Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: DIYARCHERYJUNKIE on March 01, 2015, 06:28:06 AM

Title: What made this?
Post by: DIYARCHERYJUNKIE on March 01, 2015, 06:28:06 AM: Went to hang a cam and check for sheds and came across a fresh scrape line in the alders? There was even the bark at the base of them. All small alders. Some trees with one line some with two and some torn up like a small bull scraped them. I thought maybe a bear? Maybe a small bull trying to lose his rack? What do you guys think.
Title: Re: What made this?
Post by: hunterofelk on March 01, 2015, 06:42:17 AM: Elk. The bulls love to scrap when their antlers are hard. As the days get longer I think they rub more until the antlers shed.
Title: Re: What made this?
Post by: DIYARCHERYJUNKIE on March 01, 2015, 06:53:14 AM: nice. I was hoping so. A few of the scrapes were larger. So maybe a good bull. The camera is about a half mile from the scrape line.
Title: Re: What made this?
Post by: darren on March 01, 2015, 07:43:16 AM: Can you tell how large the bull is by the height of the high/low part of the scrape, or is that not helpful?
Title: Re: What made this?
Post by: AKBowman on March 01, 2015, 07:56:41 AM: Definitely a bull elk. I've found the same thing this time of year with the super fresh rubs. Surprised me when I saw it I thought they only make rubs before and during the rut.
Title: Re: What made this?
Post by: DIYARCHERYJUNKIE on March 01, 2015, 07:57:11 AM: Yeah the height of the scrape would be a good way to judge the height of the Bulls antlers. The scrapes over my head but I'm short. Looks to be a younger but sizable bull if that's in fact what made the scrapes. Has anyone else seen scrapes in the winter? Or found sheds under scrapes that were fresh?
Title: Re: What made this?
Post by: DIYARCHERYJUNKIE on March 01, 2015, 07:59:36 AM: Interesting AK. I hope his sheds close by.
Title: Re: What made this?
Post by: brettinewen on March 01, 2015, 08:55:44 AM: Griz, start carrying spray.
Title: Re: What made this?
Post by: DIYARCHERYJUNKIE on March 01, 2015, 08:58:24 AM: Got it. Hk 45 spray.
Title: Re: What made this?
Post by: ElaphusElatus on March 02, 2015, 11:08:18 AM: Keep an open mind DIY and see pictures of my older post here.

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,147138.msg1956087.html#msg1956087 (http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,147138.msg1956087.html#msg1956087)

Good chance the scrapes are caused by incisors of cows and calves, they are doing it full-bore on my property now. I watch them do it, sap may be flowing and they are trying to get a taste of it. More fraying and I'd say bull, but lack of fraying tends to correlate with incisors, from what I have seen.