Ok, I'm back! Been busy with work and new house.... Top answered it, deer only use/make/visit scrapes during the rut. That's it. No more rut, they go back to just "being deer" and eat, sleep and repeat.... Deer tend to move around differently during different times of the year depending on food availability, stress of activity of hunters, rut, fawning, etc.
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Deer Ecology 101
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Originally posted by lovemylegacy View PostHawkpuppy, that's what I was taught years ago, but have learned that scrapes are used year round. I know this may be a subject of contention, but I have pics of deer, bucks and does using scrapes year round. Not as much say in Sept-Dec, but still with some regularity.
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I believe both does and bucks will use scrapes or at least are drawn to them at times. But with deer using them all year, could that have something to do with population ratios? Say more bucks in an area will "compete" all year for space? Or continue throughout the year to mark their territory?
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Scrapes are used as a "sign post" if you will. They leave their scent from glands and urine somewhat marking their territory. I guess it could stand to reason if there is a skewed population ratio that extended use could happen. If deer walk by an area regularly and smell the signs, seems to reason they would check it out and investigate....
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I have seen it on both LF and HF ranches. I found one last year on my small LF place in Goliad County in late June. All places had a good buck to doe ratio, around 1:1-1.5. The big communal scrapes I found on Hill Country ranches in the 90's about 100 yards downwind from protein feeders stay active year round. Those tended to be more of the "sign post". The deer used them as gathering/comfort spots before they moved into the feeder.
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Originally posted by Hawkpuppy 1 View PostInteresting. Don't know that I have ever seen deer actually use a scrape other than leading up to, during and maybe a bit after the rut.
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Originally posted by Bdiver View PostIve had bucks still sparring on trail cam up to last week. Would you consider this a sign of a still elevated testosterone level resulting in a later shed?
On my place here in Goliad County I am still seeing a few young bucks sparring on TC's as of this week.
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Dropping antlers is initiated by day length which influences testosterone levels. Same as shedding velvet and rut. We know this is true because you can take pen deer and control their exposure to light.
There is also some environmental influence that influences precise timing. In TX Panhandle, bucks start dropping end of Dec to early Jan and most sre done by mid March. In S TX, some start late Feb and most are done by end od April.
By the way, heck of a nice shed horn.
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Originally posted by lovemylegacy View PostHawkpuppy, that's what I was taught years ago, but have learned that scrapes are used year round. I know this may be a subject of contention, but I have pics of deer, bucks and does using scrapes year round. Not as much say in Sept-Dec, but still with some regularity.
Deer would check it and pee in it year round. We did not see bucks working the mesquite branch above with their orbitals except for pre rut, rut, and post rut in the fall.
What was interesting was the number of animals other than deer (bobcats, foxes, hogs, etc) that would sniff the scrape when they were in the area.
I think some scrapes are year round 'sign posts' that the deer use, and some of them are made only during rut and neglected afterwards.
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