How do you do it? Is there a tried and true method to this?

I did a little scouting today and found a scrape line up from an old stand of mine. I was going down to the creek to move my stand and ran up on about 5 scrapes in a row along with an assortment of rubs. A good bit of buck action in my opinion.

Well, I moved my stand up to the scrape line (not on it, but within bow range), but I'm not sure how to begin to hunt it. I also moved a camera near the area, not in the area because it's a white flash and I don't want to take any chances.

Any tips?

When I hunt a scrape Line I set up down wind about 40-50 yds of the scrape line. I set up down wind of the scrape line in thicker cover if possible. If the buck or any bucks that are making the scrapes come through during daylight they will most often check the scrapes from a distance while remaining in cover down wind of the scrape line. Remeber 90% of scrape activity happens at night! Thats how I would hunt scrape line.

Overall, all though buck sign is exciting to see turn up in the woods, I don't usually let it determine where I sit. You will have better odds of taking a good buck by trying to located tight funnels between doe bedding areas and big bodies of timber. Funnels, inside corners and saddles are hard to hunt at times because you may not see a deer all day long, but when a deer comes by they will be in bow range and more often then not will be a buck cruising for doe's. Good luck this year...again this is just MO.

Ricky

i agree 100%

every large deer that i have heard of that was killed hunting scrapes was on a small obscure trail down wind of the scrape. believe it or not, most were killed in the middle of the day too

I agree with what you said about middle of the day. Bucks are up checking doe's and what not during the night on fields/food sources etc. You will often see some buck movement early in the morning then nothing, but come 10:00 a.m. - 1:00p.m. bucks are up again searching for doe's in their bedding areas. While doing this they often travel past their scrape lines (downwind). The reason I think the bucks end up coming by their scrape lines is due to the fact that most often scrape lines indicate regular travel routes through his core area. You'lloften find that they run through a saddle or funnel etc.

It would be your best interest to pack a lunch and sit all day on stand during the rut. You never know when that buck might come through.

Right on!

The scrape line is on an old logging road that runs all the way down to the creek. But, it's so grown up in there that the road is almost non-existent. You can barely get a four wheeler to the creek now. You also get a slight canopy effect from the bramble and scrubs on either side. I'm excited and ready to get in there.

As far as hunting the area, would you mess the ole boy's scrapes, leave them alone, grunt, bleat, sit still, what?

i'm a big fan of sit quietly and disturb the area as little as possible. it's a natural process that your taking advantage of, no need in throwing something unnatural into the mix.