how often do bucks check there scrapes/rubs?
10-18-2006, 09:12 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: YewNork
Posts: 1,794
how often do bucks check there scrapes/rubs?
ive found about 15 rubs all in a row going about a mile long, along with fresh scrapes, i put my stand in between these rubs the last 2 days, but dident see him, how often do most bucks usally check there rubs/scrapes?
10-18-2006, 09:22 PM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 39,060
RE: how often do bucks check there scrapes/rubs?
I've been hunting for over 20 years. I've watched many deer do rubs, a few do scrapes but none ever one check them. I look at them as good area of deer sign. That's my 2 cents worth. I've never shot anything bigger then a 130 class, I have no heads on the wall and one full piebald mount. I have seen well over 2 dozen monsters in the field just none have offered a shot I could take.
10-18-2006, 09:46 PM
#4
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 39,060
RE: how often do bucks check there scrapes/rubs?
I tell you, I hunt in over populated areas for a reason, I'm lazy and get bored. I've hunted areas that have 100+ rubs. I couldn't tell you if the buck rubbing in front of me made one of the previous rubs or is acting like a dog and being the last to do it.
When I hunt locally, I do hunt the rub lines only because the sign is there and I do know there are some bucks. Every year I hold my breath and hope to see a monster. So far I've only seen a 130 class last year while. This year though my neighbor says there are 2 -12s, 2 - 10s and 2 - 8s hanging around.I've seen at least the 10s late coming from his yard into mine. I saw an 8 and a 10 at my pond just the other night. I don't plan on hunting them too hard because his son (my honorary son) is bow hunting now and I want him to have a shot.
When I hunt locally, I do hunt the rub lines only because the sign is there and I do know there are some bucks. Every year I hold my breath and hope to see a monster. So far I've only seen a 130 class last year while. This year though my neighbor says there are 2 -12s, 2 - 10s and 2 - 8s hanging around.I've seen at least the 10s late coming from his yard into mine. I saw an 8 and a 10 at my pond just the other night. I don't plan on hunting them too hard because his son (my honorary son) is bow hunting now and I want him to have a shot.
10-19-2006, 01:08 AM
#6
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Southeast Missouri
Posts: 968
RE: how often do bucks check there scrapes/rubs?
Here's my understanding about rubs.
Bucks make them to mark territory, as sign to other bucks that might happen close to the area. The rubs you describe make me think you've found either the edge of a certain buck's area or one of his preferred travel routes. If they are all in a line, there's a good chance only one side of the majority of the rubs are marked. If this is the case, then you can deduce that he's moving from the direction the rubs face to the direction the rubline travels. Follow the rubline back to it's start. If there is a bedding area near the beggining of the rubline, you need to set up as close as possible in the evening. I'd guess the rubline marks his initial route when he leaves his bed in the evening. If the beggining of the rubline is near an open area, like a foodplot or a feild, I'd guess it's his prefferred route back to his bedding area. This guess would be even more firm inmy mind of the rubline ends near a bedding area. If this is the case, get as close to the end of the line in the early morning. Ifyou're lucky he'll either get the urge to ease out of his bed early one evening, or hang around a bit too long in the fields or foodplots early one morning and you'll catch him during legal shooting hours.
There's one wild card in this scenario. If the area is a prefferred area for doe family groups, it could be a place he frequents whenver he happens to be close. In this case, it's harder to guess when he'll be coming through. On the flip side, if this is the case, there's a good chance that more than one buck is frequenting the area. Keep at it. You never know when one will pop up. As we get closer the the rut, I like this second scenario because more and more bucks will start showing up. I'm amazed every year when a buck, I had no idea was in the area, shows up. As the rut gets closer,I like the first scenario less and less because once they start finding receptive does, all bets are off. The one redeeming thing about the rut is even though the buck that made those rubs might be 5 miles from there holed up with a hot doe, his competition is still likely to wander through.
Good luck. By the way, take my advice for what it's worth. I'm not a very successful buck hunter. Nowadays,I tend to let smaller bucks walk and shoot does instead of little bucks. I'm sure there are some here that could give you better advice than mine.
GH
Bucks make them to mark territory, as sign to other bucks that might happen close to the area. The rubs you describe make me think you've found either the edge of a certain buck's area or one of his preferred travel routes. If they are all in a line, there's a good chance only one side of the majority of the rubs are marked. If this is the case, then you can deduce that he's moving from the direction the rubs face to the direction the rubline travels. Follow the rubline back to it's start. If there is a bedding area near the beggining of the rubline, you need to set up as close as possible in the evening. I'd guess the rubline marks his initial route when he leaves his bed in the evening. If the beggining of the rubline is near an open area, like a foodplot or a feild, I'd guess it's his prefferred route back to his bedding area. This guess would be even more firm inmy mind of the rubline ends near a bedding area. If this is the case, get as close to the end of the line in the early morning. Ifyou're lucky he'll either get the urge to ease out of his bed early one evening, or hang around a bit too long in the fields or foodplots early one morning and you'll catch him during legal shooting hours.
There's one wild card in this scenario. If the area is a prefferred area for doe family groups, it could be a place he frequents whenver he happens to be close. In this case, it's harder to guess when he'll be coming through. On the flip side, if this is the case, there's a good chance that more than one buck is frequenting the area. Keep at it. You never know when one will pop up. As we get closer the the rut, I like this second scenario because more and more bucks will start showing up. I'm amazed every year when a buck, I had no idea was in the area, shows up. As the rut gets closer,I like the first scenario less and less because once they start finding receptive does, all bets are off. The one redeeming thing about the rut is even though the buck that made those rubs might be 5 miles from there holed up with a hot doe, his competition is still likely to wander through.
Good luck. By the way, take my advice for what it's worth. I'm not a very successful buck hunter. Nowadays,I tend to let smaller bucks walk and shoot does instead of little bucks. I'm sure there are some here that could give you better advice than mine.
GH
10-19-2006, 05:56 AM
#7
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Hoosier Country, Baby!
Posts: 1,710
RE: how often do bucks check there scrapes/rubs?
I am fairly new to hunting myself, only my 4th year, but I have noticed that we have an unusually high number of rubs on the land we hunt, of course we see an unusually high number of bucks compared to does as well... I know of 6 different bucks we have out there right now. Unfortunately, I haven't seen the big one, but I am assuming he is still there due to some of the rubs I have seen (we saw him a couple of times last year). I don't see any specific pattern for the rubs, other than they are all over the dang blasted place. Most of them look to be close to one of the bedding areas I am sure about.
As for scrapes, they are freshened up every night on our land. I don't know if it's the same buck, or a different one, although I know they "compete" with scrapes. All I know is we have had 4 deer in shooting range this year between my husband (who shot his 5 pt.), myself, who missed a shot opportunity (turned around too late to investigate the noise), and our buddy who hunts our land with us, who got busted at 15 yards by a nice 6 yesterday morning.... he got busted by a doe shortly after. So, out of the 4 we had in range, 3 were bucks.
One was headed out to the cornfield, but wasn't anywhere close to where the rublines or scrapes are, one was headed straight for the scrapes, and the other was slowly making his way FROM the bedding area towards the scrapes. (keeping a watchful eye on the doe as well)
As for scrapes, they are freshened up every night on our land. I don't know if it's the same buck, or a different one, although I know they "compete" with scrapes. All I know is we have had 4 deer in shooting range this year between my husband (who shot his 5 pt.), myself, who missed a shot opportunity (turned around too late to investigate the noise), and our buddy who hunts our land with us, who got busted at 15 yards by a nice 6 yesterday morning.... he got busted by a doe shortly after. So, out of the 4 we had in range, 3 were bucks.
One was headed out to the cornfield, but wasn't anywhere close to where the rublines or scrapes are, one was headed straight for the scrapes, and the other was slowly making his way FROM the bedding area towards the scrapes. (keeping a watchful eye on the doe as well)
