Every time I find a big rub I only find 1. The last handful of years this is what I discover. A single random large rub! What gives? Anyone else ever have this? I search around and find no other big rubs. Most times not even another rub big or small. It's like a buck makes a random large rub and that's it.
Yes, they typically do that earlier in the season in preparation for the rut. It's not until right before the rut do they make rub lines, when you find one of those hunt it!
Maybe it is the area I hunt, but I have rarely found a rub line. It usually is a solitary lage rub. If there are more than one in an area they tend to be smaller in size.
Having hunted the same land for a number if years I usually have a pretty good idea where I am most likely to see deer, so my pre- hunt scouting has been less than if I was hunting new ground. I don't like to spend too much time in the woods where I expect to see deer come hunting season. That probably has something to do with it also .
A large solitary rub is more than likely a sign post/ scent rub that a lot of different bucks use. I have had good success hunting the down wind side of them. I have killed more than one mature buck checking the rubs from down wind.
QuoteOriginally posted by Widowdoublelung:
A large solitary rub is more than likely a sign post/ scent rub that a lot of different bucks use. I have had good success hunting the down wind side of them. I have killed more than one mature buck checking the rubs from down wind.
This Is exactly what a big buck bow hunter told me today I work with. Sign post rub
Exactly what I was thinking. You will see evrything from spikes to mature bucks using it.
Look for very subtle rubs in the area too - sometimes the "rub line" is difficult to distinguish. A mature buck will often walk through the woods and just "nick" large trees as he goes by them. I've watched this a few times in person over the years - they don't even slow down, but just flip their heads at a tree as they pass and make a small mark - a couple inches to 5-6 inches long - as they go past. On bigger trees - say 4 inches diameter and up - I always take that as mature buck sign.
Oh, and what I classify as signpost rubs are large trees hit year after year - eventually signpost trees usually get killed from the deer rubbing them. A first time rub on a big tree I don't classify as signpost - but probably a single buck using the area.
Growing up in Ohio - when I had lots and lots of time and lots and lots of ground to hunt - I knew of a half dozen real signposts in the area. I periodically checked them through the season - when one started to get hit I'd get into the area for a couple of days at least. I killed a couple of good bucks within a day or two of certain signposts starting to get hit. One tree I still remember the day each year between 1988 and 1993 when that signpost first got hit. Yeah, I've got a problem :)
Signpost rubs (generally on cedar trees where I'm from) can be good to hunt. If there is a big scrape nearby, even better.
Thanks for all the help and advice. Much appreciated. The rub was on a conifer and on the opposite side was a old scarred rub for another year.
This is in a competely differant area.. Ryan I don't know if you remember me telling you about the big buck I was hunting last season and spent my whole week of vacation hunting for that deer? Well I went back there yesterday... And guess what!? He is back! Trees 6-10" in dia rubbed. And some of them shredded so bad it looked like someone use a cheese grater on it. The ground around some of the rubs was so torn up it looked like a scrape at bottom of tree. He was definitely taking out some agressions! Has to be same buck. He must have allot of junk around his bases or be very nubby to rip trees up like that. He broke some of the smaller trees off.
It's such a hard spot to figure out though. I never seen him at all. I just want to see him.
Red Shaft.Not all large single rubs are sign posts. Bucks many times will move several miles from their home turf to look for Does. The big single rub you found may have been a traveling buck. He made his mark and moved on for more promising breeding grounds. Then again he may be in the area, but not prone to leaving a lot of sign. Hope you get him, good luck.
I'm seeing the same thing. A big scrape has opened up pretty close to two large rubs on one farm I hunt. All the sign is on hedge rows and really close to the old farm house. I find it hard to believe he will be anywhere around during daylight hours.
There are sign post rubs in the area but they haven't been touched. This is maybe the start of a new one?
(http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy241/kbetts_01/d46f55446c0256d3247fc1d56d53d9c4_zps293690c1.jpg)