Expert: Keith Patton - 10/22/2009

Question
If I do not have any rubs or scrapes on my hunting land does that mean I don't have any bucks ?

Answer
Heath:

No, but it depends on the size of your land.  Deer have a range of about a mile or a little more.  I don't know how many rubs a buck might make but your property might fall in that nether region in between two rubs.

Have you tried making your own scrape?  Go find some Doe in Estrus lure or scent go somewhere near your stand or favorite hunting spot, near a trail the deer are using would be best.  Make your scrape, be sure it is visible from your shooting position.  Douse it liberally with the doe urine.  

Now you can wait for the bucks to come to your scrape.  They may come at night but they will start to come none the less if they are in the area.

Check out some of my previous posts for my other deer hunting tips that will almost guarantee you a deer, or at least give you a big leg up on the other uneducated hunters you are competing with.

Here is one:  If you are in an area that has a lot of hunter pressure, be the first one in in the morning.  Set up early, then let the johnny come latelies push the deer in to you.  Your arriveal would have spooked the deer, but allowing about three hours between the time you go in and shooting time, you will beat the others in and allow the deer to settle back down.  You set up, take a nap, and wait for the other hunters to move the deer around for you.  They will have forgotten about you and if you set up in one of their "get away" runs, runs leading away from the direction the other hunters will be coming in from, the deer will move right past you and give you a pretty good chance at them.  It always worked for me.  I had a river at my back and the deer moved along the bank between the open fields and a cane break.  I would sit up inside the cane or down right on the river bank.  I blasted more than a few when they were moving along the river in response to the other arriving hunters.  I had my deer to my car about 40 minutes after shooting started.