Rubs, whether big or small made early in the season, are the work of a mature deer. Rubs have very little do w/ bucks actually trying to remove their velvet. The rubbing starts because the testosterone levels in the bucks are on the rise, which is also what triggers the velvet antlers to begin to harden in August. If you find rubs in late August of early Sept. chances are good that you are in the playground of a mature buck. Scout that rubline back away from the field, toward the bedding area, and find a good spot to setup(Low key entry and exit paths you take to your stand are key). The big 8 in my signature photos below was killed on Oct 7th I was set up w/in 70 yds of this bucks bed. I shot him w/ about 10 minutes of light left the 1st time I hunted the rubline. I found the initial rubline in early sept that year, and they were mostly little rubs, nothing that would have indicated this monster was there, other than that early rubs mean mature bucks whether the rubs are big or small this time of year. Thats my opinion atleast.