I hunt 3 acres of my neighbors property that backs up to my backyard. Last Saturday I just walked out there to look around. I stayed at the edge and looked down the hill. After a few minutes I saw a smallish buck chasing a doe. I'm pretty sure I killed that buck (2 1/2 year old 8 pt) the next morning. I shot him from the ground behind a large felled tree, a place I've never sat before. There are 2 ladder stands and I almost always sit in the lower stand. This afternoon I sat in that stand. I'd been there for about 10 min before I noticed 3 fresh "scrapes" all within 30 yds of the stand. In the 3 years I've hunted from this stand I have never found a scrape anywhere within eyesight of this stand. So I'm sitting there thinking this is very odd, partly because I've never seen scrapes there or anywhere near and partly because I'm thinking that if we're at the point that bucks are chasing does then I really shouldn't be seeing fresh scrapes anywhere. Am I wrong about that?

Ok possible explanations that I can think of:

1. My first thought was that I created a buck "vacancy" when I killed the 8 pt. and a new buck showed up and was simply advertising his arrival even though we're at the stage we are at. It's all new to him and he's got to get the word out. This stand is located at one of the main entrances to a bedding area so it's not, at least to me, completely implausible.

2. Somebody's (maybe some of beadlescomb's kin) messing with me. I don't know who it would possibly be since this is not a club although 2 other people who I've never met have permission to hunt there.

I took a stick when I got down and raked some leaves over a couple of them to see if they're uncovered in the morning. It's all just very odd to me. If the stand were not located at the entrance to a bedding area I would swear it was a scam and it may be but why would someone do that? I mean it's 3 whole acres with 2 stands! What would be the point? I live there and I know there are deer there otherwise I wouldn't waste my time.

Will bucks make scrapes when they move into new territory regardless of the stage of the rut?