bowtech86n

just went to check trail cam pics today and had 3 different bucks and a couple does visiting a scrape? the problem is that they are coming into it bout a half hr before shooting light and a half hr after shooting light. how close do you think they are bedded from that area?

Schobs

It's tough to say how far they are based only on what time they're visiting the scrapes. The good news is they're in the area, and at some point during the day they're up and moving. The trick is finding when and where they're moving. It's risky, especially this time of year, but you could try walking the trails that lead to and from the scrapes to try and pinpoint where exactly they're bedding. Like I said, this time of year, with the rut in its early stages, you risk bumping deer out of their bedding areas or laying extra human scent through the woods. A better idea might be to make educated guesses based on aerial views and your overall knowledge of the area. You could also try staying 5-10 yards off the trail and follow it that way. If you do venture into the woods, pay special attention to any trails you find that intersect the trails between the bedding area (if you can find it) and the majority of the scrapes. These are often less obvious, but more important trails made by seeking bucks trying to cut the scent trail of a doe in heat. Also keep in mind if you plan on hunting around those scrapes, that bucks, especially mature bucks, will rarely visit the scrape itself during daylight hours. They will instead be scent-checking from downwind. Look for trails that skirt around the scrape, 30+ yards away. If you're hunting an area with changing elevation, it's good to know that in the mornings, thermals will carry scent uphill out of valleys in the morning and downhill off of ridges in the evenings. So, it would make sense to hunt uphill from scrapes in the morning and downhill from them in the evenings. These are all just generalizations of course, and overall wind direction and currents would trump these ideas. It might also be a good idea if you find a very active scrape to mark the area or at least remember it and scout it out again after season and next year prior to the season so you know what you're up against when things start heating up again next year.

Now let's see some of those trail camera pictures!

bowtech86n

Thanks for the great info. I will post pics when i get home. they r on my phone so i need to get them on to the computer .

bowtech86n

heres my pics? what do u think he will score and how old?

bowtech86n

another pic but hopefully can see it better?