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The Truth about Scrapes

By Todd Amenrud

Each fall when the amount of sunlight starts to decrease, the male whitetail deer starts to produce dramatically increased amounts of the hormone "testosterone." When testosterone levels rise, antler velvet starts to dry and fall off and from this time on a whitetail buck is ready to breed. Contrary to what some believe, the actual rut is triggered by the does, not the bucks.

During this period the bucks start to leave scrapes. A scrape is made by the buck pawing the ground and whisking the leaves and dirt away under an overhanging, interaction branch (sometimes called a "licking branch"). He will normally chew on, and rub his forehead and pre-orbital glands on the overhanging branch as well. The majority of the time he’ll also urinate down his hocks and over his tarsal glands into the scrape. The order of these steps may vary from one buck to another.

Some call a scrape the buck’s "calling card" to the does - I disagree somewhat. I feel a scrape’s primary function is to mark a buck’s breeding-territory. And, it’s left for ALL of the deer in the area, especially the other bucks.

There are a few reasons I theorize this; first, when actual breeding gets underway a

Mock scrapes can be a way to help to use scrapes to your advantage this season. An Ultimate Scrape Dripper, pictured here, can help to drip scent out at the mock scrape location. This buck loves the smell coming from the dripper.

buck may be miles from his "scrape-claimed" territory. It’s not like the old story you may have heard - a doe comes along, pees near a buck’s scrape and then waits for him. From years of observation I’ve noticed that when breeding gets underway, little to no attention is actually focused on the scrape.

It can also be explained away by the lack of scrapes in areas with an imbalanced buck to doe ratio. In spots where there is an abundance of does there is much less scrape activity. There is reduced competition amongst the bucks and they are less territorial. Obviously there are fewer bucks in an area if there are too many does, but with the bucks that are present, there is less scrape activity than normal because they don’t need to continually define their territory.

There is a definite coalition between the size and amount of scrapes in an area, and the buck to doe ratio and the age class structure in that specific herd. Larger scrapes typically do equal larger deer; however, that’s not always the case. Sometimes smaller bucks will work-over larger scrapes originally made by an older, more mature buck. The greater majority of scrapes made by year-and-a-half old bucks are conceived and then never freshened again. The older bucks in an area will much more often create scrapes that are freshened again and again, and often these scrapes may be frequented by multiple bucks.

The scrape is a phenomenal scouting aid for the hunter. Nevertheless, some hunters rely too heavily on one specific scrape. In areas that receive a little hunting pressure, I think a greater majority of pre-rut scrapes are made nocturnally. So unless you know the buck is showing up during legal shooting hours I feel concentrating on one specific scrape may be a waste of time.

Instead of hunting one scrape, try to look at the big picture of the whole area. Look at the correlation between his scrapes and the rest of his domain. Where is his core area? Where are the does in his area bedding and feeding? What time is he going to be there to freshen it up?

Mock scrapes are another great technique to help you to use scrapes to your advantage. I like to use heat activated Ultimate Scrape Drippers over my mock scrapes. This unit drips scent during daytime hours so it conditions bucks to show up during legal shooting time. Two ounces of scent will last typically five to seven days in the dripper. It freshens your set-up for you. I’ve had luck with these drippers both, when in conjunction with a mock scrape, or when hanging it above a bucks exiting scrape. My best luck has come while using a scent called Active Scrape in the dripper.

As stated, when breeding is actually underway, little attention is focused on scrapes. The bucks are chasing and shielding does from other bucks. They don’t get a chance to check up on their scrapes. In areas with a fairly balanced population, normally a buck will be close by when a doe is ready to breed regardless of whether it’s near his scrape defined territory. During this time, I suggest hunting near doe areas.

During both pre-breeding and post breeding I try to concentrate on the scrapes closer to the bucks bedding area. By being closer to the bedding area our chances for a shot during legal shooting hours increases – maybe intercepting him in the morning on his way back to bed or in the afternoon on his way out to check his territory.

Direction of travel can be determined by which way the leaves and dirt are kicked out and sometimes by hoof prints in the scrape. From this we can tell which scrapes he’s making to, and which scrapes he’s making from, his bedding area. There may also be some rubs in the area to help determine travel direction.

There is nothing like a fresh, "steaming" scrape opened up near a hunter’s treestand to increase confidence. If you keep in mind the real reason a scrape is made is to mark breeding territory and look at the "big picture" of the buck’s entire range, you’ll fill your tag this season.

Todd Amenrud is the Director of Public Relations, Territory Manager & Habitat Consultant for BioLogic.