Already finding scrapes

[SteveR]

Went out yesterday afternoon and decided to set up in one of my favorite places. On my way to the stand sight I noticed a tree that had been rubbed in the distance. As I got closer, in a fairly open grassy area I noticed a scrape underneath a low overhanging branch. I was a little surprised to see the first one, but I started looking around and within a 30 yard radius I counted at least six different scrapes.

This is the earliest that I can ever remember finding scrapes. Is anyone else seeing the same thing? I know that an article I read a few weeks ago said to make sure you were in the stand on Halloween this year, as they predicted an early rut.

Nice thing is... when I left stand and got back to the bean field there were two nice bucks 130-140 class standing at the far end of the bean field. Both were bucks that I havent seen yet this year or got on camera. Maybe its time they are starting to claim some territory. I sure hope they stick around.

[lowerunit]

When I saw your post I figured you had found a territory scrape. They are year-round. But when you said 6 or so, that changes things. Sounds like you have an early-bird in your herd. I would set a cam up on the biggest 2 of the scrapes. I would also get some Austrian Peas in there with a cam on the pile. GL.

[str8 shot]

Went saturday and found 2.One was half the size of our fourwheeler

[notimlmit]

Maybe this cool snap got them as excited as it did us.

[ScentFree]

Anybody have any idvice on when and what to use when making mock scapes?

[Gobblergetter2.1]

I found my first scrape last year on the 19th. This is a tad early, but really only by a week or so. The deer really started making scrapes about the 1st of october here last year, and i expect the same this year. As for making mock scrapes: i dont care what others think, i KNOW that pissing in a scrape DOES work. I did it probably 50 times last year, and each time id come back, and the scrape was worked over. In fact, i have tons of trail cam pics last year off of a scrape that I made on october 1st. Ive got pics of deer working the scrape within hours after i pissed in it. All piss turns is mostly the same stuff any ways, deer dont know the difference. Id wait about a week, maybe a little longer, and find an over hanging branch next to a trail, clear out about a 3ft dia. oval with a stick, then piss in it. I always throw the stick a long ways away from where i used it not to get any direct scent in the area. I PROMISE this will work if the deer are ready! This is a cheap, and easy way to make scrapes. Also, around the 1st week and a half of october is when i start using Wildlife Research's Active Scrape. You can pick it up at wal-mart right now for fairly cheap. Its good stuff.

[michunter]

In the heat of the rut I have pissed in scrapes came back the next day and they have worked it over , So I agree it works for sure !!:D

[AteUp]

Somebody on here saw a newborn fawn this spring that would of had to have been conceived around October 16th of last year.

[kidd rock]

A couple seasons ago i saw a BIG buck hounding a doe the 2nd week of October. When i say hounding, i do not mean walking with her, i mean full grunting, lip curls, the whole 9 yards. Unfortunatly, he was much too far for a shot. I kind of wrote this off as one of those "fluke" type things.

Back last year, I read a magazine article about this very behavior. It stated that the very old does in a herd will actually come into estrous for a brief period around this time. They called it the "October mini-rut". I think this article was in either North American Whitetail or D&DH. I will try to find it and post the link. It is a VERY good article, and really opened my eyes to what happens this time of year!!

[drew]

I find scrapes every year in mid-Sept., but have never seen squat hunting them.

[WhiteRubi]

It seems like somebody on here posted about this is a "mock scrape" thread, but I could have read it elsewhere. Basically, it's not a bad idea to start making mock scrapes now and watching them for activity. You may very well end up with a bruiser using one that YOU started underneath a tree of your choosing. It's certainly not foolproof, but if you start several, one of them just might turn into a hot scrape in a month.

I'm curious to see if anybody has any info on what you eat/drink before pissing in a mock scrape. I would think this could be a big factor.

I've used active scrape for 3-4 years in the dripper bags. It's been very productive. I've not SEEN one make a scrape, but I've had several come right in to the scrape. I'll be starting a few this week and hunting over them to check activity as I can't trust the thieves enough to put out a camera. :mad:

[sixxfan26]

I've never really monitored what I was eating or drinking before I decided to take a leak in a scrape or two. But I agree with the others... it DOES work and it's FREE! Why pay anywhere from $5 to $20 (for the high end stuff) for a bottle of urine when you could put enough of your own pee in a scrape that would fill 10 of those bottles! If you haven't tried it yet, give it a shot. Just make sure you're wearing rubber boots and you don't touch anything. Being scent free while you pee is the key!

[120+]

"Just make sure you're wearing rubber boots and you don't touch anything. Being scent free while you pee is the key!"

Sorry. I have to touch it so I can get good aim. Guess I could wear gloves though. :D

[parker101]

Speaking of peeing, i have a friend that got in a fight with a guy anbout hunting in this certain spot then he turns around and sets up there! so for about a week everymornin pissed in a 5 gallon bucket so you know thats got to rank. Then pored it all around his feed and stand thinking it would run all his dear away, but sad to say the enemy killed a really good wall mouting 12 pnt.! So it sure worked for that guy! just have your friends fill you up a bucket full!!!:D

[Joe Bryan]

Back to the subject of the early scrape. I was at a seminar in Bardstown at Keene's Depot, with Jim Strelic of Knight and Hale as the guest speaker, he was talking about the rut. He reminded us that once a buck shed his velvet he was then ready to breed. So the idea of early scrapes is not all that uncommon. Let the trail camera do the survelance and let us know what turns up! Good Luck!

[lowerunit]

My buddy was out of Tinks, so he had his wife pee in a bottle for him. He got in well before daylight and spread it around. He said as daylight came, he started making out figures. When the sun came up he realized the woods was FULL of truck drivers!

[ScentFree]

My buddy was out of Tinks, so he had his wife pee in a bottle for him. He got in well before daylight and spread it around. He said as daylight came, he started making out figures. When the sun came up he realized the woods was FULL of truck drivers!


AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[huntindawoods]

Back to the subject of the early scrape. I was at a seminar in Bardstown at Keene's Depot, with Jim Strelic of Knight and Hale as the guest speaker, he was talking about the rut. He reminded us that once a buck shed his velvet he was then ready to breed. So the idea of early scrapes is not all that uncommon. Let the trail camera do the survelance and let us know what turns up! Good Luck!

Good point a lot of people don't realize the rut begins when the velvet is shed, heard this comment many of times at the deer classic by speaker Don Bell. A lot of people think the rut is on when the buck are breeding hey they're ready to breed now the does aren't tho. But to the early scrapes the cool snap we had this weekend may have got some bucks turned on a little quicker who knows