Rub size question

[killingtime 41]

Not the best pic but what my real question is. Can you get an idea of antler size by the size of the tree that's rubbed. I've always been told that big bucks rub large and small trees. But small bucks don't rub big trees. And in my observation a buck is usually using his brow tines or above his forehead to rub. Leaving scent from glans behind on the rub itself. If that's the case the part of the tree with most of the bark being removed would be at the base of the antlers. In this pic from that point up the tree. You can see where his tines cut into the tree well above the part that's has most bark removed. Would you think this would have been done by a larger antlered buck.

 

[GRIT]

I would say not a large buck too low to the ground.

 

[Lost Lake]

I've seen younger bucks work established rubs on bigger trees. But in general, I'd guess the big boys like the bigger trees. So many bucks will use them it's hard to tell who did what though.

 

[Ski]

First of all any buck will rub any tree. I've got one specific tree with numerous different bucks rubbing it on camera, numerous times throughout the season.

That said, the rub in your pic I'd guess was rubbed by a very big buck. It looks to have been done all at one time, not in layers. His forehead and brows were stripping bark off near the bottom but you also see deep gouges way up above the epicenter. That happens from tall tines. I like that your rifle shows height reference. A small buck physically cannot put deep gouges in a tree at chest height of a man.

 

[killingtime 41]

First of all any buck will rub any tree. I've got one specific tree with numerous different bucks rubbing it on camera, numerous times throughout the season.

That said, the rub in your pic I'd guess was rubbed by a very big buck. It looks to have been done all at one time, not in layers. His forehead and brows were stripping bark off near the bottom but you also see deep gouges way up above the epicenter. That happens from tall tines. I like that your rifle shows height reference. A small buck physically cannot put deep gouges in a tree at chest height of a man.

That was my exact thoughts ski

 

[BSK]

Older bucks start big rubs, but once created every buck in the area, including yearling spikes, will rerub a large-diameter tree. I've never noticed any correlation between rub size and antler size, just age of bucks in the area. You won't see big signpost rubs in an area devoid of older bucks.

 

[Ski]

Older bucks start big rubs, but once created every buck in the area, including yearling spikes, will rerub a large-diameter tree. I've never noticed any correlation between rub size and antler size, just age of bucks in the area. You won't see big signpost rubs in an area devoid of older bucks.

For sure young and/or small bucks will rub on big trees. However, I've never seen one be the first to do it and I've never seen one be capable of creating that kind of damage. When I see young/little bucks hitting big trees it's because a bigger buck has already rubbed it.

A scrape can tell you a lot about the buck. This scrape is a tale of two scrapes. You can clearly see where the forehead & brows were rubbing, then above it there's a band of mostly unscathed bark, and above that for another foot is a bunch of deep gouges. That tells me there's significant distance between brows and other tine tips, enough distance that even though he's rubbing up & down the gouges don't overlap. And since we have that gap of no overlap, you can measure the distance from the top of the bottom rub to top of gouges and that'll tell you how far his g2s stick above the tips of his brows. Considering that the entire rub has the same weathering, it was almost certainly done by one buck at one time. My guess is that rub was made by a pretty dang sporty brute.

 

[BSK]

For sure young and/or small bucks will rub on big trees. However, I've never seen one be the first to do it and I've never seen one be capable of creating that kind of damage. When I see young/little bucks hitting big trees it's because a bigger buck has already rubbed it.

Correct. Every research project on rubbing behavior I know of has come to this conclusion.