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Scrape stand hunting need advice

This evening was very interesting and I have to get some advice. I have a new stand that I put up this year. It is near a road that has a lot of dense growth across the street and I could tell that deer were crossing the road onto my property . This afternoon I sat in that stand because of wind direction and mid sit I had a pair of young “forkies” drift in to my offside and when they got bored they played tinkle the ivories for ten minutes. I got bored after awhile and stopped watching. I turned back to look at them about 5 minutes later and saw THREE deer. Forks are not legal deer in Pa., but this new deer was something else. You don’t get to see a lot of mature animals here as it is very dense. It was a large very mature 4X3 or 5x3 who wandered away into an area of big oaks. I waited until dark and snuck out in the opposite direction… which I initially though was just a game path until I came around a bend and nearly walked into a BIG scrape. So I have a big mature buck, and a large scrape with a licking branch about 15 yards from my stand. QUESTION: How often can I return and sit that stand. I wear rubberpac boots and light gloves when I climb the stand ladder.

I think you can sit that stand as often the wind is perfect

Most scrapes are visited at night, during non-legal hunting hours. However, there are those times when Mr. Big visits during the day.

Play the wind and be quiet.

I’d sit 50 yards downwind of that scrape in the daytime .

Hunt it mid day whenever possible.

Thank you for the suggestions. I have not been in this particular situation before, despite about a billion hrs on stand and just not sure how to play it. I did sit yesterday for 3 hrs and had no action at all except for an adolescent hawk slaloming through the trees at15 ft above the ground

Thank you for the suggestions. I have not been in this particular situation before, despite about a billion hrs on stand and just not sure how to play it. I did sit yesterday for 3 hrs and had no action at all except for an adolescent hawk slaloming through the trees at15 ft above the ground

I would hunt the area anytime you have cold front. Not sure if PA is the same as the Midwest but cold fronts mean northerly winds.

What Huntiam said. You're too close. Deer can and will scent check a scrape from well down wind.

Actualy, the stand is south of the scrape and the wind almosts never blows from the North....more usually from the west. It is also out of view as it is around the corner of some trees and brush on its small game trail

I’d be within bow range of it if you’re going to “actively” hunt it. It does you no good to be out of range unless there are other features you’re keying in on moving you away from it.

Believe it or not, it’s not the end of the world if you take a hike and see if you see other scrapes that give you some direction, which will allow you to hunt the area even better based on other pieces of the puzzle found on your hike through. A line of scrapes is much more appealing to me than one that’s for sure.

Wind is always the #1 decision maker in this situation. If it's not right I'm not hunting that spot.

Wind is King

I think wind and most important, thermals, go without saying, well at least for most.

I always enjoy the earth shattering news that scrapes are mostly visited at night. Most deer movement is at night. Clean access will be key. Put a camera on the scrape and hunt it.

Early season scrape hunting is some of the best. I like to have 2 or 3 different stand options on a community scrape. Those are the biggest scrapes that are visited by bucks and doe. They are the only ones I hunt a particular scrape. Good luck.

After a heavy rain get out and hunt that scrape. He will most likely want to freshen it up since the scent got washed away. I've had cameras on scrapes and have seen the big guys hit those scrapes a lot after the rain stops and the sun comes out. And they will hit it mid-day too so stay in the stand to 1:00pm or 2:00pm.

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