Fresh scrape activity?

[charlie 01]

Can anyone tell me why I'm (as of yesterday 3-19-11) seeing fresh breeding scrapes. While shed hunting one area I found 3 fresh scrapes. I was always under the impression that once a buck loses his antlers, that working a scrape would the furthest thing from his mind. I've noticed that once the antlers are gone their whole demeanor changes. They are not as seclusive or wild as they once were. My thoughts were always, that when I find spring time scrapes that this buck is still carrying his head gear. In the past, I had a large 10pt. carry his antlers till April 14. I'll always remember the date because it was Income Tax deadline. I used to go into those woods everyday for two weeks, see him with them on a just leave. So, anyone have any thoughts on this.

[msbadger]

Are you actually seeing the scrapes being made or after the fact?...My woods are just loaded with what looks like scapes.... but they are where the deer are digging around for food...and turkey scratching around for food as well...

[jonny5buck]

I got 2 nice size scrapes on one of the properties i hunt as of yesterday....im not sure if they were pawed out recently or if they were kicked out late before the snow ....either way they are visible right now w/ deer track in them.

I have heard deer will continue to use scrapes all year...at least visiting them...i cannot remember if it is only the ones WITH a licking branch....or Only the ones without.....man...i bet Charlie Alsheimer the deer biologist can answer this one!

@ MS badger- when i first started hunting i thought there was scrapes everywhere and like you stated i watched turkey taering the crap out of the ground everywhere...unreal really...do you know what those shrubs are that they paw under ??? the deer here only do them under those....they get the small red berries....bushy.....and they eat the leaves....some one called them honey suckle but i think that is wrong....thanks!

[charlie 01]

There are no turkeys in this area. The scrapes were fresh with fresh dirt. The leaves were just freshley moved away and one could see some of the new growth that was starting under the leaves. They were just one scraped spot, but far apart with a fresh track in it, at an over hanging branch.
 
I know what your saying, I saw many of the old scrapes, they are still visable. But the few I did find were deffinetly new. 

[jonny5buck]

That is awesome....i thought it was ones with a licking branch ,but i wasn't sure....i use to keep a journal ...just short stuff...observations..etc..

I do remember seeing several deer work a licking branch after season at a park i hunt.I had my binoculars and had noticed several deer up and moving the same direction.....i watched one work the heck out of a licking branch..with his eye duct...than chew it...i believe it was march..i know i was casting the lake for walleye from shore...afterwards i went over and the scrape was fresh ,like your saying... i didnt smell it,but fresh dirt kicked up.

I also watched 2 big does sniff and lick at the branch....when i stood there i also seen why one of my stand locations was bad....they had a birds eye view and the wind even gentle breeze wafted right at that point....the scrape was big over 3ft by 3ft.AND when they worked that branch their head was up looking toward where i had set up and been busted....good info finding those primary scrapes.....i know they are good when they get action in spring like that![;)]

[msbadger]

Well that's neat then...never seen that here,,well that I know of[;)]

The brush with red berries...here I could be any thing.....honey suckle....Autum olive...or elderberry....Our elderberry area in the open woods is just wild with rubs from last and crazy amounts of deer droppings every where ...Dang I have to have bad luck...there are 3 blinds and 2 stands in that area. I had one shot at a 10point and when I went to draw my bow...nothing...I mean I couldn't move the string...by the time I muscled it back he was out of the shooting lane...I ended up hitting and elderberry stem and watched the arrow sail under his body...but you can bet I'll be concentrating on that area next year[;)]

[charlie 01]

Does anyone think that fresh scrapes could be done by a buck that is still carrying his antlers. Here is a pic of a buck from last year that was still carrying in April. The trail cam was placed at a scrape. Wanted to see what still had antlers. He is reaching for the overhead branch. You can see that spot (the scrape) in front of him. The camera caught him just as he approached the scrape. Numerous bucks used this scrape through the year.

[Jslotter]

I have been told by well seasoned deer hunters that bucks will work scrapes year long. I was asking the same thing here late last summer when I did some scouting in late August and I found many well worked scrapes along edges of alfalfa and clover fields. I always thought bucks worked scrapes only during the rut. I guess I was wrong.

[charlie 01]

Jslotter, you say late August. Was it around the 24th? That was the full moon. Years back, when I used to trout fish in Mich. (used to also bow hunt this area). When walking back to the river, I would purposely walk through an area where there was always scrape activity. Sometimes in Sept. when during a full moon I would find fresh scrapes. Generally during a full moon the nights are cooler especially if the sky is clear. I have always noticed and felt that these conditions seem to get the bucks active. 

[Bowriter]

I guess the first question I wouold ask is, define a breeding scrape for me.

I fooled around with scrapes for about 20-years. I made mock scrapes and usually started them during the spring turkey season. I use nothing but my own urine and if I picked the location correctly and had the right overhanging branches, about 50% of these would be "picked up". To some extent, these scrapes were used all year long. I freshened them every time I walked by and activity naturally would increase as the peak of the rut approached and then wane as the rut was completed. However, other than that, I could see absolutely no evidence of a connection between a scrape and breeding.Some scrapes continued to be "worked" all year as long as I whizzed in them now and then and I have never had any desire to breed a deer.

They are a tremendous communication tool for deer. Scrapes, just about any of them, are used by different bucks and does of all ages. However, not for the purpose of breeding. Long misuderstood, the scrape was thought to be how receptive does and eager bucks, "hooked up". Balderdash! Nothing of the sort.

Scrapes can appear at any time and be used at any time with the peak usage coming as the rut approaches but does not reach the peak. The reason being, that is when the most traveling and communicating occurs. Just to confuse things, 85% of all scraping activity occurs at night. But of the greatest interest to me, is that scrapes just 75-100 yards apart may be used by totally different bucks. I haven't figured that one out yet. But I can tell you one thing you can bank on. The size of a scrape has nothing to do with the size of the bucks working it. Foour small bucks can make on heck of a scrape.