First scouting trip under the belt.

[gophergunner]

My buddy and our wives were up to Outing for our first scouting trip last weekend.  It was a magnificent weekend to be outside.  We're hunting a new spot this year, so we've got to do our homework.  Found a promising looking clear cut my buddy's gonna hunt, and I found a real nice looking ridgeline that runs along a lakeshore.  The deer are running that ridge, and a trail down by the lake, both of which will be in easy gun range.  I'll also be able to see back to the main trail in case they sneak down it too.  I wouldn't doubt that there'll be scrapes on that ridge trail soon.  We found a old tree stand on that ridge, which just reaffirms my suspicions that this will be a good spot.   Anybody seeing and scrapes yet?

[deadeye]

Yes, last week I saw a few on my property.  One looked really promising so I put a trail camera on it.   Should be interesting. 

[Onin24Eagle]

Just checked out the usual scrape lines last night.  Nothing yet, but I'm sure it's coming soon.  I also checked the cams and the bucks are still grouped up together but sparring quite a bit too.  Two more weeks and there should be scrapes all over the place.

Funny how the bucks seem to pair up with other bucks of approximately the same size right before pre-rut.  2 weeks ago you might see an 8 pointer hanging around with a basket 6 and a spike.  Now that 8 pointer is with another 8 pointer of the same size.  Spikes hanging together, other groups of basket 6 pointer and 8's, etc.

Here's some examples from yesterday's card pull:







They should be splitting up and going solo soon.  At that point we should start seeing some major scrape activity.

[gophergunner]

Nice pics.  I'm always concerned that if I put out cams, all I'm going to do is donate them to the local thieves.

[Onin24Eagle]

Nice pics.  I'm always concerned that if I put out cams, all I'm going to do is donate them to the local thieves.

That's always a concern.  All of mine are on private land but that's no guarantee.  Only once have I had an issue.  Couple of years ago one of my cameras got shot by a rifle.  Unfortunately, the camera must have been storing the picture just as it was shot because although the card was intact, the file had been currupted and I could not retrieve the pics.  That particular location was technically on our land but just barely 20 yards in from a trail on county property (the trail is the property line) so I don't put cameras out in that area any more.  Thankfully it was a really cheap camera and not one of my good ones which is probably why they saw it in the first place.  Those older cheap ones are pretty big compared to what's out there these days.

If you do put them in an area where you might be concerned about people messing with them you can bring a ladder or something and put them way up in the tree.  I've done this on certain trails on our land and people don't notice them at all because in the woods you usually aren't looking up.  There are security boxes you can get for them too but I've never used one and I'm not sure how well they would work against a determined thief.

[Cody Gruchow]

Bucks in my area have been making scrapes sense opener. All opening weekend I watched this 8 pointer come in every evening An refresh the scrape also watched a doe with a fawn walk over and pee in the scrape. Also watched that buck chase that doe around for awhile. Scrapes are popping up more and more an a couple rubs have appeared. Last couple of sits I have not seen any bucks at all. Haven't check cams yet. I'm giving them awhile yet.

[Cody Gruchow]

I do have a couple on cam that I want to see or get better pictures of to decide if they make it to my list or not. I would post the pictures but they on my phone an it won't let me upload them sense they jpeg

[gophergunner]

I was just talking to my buddy who hunts up by Duluth and he told me he had one of his trail cams get molested by a bear, but has had no issues other than that.