Do any of you guys hunt spots that are mostly void of rubs or scrapes? If so, what productive areas do you hunt that seem to be almost dead with buck sign, yet produce at specific times of the year? You can talk about general thoughts or get very specific. I am all ears. Thank guys.
I set a stand up for a buddy who was new to hunting in a brushy bottom that has steep bluffs leading up to ridges on each side. It's probably 75 yards wide. No sign to speak of at all. Conversely, the ridgetops are littered with rubs and scrapes each fall. I figured the bottom would be a nice travel corridor and maybe he'd get a shot a doe or two. That was 5 years ago and he's had a shot at a respectable buck out of it every year since, including a borderline booner that he missed two seasons ago. He regularly sees deer traveling thru there but you won't see any sign. I went in there after a snow once and my gosh the tracks were everywhere. If you talk to those that hunt terrain features, I bet they'd say some of the best ambush spots are void of much buck sign. Maybe it's because a good portion of the scrapes and rubs we see are done at night. Maybe others can chime in and see if my hunch is close or not
First.. define mostly. Sign is so often misunderstood.. it's not about hunting areas heavy with sign.. or even with sign.. but knowing that sign exists somewhere within that LINE. By line.. I mean the travel corridor.. trail.. funnel.. what have you that exists from one point to another. So.. if in the first part of this line.. 3 rubs exist... then in the middle its void.. then at its end there's another 2 rubs and a scrape.. the middle is still part of the line. It can still be productive.. because it is still apart of the destination ETC. Don't think so small.. but rather large.. as in the full picture.. the WHOLE line. Sign is usually made for or with a specific purpose.. the fact you have little sign may just mean that bucks are passing through.. not stopping to browse (eat).. to socialize.. or simply to pass time (during daylight) on their way out to some destination food source. In Sooner's case (above).. it is likely that the ridge-tops are buck bedding areas.. so to pass time before moving on.. ETC ETC.. they scrape.. they rub ETC ETC... .. the area void of sign is likely just the pinch point to a greater destination.. and thus.. part of the line. Word.
Duke, I said "mostly" void of sign because I didn't want one little tiny rub in someone's hunting spot to stop them from answering this post. I agree with you that sign is often misunderstood (by me) and that is one of the reasons I made this post. I think that I have often overlooked hunting spots with little to no sign because I am more of a "show me" type person, I try to rely on tangible things and buck sign is tangible. That being said, I know I have to do a lot better recognizing good hunting spots that may not stand out. Thanks for the responses so far guys. Sometimes I just make posts like this to get my brain moving because I really have no real understanding of the given topic...kind of like a starting point of thinking.
All good points. Several other factors can go into lack of sign as well. Namely out of balance buck to doe ratios. In areas with high doe concentrations and limited competition between bucks you'll generally see a reduced amount of "buck" sign. And some bucks just don't leave a lot of sign. Just another variable personality trait of the wonderful whitetail deer.
Where I choose to ambush bucks is based on land terrain features more so than the presence of buck sign (scrapes, rubs).
"All good points. Several other factors can go into lack of sign as well. Namely out of balance buck to doe ratios. In areas with high doe concentrations and limited competition between bucks you'll generally see a reduced amount of "buck" sign. And some bucks just don't leave a lot of sign. Just another variable personality trait of the wonderful whitetail deer." Justin, I do not see much of a strong rut where I hunt. Not a lot of visible chasing and certainly no bucks fighting or anything.
As Justin already pointed out.. a likely reason you're seeing less sign. Lotta does! But.. I do hunt areas with "lack" of sign too.. I think they're less complicated to hunt actually (when interpreting sign). If I only have 1 scrape to choose from rather than 10.. that really narrows down what line I want to be hunting. Hope this makes sense..??
"As Justin already pointed out.. a likely reason you're seeing less sign. Lotta does! But.. I do hunt areas with "lack" of sign too.. I think they're less complicated to hunt actually (when interpreting sign). If I only have 1 scrape to choose from rather than 10.. that really narrows down what line I want to be hunting. Hope this makes sense..??" It does make sense. I have a long way to go in terms of reading/interpreting sign, then knowing where and when to hunt that sign. But I will get it done!
In my area of southeast Va Brett, the sign is really minute. The does are way out of whack here. 15 yrs ago the balance was great, lots of rubs and scrapes and it was nice to see the sign, but over the yrs the land has gotten small and the herd large. I too often overlook spots because of lack of sign...old habits die hard I guess...simple logic tells us to hunt where we see sign, and that is true in many cases, but when the does are out numbering the bucks it seems to have an impact on the rut.
Don't forget secluded food during the rut. One of our best stands in eastern NC was a giant moagnolia tree located between two, acorn producing oaks in the midst of a tremendous honeysuckle thicket. It produced three good bucks in two years: all killed during the rut while they were steathily seeking acorns to flll their very, very empty stomachs. One of the bucks was so gaunt from the rut that it looked like he had already been gutted. The area was completely deviod of buck sign and not a great stand if there were no acorns dropping. The year round foliage of the magnolia was a nice plus for concealment.
gri22ly--thank you as usual for your insight. "I call these areas dead zones, they are awesome spots to hunt outside the rut. Find the sign and connect the dots...In between point A and point B is great spot to catch a buck on his feet in day light." I am going to work on hunting spots like you described above this year. In fact, I went and scouted almost all the spots on the map of the lake you helped edit for me last hunting season. The one tight little saddle that you marked for me has no sign, but I tell you what, it is loaded with cover and connects two long oak flats...It looks wonderful. I just need a plan on when to hunt it and what times. I have several routes in that account for the wind, I am just a little clueless as to when to hunt that saddle. It almost looks like a dead on rut stand because of the cover it offers, it condenses deer movement, and it offers a thicker area for bucks to push does into to breed. I have 2-3 more areas that I found this year that just look wonderful from the ground and from a topo perspective, yet they have relatively no sign. I have to be confident to hunt "signless" areas. I can't wait to learn about these areas this year.
