Late rub or something else?

[MJK50]

Went out to my stand the other day and found this. Deer rub or another animal? KInda late for a deer rub is my thinking but it does look right.

 

[BowhunterNJ]

Looks aged to me, were there any fresh shavings on the ground at the base of the tree? Any gouge marks in the tree itself, looks like maybe on the side we are looking at there?

Sometimes cedars peel, but that does look like a rub to me...just looks dried out.

Was it not there until just recently or did you just happen to come across it now?

[Palawman30]

Are you in north jersey?    That looks exactly like a tree that's been scratched up by a bear and I notice they do it a lot up north

[Palawman30]

actually it looks like it was a buck rub that got scratched over by a bear

[MJK50]

No bears here that I know of I'm in Lawrenceville right off rt one on Bakers Basin Rd., and the tree wasn't like that last week. Picture was taken 4 days after I first saw it. 

[Matty]

Not only is the cedar rubbed, but the small sapling behind it is rubbed up pretty well, though I thought they looked to have a little age too.

 

BUT....

 

Bucks will rub up until they shed sometimes. I found fresh rubs about two weeks ago. Shavings were on top of the snow. My friend found a new one two days ago. As long as they have enough testosterone to hold their rack, they can feel feisty enough to rub. Some bucks will still end up breeding doe fawns as they come into estrous soon and often rub trees in between breedings.
Put a trail cam overlooking the rub...even though he may not likely rub it again, that buck, or others are likely to at least sniff it.

[BowhunterNJ]

I once saw Matty rubbing a tree all the way into March! Truth!!! :rofl:

I like the idea of throwing a trailcam on it, see what swings on by!

I still have bucks sparring/fighting on my cams, so plenty of testosterone to rub a tree left yet!

[Gruntmaster]

It might be a safe bet to Pm me your gps corrdinates for your property...

We want to certain it's safe for you to go in the woods.

[Axiom]

looks like a rub to me...

[Palawman30]

Ive never seen the upper end of a buck rub shred like that.