scrapeline advice..

I have been hunting for several years but there are many things I don't have completely figured out. I was hoping to get some ideas from some of you fellas who have much more knowledge than I do. I recently picked up a new lease that is mostly mature pines but it is very thick. There are 4 permanent stands that are there that we hunt where we have long lanes cut through the pine thickets. We have camera's on 3 of these setups and are getting pics of many does but very few bucks and the bucks we are getting are all young. But I was doing some scouting this weekend and on the backside of the property I found an old logging road that's runs thru some old pines and is about 500 yards long. At the very end of the logging road it drops off into a very thick lot of hardwoods. All along that logging road and in the pines along the logging road are scrapes. Literally in that 500 yard stretch I counted over 25 fresh scrapes and numerous rubs. There is no stand or around this road. The nearest stand is a 2 man lean to about 300 yards back up in the pines on the road before you get to the logging road. I set up a ground blind on the edge of the logging road backed up about 100 yards from the end where it drops off into the hardwoods but not sure if this is a good strategy. What would you guys recommend doing. 1) Keep hunting the permenant stands already there on the front side of the property. 2) hunt the ground blind on the logging road that I set up 3) something completely different.



also what strategy should be used... just sit all day, use calls and rattling horns?



Just hoping for some help to take a trophy. Ive killed some decent deer through the years but it's always just been sitting in a shooting house on food plots. Any advice is appreciated.

I have never had large areas of land to hunt, so my advice may not be best. But what I would do, is set up where I could view the scrape line and use a climbing stand so you can get pretty high up. The one thing I learned about the stationary shooting houses I Grew up hunting in on my grandpa's land, is that deer started forming their habits to where they didn't get near those houses...especially the bucks. Even if you go buy a cheapo climber, try getting near that scrape line and try sitting for as much of the day as possible during the rut. If the rut is in full gear, the big boy will come by checking those scrapes, and you'll never know when.

I usually had neighbors on land next to ours, so the evening hunt usually didn't see deer movement until dark-thirty...so I actually saw a lot of buck activity in the late morning until around 1:00 PM...especially during the rut.

Again, this was on a small piece of land surrounded by pretty good land owned by others, and I no longer have access to the property, so I haven't hunted it in a while. But it worked well for me. Those big boys are wise, but they get dumber during the rut, so if you know where they are going (the scrape line), try to catch them screwing up at odd hours trailing does. Sounds like you probably already know all this, so I'm sure this isn't ground breaking strategy or anything, ha.

Just my two cents, and it probly ain't worth much more than that! Good look, brother...keep us posted

Thanks Cadaver. I'm thinking I'm gonna catch him cruising for a hot doe any day now.

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Originally Posted by preachermatt83

Thanks Cadaver. I'm thinking I'm gonna catch him cruising for a hot doe any day now.

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Yea I bet you will. And I don't think I would rattle, bc you said there was nothing but smaller bucks on your cams. If that's the case, then the big boy may not ever hear much rattling, so he may not buy it. But I've never done much rattling, so take that for what it's worth

Hunt where the does are, anything can happen during the rut, bucks will search for miles for hot does. As for as a scrape line, most are done at night, not saying you will see him checking his scrapes but probably that buck lives in that thicket and now he is out about "clubbing" for some hot females! Good luck. Btw, hunt all day when possible.

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Originally Posted by basedog

Hunt where the does are, anything can happen during the rut, bucks will search for miles for hot does. As for as a scrape line, most are done at night, not saying you will see him checking his scrapes but probably that buck lives in that thicket and now he is out about "clubbing" for some hot females! Good luck. Btw, hunt all day when possible.

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^^^ this man is speaking from experience ^^^ ...... stay on the ground in the blind, just be ready to move the blind according to the wind. Remember, the rubs on the trees will give the direction from which way he is coming from... my guess is the rubs are on the side away from the hardwoods meaning he is heading towards the mast producing trees where the does will be feeding ... probably an evening pattern - back away from the hardwoods a good ways and like the man said above - hunt all day if you can

I also recommend setting up a climbing stand down wind (more often than not the wind is going to be out of the W/NW/N, so set up to the south or east) of where ever the does are. And if you are on a small piece of property surrounded by other hunters, you better be keeping a well stocked pile of corn in your area, because you can pretty well bet that your neighbors are......and you can get a pretty good feel for the local bucks by setting your camera up over the corn.

Put a stand or two up on or near that logging road and hunt it hard. Don't use a ground blind, you need to get up out of the deers sight lines.

Hunt all day if you can. The rut is kicking off right now in Central MS.

Put out rice bran instead of corn, they deer love it.

Good Luck

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Originally Posted by preachermatt83

I have been hunting for several years but there are many things I don't have completely figured out. I was hoping to get some ideas from some of you fellas who have much more knowledge than I do. I recently picked up a new lease that is mostly mature pines but it is very thick. There are 4 permanent stands that are there that we hunt where we have long lanes cut through the pine thickets. We have camera's on 3 of these setups and are getting pics of many does but very few bucks and the bucks we are getting are all young. But I was doing some scouting this weekend and on the backside of the property I found an old logging road that's runs thru some old pines and is about 500 yards long. At the very end of the logging road it drops off into a very thick lot of hardwoods. All along that logging road and in the pines along the logging road are scrapes. Literally in that 500 yard stretch I counted over 25 fresh scrapes and numerous rubs. There is no stand or around this road. The nearest stand is a 2 man lean to about 300 yards back up in the pines on the road before you get to the logging road. I set up a ground blind on the edge of the logging road backed up about 100 yards from the end where it drops off into the hardwoods but not sure if this is a good strategy. What would you guys recommend doing. 1) Keep hunting the permenant stands already there on the front side of the property. 2) hunt the ground blind on the logging road that I set up 3) something completely different.



also what strategy should be used... just sit all day, use calls and rattling horns?



Just hoping for some help to take a trophy. Ive killed some decent deer through the years but it's always just been sitting in a shooting house on food plots. Any advice is appreciated.

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Be sure and stay out of the scrap line. Don't add any pressure in the area pre-rut or he go completely nocturnal. I wouldn't put any feed out on that road... but be sure and stock pile the plot you have up the road. He obviously feels safe in the bottom so keep it that way.

I agree about rice bran, once deer discover what it is (it may take a while) they will put there mouth and nose in it like cocaine. I've seen deer lick and eat rice bran and when they look up there mouth and nose is covered in it! Spread it about 1" to 2" high, don't just pile it up, spread over brush or logs.

IF you have a green patch especially near by, go get 33-0-0 and spread on it, it will sweeten the plot and attract the deer plus it gives your patch a boost till the end of the year.

Best advice I can give you is to hunt as much as you can. I don't hunt out of permanent shooting house since I only bowhunt for the most part. Using a grunt call or rattling has worked for me in the past but I always try not to get to aggressive. I would recommend sitting where the scrape line is in view. I would also like to know where you are hunting. I have hunted many areas across the state and into the Arkansas delta and have the rut figured out pretty well for most locations. Good luck and happy hunting.

Thanks guys. I am hunting in Neshoba County. I am thinking we are in the pre-rut phase right now. Does usually start standing to breed around here the week between Christmas and new years.

All good advice and let me add some more. You can most certainly kill a trophy hunting a scrape line. My first 8 pt mount was killed around 0900 in a howling wind while he was checking scrapes. Tree climber is the way to go. That way you can move depending on the wind. Daylight to dark hunt is a given. To kill a mature southern deer, it's total dedication to that one animal.
My last comment, many bucks will use the same scrapes. I typically see 3 or 4 bucks work the same scape line. Sometimes, within hours of each other. So if you see a young buck, don't just assume that is his scape. It doesn't work like that. Good luck and post the pics.

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Originally Posted by preachermatt83

Thanks guys. I am hunting in Neshoba County. I am thinking we are in the pre-rut phase right now. Does usually start standing to breed around here the week between Christmas and new years.

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If you have one I would put a trailcam up along the scrape line if you have one.