esshup

I just returned from my first scouting foray. I got picked this year to partake in a deer reduction hunt on one of the State's Parks. These hunts happen when the Park Biologist determines that the deer population is causing damage to the understory. I came across the largest scrape that I've ever seen. The scrape was roughly 40+ inches wide, and it was roughly 30 inches deep (front to back). It was roughly in an inverted heart shape. The most amazing thing to me was that the licking branch that was over the scrape. The branch was about 3/4 to 1" in diameter, and broken so the branch was hanging down almost over the scrape. The break was a measured 8 foot above the ground. The only good print that I could find was roughly 4 1/4" long and almost 3" wide - no dew claws showing in the ground. The ground was in a strip of hardwoods between 2 swamps.

The largest tree that I could find rubbed nearby was about 4" dia, and I neglected to measure how high off the ground the rub went.

This area hasn't been hunted in a couple of years, and there is good cropland (corn and beans) in the surrounding farmland. This is in the state of Indiana.

The last buck that I shot (3 years ago) dressed out at 214#, and sported 5 points on one side, but only 2 on the other. The DNR aged the deer at 5 1/2 years. When butchered, I could find no sign of injury to the deer that would cause the abnormal antler growth. That deers hoves weren't near the size of the ones that I saw today.

I'm wondering if anybody would care to guess as to the size (body weight) of the deer?

Thanks,

ESSHup

farm hunter

180 lbs dressed - just a guess.

Really, It should be a good buck by the description of your area. But, Even older deer can vary in weight due to the rut, drought, etc. I'd guess its a mature deer definetly worth hunting. I'm sure you have considerable hunting knowledge, so I'll only offer one bit of advice....hunt downwind of the scrape/scrape line - maybe 75 yds in a good funnel area if you can find one. The latest reasearch indicates that Mature bucks rarely work a scrape over once they've established it. The continue to scent check it however, and other, usually lesser bucks, will continue to work it as well.

Good luck, post pics when you take him.

timbercruiser

You would have to have a buck standing on a barstool on his back legs to reach a limb 8' off the ground. Obviously the broken part of the limb wasn't touched by a deer, sounds like something else made the break and it just happened to be the limb chosen for the deer's licking branch. No way to give an accurate guess. Large scrapes are often worked by multiple bucks.

jred

That would be pretty high for a deer. If it is a deer he will weigh in at about 400lbs.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>(Deeraf)

seriously, by the size of the rubs and the hooves, it is hard to say but I would imagine in the range or 200-225lbs.

Let us know if you harvest this deer.

Good Luck!

KEEP HUNTING THE GREAT OUTDOORS & GOD ALIVE, PASS IT ON!

esshup

Thanks everybody. If I get him I'll be lucky. For this 2 day hunt, there will be 160 hunters in the woods of this particular state park. (approx. 3,000 huntable acres - but that includes the campsites, roads, open fields, swamps, etc.) After the first shot, the deer will be running scared, and not sticking to their usual routes and habits. I think the only way that I could possibly target this buck would be to do more scouting and hopefully nail down his home area, then set-up along one of his escape routes. Then hope that another hunter doesn't do the same thing, only closer to the buck.


Thanks again,
esshup