Buck scrape

The buck approaches the overhanging branch and hooks it with his antler. He licks the branch and allows it to sweep across the frontal gland on his head. After leaving his scent on the branch, he scrapes the earth, arches his back, and urinates down over the tarsal glands on his back legs and into the scrape, leaving a scent profile of his dominance and sexual readiness. I usually find a dozen or more scrapes in and around the orchard during October and November. As soon as mating season begins, the bucks seem to stop coming to the scrapes.