deer rubs

[jonny5buck]

I also look for a ''rub line''..same reasoning as already mentioned...good indicator of the way a buck is moving ...the ones i am usually finding are going back to beds... something that i have also learned is that sometimes certain bucks prefer certain ''types '' of trees to rub on...most prevelant in big woods or mature woods.

I know its hard to find a cedar or small pine that doesnt have at least an old rub on it.I found one this year after season ended that was a whopper, not to far from one of my stands....im not sure of the tree type but i call them buckthorn...its like a small tree but with tiny thorns...its not a ''locust tree....either way im impresssed with the size.

I dont put a whole lot of effort into rubs unless i find the line before or /as it is being made....i have seen some very impressive ''fake rubs'' and some that were not so impressive on Park Property.....it still is a welcome sign to find one that is fresh ...the one i found this year was about 7 yds from a small hackberry tree that had several rubs on it.

[bmstaaf]

I will hunt rub lines entering a feeding area, usually on the edges of fields. I read so much information about hunting just off them, or 15 yards from them, but my success rate it low. Seems like the area I hunt they make them at dark or just past shooting light. I stick with food or in between bedding and food sources. They have threw me off in the past, you see a chest high rub on a bigger tree and no luck? Who knows any ideas?

[Jslotter]

I only hunt over rubs if they are fresh, like a couple days old. I tried hunting rub lines that were at least month old and nothing. I find alot of good rubs along field edges all the time, but I think thats all nocturnal stuff. If I used trail cameras, I know I could figure it out, but I don't use them... Scout harder.[;)]

[jrich]

I bought an app in the apple app store for my iphone that allows me to track deer sign. As a result, I have been able to piece together how deer are moving because it is like connecting dots. Since the app plots the pins over a google earth map of the property I am hunting, I can see how the deer are moving from bedding area to feeding area or vice versa. Now as I scout I just mark all the sign I see and then go home and study it. The app is called Deer Scouter.

[Bowriter]

I'm considerably smarter than Greg and I too have written extensively and given seminars on rubs. I have learned over the years, that there are only two types of rubs that have any value-signpost rubs and traditional rubs. The rest have little or no use in terms of killing a deer.

A traditional rub, one used year after year and usually by many bucks is valuable in terms of indicating bucks are in the area and use the area on a regular basis. The traditional rub is a prime method of "mass" communication between bucks. Just what they communicate, I'm not sure.

The signpost rub, when found in a line is the most usefull. Just as the name implies, a signpost rub provides information such as creek, fence or road crossings, entrances to hidey holes, areas to stop and scent check fields and most importqant, the travel trail for the seeking buck in new territory. These trails are often used only in pre-rut and rut and may not be seen without these signs to tip us off. In addition, the pheremones deposited at signpost and traditional rubs may possibly help stimulate the approach of the rut.

The more mature bucks on a specific piece of property, the more rubs you will find. A mature buck may make up to 50% more rubs. So if you are seeing a lot of rubs, regardless of size, be happy. Just learn to recognize the two important types.

Other than those two rubs, fuggedabouit.

[DEER30]

I have written a blog about this http://deer30outdoors.com/rubs/ that really sums up how to look at rubs. Please check it out then we can disuss the matter further.

[Phoenixoutfitters]

The especially pronounced rub line that runs through the property that I hunt on runs west to east behind four north facing stands(downwind of the foodplot and stand). This makes me suspicious that the big buck is running behind these stands and smelling us out. It would make sense that this buck would always be downwind. An old timer at the camp told me that I could pee on this rubline in order to make the deer visit this more often, but I am very weary of this and have been practicing solid scent management and am wondering if any one thinks that this peeing is a good idea or is undoing my work.

[Ohio farms]

Not wanting to steal the main thought of this thread, but more than a few topics have been posted on the merits of peeing in scrapes. I used to carry my urine around in a container, but now see it as my own version of Tink's 69. Deer do seem to be attracted to it, or at least not deterred.