Labor Day has come and gone, marking an exciting transition as we shift our focus to the eagerly awaited hunting season! Whitetail deer hunters across North America are buzzing with anticipation for the start of archery season. Some lucky hunters are already celebrating filled tags, while others are busily preparing food plots, hanging stands, and refreshing their mock scrapes. With daylight dwindling and temperatures starting to drop, I’ve noticed some increased activity at the scrapes, which is thrilling! On the evening of August 31st, I had the incredible experience of watching six different bucks visit one of my scrapes over a six-and-a-half-hour stretch. I captured all the action with my SpyPoint Flex M camera—it’s a must-see!
Twilight Action
The BuckRope that I hung in the inside corner of a bean field has been attracting plenty of attention since April. Last week, on the evening of August 31st, the BuckRope was a hotspot. Around 8:30 PM, a group of does arrived and began interacting with the rope. A few minutes later, a young buck walked in, using his forehead and preorbital gland to mark his territory with his unique scent. Still in velvet, the buck wasted no time claiming the scrape after the does had worked it. You can see in the video that he was enthusiastic about using the BuckRope.
#1 Arrives at 10:57 PM
Last week, I introduced you to the top buck on my farm. Since his arrival and rise to the top of my list, he has been visiting the BuckRope scrape more frequently. Two and a half hours after a spike deer worked the scrape, my #1 “Hit List” buck showed up and took over the scrape. This buck really enjoys being in front of the camera and worked the rope multiple times before heading to bed for the night. I’m confident that he will shed his velvet in the next week, and I hope he continues to stay on the farm! However, if he keeps tempting me, I might have to use a Black Eagle Spartan on him.
Drop Dead Fred at 1:07 AM
Drop Dead Fred is easy to identify due to his distinctive right main beam, which curves sharply in and down. He is definitely a cool PA buck. Two and a half hours after the #1 buck worked the BuckRope, Fred arrived and also interacted with the rope. After leaving his preorbital gland scent on it, he checked the ground to see who had been there before him. Fred is the #2 target buck on this farm, and he really enjoys working the rope. Sometimes difficult decisions have to be made when opportunities arise. I can’t wait to see what Fred looks like after he sheds his velvet.
Young Buck Shedding at 1:43 AM
Thirty minutes after Drop Dead Fred worked the scrape, I captured a fantastic video of a young buck that had started shedding his velvet. The close-up footage shows the velvet peeled back, revealing his main beam. The buck approached the scrape first and then came close to the camera. You can see that another deer is with him, waiting by the rope. After the velvet-shedding buck walked away, he left the scrape open for his friend. I love exciting videos like this one!
Quick Takeover
Just six minutes passed before a new buck arrived to claim the BuckRope. In this fascinating video, an older deer demonstrates how to use the rope while a younger deer observes. You can clearly see the difference in their body sizes. The older buck swings the rope around his head, allowing it to hit his preorbital gland. Meanwhile, the younger buck seems unimpressed; he wants a turn with the rope and is trying to show respect to his older counterpart.
No Brow 6
A new buck, which I’ve named the No Brow 6, appeared at 3:07 AM to cap off an action-packed six-and-a-half-hour period! If you look closely, you’ll notice that the No Brow 6 has some velvet on the inside of his left main beam, which has split. He spent time working the rope and sniffing the ground to detect the presence of others before him. This new buck is becoming a regular visitor at the BuckRope, but I’ll be giving him a pass this year in hopes that he will develop some brow tines next year. He could grow into a solid deer in another year.
The Race Is On
Exciting news! Scraping activity is set to rise in the coming weeks, making this the perfect moment to head outdoors and set up your scrapes. I always kick things off with a blend of Head-Scratcher Gland Lure and Contender Interdigital mix. Want to increase your chances? Use a dripper at your scrapes to encourage those bucks to visit often. So, gear up and get started this week.
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