The second week of August brings excitement as the first bucks begin to shed their velvet. Many bucks have developed impressive mass, beam length, and tine length, and are ready to lose their velvet. Deer are starting to utilize their forehead glands more, which indicates that their testosterone levels are rising. New bucks are also exploring food sources and gathering information about the other deer in the area.
Never-Ending Game
August marks the beginning of behaviors that hunters will observe throughout the rest of the hunting season. My SpyPoint cameras have been busy capturing valuable insights on bucks visiting scrapes during the warm summer nights. As we enter August, the Never-Ending Game intensifies, with bucks increasingly frequenting scrapes and leaving their individual scents. Each buck is utilizing its forehead gland more actively, and they are engaging with the scrapes with greater intensity.
In this video, you can see the Never-Ending Game being played by three different bucks over the course of a few hours. The youngest buck arrives at the scrape first. Two hours later, two other bucks approach the same BuckRope scrape, each trying to cover the younger buck’s scent with their own.
Who Is That?
Food is a major focus for bucks right now! They are trying to consume as much as possible before food sources change and the rut begins. In August, soybean fields are excellent spots for inventory scrapes. I often capture images of various bucks on my cameras during this time, exploring the bean fields and the scrapes.
The video above shows a new buck learning about the deer that have visited the scrape. You can see how the buck uses its nasal gland to inspect the scrape for the interdigital gland scent left behind by previous deer. After detecting the scent from the interdigital gland, the buck moves in closer to smell the preorbital and forehead glands that were left by the last deer.
Back to Bed
I absolutely love this inside corner scrape. It’s always active because it’s located on an inside corner leading into a bedding area. After a long night of eating and exploring, the bucks use this trail to head toward the main bedding area. This particular buck works the scrape before settling down for a few hours. Shortly after he leaves, Drop Dead Fred, a buck I know well, follows and hits the scrape as well.
Staging Areas
If you are familiar with your property, you likely know where the staging areas are located. I don’t use minerals since I live in Pennsylvania. Instead, I prefer to use buck metatarsal gland in these staging areas. The metatarsal gland is a small gland found on the outside of a deer’s leg, often mistaken for a small tuft of white hair.
One strategy I like to implement is introducing buck metatarsal gland in early August. There is a log near the pine tree where I place a few drops of the metatarsal gland. When a buck comes by, he often lowers his head to the ground to investigate the scent I’ve left behind. Smokey’s Deer Lures makes a wonderful buck tarsal gland lure that I love to use.
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