A Successful Hunt Begins With Knowing Where The Deer Are.
Identifying tracks (two fat teardrops positioned like parentheses) and droppings (piles of brown-to-gray cocoon-shaped lumps) make a good start, but one of the best whitetail deer hunting tips is learning to spot a scrape.
The first telltale sign is a patch of ground that stands out because leaves and grasses have been pawed away and the ground churned up. Looking above the spot, you should see branch tips that would be within reach of the buck. The branches will be tattered and broken at the ends from the buck licking and tugging at them.
Scrapes are part of the rutting cycle, begun in the weeks before breeding time. The buck that starts the scrape marks the ground with his scent, a combination of urine and secretions from a gland in his leg. He also marks the branches with scent from a gland near the inner corner of his eye. Other bucks in the area soon catch the scent, visit the scrape, and mark it with their own distinctive scent. Does also visit the scrapes, though not as reliably. A buck can tell by the scent the doe leaves whether she is ready for breeding or not. Think of it as a singles bar for the whitetail set.
The more deer that visit the scrape, the larger the area of bare earth becomes. When a hunter spots a large denuded patch of ground, with telltale battered branches nearby, he can be fairly certain hes found a target rich environment. Since scrapes arent visited after rutting season, its fairly easy to tell an active scrape from an old, unused one.
Once you find an active scrape, dont venture too close or risk leaving your own scent. If deer sense something not quite right, theyll stop visiting. Choose a hunting spot thats up wind of the scrap has good cover. Its a good idea to identify a few other scrapes as well, so you can try your luck elsewhere if a few days patient waiting dont pan out. There are dozens of other whitetail deer hunting tips, but none as valuable as knowing where the deer are.
The first telltale sign is a patch of ground that stands out because leaves and grasses have been pawed away and the ground churned up. Looking above the spot, you should see branch tips that would be within reach of the buck. The branches will be tattered and broken at the ends from the buck licking and tugging at them.
Scrapes are part of the rutting cycle, begun in the weeks before breeding time. The buck that starts the scrape marks the ground with his scent, a combination of urine and secretions from a gland in his leg. He also marks the branches with scent from a gland near the inner corner of his eye. Other bucks in the area soon catch the scent, visit the scrape, and mark it with their own distinctive scent. Does also visit the scrapes, though not as reliably. A buck can tell by the scent the doe leaves whether she is ready for breeding or not. Think of it as a singles bar for the whitetail set.
The more deer that visit the scrape, the larger the area of bare earth becomes. When a hunter spots a large denuded patch of ground, with telltale battered branches nearby, he can be fairly certain hes found a target rich environment. Since scrapes arent visited after rutting season, its fairly easy to tell an active scrape from an old, unused one.
Once you find an active scrape, dont venture too close or risk leaving your own scent. If deer sense something not quite right, theyll stop visiting. Choose a hunting spot thats up wind of the scrap has good cover. Its a good idea to identify a few other scrapes as well, so you can try your luck elsewhere if a few days patient waiting dont pan out. There are dozens of other whitetail deer hunting tips, but none as valuable as knowing where the deer are.
