Rubs

[Chicken Little]

So this morning I decided to walk around the 3 to 4 acre clearcut I sit on the southeast corner of. The clearcut is 6 or 8 years old and now pines 10 to 12 ft tall...choked very thick.

I noticed a rub 12 to 18 inches off the ground and proceeded to find 1 every 20 yds all the way around to the north and west sides.

How would you hunt this...or would you?

My guess is it just a young buck as they are so low and such small trees.

They were not there 10 days ago.

I have seen a beauty of a tall chocolate 6 pt and other scrub bucks in and around.

Edited November 21, 2015 by Chicken Little

[rgw]

could be a brute you never know, I have watched big bucks rub small trees and small bucks rub big trees. one thing is for sure he is marking that territory as his so it could be a good buck

[rgw]

oh if it was me my ass would be planted somewhere around there depending on the wind and where he is coming from

[Ravenrock_bowbender]

Hunt 15 yrds off the line

[Ravenrock_bowbender]

If wind blows across the line hunt it..if it blows down the line stay out

[Matty]

A few things I will say based on my experiences.

 

- If fresh sign feels right, give it at least one hunt. 

 

- Generally, the lower a rub, the younger the buck. Doesn't mean it's small, but older bucks are typically taller and tend to rub higher. Those rubs are pretty low.

 

- There are no set rules, you never know for sure, the above is just a generalization, so it's worth at least one sit even if it appears to be a young buck, could be a bruiser.

 

- Without seeing a map or fully understanding the area, I would say these are "rut rubs"...especially since you said they popped up the last 10 days. These pop up when a buck moves into an area to breed a doe. He probably followed her around for a couple days and bred her a few times, then moved on. Sounds like the pine thicket might be a doe bedding area. IF it is a doe bedding area, it's a good place to sit on a trail that skirts it downwind *possibly where these rubs are. Bucks will cruise it scent-checking for ready females. Where you found the rubs is probably a great spot next year during the rut. This year I think you're probably a bit late, but he might still be there or might return. Worth a shot.

 

It's been a "trickle" rut from what I saw this year so you may still get action there. In fact, I saw chasing again today, but it's been turning on and off like a light switch. Most of the action was very early though. Mostly October.

 

Good luck!

[Chicken Little]

I have a ground blind 25 yds to the west of the line which runs longest north south. My guess is it is the chocolate as I have seen him twice coming up the line from the south. West wind is ideal as I walk in from the west and can slip in undetected...hopefully there is a hot doe still around and hopefully she likes sugar beats

[Chicken Little]

A few things I will say based on my experiences.

 

- If fresh sign feels right, give it at least one hunt. 

 

- Generally, the lower a rub, the younger the buck. Doesn't mean it's small, but older bucks are typically taller and tend to rub higher. Those rubs are pretty low.

 

- There are no set rules, you never know for sure, the above is just a generalization, so it's worth at least one sit even if it appears to be a young buck, could be a bruiser.

 

- Without seeing a map or fully understanding the area, I would say these are "rut rubs"...especially since you said they popped up the last 10 days. These pop up when a buck moves into an area to breed a doe. He probably followed her around for a couple days and bred her a few times, then moved on. Sounds like the pine thicket might be a doe bedding area. IF it is a doe bedding area, it's a good place to sit on a trail that skirts it downwind *possibly where these rubs are. Bucks will cruise it scent-checking for ready females. Where you found the rubs is probably a great spot next year during the rut. This year I think you're probably a bit late, but he might still be there or might return. Worth a shot.

 

It's been a "trickle" rut from what I saw this year so you may still get action there. In fact, I saw chasing again today, but it's been turning on and off like a light switch. Most of the action was very early though. Mostly October.

 

Good luck!

Great insights...much appreciated

[Rusty]

What Matty said!  

[Silver Belly62]

Good luck 

[boonincrunkett]

Rubs kind of only tell ya where a buck has been in the past. I can tell you I have done some very successful hunting based on rubs. You will be a lot more successful hunting rub lines than clusters. Rub clusters unless they are in a rut staging area and the rut is on are kind of useless. A rub line gives away a bucks primary travel route and is worth setting up on. In some instances rub clusters can be good too. An example of when it is worth it to hunt a rub cluster is when you know the cluster is near his bed.