Buck rub signs

[bofish-IL]

I would like to hear and share some info from anyone who has hunted along good buck rubs. I mean beside the general statement of, they only show where a buck has been. I have seen trees that get hit each year numerous times throughout the year.

It fascinates me the amount of rubs that can be found in one area. Also how there doesn't seem to be any specific tree types chosen. I have found them on cedar, willow, maples, hedge, walnut, hickory, and honey locust. Just to name a few.

I have only seen one buck making a rub over my hunting career. I am talking about the type of him shredding the tree not just rubbing his forehead on. Although I have heard what I thought was a buck making a rub several times.

I know lots of the experts claim you can pattern a buck's travel path from their rub lines. I have never really had any luck trying to hunt along rub lines. I have had places where there would be 10 rubs in a line within 200 yard stretch. Apparently I have chosen areas that only get hit at night because I have very seldom even seen a buck using the area during shooting light.

I got excited when I found the following ones. The first I heard a heck of a noise right at the end of shooting light that went on for probably 20 minutes this is what I found, the next morning.





I would of loved to run into this deer. Photo  was by the farmers machine shed in 2005.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

You can pattern a buck by rub lines.  However, just as you have unfortunatly learned you still have to figure out when the deer are traveling there.

[Morning Star]

I'm with you bofish, not much luck on rub lines in general.   It's mostly the old problem of older deer doing their nocturnal thing.

Now if I can find a nice heavy rub line going through a bottleneck, I get excited about that.  Especially the week before they're all out chasing the girls.

Not to say I won't set up on a rubline in other places, cause ya just never know when a piggy will show up.

[klm5121]

In my experience hunting rub lines, I have found that I see mostly younger bucks, I witnessed a 4-point go from tree to tree and rub the heck out of it this year. Two years ago I saw an eight pointer just about rip a tree in two.

I agree with the two above that you have to learn when he is going to be there, and I believe with most bigger bucks it is during the night.

[adeeden]

Nothing gets me as excited as a big rub! I typicaly hunt pinch points and bottlenecks mainly though.