Hunting over Feeders or Scrapes - Which would you choose?

treb09 · 08-27-2007, 06:28 PM

Found this site a little while ago. Looks like lots of good info here. I've hunted for years but never really went after it seriously. Last year I found a couple of nice scrapes on our property. This year, for the first time ever, I'm going to be putting up feeders. After reading a couple of articles on scrape hunting, it sounds to me like I'd have better luck hunting over a feeder. If you have your choice, which would you hunt over and why?

bigtim6656 · 08-27-2007, 06:32 PM

either but alot of people say that corn and feeders make the deer go noturnel buti put out corn about 100 pounds a week in ky and one time seen 12 deer with in 10 yards of the corn waiting there turn to get up to the fast food and that was 25 yards out my kitchen window

zrexpilot · 08-27-2007, 07:04 PM

Set up a feeder but dont hunt it, hunt on trails leading to feeders, deer do go nocturnal on feeders but they pre stage in cover near the feeders and then move in once it gets dark, hunt those spots and you can ambush them coming in. Like set up a feeder near a creek but sit in the creek and wait.

treb09 · 08-27-2007, 07:09 PM

Thanks for the replies so far. With timed feeders, aren't they supposed to "train" the deer to feed at the times you set it for?

zrexpilot · 08-27-2007, 07:32 PM

They will wait till after dark, not saying you wont get one during daylight just that more times than not, they come in after dark, I have observed them pre stage on cover waiting for light to fail and then they move in to feed.

I started setting up in this area and bagged many deer this way, this was with a bow. I had deer within 3 yds of me at times.

Here I go again telling all my secrets

Siman08/OH · 08-27-2007, 07:49 PM

If your hunting for bucks....i would def. hunt a scrape. Just make sure to keep it fresh and to keep your scent away.

zrexpilot · 08-27-2007, 07:50 PM

You can also try and hunt a feeder between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm, big bucks will hit these feeders at that time as they make their rounds.

treb09 · 08-27-2007, 07:55 PM

zrexpilot...funny you should say that. I've seen more deer around 10:00-11:00 then I have at any other time of the day. Last year my boys and I were taking our lunch break around 11:00 opening day, and trying to teach them safety first, unloaded the guns and put them in the back of the SUV. We were sitting there eating and a huge buck walked out of the woods into the field (We were about 150 yards away) and just casually strolled off.