I was looking for some input and seeing if anyone else has experienced anything like this. I recently got out of the Marine Corps and began scouting the farm that I had before I left four years ago. I took 2 140+ deer consecutive years of the farm so I know it holds big deer. Well I get back and start scouting for next year and I find a set of rubs. This time was different though. Literally 200+ rubs in a sq acre. I feel like this is rare. From 2"-12" trees tore up. 90% this year. I've hunted since I was 8 years old and have never seen this. Could this be a buck becoming the dominant buck in the area and making everyone know it? Any input is appreciated . Thanks in advance.
Maybe somebody was making mocks and got a little carried away? haha, I kid. But in my 20 years of hunting I've never seen anything like that. I've seen 3-6 in one area, but never that many.
I'm lucky if I find a rub line. That would stump me! Maybe someone else can chime in that knows more about deer behavior than I do. But what I would do is assume that that spot is his core area and I would stay out of there until the beginning of rut and then go sit there!
I'd post pictures but there is so many. It's crazy, I've got sheds that my father picked up in that area. He's probably 135" but he's non-typical. I know that's small for a nontypical so maybe he had velvet in hard to reach places.
There's a piece of land near my house that I have access to walk/shed hunt but absolutely no hunting. Hasn't been hunted in at least 20 years. There are areas like you described back there. The top of the ridge is absolutely torn up. I've offered thousands of dollars to hunt that 60 acres and she still just laughs at me.
Wow that is a lot! I have a few areas that size that have about 50 or so rubs it is a funnel that is the only dry spot going across a swamp I ended up shooting a 140in buck in that spot this year. Where are the rubs located? Funnel, staging area, food source?
In the middle of no where basically. Like 30 yards off of a secondary trail. Hardly used. I put a trail came there in November but I guess it was to late. Ask I seen were does. Even made a mock scrape and all
Some deer just like to rub more than others. The question is, are there any big rubs or are they all on small saplings? If theres rubs on wrist size or bigger trees, you can assume its a good buck doing it. From my 30 years of hunting, I can tell you that these rub cluster spots are great spots to hunt! From what I've observed from hunting these type of spots is when that buck travels through that chunk of woods, he'll come through that exact area. I can't tell you why, but I can tell you they do. This gives you a great advantage because you can pinpoint exactly where he'll walk when he comes through there. I would hunt it hard this fall from about Halloween till middle of November if the rubs appear there again.
I hunted a stand near there for a few days when I was home around mid Nov. And never seen him. He very well could have been running does but who knows. He has trees as big around as my calf and small ones too. This year coming up I'll have all year to get him. Thanks for the input
Yep...he may have been in the next county chasing does by then. Usually the first 2 weeks of November are best.
How far off the ground top and bottom? What kind(s) of tree? Could it have been a bachelor group with the big guy before they broke apart? any sign of old rubs that are re-rubbed?
I found and area like that once. Thought I hit the jackpot. Turns out it was hares eating the bark in the winter.
i have about a 3 acre funnel with fields on both sides. every year there is 50-100 fresh rubs of all sizes. like someone said above, from halloween till the middle of november is awesome there if i can get the wind right. ive killed to bucks over 150'' the last 4 years/ the biggest one is my profile pic. anyway my experience hunting that draw of brush is that you more than likely have multiple bucks travelling by that rub line. not all shooters of course but all bucks want to leave their scent. definitely worth hunting it in my opinion. good luck.
