Hunting around buck rubs

[rmmonty32]

Still pretty new to hunting and need some advice. Been hunting an area this rifle season with alot of buck rubs (public land monroe county). Havent see any bucks this year. One area was pine and cedar area kinda thick with vines. Other was hardwoods red and white oaks. Should i hunt areas like this or do they move out in late season? Or could they have just already been killed and i should have on already? If i should hunt areas like this how long do u spend in an area b4 u give up.

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[fairchaser]

Game cameras will answer a lot of your questions but without cameras focus on late season food sources. The rut is over or winding down and bucks are trying to fill their bellies for winter. Buck groups are also reforming so if you find one you might find several.

 

[Mike Belt]

Generally speaking the location and timing of buck rubs (not rub lines) denote where they were. They either randomly traveled through an area at the time when testosterone levels began rising and began fighting trees or they tend to stage in an area prior to making a move into more open areas when checking for does. When they repeatedly use the same route they may create rub lines. Generally this is prior to the rut. Once the rut kicks in you can throw those "paths" out the window because they could be miles from there. Post rut they may return to the same areas that they frequented prior to then depending on what kind of hunting pressure those areas may have experienced and how much available winter cover they provide. The best time to hunt around those rub lines is pre and post rut. The best time to hunt staging area rubs is during the rut. Rubs, especially those found on big trees and made high off the ground are neat to find but you generally don't have much luck singling them out to hunt. You'll find many more of them around your soft woods (pines and cedars) than you will around hardwoods.

 

[megalomaniac]

Mike is spot on.

I don't hunt randomly scattered rubs... I will however hunt rub lines (4 or 5 rubs in a line along a single trail) post rut.

 

[catman529]

Rubs only mean a buck was there doesn't necessarily mean he will be back. Bucks will sometimes rub a lot around their bed or if they are locked down with a hot doe. They will occasionally rub as they travel down a trail as well... I don't get excited about hunting around rubs unless it's a lot of big, very fresh ones in a small area.


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[rmmonty32]

Thanks guys. Really appreciate your advice.

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[Mike Belt]

I'll also throw this in the mix.... If you have enough rubs in a given area you can tell the direction the deer was traveling. Coupled with that, from what I've seen over the years, a buck tends to do more rubbing rising from his bed and beginning his nightly excursions than he does on the return to his beds. This may give you an insight as to where he may be bedding.

 

[MUP]

Mike is spot on.

I don't hunt randomly scattered rubs... I will however hunt rub lines (4 or 5 rubs in a line along a single trail) post rut.

What about sign post rubs mega? I've never been one to hunt rubs particularly, but if they happen to be in the area of food, and does, I feel a little better about my chances of seeing them.

 

[rmmonty32]

Game cameras will answer a lot of your questions but without cameras focus on late season food sources. The rut is over or winding down and bucks are trying to fill their bellies for winter. Buck groups are also reforming so if you find one you might find several.

Im not near any agriculture so what type food sources should i be looking for?

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[fairchaser]

Game cameras will answer a lot of your questions but without cameras focus on late season food sources. The rut is over or winding down and bucks are trying to fill their bellies for winter. Buck groups are also reforming so if you find one you might find several.

Im not near any agriculture so what type food sources should i be looking for?

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Any mast crop like acorns especially if you can see droppings or places where leaves are pulled back is good. Anything that's still green like honey suckle. Near waterways and thick areas where there is lots of browse. If there are late ag crops like winter wheat anywhere within a mile, they might be on this too.

 

[WTM]

Game cameras will answer a lot of your questions but without cameras focus on late season food sources. The rut is over or winding down and bucks are trying to fill their bellies for winter. Buck groups are also reforming so if you find one you might find several.

Im not near any agriculture so what type food sources should i be looking for?

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Any mast crop like acorns especially if you can see droppings or places where leaves are pulled back is good. Anything that's still green like honey suckle. Near waterways and thick areas where there is lots of browse. If there are late ag crops like winter wheat anywhere within a mile, they might be on this too.

+1 and green brier and broadleaf plants that are starting to pop up. the deer we cut open this last weekend had red oak acorns and some greens mixed in. i wouldnt discount bucks still hanging with does, depending on where you are located. ive seen 2 descent bucks in the last few days still hanging with does. one was in my yard last night with 4 does.

 

[megalomaniac]

Mike is spot on.

I don't hunt randomly scattered rubs... I will however hunt rub lines (4 or 5 rubs in a line along a single trail) post rut.

What about sign post rubs mega? I've never been one to hunt rubs particularly, but if they happen to be in the area of food, and does, I feel a little better about my chances of seeing them.

I LOVE big signpost rubs, usually because they indicate an area with high buck activity (good bedding, food, travel routes, etc). Plus, during the rut, there's usually a very active scrape nearby.

I don't really hunt the rub, I hunt the terrain around the rub and certainly feel more confident there are several bucks in the immediate area.

Plus, those are the type areas that are usually consistent year after year after year.

 

[MUP]

 

[tahtah]

I've been hunting public land for 10 or 11 years. When I first started hunting there, I found an abundance of sign, rubs and scrapes. But like everyone has said before, that just tells me a buck has been there. Often times he was probably there at night. This year I found an "area" of rubs. It was about the size of a tennis court and there were rubs throughout, not a rub line. This rub "area" is bordered by a thicket. As it turns out, at least one buck was using the thicket to bed and making rubs whenever he got up to stretch his legs or whatever bucks do when they get up and move around. I hunted this rub area on a handful of occasions and saw this buck 3 times. Something you might look for.

 

[rmmonty32]

Thanks everyone yall are truly a wealth of knowledge. I respect all of your experience and taking time to share it with me!

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