I too as a kid found an area like what you described ODO. Thick all around, scrapes in an area that was open enough to see 40-50 yards. I screwed up when I told my dad about it. He went in there a few days later and killed a 140" 9pt. There was a little Slough to the right of it. During the rut then those northern peeper frogs are so loud you can't hear a thing. When that buck came walking through every one of those frogs shut up.