What’s That Rub Telling You?

by
posted on October 27, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
whats_the_rub_telling_you_f.jpg

Whitetail rubs are signposts of our rut dreams. They are alluring, confusing and can even be deceiving. Here are seven questions you should ask when you stop to look at a sapling rubbed raw by a whitetail’s antlers. In the answers is how to kill the buck that made it.

1. Are there tine marks? Look above where the bark has been stripped clean. Tine gashes in the bark can give an indication of the buck’s size.

2. How big is the tree? It’s a myth that big bucks rip big timber and immature bucks rub spindly saplings. But tree size can give indications—and it sure is fun to get worked up about a buck rubbing an 8-inch trunk.

3. When was it made? This is a key question. Older bucks typically start earlier and rub more often in the pre-rut, and the pre-rut is when rubs can help you pattern a big buck.

4. Where is it located? There is no more important question than this. If it’s on the edge of a field or other open area it is almost meaningless to you, as it was likely made at night. However, it could be a clue leading you back from the field edge to a pre-rut rub line.

5. Is it part of a line of rubs? A rub line can lead you to where a buck beds. Be careful, but also take a chance if you can. Many GPS-collar studies have found that to catch a buck on its feet in daylight before the rut hits the search phase, you have to be very close to where he sleeps.

6. Is it part of a cluster of rubs? If the rub is in a thick area and there are many other rubs nearby, you’ve found a staging area: a place where a buck or bucks wait for dark before proceeding to a crop field or other food source in the pre-rut. This is another great place to kill him before the rut gets cranking.

7. Are there scrapes or tracks near it? If you find an active scrape close by, look in it for a buck’s track. The size of a buck’s hoof is the best indication—outside of sightings and trail-camera images—of how old, and therefore big, a buck is.

Latest

Ledegrasssland
Ledegrasssland

Grassland Conservation Funds Available in Ohio

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife has $9 million in funding available for landowners who want to create grassland habitat that can support native wildlife, like northern bobwhite quail and other grassland-nesting birds.

New for 2025: Texas Hunter Products Trophy Quail Feeder

Texas Hunter Products has launched its the Trophy Quail Feeder, engineered to meet the diverse needs of landowners, hunters, and conservationists nationwide.

Hardware Review: Leupold VX-6HD Gen 2

This year Leupold introduced the VX-6HD Gen 2 series of scopes. Read our Hardware review of it here.

First Look: MDT Timbr Core Rifle Stock and Core Bottom Metal

MDT has announced that the Timbr Core Rifle Stock and Core Bottom Metal are now available.

#SundayGunday: Burris Signature HD 15x56mm Binocular

This week on #SundayGunday, we’re taking a break from things that go bang and setting our sights on a key piece of gear for spotting your quarry, the Burris Signature HD 15x56mm Binocular.

First U.S. Citizen Contracts New World Screwworm

On Aug. 24 HHS confirmed a Maryland resident—who recently traveled to El Salvador—is the first documented human case of New World Screwworm (NWS) in the United States. Presence of the parasitic larvae (maggots) was confirmed on Aug. 4 after studies conducted by the CDC and the Maryland Department of Health.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.