Abandoned scrape.. why

[Al Bundy]

There is a spot on my hunting property that for at least 8 years deer make a scrape. They started it again this year like normal, but have abandoned it. Another spot that also has been used every year is still being used. Its 25 yards or so from the other.  this tells me the deer are still coming around. ANy ideas why they would abandon the scrape?  Someone pissed in the scrape??

[The_Real_TCIII]

Branch above it no longer there? Could be a million things

[dbHunterNY]

scrapes get more activity pre and post breeding to let other deer who's around. it's like the phone calls to set the party. bucks efforts are best served going after the doe now as it's peak breeding time and the party's started. multiple things need to be present for the scrape to be used by deer in a way to serve its purpose. Real TCIII mentioned a big one. the scrape 25 yards away might have more deer going past it. if one's closer the other one isn't of any use to the deer who aren't settled in at the party. both bucks and does use scrapes. if a doe happened to check out one but not the other it will have that scrape draw attention off the other that's now inactive.

[moog5050]

Someone pulled down the licking vines on one of our scrapes and my buddy used a piece of ratchet strap to tie a new branch up 15' away.  Guess where the scrape was this year - to my surprise.  Its a bright green ratchet strap too.  lol

[WNYBuckHunter]

I pee in all of the mock scrapes I make, and in all of the natural ones as well. It has no ill effects. Urine is urine.

[philoshop]

Lose the licking branch and there will be no scrape. The scrape itself is but a small part of the overall ceremony for the deer.

[philoshop]

11 minutes ago, WNYBuckHunter said:

I pee in all of the mock scrapes I make, and in all of the natural ones as well. It has no ill effects. Urine is urine.

I wouldn't recommend it after a night of drinking, but I know several people who do the same thing and have no problem attracting deer.

[wooly]

Scrapes around here have pretty much shut down this past week or so. That usually happens every year about this time right before the woods erupt with a frenzy of chasing.

The possibilities are endless as to why a certain scrape will go cold any given season, but in the scenario I described, I like to believe that bucks already obtained all the information they need from them and are now just waiting and saving their energy for that first hot doe to roll through.

Then I usually don't see any serious scraping action again until late ML season or shortly after that.

[philoshop]

The biggest buck I ever killed made the smallest scrapes I've ever seen. He'd move two leaves out of the way and take a leak. Gold chains and limousines aren't required, and bathtub-sized scrapes tend to indicate a younger deer. Old guys know stuff. Even if they're deer.