell of soil as is, but if you want to up the attraction factor, pour some buck or doe urine, or scrape starter into it. This will create an exceptional trail camera site, as bucks will continue to check the scrape every time they pass by or are in the area.

What time of day do bucks make rubs?

Field rubs are made by bucks as they approach open areas to feed, usually in early season and most often at night. A mature buck probably won’t enter these open areas until after shooting light. The exception would be in lightly-hunted areas or during peak rut.

How often will a buck visit a rub?

Bucks often select highly aromatic trees like pines and eastern red cedar to rub on, and amazingly, one buck can make an average of 300 to 400 rubs each fall! In general, older bucks make more rubs than younger ones.

Why do deer make rubs and scrapes when they are in a rut?

“The animal goes from being kind of asexual to becoming hyper-sexual by the peak of the rut,” Miller said. Deer have highly sensitive noses, and so they make rubs and scrapes to communicate by scent. These “signpost” communications help deer mark their territory, demonstrate their presence, and show they’re ready to breed.

Can you make a mock scrape on a deer?

Hunting mock scrapes has been a successful tactic used by many hunters throughout the years.

What can I use to freshen my deer scrapes?

Using a product like Tink’s Power Scrape to freshen your scrapes can help increase daytime activity and your chances at harvesting a nice buck. Hunter shown wearing Mathews Lost Camo.

Why are deer scrapes important to deer hunters?

When deer scrapes first gained attention as a significant form of deer sign, biologists and deer hunters alike were under the misconception that deer scrapes served as a meeting place for bucks and does during the rut. By urinating across their hock glands, bucks leave their individual scent in the deer scrape itself.