is it a good idea to set a stand up by rubs that were made last fall? this last fall i had bad luck and didnt pick any really good spots for my stands.

DH, I only use what learned last year as a starting point for scouting this year. The deer that made last years rubs may be be with us anymore.
If i' m hunting the woods I only hunt the hot spots and never the same stand over and over again. Set up numerous stands and keep the pressure down as long as you can. If the deer feel the pressure they will change their habits to stay safe.

good luck and scout as much as you can

I never set up a stand just because there are one or more rubs there. Rubs are only a small part to the equation, and mostly made at night. The odds are firmly against you if you simply rub hunt.

In pressured areas rubs along field edges and open hardwoods will rarely yield a good buck, because they are made at night. You have to take into account the bedding areas, to determine if a rub-line is worth hunting. If it is very close to, or better yet inside a bedding area then and only then will I consider hunting it. The closer you are to the beds the more likely you will catch a good buck during light.

The answer is no. An old rub indicates nothing more than a buck used be their, the only way to know whats their now is fresh sign, visuals or photos of the deer. I love hunting rublines & have taken a good number of bucks with them in the mix, but their has to be some elements present before I set up on a rubline: 1) fresh sign & right time of year(no point hunting a rubline in early bow when the bucks are grouped up) 2) be in transition areas and under cover 3) not directly in the bedding area 4) funnels, bottlenecks or similar land mass the sends deer my way 5) minimal pressure to the area (basically the deeper, nastier the better).

Like others said use it as a starting point but don' t relay on a rub or scrape to produce. The best place to get on top of bucks consistantly is transition areas. Place yourself between fresh sign such as rubs, scrapes, food or water and their bedroom. You want to make sure not to setup in the bedding area as pressure here and the big bucks will leave and not return. Never hunt these areas on a marginal wind. Change up your location to minimize the pressure you put on the deer.

I suggest you keep a log and have a map to plot findings such as rubs, scrapes, water, food, bed, trails, etc. This will help you visualize where you should place stands and hunt for any given situation and time in the season.

I agree 100% with the last couple of responses. Although I have noticed in one or two spots that I have hunted on and off over the years, that there are several different year class rubs in the same " general" area. I firmly beleive that deer that receive minimal hunting pressure will frequent the same area over the years.

I agree transition areas between bedding and feeding area' s and or water is important, but i wont hunt an area unless I have fresh rub' s or scrape' s within bow range of my tree,( Rub' s and Scrape' s do produce!! the only exception is during the chase phase of the rut) and when I say fresh i mean sign that was left there within the last 4 days. I wont hunt an area unless I have scouted it a couple day' s before i plan to hunt, To me this is the difference between Hoping & Hunting!! And because of the fact that I hunt heavily hunted area' s I am also on the lookout for hunter sign as well. Like mentioned before I dont pay attention to any buck sign that is near or in a field and i also stay out of the bedding area' s. Pike

You' ve got great advice from these other hunters so I will add: SCOUT, SCOUT, SCOUT. I' ve been in the woods already for this year and try to scout my hunting area at least once a week. Knowing where they bed, where they travel, where they eat etc. is the only way to a full belly.