RE: yearly rubs
According to deer researcher T.R. Michels, bucks may move from summer home ranges to fall/breeding home ranges during the fall; in the upper Midwest thismay occur frommid-September to mid-October. So the deer may have moved, or the buck or bucks that used that rub routehas died, and no other buck has moved into that area yet.
He says he always scouts any area thoroughly during the week before he plans to hunt, so he is failry surethe deer will be there the next week. If he doesn't find good sign - he moves to another area.