Scrape

Last Saturday I was out scouting with my girls and I found this immediately below a tamarack branch about the height of my shoulder.

 click on image to enlarge

Trampled with deer tracks this is what is called a scrape.  During the rut (mating season) male deer pee on the tarsal glands and mark their territory.  But it is much too early for the rut so what's the explanation?

These early scrapes are a bit different.  Few and far between these early scrapes are mainly used to communicate as bucks begin to leave their bachelor groups and stake out their territory.  It is akin to posting a no trespassing sign on a property line.

Later in the season it will be used to communicate for breeding.

The same day I fetched the memory cards from the trail cameras and last Saturday this guy's photo was taken about 20 yards from the scrape. 

Maybe it's his?

We'll find out.  I moved the camera to photograph whoever comes to the scrape.

And a placed a ground blind where the camera used to be located.  Guess who might be hunting there as you are reading this?

Stay tuned...