Scrape behavior research

[BSK]

Another oddity of this drought year - the huge majority of scraping done by yearlings. In the two previous years - one a great acorn year (2021) the other a poor acorn year (2020) - like the MSU study, middle-aged bucks do the majority of scraping. But in the drought year of 2022, yearlings made up the majority of scrape visits.

 

[BSK]

And although I've posted this elsewhere, I'll post it again. Below are the graphs for time of the day for scrape visits by all bucks 2 1/2 and older. In the first graph, it is the three years separated. Notice there are differences between the years. But I don't know if this is due to acorn conditions (suspect it is) or just variability due to data set size. In the second graph, it is the three years of data combined.

 

[woodsman04]

Your information is so good. Thank you. Whether it's all written down in stone biological science or not, I love reading about this kind of stuff.

 

[BSK]

Your information is so good. Thank you. Whether it's all written down in stone biological science or not, I love reading about this kind of stuff.

The fun part of research is looking for information and other research that shows your data is either somewhat universal to deer in a region, or just driven by local conditions. Sometimes your data matches others' data from other areas. Sometimes it highly unique to that area. But finding out which it is can be very illuminating.

 

[Dumbluck]

I don't chart any data on this but I use scrapes as an indicator for prime times to hunt. This year I felt blind since scraping was almost none existent. I have figured out a system for myself that works extremely well, and I've been very successful using it. I'm typically after 1 maybe 2 bucks in a year if I'm lucky and I try to monitor their scrape activity more than anything when the rut is approaching. Typically the mature bucks might open a scrape early to census the area but they are not real into it. They check the scrape randomly at times. I'm watching for him to make a shift in that scrape behavior. To me that is him shifting what times he shows up and if he shows up more frequent.

If he tends to run scrapes at the middle of the night and then all of a sudden shows up a couple hours before or after daylight I'm going after him. The same if he all of a sudden shows up on consecutive days. I've learned that typically he will move in daylight in under 2 days from that time period and I want to be in the woods. He knows a doe in that area is coming in heat at that point. If he goes dark right after that movement, I know he is with the doe and if the woods are wet, I still hunt him.

This method for me has been extremely productive. I may not have killed the buck every time but it has always put me in the woods exactly when I need to be there and it has placed some really big deer directly in my lap. There is a very short window of opportunity on mature deer and I really want to be on him right when the first does come into heat, because he's the dominant buck and he gets the first doe in his area.

This season though I felt like someone tied blinders on me and spun me around in an office chair because nothing was normal.

 

[BSK]

This season though I felt like someone tied blinders on me and spun me around in an office chair because nothing was normal.

Join the club!

 

[deerhunter10]

That is a simply crazy observation. For the first time ever, we had scrapes showing up under cedar trees this year. Wow, wonder what's up with that?

Unsure. We always have a few under cedar trees but never see a lot of usage. I'm glad I decided to put cameras on them or wouldn't notice. The hedges bushes is normal for us but a lot more usage than normal. It's like instead of working the scrapes normal the bucks this year want to have their whole head in as many limbs as possible. Weird..

 

[BigAl]

I'll bet sex ratio and buck age structure play a role.

I too find it interesting how often even older bucks walk through a scrape and completely ignore it, even though I have those exact bucks working that scrape previously. Sometimes they're interested in the scrape and sometimes they're not.

They're probably not ignoring it. That nose is working it one way or another.

 

[BSK]

They're probably not ignoring it. That nose is working it one way or another.

Agreed. I just wonder why some days they're obsessed with a scrape, messing with it for 5-6 minutes straight. And other days, they just walk right through it like it's not there.

 

[BigAl]

Agreed. I just wonder why some days they're obsessed with a scrape, messing with it for 5-6 minutes straight. And other days, they just walk right through it like it's not there.

From my observation they work it when there's less does in heat. When the action gets heavy, they spend as much time as possible on the move looking for those hot does. But your videos/stats probably tell the true story.

 

[RockMcL]

Agreed. I just wonder why some days they're obsessed with a scrape, messing with it for 5-6 minutes straight. And other days, they just walk right through it like it's not there.

My opinion only and based on my long term observations/reasoning:
When obsessed/crazy scrapping they are either mad or desperate, all based on competition. If dominant and secure, then they don't have to work it so hard. If a lessor or interloper shows up (known or unknown) they are mad and making clear they want to/will fight. If there are equals or potential superiors or worse just too many competitors, they are overwhelmed/desperate.

Heck, if you've ever been in a bar, you've seen it in the behavior of supposedly higher intelligence males.

What scares me is the young bucks in your chart this year. Why are they not afraid of getting creamed???

 

[fairchaser]

Yeah I suppose that's the skinny of it. Seems if they want to breed, and they certainly act like they do, that they'd use any advantage they could. But getting thwapped by a big guy is good reason as any to stay incognito

My experience when hunting in areas with a mature buck population, only the older mature bucks will grunt while chasing a doe. The young bucks do not want the attention from older bucks.

 

[BSK]

My experience when hunting in areas with a mature buck population, only the older mature bucks will grunt while chasing a doe. The young bucks do not want the attention from older bucks.

Interesting observation. I have to admit, I almost never hear yearling bucks grunt, even when they're chasing a doe.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

My experience when hunting in areas with a mature buck population, only the older mature bucks will grunt while chasing a doe. The young bucks do not want the attention from older bucks.

Makes sense to me. I typically hear grunting every year, but it's minimal. This year, I heard more grunting than I probably ever have. Which would make sense to this theory, because we were for sure lacking mature deer.

 

[Ski]

My experience when hunting in areas with a mature buck population, only the older mature bucks will grunt while chasing a doe. The young bucks do not want the attention from older bucks.

Interesting observation. I have to admit, I almost never hear yearling bucks grunt, even when they're chasing a doe.

Makes sense to me. I typically hear grunting every year, but it's minimal. This year, I heard more grunting than I probably ever have. Which would make sense to this theory, because we were for sure lacking mature deer.

I've noticed yearlings & 2yr olds are the most prolific grunters, but only older bucks growl or snort-wheeze. I've also not noticed younger bucks suppressing their vocalizing due to the presence of older bucks. It's been my experience that deer (bucks AND does) vocalizations mirror the habitat. In wide open areas where deer can see & identify other deer from distance, I rarely hear a grunt even during chases. Contrast that with extremely thick stuff that seems like a maze of tunnels and that's where I see and hear the most intense rut action such as grunting, chasing, and rubs.

I've always suspected that when deer are close enough to hear & smell one another but can't easily see one another, they vocalize for pinpoint location purposes, such as "here I am!!!". I think it's also why I see so many more rubs in thick areas than open areas. In the open you can see a rub from way off. But in a thicket you can't see as far, so more of them increase the odds they'll be seen.

I could be completely wrong about it though. I've always noticed the link between vegetation thickness and visible/audible rutting activity and rationalized it best I could. Ironically, one of the properties I'm currently hunting is the best, most exciting rut activity I've ever seen anywhere, and it also happens to be the place with all the half rack, broken, deformed antler bucks. Spikes and forkies in there grunt their heads off, so perhaps that's why they're getting all beat up!