Fresh scrapes in March!!

[Sean B]

I don't know bud..Grounds all tore up as well as if chasing. I spend a lot of time in the woods all year long I've Never seen this in 35 years of hunting and scouting . Ive seen bucks still carrying thier antlers  as late as early April, but I've never seen this. I have s pic of a big scrape with what appears to be a freshly snapped branched over top. I'm going to keep messing with my photo bucket to see if I can get it to work.

[Sean B]

I don't know what to make of'em:

 

 
 

[PEARL DRUMS]

Well, you will know if you see pregnant does next archery season and brand new fawns in November and December.

[Zbone]

Not rare, although not common to see active scrapes around here into March, and have too seen scrape lines with licking branches and all and I think they are made by the more mature bucks cause the ones I've run across were from big tracks, so if you find some in an area, good chance there might a dandy buck around the following season. I may be totally wrong, but always assumed a big guy survived in the area...

 
Some bucks are still in the mood and carrying antlers… Got two coming to the feeder behind the house still carrying both sides of their rack as of yesterday…

[Sean B]

Originally posted by Zbone:
Not rare, although not common to see active scrapes around here into March, and have too seen scrape lines with licking branches and all and I think they are made by the more mature bucks cause the ones I've run across were from big tracks, so if you find some in an area, good chance there might a dandy buck around the following season. I may be totally wrong, but always assumed a big guy survived in the area...

 
Some bucks are still in the mood and carrying antlers… Got two coming to the feeder behind the house still carrying both sides of their rack as of yesterday…

Well, I do have a slammer in this area. I followed the trail to a large bed about 50 yrds from my tree stand. The bed is in the middle of rubs like this. These were made in early November

 

[Zbone]

Yeah, late scrapes are good indication something mature is still alive... In these late active scrapes, happen to notice the size of track?

[Sean B]

Originally posted by Zbone:
Yeah, late scrapes are good indication something mature is still alive... In these late active scrapes, happen to notice the size of track?

I did, but didn't get a close up. A very large hoof print. The bed was very big too.

[Pat B]

If there are unmated does they will keep coming back into heat every 28 days until they are mated. I was in Cades Code, in the Great Smoky Mountains a few years ago the 2 dominant bucks still had their antlers and were actively chasing does. This was in March. All the other bucks had lost their antlers and didn't seem interested in the hot does at all.
 This is generally a sign of an unbalanced buck/doe ratio.

[Zbone]

See a fully crowned mature buck chasing a doe midday on April 13, in NE Ohio one year in full blow rutting style... Had to pinch myself, would have thought it was November... Late breeding and late fawns, especially in northern climates are a complex issue and doesn't necessarily mean unbalanced ratio as maybe it would in the south, but that's a whole nother can of worms...

[A.S.]

I found fresh scrapes today also.  Several of them in the same 1 1/2 acre field.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I would be curious enough to throw up a trail camera.

[Sean B]

I need a new card!!!

[frank bullitt]

I remember an article Roger Rothaar wrote about late winter rutting activity.

The season has been crazy this winter, we were finding fall mushrooms in December, mmmm good!

[Wudstix]

Might not be whitetail that is true.        

[frank bullitt]

I don't believe we always have the answers about nature!

Saw a decent 8 point last week on the way to work.

[Shadowhnter]

Turkey scratchings    

[Sean B]

Nope, they were definitely whitetail scrapes. Each had a chewed twisted branch over it. All in the middle of a trail leading to a huge bed. Going to go out in the morning shed hunt a little more.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

May have been a mouse digging for food Sean        :p    


I found a  few old scrapes last weekend but nothing fresh. Have you checked on yours recently?

[Blaino]

I've seen spotted fawns a bunch of times in December. I just figured it was a southern thing.....

[PEARL DRUMS]

It is a southern thing. Your rut is much later than ours, so it stands to reason you would see spots in December. Our fawns should be born in May for the most part with most having few faint spots come October. Now if does get bred in March up here they wont drop until September or later. Those fawns wouldn't stand a chance. Momma would ditch them in 1-2 months when she came into heat again. What a mess! Not always, but often overpopulation is to blame for long/late ruts.