Scrape???

[Ski]

Looks like scrape activity but it's not. They're eating beech nuts that are opening up. Set the cam up weeks ago when I noticed all the nuts and they're just now starting to hone in on them as they crack open. I'm guessing this will become a scrape in pretty short order. Cam clock is ahead by an hour. I'm supposed to be in Ohio this weekend but now I'm rethinking the trip. That tree is getting hot!

 

[BSK]

I'm shocked at the amount of activity I'm seeing at traditional scrapes already. Some are being opened (ground scraped), but all are seeing a huge amount of over-hanging limb working by both does and bucks.

 

[Ski]

I'm shocked at the amount of activity I'm seeing at traditional scrapes already. Some are being opened (ground scraped), but all are seeing a huge amount of over-hanging limb working by both does and bucks.

I see quite a bit of overhead limb action year round but have noticed a couple plot scrapes where particular does seem to be enamored with them and have been since mid-August. On one small plot there's a single doe with twin fawns living there and she's been hitting that licking branch multiple times per day and night every day, and vigorously. I'm not sure how to interpret it. She chases off all but the very biggest, oldest bucks. Only they are allowed to get near that scrape tree. She chases all other does completely away. She's flat out mean. I don't know if she's got a good spot for her young so she's working hard to protect it, or if she's going to be an early popper and already advertising??? It's new behavior to me so I guess I'll watch & see.

There's another plot just a coupler hundred yards away that is traditionally more of a community plot. When her and her fawns are there she interacts with other deer just fine and the fawns play with other fawns like normal. She's only fiercely territorial in the tiny plot.