Hunting rubs in September. Update with picture!!!! I found a fresh rub tonight on a tree the size of the fence post. Would you set up around it or treat it as a fluke? Went out tonight took the picture and I set up west of it. The bad news is I think I busted him out. I found a bed and it stunk bad and the whole area stunk.
Rubs are an "indicator". I don't go crazy over "a" rub. I f I find a rub, I'll search the area for another, and another. Looking for a line. naturally, I'll be searching for prints and scrapes as well, or anything else to piece the puzzle, so to speak. Generally, bucks do most of their 'casual' rubbing on their way FROM bedding, TO destinations such as food and water. A rub line will signify a particular trail that a buck may be using. You will generally find most rubs after the bucks have disbanded their bachelor groups. So, a rub line is generally a trail of one buck. If I feel that there is adequate sign and reason enough to suspect that the buck making these rubs uses this trail/area frequently- I'll hang a stand. For the most part, this is an early season occurance. __________________________________________________________________ If I start to find "clusters" of rubs, these are generally territory markers. These tend to occur in October, in my area. These, I will approach differently. I usually find that these rubs are marking an area full of does, and not a bucks bed or trail. I'll camer-up the area and see whats what. Again, I dont really go crazy over clusters, their kinda like scrapes. You'll be wise to hunt this vicinity, but, more information will be needed to lock-on to the buck making these rubs. All in all, rubs are just another piece to the puzzle. I don't get my hopes up if I see rubs, but, I'd rather see them than not. So, I guess my answer is: I would start to focus on the area. Scout it hard and see where it leads me and what it tells me. I mean, If your 2 options are this spot of a spot with NO buck sign what-so-ever...that, my friend, is a no brainer.
Way to late in our neck of the woods Dan to be a velvet rub IMO. Personally I would be on it in a heart beat the size of one that magnatude. Give it a sit or two and see what happens if anything you might gain some knowledge on him by a sighting.
Great post woodman. I like to find rubs in clusters, but it's not always a determinating factor. One rub, a big rub so to speak, will surely get some further attention from me, much the way droptine explained...the sign post rub is just the start. I then look for other rubs, and direction of food and bedding and try to figure out iof it was a fluke or is he using this area. Jeff, so if you go into an area that has the terrain features you like to see for traveling bucks and fine 0 sign, no droppings, rubs, scrapes, trails etc...but you know this is where a buck would typically walk, are you still gonna sit it? I mean albeit it's leading somewhere he wants to be..
Thanks for all the replies. It is not a velvet rub this tree is shredded. I'll get a picture of it next time I head out there. There isn't a tree that doesn't have a rub from a year or 2 ago and about 6 sign post rubs. This area is a 4 acre pine plantation surrounded by an oak flat to the west and swamp on the othe 3 sides. It just seems early to have a rub of that size unles there is another buck and this guy is marking his territory.
Can't say I've ever hunted a "rub". Perhaps a rub was there but that was happenstance. Now the occasional scrape, I'll sit on, if it's indication is that it's more than a casual flurry of testosterone. Somone mentioned a rub-line and yes thats more indication of a travel corridor and a leisurely buck taking his time rising from a bed to a feeding area (or vice versa). He has to do something to kill his time so he shows up in that open field long after the destination sitters have left for the evening...
I wouldnt hunt anything early season other than acorn flats, well used staging areas, food plots or ag fields. They are nice to see but to me they dont mean squat. Yes there deer had to have been there to make it but its hard telling when he will be back.
a small rub is one thing, if i saw a rub that big, on that size tree, during this time of year, i would at least get excited about it...i mean that guy did some work for a bit. Who knows you might start getting a frequent visitor.:D
I watched a 7 pointer make a rub the other nite and lastnight saw a different 7 pointer make a scrape lastnight....i dont know...things are changing pretty fast but yet its like the weather and foilage drop is a month behind.....
