So today I went out and checked my cameras and on one of the food plots I found a rub. Not just scratching the velvet of rub but a full shredding of a good size oak tree. As I was admiring it I saw 2 more 15 yards apart, they formed a triangle. The question is have you ever seen this type of territorial marking this early? If so was it a dominant buck?
I was out this week and saw a couple scrapes under a licking branch in an area they use year after year.
Not probably a territorial marking thing this early. Bucks are starting to shed velvet and rub here. Have pictures of two out of velvet so far with about 6 or 7 bucks hitting one small patch of trees every night at dark thirty. We saw a few rubs in one spot a week ago when we put a trail camera in there. Tim
I have seen it one time about the middle of September, and this buck made a rub line like you would find in November. I have always heard if you find this you have found a sweet spot because it's markings of a bucks bedroom. Don't know how true that is but I went back during the early season and kicked up a 150" 10 pointer from that same spot. But it was only one time. Cool find though reguardless.
I'm with grnhd, never found a rub in August. I'd probably hunt it as soon as season started, worth a shot.
I have never seen a rub in August myself but here in Jersey our bucks hold on to there velvet til later in September. Last year I killed a buck first week of October that was still in full velvet. As far as rubs being close like that I will agree with BukFvr! I found a rub line like that in September and hunted it as soon as my season opened I headed in there for an afternoon hunt and jumped one of the biggest bucks that I have seen on our farm! Never saw him again!
I see them occasionally here beginning around now. Larger rubs do seem to be linked to the bigger bucks even in early season but I have seen several bucks rub on the same sprout this time of year also so it's not a sure thing.
I know it's not a bedding area it is way to open for that. All the deer I have on camera from that plot are still in velvet, he is camera shy and he like picking on oak trees. I changed the angle of the camera and hope to get a picture of him in the next couple of weeks.
More than likely a rub made this early in the season was made by an older buck, especially if it is on a wrist size or larger tree. We found a cluster of rubs like this early last September and my brother ended up shooting a 160's class 12 pointer there!
i found a couple very small rubs in late august in southeast NC in a pine stand. Trees were very small and hard to tell what size buck was doing this. Only ever found a few rubs though.... However I find a lot of scraps this time of the year.
Found this on my property last year. Not oaks but shrub brush torn to shreds and the trunk was shredded too - Looked like the buck bedded right in front of it the way the grass was laid down.
