Do Bucks makes scrapes all year long or only during the rut??

[Cheif]

In the the last two days, I have been down at my hunting spot and on each day i have noticed a new scrape on trees that were very close to each other. What does this mean. I am a first year bow hunter trying to figure this out. I have made the mistake on passing on a lot of nice bucks this year because I wanted that "one buck" so, I am still out there puttin in work. Help me out fellas
:banghead:

[mrbb]

well first off, a scrape is a section of earth a buck clears to more or less mark its territory,(can be for a few other reasons too)
and NOT on trees, there on the ground
a BUCK RUB< is a tree they rub there antlers on ,( for many different reasons)
But the long and short of it, yes a buck, and even doe can and will make scrapes all yr, there just not that common between the months of late Feb, and say early Aug
the main scrapes most hunters talk about are associated with the rut, being the begining of it and the end of it, during the main months of Sept, oct, Nov, and into Dec, maybe jan
in most whitetail areas
as pending location the rut can start sooner or later based just on location
typically warmer places it starts later and colder places it starts sooner, but its not just based on temps
thats just the quick answer

so again, YES a buck can make a scrape any day it wants to, it will just maybe have different meanings

but it can only make rubs on tree's when it has antlers, once they fall off, that stops happening!

[blackbeard]

They will rub (on trees) late summer, fall, and a little into the winter. They rub to mark their territory, to leave their scent, and to show dominance because their testosterone increases during the rut. Some bucks make rub lines from their bedding areas to their feeding areas or vice versa. This is where they rub trees every so often and there is a line of rubs so you can see where they travel. A friend of mine and I have been discussing the lack of rubs the last two years. He says its because there are less does and bucks don't mark their territories as much because they will have to travel greater distances to breed does. That makes sense to me and I have definitely noticed a very decreased amount of rubs the last two years. I run into areas that are rubbed crazy, maybe 10 rubs in one small area, but in general rubs aren't scattered about everywhere on the properties I hunt like they normally are.

[Cheif]

Sorry, its been a long day. I meant rubs. There was a different rub on each tree where I walk threw to get to my stand. And My trail cam shows that "one buck" I have been waiting on. the past three evenings. What exactly do you suppose this means for this time of the year. I believe that the rut has come and gone in my area. but again not entirely sure.

[blackbeard]

He's marking the area, some does are coming back into estrous that weren't bred during November, or the yearlings are coming in, and this has him ramped up. So-called second rut if you like that term. But it's not nearly as good as the first one.

[mrbb]

lots of times areas where theer are tons of rubs, means its a staging area, normally a place they spent time waiting for dark to fall to go out into a field to go eat
but it can be for many reasosn, near bedding area's, food sources, just places they like to travel a lot
or type of trees they perfer to rub
in areas with higher deer numbers a bachler group of bucks traveling together will make a lot of rubs watching one another make them, thus lots in some places and now in others

but like blackbeard said, they do mark there home grounds, and can make travel routes and such

[Big_Holla]

As long as a buck carries his hardened antlers he can make a rub. There are multiple reasons why a rub appears; marking territory, showing dominance to another buck nearby, sign posts and even sometimes out of pure boredom. Late rubs that appear from now thru antler drop could be associated with anything listed there. If a buck is still full of testosterone something can set him off to create that rub. Maybe it's a good smelling doe that isn't necessarily in estrous, then again it could be a late estrous doe, maybe it's a young buck that comes in and ticks him off, hard to say.

[ghunter]

I find new rubs all though january. Found this one yesterday not 5 yards from a road. 9664

[tim1676]

well first off, a scrape is a section of earth a buck clears to more or less mark its territory,(can be for a few other reasons too)
and NOT on trees, there on the ground
a BUCK RUB< is a tree they rub there antlers on ,( for many different reasons)
But the long and short of it, yes a buck, and even doe can and will make scrapes all yr, there just not that common between the months of late Feb, and say early Aug
the main scrapes most hunters talk about are associated with the rut, being the begining of it and the end of it, during the main months of Sept, oct, Nov, and into Dec, maybe jan
in most whitetail areas\as pending location the rut can start sooner or later based just on location
typically warmer places it starts later and colder places it starts sooner, but its not just based on temps
thats just the quick answer

so again, YES a buck can make a scrape any day it wants to, it will just maybe have different meanings

but it can only make rubs on tree's when it has antlers, once they fall off, that stops happening!

I think what he meant was do bucks make rubs(on a tree) all year long?

[Cheif]

Thanks Guys!! I appreciate all the info.