Not sure what this is? Deer Scrape?

[Landowner]

I found this scrape across the street from my house. This is about 2 1/2' wide and 3 inches deep. You can see one hoof mark in the top left of the bigger pic.

Any suggestions on why a deer would do this? This time of year.

[solon]

did anyone drop attractant/feed there ? - like cmere deer or one of those type syrups ?

[Landowner]

Not that I know of. That is the first thing I thought of.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Maybe salt pellets or something like that were put in there, thats what deer do when you put down minerals or salt, they dig out and eat the dirt.

[Doc]

I have found early scrapes at this time of year. Last year there was one that was complete with a licking branch over head. It's not a super common thing to find this early, but it does occasionally happen. What does it mean? ........ I'm not sure. I don't know whether it is a buck that is a bit ahead of his time or what, but it just shows how little we really know about rut behavior, or scrape behavior.

Doc

[Landowner]

I have never seen a scrape that was about 3" deep. This about 30 yards from the road, so salt would'nt be their.

[Doc]

That 3" depth is kind of weird. That does sound like they are digging for some kind of mineral or some natural or artificial attractant.

[nyslowhand]

Congratulations, your 1st Feral Hog sign. lol

Just kidding and I hope not for all of our sake!!!

[Landowner]

If so guess whats for dinner! HOG HOG and more HOG.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I have never seen a scrape that was about 3" deep. This about 30 yards from the road, so salt would'nt be their.

If someone put it there it could be. One trick is burying salt pellets that you buy for a water conditioning system. Once the rain starts getting the salt into the soil, the deer can smell it and they will eat the dirt to get the salt.

[Landowner]

This is my property. We do not have a water softener.

[WNYBuckHunter]

trespassers/poachers? You dont need to own a water softener to buy salt pellets lol.

[rock]

put a trail cam on it

[Cabin Fever]

Yeah, I agree that seems like some type of attractant (salt, minerals, etc...) was there for the deer to paw it down 3".

[nyslowhand]

See in another topic you figured out this actually was a scrape.

Must have been hitting it hard to make it so deep.

[Landowner]

I put the camera near it today. I hope its a monster!

[burmjohn]

Thats crazy, hope you get some pics of whatever it is.

[Landowner]

In one night I got 21 pics of a DOE. Check it out. I will leave this camer for 1 week. I will update when I can.

Brian

[WNYBuckHunter]

Can you set the cam to video mode? It would be great to see just what they are doing.

[burmjohn]

There must be something down there

[WNYBuckHunter]

Gotta be. It looks like that doe is doing more than just sniffing the ground. The ONLY time Ive seen them dig like that is when someone has put out minerals or salt or something like C'mere Deer.

[Doc]

She's found something to eat. Whether it's something naturally occurring or something that someone has purposely put on the ground, it is definitely not just a scrape. I would suggest that you might pay attention to that spot a bit because you may have a tresspasser setting up a hunting opportunity for himself. Otherwise, you may have a natural attraction that may be useful for your own hunting.

Doc

[Lawdwaz]

She could have OCD?

[Landowner]

Here is more deer.

[burmjohn]

That just doesn't make sense w/o something on the ground.