Rub identification

[hydro psyche]

Hey guys,

First time poster, long time lurker.  With all the knowledge here, I figured I'd ask a question I've had for along time.  When looking for buck sign, new rubs are a pretty obvious indicator of activity, but what do old rubs look like.  When scouting recently, I found an area with scarred trees, that I believe to be old rubs.  Some look like they'd been scarred a long time ago, and used again.  Other were obvious fresh rubs.  Looking at all of the pictures attached here, I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the "scarred" trees...are these old rubs or some other issue with the tree?

Look forward to the feedback.  thanks  

[Rusty]

Welcome to the site Hydro.  We're gonna like you cuz we like pictures.  

[Rusty]

To answer your question though - if you have an area with old rubs being rubbed over fresh then you have found a good spot.  Bucks have been frequenting that area for many years.  Find out why.  Is it a funnel?  Is it near a bedding area?  Is there a community scrape nearby that you can capitalize on?

Looks like you got a great spot there, best of luck with it.  

[hydro psyche]

Thanks Rusty...so you're saying those scars in the pictures are in fact old rubs that have essentially healed over?  I want to make sure before I set up on what might otherwise naturally cause those trees to look like that, rather than antlers being raked across them from year to year.

Edited October 3, 2018 by hydro psyche

[Rusty]

1 minute ago, hydro psyche said:

Thanks Rusty...so you're saying those scars in the pictures are in fact old rubs that have essentially healed over?  I 

Yes.  That's exactly what they are.  

[Bucksnbows]

As Rusty said, 100% they are older scrapes from years past.  You should have found a spot bucks frequent pre rut.  Best of luck and welcome to the site, net spinning caddis dude (fellow trout angler and macroinvertebrate geek).  

[hydro psyche]

Oh man you guys are getting me excited!  I can't tell you how much time I've spent in maps and miles I've put on my boots scouting this summer to find prime areas to hunt on public land, where I can hunt these animals based on their natural tendencies.  

Almost all of those rubs were in a radius of 40 yards.  There is good bedding, food, and water very nearby...in my first two sits over the last week and a half, I've seen many, many does filtering in and out of this area.  Although no bucks, these first two sits have given me the most deer action than all of my other public land sits combined.

 

[jerseyhunter]

Sounds like your doing your do diligence.  Good luck.

[JHbowhunter]

Welcome.  It looks like you hit rub nirvana of years gone by. Now ou need to find the ones that look like this  one I found last Saturday morning. 

[MGHunter66]

Hydro looks like a well used area, times past mimic times present if the surroundings and pressure have remained the same. Good luck.
BTw, pay no attention to JH’s post/pic, Todds cat scratched that tree up LOL


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[Buck154]

Welcome to the site. Yeah should be a good area come the pre-rut into the rut. Look for a big scrape in rhe area or/and make a mock scrape at your stand. 

[Greybeard]

Welcome!  Most of those pics are pretty old by the amount of healing around the wound.   Find the fresh ones, and rubs that look like they were worked more than one year, and worked again this year, or in the immediate area of the older rubs.  These were worked multiple years, and still were being worked.

IMG_6927ca by shot4u2c, on Flickr

 

IMG_8254ca by shot4u2c, on Flickr

 

IMG_6667C by shot4u2c, on Flickr

[BowhunterNJ]

Welcome to the site!  Like others have said, if you have multiple years of rubs, you're in a good area...consistent rub line the bucks use year after year!

[jerseyhunter]

Look at the ground for fresh shavings and on which side of the tree there on.  Are they going to feed in the pm or back to their bedding areas in the am.