How to hunt community scrape?

[rrogers31]

In my scouting today on some public I came across multiple scrapes that formed a scrape the size of my truck bed. It was under a small hanging tree with several licking branches. It is at the intersection of a few trails near an SMZ at the bottom of a couple of secondary points with subtle drainages on each side. I didn't see any rubs or anything like that in the area just another small scrape about 50 yards up. Would you set up in the general area or would you make sure you can see the scrape? Rut typically doesn't start in my area till the end of December at best.

 

[Mossy-Back]

I'd figure out which direction has the least used or least amount of trails and figure out how to access it from that direction when the wind in favorable. Either set up within shot distance of the scrape or a bit off of the scrape where you can cover a couple of the trails coming in/out.

 

[hokiehunter373]

From your description I'd be making sure I can shoot the scrape and that's coming from someone who doesn't usually hunt scrapes. However, there's a lot we don't know about your spot including access and how the deer will get to that scrape and if wind ever matters. I'd think you're going to want a low wind situation where you can play thermals only. Good luck!

 

[NMSbowhunter]

If it is in security cover it sounds like it could be a primary scrape area. John Eberhart has a lot of experience hunting these locations. I follow his recommendations. I have several of these locations in my rotation. Here is a video where he talks about hunting scrapes.

 

[Jtaylor]

I have a friend that has good luck over big community scrapes but he sets cell cams up on them, notes movement, wind direction, etc. and plans accordingly. He absolutely doesn't hunt them on a marginal wind and doesn't even walk near them until conditions are right. He kind of treats them as the holy grail of deer sign.
I just stay away from them usually since I find them unpredictable or I guess I probably don't fully understand how they're used.
He'll show me pics from 1 in the afternoon and pics from midnight. They just seem really unpredictable to me I guess.

 

[BTaylor]

Hear a lot of discussion about hunting off of them by 30-40 yards in hill or mountain terrain where bucks can more easily use thermals to check them. Might be something to keep in mind too when evaluating how to hunt it.

 

[Dmathews87]

If it is in security cover it sounds like it could be a primary scrape area. John Eberhart has a lot of experience hunting these locations. I follow his recommendations. I have several of these locations in my rotation. Here is a video where he talks about hunting scrapes.

i tried finding it but was unsuccessful....i had a thread awhile back for some scrape advice and someone wrote up a whole big thing about something similar as to this and to get more excited about the scrapes near thick cover, then they had what they were calling ''satellite'' bucks i think?? someone here is going to see this and know what im talking about lol....

**found it**

Lets talk scrapes

I took a trip to an area up north and found more buck sign than i have ever seen....some spots had 3-4 scrapes in the same spot with maybe 20-30 yards between them, some were the size of a basketball while others were very large. I did manage to see the biggest buck of my life trailing a doe on...

saddlehunter.com

good information on there from these certified deer slayers on here.

 

[rrogers31]

Appreciate all the feedback! There are a lot of opportunities for security cover in this area. All around the SMZ are thickets and a hard transition from SMZ to a path around it into the area where the scrape it. The woods open up on the other side of that as the terrain starts going uphill. I also can rifle hunt this so I can afford to get off the scrape a little.

 

[rrogers31]

I have a friend that has good luck over big community scrapes but he sets cell cams up on them, notes movement, wind direction, etc. and plans accordingly. He absolutely doesn't hunt them on a marginal wind and doesn't even walk near them until conditions are right. He kind of treats them as the holy grail of deer sign.
I just stay away from them usually since I find them unpredictable or I guess I probably don't fully understand how they're used.
He'll show me pics from 1 in the afternoon and pics from midnight. They just seem really unpredictable to me I guess.

I've experienced the same thing on the private I hunt. I've heard so many successful hunters talk about finding huge scrapes like this and killing good bucks. On my private, I regularly have 30 or so scrapes and have seen only a spike work one despite all the trail cam pics I get of various times and days. Thats why Ive stayed away but I figure its a good starting spot on some public that is 50k acres in size.

 

[Mossy-Back]

I've experienced the same thing on the private I hunt. I've heard so many successful hunters talk about finding huge scrapes like this and killing good bucks. On my private, I regularly have 30 or so scrapes and have seen only a spike work one despite all the trial cam pics I get of various times and days. Thats why Ive stayed away but I figure its a good starting spot on some public that is 50k acres in size.

Bigger bucks will often parallel main trails or use different crossings than does and younger bucks (exception during the rut). If you see a big creek crossing with lots of tracks it's probably doe groups using it and there may be a smaller crossing up or down stream from it that bigger bucks use.