I did something new (to me)

[Creamer]

I left a non-cellular camera (on private) over a historical scrape in a logging road for the entire season. The camera was up from mid-Sept through yesterday. I doctored the scrape/licking branch once when I put the camera up and once in Nov when I hunted, using Black Widow Branch Butter and their synthetic Scrape Master. The camera took nearly 3100 photos in that time frame. The interesting thing, to me, is that the licking branch got checked by (I'm guesstimating from the images) 80% or more of ALL of the deer that passed through. Does, yearlings, button bucks, young bucks and mature bucks. Even when the scrape didn't appear visibly "open," those deer still checked that licking branch the entire time the camera was up. The peak period when the scrape was hit by bucks was clearly about October 18-Nov 1.

I also learned I should have hunted there more frequently.

This deer had a long sequence of pics thrashing the shit out of the branch.

Young buck still packing both sides as of the past week.

Also got some predators on the camera.

 

[gjs4]

Just curious if you had any other cams on that property (at all) and how they were in in alignment with this cams pics.

 

[jagermeister]

Licking branch is almost always more important/attractive than the scrape itself… at least, in my experience. Also, another thing I’ve noticed is that a particular location of a mock scrape is absolutely worth making note of. You can employ the exact same tactics, and for some reason or another, certain scrapes will be more attractive and active than others… based on their location. It appears you found one of these “Hot” locations. It will more than likely be hot year after year, as long as there’s no major change in the habitat or terrain nearby. The hot spots are the best for inventorying individual bucks and tracking the stages and current “temperature” of the rut. In my experience, when these hot spots are showing daylight activity of mature bucks, you better do everything in your power to be in that area and hunting. This is another example of where cell cameras really shine.

 

[Sgt Fury]

Wow! Great pics….thanks for sharing.

 

[Stressless]

That's a beaut Clark! (That bench ) 100% with @jagermeister views above on location and power of licking branch over ground scrape.

Really nice pics, that Jan 22 pic really shows the activity in the snow ❄. Thanks for sharing the soak.

 

[Creamer]

Just curious if you had any other cams on that property (at all) and how they were in in alignment with this cams pics.

I had a cell cam set up on the property around the archery opener, but removed it in early October. It was on a different part of the small property.

The beautiful thing about this camera's results is that it's so promising for the coming years. Our family is working to acquire this home/property, and believe we have things lined up to make it happen when the current owners move to their newly acquired retirement property.

 

[finelyshedded]

Lotta great intel to gather from those pics. It’d be interesting to see if there was a particular wind direction those bucks preferred to use to freshen that scrape. Also looks like the start of the 3rd week of October is when you need to start hunting the mornings. It’d be cool if you could anchor one of those mature deer and bring it over to Strouds some afternoon on your way to the taxi.

 

[Creamer]

Lotta great intel to gather from those pics. It’d be interesting to see if there was a particular wind direction those bucks preferred to use to freshen that scrape. Also looks like the start of the 3rd week of October is when you need to start hunting the mornings. It’d be cool if you could anchor one of those mature deer and bring it over to Strouds some afternoon on your way to the taxi.

Somehow it works out nearly every year that I am out of town during the Strouds thing.