Ask The Biologist

Never Say Never

Never Say Never

By Bob Humphrey

Like all whitetail behavior, scrape activity is unpredictable.

QUESTION: Last season I found several fresh scrapes and spent several days hunting over them, but I never saw any deer. A friend said I was wasting my time because bucks only scrape at night. Is that true? — Mike H.

ANSWER: When it comes to whitetail behavior, two words you should never use are never and always. A third is only.

Research has shown that most scraping does, in fact, occur at nigh — but not all. While it’s certainly not the norm, I’ve observed bucks tending scrapes on numerous occasions during daylight, and I have killed two bucks while they were literally in the process of tending a scrape.

You should also keep in mind that while they might not tend the scrape, bucks will also scent-check their scrapes from downwind. I wouldn’t invest a lot of time hunting over scrapes, but it can be an effective tactic at the right time.

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