Rubs

HughW2

Senior Member
Rubs: I have noticed a lot more rubs this year than in past seasons. It maybe all my head but they seem to be everywhere. I have always though of rubs as being a way for bucks to get their velvet off in early season and to also leave their calling card for the ladies as they mark out their territories. But this year I have been seeing fresh rubs as recently as this last week! Please share your opinions on rubs. Territory markers, signs of an aggressive rut, signs of a healthy herd in terms of numbers of bucks vs. does? Would love to hear from the forum.1535D3A6-FC67-4053-869A-2B91FE804493.jpegB6DE77B1-016D-4986-B217-31D80A07E694.jpeg2B4FC793-BE1D-403B-9353-8DB21939F545.jpeg2B4FC793-BE1D-403B-9353-8DB21939F545.jpegB6DE77B1-016D-4986-B217-31D80A07E694.jpeg
 

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dang

DANG !!!
They also stay fresh looking longer than some other sign. Take notice to where the shavings lie. If they’re on top of the leaves then it’s fresh. If they’re covered by some leaf dropping then it may not be as fresh as it appears
 

buckpasser

Senior Member
I think there is a scent component too…isn’t there a gland in the forehead?

There’s scent placed on the tree for sure, and I don’t know how important that is, but I do know they don’t hide rubs. They purposely place them on trails, at the edge of the field, good funnels, saddles, etc. That’s why I believe them to be more of a visual tool. Just my opinion.
 

HughW2

Senior Member
Definitely agree. They seem to look for prominent locations to place them.
That first photo is the rub that just showed up after the first rut is done. Next to an established silt fence but just off a creek bottom travel corridor. He wanted it noticed.

Also a fairly thick hickory trunk; I would like to see the buck that rubbed it.
 

across the river

Senior Member
It is a visual and scent territory marking, much like a scrape. When a deer makes a scrape, he will rub his head and the glands on his forehead and around his eyes on the limb above the scrape. He also leaves scent when he rubs trees for the same glands. You can actually find fresh scrapes anytime
of year and rubs anytime they have hard horns. However, both rubs and scapes typically pickup in the prerut, fall off when the peak hits and they have plenty of does to chase, and then pick back up after the peak when they have to start
searching hard again. Not uncommon to see them late in the year like this. Older bucks typically make rubs a lot more than young bucks, so seeing more is likely and indication that you age structure is gettting older, or some of the small deer you have passed have gotten older. I would take it as a positive sign for sure. You can also find a lot more in certain areas of the property over other areas on the same place and the location of them can change as the the deer move throughout the season, so it is possible a deer recently moved into that area due to pressure somewhere else.
 

across the river

Senior Member
Definitely agree. They seem to look for prominent locations to place them.
That first photo is the rub that just showed up after the first rut is done. Next to an established silt fence but just off a creek bottom travel corridor. He wanted it noticed.

Also a fairly thick hickory trunk; I would like to see the buck that rubbed it.

This is the same reason your dog walks straight to the fire hydrant, light pole, or car tire to pee on it.
 
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chrislibby88

Senior Member
I’m seeing the same amount of rubs as usual. I don’t think they are for does, I think they are for other bucks. Never seen a doe pay them any attention. You often find them on travel routes, and around buck beds.
They do deposit scent on there, bucks always sniff a rub after they make it, and sometimes polish it off with more scent if needed.

There’s also an impulsive hormone driven aspect to it. They will just make them randomly for no reason other than being fired up. A basket rack buck came right by me chasing a doe a few years ago, and he stopped mid chase and made a rub before resuming. I also watched another big buck crossing a saddle hit 2-3 small saplings almost back to back before I shot him.

There are certain trees or small areas where the same tree gets rubbed multiple times a season, I assume by all the bucks in an area, but it could be the same buck, year after year, kinda like a community scrape or primary scrape. I’ve heard them called signpost rubs. I’ve got a spot on a WMA where a tree was shredded, mid shin to upper thigh, all the way around for a few years in a row until it died, then this year they started a new tree about 10ft away doing the same thing. There’s also a large primary scrape about 20 yards away that stays active every year. I’m gonna hang a camera on it either later this year or early season next year and see what kinda pictures I get.
 

kayaksteve

Senior Member
I’ve tried putting cameras on rubs just to see if deer return to them and never had any luck, Other than just a coincidental deer walking by. I know people talk about sign post rubs and I’m sure they exist but I’ve never been able to identify one
 

chrislibby88

Senior Member
I’ve tried putting cameras on rubs just to see if deer return to them and never had any luck, Other than just a coincidental deer walking by. I know people talk about sign post rubs and I’m sure they exist but I’ve never been able to identify one
You’ll immediately know when you find one. It’s undeniable that it gets hit more than once a season year after year. The only definite one I’ve found is way back on a WMA on a ridge point that drops down to a creek crossing. It’s surrounded by normal rubs, and scrapes with a large community scrape very close. I’m guessing they serve the same function as the community scrape, but for bucks only?
 

DSGB

Senior Member
Found this one the other day near the head of a draw that comes out in a grown up cutover. Think it's been hit a few times.5DF4580A-2D7D-4300-8B6B-44E9AB3EC947.jpeg51B86BDB-B75C-4A27-9ABA-EF9F4C9618D7.jpeg
 
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