I love that so many of you are curious about the benefits of placing scrapes near food sources! It’s such a game-changer for gathering insights on bucks throughout the seasons. By understanding the key food sources and when deer transition between them, you gain invaluable knowledge! Right now, I’m thrilled to see deer visiting my scrapes daily—bucks, does, and even fawns are all stopping by to communicate. It’s truly exciting to witness this behavior firsthand! Keeping scrapes close to food plots not only helps in tracking deer but also enriches our overall experience in the outdoors.
Inside Corner Buffet
If you can find an inside corner with multiple food sources nearby, you have discovered a prime location! If you’ve been following this series, you might recognize this inside corner scrape. I found this spot a few years ago and created a scrape that quickly became a popular gathering place for deer. They frequently use this particular inside corner because it is surrounded by various food sources. Within the woods, there are apple trees that consistently produce fruit. The trees along the fence row are primarily oaks that provide acorns, and there are also cultivated crops of beans and corn each year. My SpyPoint cameras regularly capture valuable information about the bucks in the area as they gain weight in preparation for the rut.
Beans Are A Buck Magnet
If you have green beans still growing, grab your camera, make a scrape, and check for bucks in the area. Big bucks appreciate seclusion and a good food source. Every year that the farmer plants beans in this hidden field, I create a scrape and set up a camera to see what shows up. This is the second year I’ve set up this scrape along the concealed bean field, and mature bucks are taking advantage of the free food. The bean field’s seclusion lets bucks eat as much as they want without being disturbed. Be sure to spray down, set up your camera, and wait to see what appears. You might even spot a monster buck that makes your heart skip a beat.
Waterholes and Food Plots
Kill plots are an incredible spot for creating scrapes! I’ve set up four kill plots on my twelve acres, and each one has a designated scrape for deer interaction. Two of these plots even have waterholes nearby—perfect for drawing in the deer! As the bean fields start to turn yellow, the lush green vegetation becomes irresistible. This wonderful combination of kill plots, waterholes, and scrapes leads to some truly exciting video moments. You won’t want to miss this buck checking out the BuckRope at the waterhole!
Head-Scratcher Gland Lure
I love using the BuckRope because its large surface area is perfect for capturing deer’s unique scents! In this exciting video, you can see a buck actively using both its preorbital and forehead glands on the rope. It’s amazing to watch the buck gently rest the rope against its forehead, fully utilizing those active glands after shedding its velvet. Now, with their glands firing on all cylinders, these bucks are seeking a one-stop communication hub to leave their scent all at once. Honestly, experiencing this never gets old.
Peeling Velvet Quickly: Link from last week. https://bowhunting.net/from-the-scrape-peeling-velvet-quickly/
