Deer Scrapes

[Ohio fisherman]

Hi Guys. Glad to see a hunting forum here on WC.

Has anyone found many scrapes yet? It is early here in Ohio to find scrapes, even the social type of scrapes. However, last evening I found the beginning of a scrape and a major social scrape under a licking branch. The branch is chewed and there are at least 100 deer tracks in the large scrape and about 25 tine marks. It appears that there is a quite a bit of testosterone in the woods!

I hope that everyone has a fun and safe hunting season.

O F

[bobk]

Took a ride around the property , no scrapes yet but have seen the bucks sparing a few times already. It won't be long!
Bob

[birddog]

I've been working the dogs pretty steady the last few weeks, saw my first one along a field edge last week. Usually after next weeks full moon the scraping activity really picks up. That's here in MN. Thanks for the forum WC!

BIRDDOG

FOR BETTER OR WORSE FISHING AND HUNTING COME FIRST

[bobk]

What a difference a week makes. Checked some logging trails on the property and there are scrapes all over the place.
Bob

[Ohio fisherman]

i found a few more here too. it is really starting. where are you located bob? i am in ohio.

o f

[bobk]

O.F.
I'm in Southeast Ohio. A few miles south of Logan. Hocking County.Check out the pic of a few bucks I've been watching out of the kitchen window in the photos section. Lots of scrapes and rubs now, very few last week. Hurry up Oct.2nd. !!
Bob

[FishHawk]

I live in Northease Ohio and have noticed allot of deer movement over the last week. I think the cold temps. are really getting them on there feet. Watched a high rack ten pointer last night feeding in a green field at dusk.

[Airwave(OH)]

Wow Is Ohio the Deer Capital. Ohio here Too !!!

[Darren Womack]

Hello to all,

I was in Northern Oklahoma and found a number of active scrapes. The bucks were running in pairs and the does were everywhere. Looks like the rut is on track for the November 20 gun season.Good luck this season and be safe.

Later

Darren

[swantucky]

Ohio here too. My buddy saw a spike chasing a doe all over the place on Mon. (nov 1). The big boys have not gotten heated up yet as far as I can tell. My other buddy has 10 penned deer and his big buck is really starting to get frisky. I already filled my buck tag with a decent 7 pt. but if I had not I would be doing some grunting and using a scent drag with dominant buck urine and doe in heat this weekend. Its gonna get good here in a few more days. Could use some cooler temps though. Good luck fellas.

[Buckeye]

Up here in NW Ohio things have really cranked up in the past few days. Our PF chapter had our annual youth hunt Saturday and while chasing a crippled bird I noticed scrapes and rubs in an area were there were none a few days before. Historically, this coming weekend is the best.

I killed the biggest buck of my life last week (150" 6x6) and when I shot there were 3 other bucks in sight. All of them were pretty agitated with each other. Last night my buddy had a big one come right in and check out the tarsal from my buck he had hanging in a tree. No shots...too late to shoot.

[swantucky]

Hey Buckeye I'm in NW Ohio also. Where did you get that buck ?? Not an exact location of course. The reason I ask is that I think I heard about your buck through the grapevine. I doubt there were a bunch of 12 points taken here last week so it could be the same one. Was it taken near a retired plasterers B.A.'s property? Hope this makes sense.

[Buckeye]

Sorry but the retired plasterer's thing didn't make sense :-) It was in Northern Wood County north of Stoney Ridge. You may think I am full of it but I watched him for 45 minutes and was going to pass on him until just before he was out of range. I have seen a much wider one with just as much mass and high tines in the area.....

I am not regretting taking the shot though. I can only hope my son or one of my friends will get the other one. What county are you in?

[swantucky]

I'm in lucas county. I know what you mean about letting even a good buck go. I only shoot a buck about every other year waiting for a monster. Last year I passed up 8 or 9 bucks with 2 being in the 125 class waiting for a big boy I never did see. I ate my tag last year. This year I took a 7 pt that I should have let walk. I had about 5 mins of legal time left when he came in and I did not look him over too good, got excited and took him. I had another guy move into my spot this year that has been screwing things up so I kind of rushed things. A week after taking that buck I had a 130 9 point stand broadside for 15 mins, should have saved my tag for him. Oh well I still have does to hunt and 1 buck tag for Michigan left.

[Buckeye]

Do you hunt up north in MI or just over the border? I was pheasant hunting today in both Ohio and MI and saw a few dandy bucks north of the border.

I also saw a buck I thought got hit or shot that was on my hit list this year. Kinda got me fired up for shotgun season when my kids and wife will be hunting.

[swantucky]

I hunt in Irons Mich. It is about halfway between Cadillac and Manistee. The chances of a trophy are pretty slim but the amount of acreage available to hunt is staggering. The bowhunting pressure is pretty light and you can always move into other areas to get away from any pressure you may encounter. The deer may not be as big but it is a nice getaway. We get all camp chores done durning the summer so come Oct. 1 it is hunt, hunt, hunt, no distractions.
How old are your kids?? My oldest is 8 and went with me durning gun and muzzleloader last year just to watch and spend time with dad. He had a blast and is ready for this season to start. I downloaded the first half of the hunter saftey book for him to read and study, he is about 1/2 through it. When he is done I'll take him to take the test. I think I'll let him carry a gun when he is about 10. How old were yours when you started them?? He shots the .22 and 410 pretty good I think in 2 years he will be ready. What do you think??

[Buckeye]

Good job on getting your kids started early with safety and handling. My kids are 10, 14, and 16 and are good old fashioned farm kids. I decided to let them tell or show me when they are ready. I always ask if they wanted to tag along from the time they were 5 or 6. My oldest has been very safe and mature for his age and has been hooked since day one. He passed his hunter safety with a 98% score at age 8. He shot squirrel and a rabbit or two that year and insisted on dressing his own game. He deer hunted the first time when he was 11. Since then he has killed 3 bucks and a doe and again, insisted on field dressing all of them. One of those bucks was a 20" 4x5.

My daughter is 14 and while she has showed plenty of interest in tagging along on hunts, has never showed much desire to taking the course, getting her license, and hunting until this year. She can really shoot may be the best marksman out of the 3.

My youngest showed very little interest in tagging along unless mom was going (momma's boy) but is now doing the same thing as your son...reading the manual and studying. In the past month he has talked of nothing else but hunting.

I guess my opinion is you will know when they are ready based on desire, maturity, responsibility, etc. My advice is to bring them along slow. If you don't think they are responsible enough to be safe....take them along with an empty gun for a while. Bear in mind their first rabbit, pheasant, or deer will be much bloodier and smelly than they ever imagined. My dogs and I have taken new hunters pheasant hunting for our Pheasants Forever chapter youth hunt for all 10 years we have put it on. I have seen a few looks of remorse and queasyness from young hunters when I hand them the pheasant they just shot. That tells me they may not have been ready to kill game. But on the other hand, most of the kids are so tickled that the blood does not bother them. The look on their faces is why that youth hunt is the funnest hunt of the year for me.

Good luck and good job on bringing your kids into the hunting ranks.

[swantucky]

Hey Buckeye how did you and the family make out durning gun season?? I filled my doe tag up north but only saw a 6 pt bowhunting and a spike gun hunting as far as bucks go up there. I have the week between x-mas and new years off so I think I will muzzleloader hunt here for the first 2 days then head north for the last 4 or 5 days of bow season and try and fill that last tag.
Gun season went pretty good. My son and I saw a doe around 8am but it was too far for a shot. Did some mini-drives and we managed to get a doe. It was a perfect set-up, a doe and a 6pt. came right down the fence-row right on top of us. I shot it about 15 yards away with my son standing behind me saying "shoot Dad shoot they are going to run us over" he really got a kick out of that. One other guy in our group got a 7pt. opening day which was his 3rd deer in 25 years of hunting, man was he excited.
Day 2 of gun season I took my 7 yr. old daughter out. We sat for all of 15 min. when she decided she had to use the restroom. We got all the heavy clothes off her and she decided she did'nt have to go anymore....kids...Well we sat for anther 20 min. and she declared there were no deer in this spot and we needed to move. Well since I wanted to keep her interested we moved upwind to another spot about a quarter mile away, it gave her a chance to get warmed up. Agian after 15 min. she said there were no deer in this spot either. I explained to her that sometimes I sit all day and never see a deer. I also told her that one minute there is nothing and the next you have deer all over you. Well 5 min. after that discussion I hear a buck grunting and tell her to be really still. Here comes a 18" 10 pt. chasing a small doe and a 6pt. close behind. They also passed within 15 yards of our position. That made her day(Dad's also!!!).All in all I think both kids had a good time. Saturday my son and I went out for 4 or 5 hours and saw only one doe.

[Buckeye]

Swantucky sorry I haven't replied sooner. One of my sons did not qualify to hunt shotgun season (minimum grade requirement according to dad) and the other decided not to go. My wife hunted opening day and passed up does hoping for a buck but never got a shot. A buddy in my group did get a nice 4x4 that will make Ohio Big Bucks easy. I will post a picture of his and mine from earlier this year on the photo page.

You get out for black powder season?

Happy New Year.

[swantucky]

Took my son out(I sat in the morning and saw nothing, too cold to take him-5degrees picked him up at 9:30) we did a few small drives and saw nothing. Helped the farmer load potatoes for a couple hours and went to sit about 3pm. On the way out to the stand we jumped 3 does they stopped broadside in the field at 225 yards and I took the shot. Before anyone bashes me I shoot all year long and am a pretty good judge of my abilities. The deer ran into the woods. We got to where they were standing and found blood and hair. We tracked it about 100 yards and found her dead, double lunged. 3 hunts this year with my son and 2 deer, I need to take him more often with that luck!!! He got a kick out of tracking it. I went north for a few days and saw nothing. Best year so far 7pt.,spike, and 4 does. I have one urban tag left so who knows maybe one more?? I am almost already out of jerky already and most of the sausage will go to the landowners so I've got room in the freezer for one more.