mrfritz44

I'm in a battle with a huge buck that I've patterned as being highly nocturnal. His home territory is at the base of a mountian that runs parallel to a lake. The only real access point to this area is from the west, and given the terrain a west wind is almost always in effect. This makes it very difficult to get to the spot undetected and has no doubt played into this buck's ability to get so big.

He's got a megarub on a well defined path with much overhanging vegetation that marks the beginning of his territory. It's followed by a long string of well defined scrapes that are used regularly, but at night. I pushed him ahead of me getting to my stand this past week and have only seen him twice...both times two years ago. He was a 14-point then, so I'm on the edge of my seat to think what he is now.

I've heard about these scrape drippers and how they may bring the buck out during daylight hours to investigate the scrape line. My thoughts are to place a dripper on the scrape line, then place my stand about 20 yards to the right of this line.

My question is, have you used them, do they work, and can you recommend a dripper/scent combo that will likely work on what is at this point a very mature and smart buck?

Thanks for the advice,

Fritz

pocomoke

Fritz I use the scrape dripper that you can get at walmart.It comes by itself or you can get it with a 4oz bottle of activ scrape juice.I would get the one with the juice.The theory is that they only drip during the day via temperature change.When the temperature rises by more then 10 degrees then the bladder bag squeezes out a bit of juice.If the temperature does not rise more then 10 degrees on any given day no juice will be dispensed.

Now I have lots of trail cam picks of bucks working these scrapes but mostly at night.Even though they are supposed to get the buck to come out in daylight the way I see it,the pee smell does not go away at night,it is still there in the scrape and the deer smell it and check it out.Just during the day when it is being squeezed out it is fresher and should be more potent to a deer's nose.

I would say hang one over this bucks scrape or make a mock scrape and then within a couple days get in there and do some rattling and try to get his attention.If you have a buck decoy set it up near the scrape dripper.
Good luck...

Rob/PA Bowyer

Fritz, you may or may not thought of this and/or it might not be a legitamate suggestion but can you access the area your talking about by canoeing the lake. The way I read it your have to walk in from the west because of the mountain and the lake....could canoeing the lake get you where you need to be...it'd be quiet and you can skirt the wind. Just a thought I had....but I'm off topic cause I know very little about the scent drippers...just theories.

mrfritz44

I've thought about the boat strategy, but the racket from the rocky shoreline might be counterproductive. The lake is between two mountains and the noise from the boat is amplified like crazy. I've gotten into his area before without being detected, but only twice and that was during the rut when he was chasing does. I'm pounding my head for a pre-rut strategy to bring him in the daylight.

BagginBigguns

My tactic would be to use a trail camera to determine when he's up and around. Try to find a location where the camera sees him during the daytime. Set up in that general area and then use rattling to call him in. If he's king of the forest he'll certainly want to defend his domain.

That's how I'd try it. Good luck tagging him.

TURKEY FAN

go to www.trmichels.com and read about his monitoring a 10pt er. It is very interesting and knowledgable, gave me some great ideas for the rut on nocturnal bucks.

mrfritz44

Whats the direct link to the article TURKEY FAN?


Got it.....n/m


http://www.trmichels.com/DeerActivityCharts.htm

adams

I think my tactic would be to set a full dripper with BF pre/post rut. a full dripper should last a week with 4 oz of scent. I set it up and let it be for the better part of the week 5-6 days and then slip in in a canoe like rob suggested. If you get the buck to hit durring daylight hours you risk pushing him out by trying to sneek in. (think about it, if he hittn the scrapes durring the day he's not in his bed which is probably when you're most likely to sneek in undetected.) If you have to get there early and beach the canoe a couple hundered yards North (I believe by the set up you describe) and then walk back to the stand location that might be your best bet. I'd also consider rattleing in conjunction with the dripper. The dripper should get his attention and if he can't locate the "animal" that is marking his territory when you start rattleing he should come in on a string (in theory) looking for the intruder.

This is definately a case of easier said then done but I believe it can be done.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Double Creek

Have you tried getting to your stand 2-3hrs before daylight? I would try that first and try to bust him when he comes back to bed. Fooling around with scent drippers increases the likelyhood that he will catch on to you. No matter how careful you are, you will leave scent behind.

mrfritz44

I was on stand about 1 hour and 10 minutes before light this past weekend. I may have to try a really, really early dawn raid. The only thing that concerns me about that is that he'll walk past me before light, and it will all have been for not.