We use rubbing posts in most of our larger food plots and also in some of our smaller plots in the woods. Often, I’ll leave a small tree out in a new food plot that I’m just putting in. That tree usually becomes an immediate signpost rub; that is, a scent-marking tree.

By Lee Lakosky

Because many of my larger food plots were originally old fields with no trees in them, in those situations, I’ll place a rubbing post in the ground near my critical stand locations.

Basically, my rubbing posts are roughly 8-foot-long cedar or hardwood posts 5 or 6 inches in diameter placed 2 feet in the ground within 30 yards or so of a tree stand that will be just inside the tree line on the edge of the food plot. I always attach two or three freshly cut branches to the posts with fresh leaves on them just before the season or a few days before a hunt.

I drill large holes into the posts, place the branches in the holes and then put screws through them so they can’t be dislodged. I might freshen up the rubbing posts with new branches as the season progresses. They’ll stay green for several weeks, and I like to use cedar or other preferred branches from trees that the deer like.

Because these rubbing posts serve as a community signpost, every buck coming through the area will come by and check them out. If there are a bunch of deer out in the field, the bucks love to come over, posture up and rub the post, or use one of the branches as a licking branch and leave his scent.

They often make scrapes under each branch, and every buck approaching will come in and work that scrape. Or they might walk over and hit another scrape along the tree line. Having a rubbing post close to your stand is a great way to entice the deer to get within bow range, especially if they are across the field or just entering the field from the woods.

Another advantage of having a rubbing post out in front of your stand is that it can be a distraction, just like a decoy. If one or more bucks come out, or if a giant happens to come out, those bucks will definitely be preoccupied with the post long enough to give you time to evaluate that big buck’s antlers and set up for a shot. Rubbing posts are great hunting tools, and they’ve worked well for us through the years.

Discover proven strategies and tactics for the upcoming rut. Don’t miss out on the latest tips you’ll need for a successful season. 

Click here and subscribe to Deer & Deer Hunting magazine today!