October is Scrape Month!

October is Scrape Month! 

Find those worked up ovals of dirt with an overhanging licking branch and you just might be in the ballgame for filling your tag this October.

By Pat Kolbe, Buck Fever Outdoors

Ah, October. I wish half our calendar year was made of Octobers. It's hands-down my favorite month of the year. It’s seemingly when we really transform into fall. It’s also the time of year when fresh sign is popping up all over the whitetail woods, and now may be the best time of the entire season to take advantage. The sign I am talking about targeting are newly-made active scrapes.

Contrary to the belief of some, deer actually utilize scrapes year round as a way to communicate with each other. Don’t believe me? Hang a trail camera over a scrape you find, or a mock scrape you create, in June, and you’ll get pictures of fawns, does, and bucks pawing the ground, licking the overhead branch and sometimes even laying down right in the scrape!

But let’s talk October, when scrapes start to take on a new meaning. The communication is ramped up and more meaningful now as we approach the upcoming breeding window. Bucks are actively checking scrapes for early does coming into estrus, but they are also leaving scent to communicate with other bucks, announcing their presence and potential dominance in the pecking order. Let’s dive deeper into the makeup of scrapes and which ones you can look to target for potential stand set ups. 

The Makeup of a Scrape

There are two main ingredients that produce a scrape. Visually the first thing you may see is the exposed dirt oval on the ground where leaves and debris have been raked or pawed back by the hooves of deer. These ovals can range in size from being as small as the diameter of a basketball hoop, to the full blown size of the hood of a car. The second, and maybe more important component of a scrape is the overhanging licking branch about 5-7 feet from the ground. Rarely do you find a scrape that lacks a licking branch, in which deer are visiting consistently. So the best, active scrapes have both elements, the dirt oval and the overhanging licking branch.

Field Edge Scrapes

The most common place most hunters find scrapes - and get overly excited about them - are along field edges. Walk just about any edge of a woods bordering an agriculture field and you can just about call your shot when you see any overhanging limb stretching just out into the field elevated about 6 feet off the ground.

The problem is, the vast majority - dare I say all - of these scrapes are made under the cover of darkness. Certainly there are exceptions, but let’s just say it is extremely rare for a big buck to step out into the open during daylight and work a scrape.

Field edge scrapes are cool to find, but don’t make them a priority to hunt over. 

Interior Scrapes

When you find scrapes in the interior of the woods, now you are getting closer to something you may want to consider setting up near. But let’s still analyze the situation. The amount of surrounding cover matters. Scrapes just inside the timber close enough to see the field edge, should still be grouped with field edge scrapes – not a priority to hunt over as they are most likely made in the cover of darkness right before a deer enters or exits the field. Scrapes that you find in open hardwoods also tend to be made at night - as these open areas tend to not be high traffic daylight travel zones.

Now if you find a scrape just outside a transition into thick cover with a high stem count of young trees and brush, or just outside a known bedding area, it's time to start looking for a stand set up. Whether it's a buck bedding area or doe bedding area, it's bound to have deer traffic and bucks will be cruising these scrapes in the cover of the woods to take part in that pre-rut communication exchange. 

Community Scrapes

The granddaddy of all scrapes. You’ve found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Once you’ve landed on top of a community scrape it’s usually pretty obvious. The dirt oval has been worked to the size of the hood of your grandpa’s old Buick. The overhead licking branches are broken, dangling and chewed up. You might even see a spider web of trails leading to and from this location. It’s the mecca of a deer communication hub. And it’s time to start planning your setup now. 

The Setup

Your scouting has found you the active interior or community scrape. Now it's time to hang a treestand. One of the top two considerations is going to be what is the current wind direction (if you are mobile hunting and hanging right now) or prevailing winds (if you are hanging a permanent stand). You’ll want to position your treestand within shooting distance of the scrape on the downwind side. Bucks almost always will approach the scrape from the downwind side - sometimes they will even just travel downwind of the scrape to scent check it without ever stopping at the scrape.

The next thing to consider is finding those downwind travel routes that connect to the scrape or parallel the scrape - both factors being key here. Again you’ll want to try to be downwind of both, as bucks will either visit the scrape or skirt around the scrape downwind just scent checking it. 

In an ideal scenario you are positioned within 25-40 yards of the scrape on the downwind side and have all three factors within shooting range. We all know that perfect scenario is usually not what we are presented with. So try to get two of those considerations working in your favor - downwind of the scrape and main access route being the two variables I would want most in my favor. Take a chance that you can shoot a buck’s scent-checking travel route a little further downwind at just an off-angle before he catches your scent too.

Stay on the Fresh Sign

So that’s it right? Find the active interior woods scrape, set up, and wala, you’ll shoot your dream buck! We all know it isn’t that easy. Be diligent on your entry and access, keep your eyes peeled for new fresh sign every trip into the stand and make adjustments as warranted. That’s the strategic game with whitetails we all love! Good luck and enjoy scrape month - October!