Can you really tell how big a buck is by a rub? Will smaller bucks make large rubs?

The key is smaller trees around the main rub. If you see the main rub is say facing north and on the left and/or right of the main rub you have scrapes into the smaller trees on the left or right from the outside tines you can get a great idea how big the spread can be.

I've heard so many different opinions on this, that I don't know, but always believed that a big buck can make any size rub, but only a big buck can make a big rub. Curious as to what some of the other guys have to say about this as well.

I second that with no evidence to back it up of course. But I can't picture a 1 1/2 year old rubbing a telephone pole sized tree.

I'm one of the ones who will say. NO.

You can't tell a deer's rack size by his rubs.

Yeah I understand that a really small buck wouldn't usually make a really big rub, but I mean rubs about the size of a two liter soda bottle and a little smaller. Would a smaller buck be making those rubs? And when I say smaller I mean like around 120".

I gotta disagree with people who say the size of tree don't matter. I never did see this particular buck that was making rubs in our woods but he first started out hitting 3" tree's and from there on the next year he moved over to a tree that was 4" and then the next year he rubbed a tree 10' from the other rubs that was a good 6"! He raked this tree very well, little guy's don't and can't do this! He rubbed about an inch or so in the tree, that takes strength and nice antlers to do so!

I rarely see a rub where I hunt on anything more than an inch in diameter with one exception. I once saw a cedar that was about 8 inches in diameter that was worked on pretty hard. The deer on my property seem to like cedars that are about 1/2 inch to an inch in diameter and they make them shine. I think they like the smell of the cedar.

big rub on big tree usually = big deer

We filmed a spike rub a 5" tree for 5 minutes the other night...