I have a scrape that i have had very successful results in over the previous 3 seasons. I use it as an inventory scrape to see what bucks i have in the area. I have had a camera over it now for almost 3 weeks, and so far not a single antlered buck has shown. I get ALOT of doe/fawns checking it out: I understand that its still early in the breeding season, and that the bucks aren't out checking does yet. At the same time, i had very high expectations when i checked my camera this morning, and got disappointing results. This is what im used to on this scrape: Am i over-analyzing this? Will the bucks follow suit and start coming around in the next few weeks? Or should i concentrate my efforts elsewhere?
Look at the dates from this year, and the dates from previous years pics....I'd say historically your still 1-2 weeks early.
I have that on my mind, but i think that tells me that bucks are not bedding anywhere NEAR here. That they only pass through. Some early/mid October scrape activity would indicate in my mind that the buck is at least in the area, and not just "passing through" I did find a real scrape though less then 100 yards from here. Weird.
I have used Primos scent droppings, Tinks buck urine, Tinks Power Scrape and some Active Scrape over the 3 week period. In 06' and 07' i used Active Scrape. In 08' i used Power Scrape.
If I dont get a buck showing up in the daylight in 1 week I move mine. There are scrapes that bucks will always check at night due to your location. There are scrapes that if they are located right you will get daylight visits.
I have a very similar problem, but it is almost an every year thing. We have a doe problem on our property, that is one reason we are doing an EAB initiative on the property this year. The bucks always show up in November, but I'd like to see them earlier in the year also.
Thats another thing. This scrape has NEVER had daylight activity. I use it for inventory. But its not even getting that now. It has been warm the last week too.
I don't know your property, so I'm wondering why it is weird to have a scrape 100 yards from this one?
The fact that i have 0 racked bucks on camera, on a "known" scrape line/ travel route...yet i find a scrape on a logging road on my walk in. Just seemed a little out of place.
Is the known scrape on a buck travel route or do the bucks show up during the rut to check for does? Have you caught bucks on camera in this location outside of the rut? Maybe the other scrape is on a travel route of a particular buck.
I have never had a camera on the known scrape before the final week in October before. This year i have had it on it all month, and havnt got a single racked buck. Its going to stay there though November to see what happens. The scrape i found is on a logging road that gets scrapes every once in awhile, but its a spot that i hunted in years passed and never saw anything but 1.5 year old bucks and does from. The odd thing to me was the fact that the buck made a scrape in the area, but didnt investigate the community scrape that is always present. No buck has yet.
Maybe because the rut hasn't really heated up yet? At least not enough that the buck felt the need to veer from his normal travel route to check a scrape. Just thinking out loud.
Try this, drag a rag soaked in buck urine from the "real" scrape to your scrape. See if you can get one to check out yours.
I've done this during the rut and sometimes you can lead a buck in. Worked well when I first started 6 yrs ago but I haven't had a lot of luck with it recently. I used estrous during the rut, but that can repulse non-estrous does so if you're after a deer (buck or doe) don't use it. Also if you collect deer poop from another location and bring it back in a baggie and dump it into the real scrape, this will really piss off the buck! Have that rag in there with those droppings soak it with urine and lead him into your set-up. Good Luck! ( doesn't always work!)
Ive done the drag method before, and brought in 1.5 year old bucks. Never thought to lead them from one scrape to the next though.
I have a good feeling things are gonna drastically change for the better at that scrape, in the next 2 weeks. Get fresh batteries in there :D
