Primary scrape locations in the mountains with nearly 100% forest.

[bshane88]

For you guys who hunt public land in nearly 100% forest covered mountains, where do you find your primary or community scrapes? On benches below bedding points and top of ridges, or more in the bottoms? I've mostly focused on mountain buck bedding and because of that I have stayed mostly in that upper 3rd of the ridges and have found several good primary scrapes, but I sure dont find much for scrapes in general up there. And I put the miles on too. Sometimes it just blows my mind how little sign I find in the mountains, but the deer are still there. I had one hot hot scrape last October with 12 bucks on it and hardly a rub to be found in the area. So weird. I love running cameras over those scrapes for buck inventory so I'm just curious where you guys look when you are looking for those all year scrapes. Oh for reference, I'm in the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. Thanks!

[Coalcracker]

I’ve hunted the mountains of Pa for many years. I find the most consistently used scrapes from one year to another relate to cover. Along the edges of rhododendron and pine thickets, along top edges or right in hollows with thicker cover and saddles with good cover. Most are lower in elevation but I have found some higher(saddles) or on top where several terrain features converge. Most open woods scrapes I find are inconsistent from one year to the next.

[bshane88]

That's good feedback. I'm constantly scouring aerial and topo maps, but I need to do a better job tuning into those areas you mentioned that cater to thick cover instead of being so focused on topography. And I recently came across Dan's comment about really honing in on any changes in cover types. A lot of the public I hunt doesnt have much for timber harvesting, and it seems like a lot of the cover is the same for miles, but I'm sure if I start tuning into cover I would see those changes from the air as well. If I am willing to drive further from home there is a lot more timber cutting and the little bit I've scouted there it was very apparent the deer pile into those clearcuts like crazy. So maybe it would be worth the hour and a half drive to get to some more diverse cover.

[brancher147]

I usually find primary scrapes down in the bottom at a thermal hub or up on top on a terrain hub where a bunch of ridges come together. Upper 1/3 benches can be a good place too if there is consistent bedding nearby. some seasons like last year I don’t find many scrapes at all but I always find some primary scrapes post season scouting

[Evanszach7]

I've found them from the top 3rd to a creek bottom thermal hub. But the consistent thing is diversity of cover, usually involving clear-cuts of various ages. The amount of sign varies a lot in the big woods I hunt between OH, KY, and TN.

2 years ago in OH I soaked a cam on one: low deer density, on a bench system below a saddle, 3 clear-cut ranging from brand new-20 yrs old within 300 acreas. At first glance the scrape was small but had 2 licking branches. Constant action year round. Resident shooters, then new shooters throughout mid October- mid December.

[funderburk]

Agree with all of the above. Edges of thick for sure, but also into the thick a little ways where it opens up a bit are killer spots for primary scrapes. It may not be right smack in the middle of the open area as it probably is tucked up to the softer edge, no matter how subtle. If you can find those thicket openings along elevation breaks, off the tips of points, or near the head of a drainage, that’s all the better. These are the scrapes that give you chills. Much like when you find a mature buck lair. You just have that feeling you’ve trespassed onto his property. What a great feeling

Another location for primary scrapes in hill country is long, narrow, isolated ridges with dramatic elevation breaks and lots of bedding cover. The more narrow the ridge, the more severe the elevation change, and the more cover - the better. Great spot for him to lay and wait for passing does as they’ll often use the isolated point as an entry/exit ramp. I’ve typically found these, when they have all of the requirements listed above, to be littered with rubs and scrapes. It’s relatively easy to spot the primary scrape as it will be centered on the ridge where it’s mostly flat, but in my experience it’ll be situated only 75 yards or so from his bed. If the ridge isn’t narrow, you lose the funnel-aspect and the area becomes too large, and it’s just another ridge with another scrape. If it doesn’t have the cover, he may not be bedded close by, and if he ain’t bedded close by, then again, it’s just another ridge with another scrape.

[bigredneck61088]

I’ve hunted the mountains of Pa for many years. I find the most consistently used scrapes from one year to another relate to cover. Along the edges of rhododendron and pine thickets, along top edges or right in hollows with thicker cover and saddles with good cover. Most are lower in elevation but I have found some higher(saddles) or on top where several terrain features converge. Most open woods scrapes I find are inconsistent from one year to the next.

I’ve been hunting big woods PA for a couple years, I didn’t get the time I would like up there but I am starting to see this as well, also with which acorns are hot