Rub Question
 

I recently gained access to 40 acres of heavy woods and swamp to hunt this fall, mainly for bow hunting. I also received a new GPS for Christmas to play around with. Last night I went out to the land with my GPS and started by walking the perimeter and recorded it to the GPS. Then I moved in about 30 yards from the perimeter and started walking back, looking for trails, rubs, potential stand locations etc and marking that information into my GPS. I plan on gridding out the rest of the land over the next few weeks.


My question is when bucks create rubs one seasons, do they return the following season to make rubs in the same area? Also, are they likely to revisit this area prior to the rut again this fall?

Thanks for the help

If you find a community rub/scrape. The bucks in the area will visit it each year. Do not put alot of stock in rubs. I see them as indicators that there are bucks in the area. I normally hunt the nearest food sources or bedding areas to the rubs.

I agree , and look for those areas along rub lines , with a swamp in the area shouldnt be to hard , hunt the edges of them thickets

GOOD advise!! Doc

Over the course of the next few weeks, I hope to completely grid out this new land. As I go, I'm using my GPS to mark trails, rubs, any visible scrapes and so on. Once I get it gridded out, I will plot everything out on aerial photos in order to get the total picture of what is going on. After that, I will set up trail cameras and go from there. Thanks for the feedback on the rubs. I agree with the bedding and food comment, I’m just trying to learn as much as possible about the land. There is a 40 acre open farm field that borders the woods/swamp on the East. However the confusing thing is all the trails that I have been seeing are going North to South. And nothing has been planted in the field yet this season. It was corn last year and has yet to be plowed in.

it's always good to do your homework and know your territory ..deer need water ,food and shelter it's your job to find all three for a succesfull hunt ..also don't forget to practice with your bow [practice makes perfect]

I agree. Doing homework now is a great idea. The way I see it is that "old" rubs are not much more than an indication that bucks "were" there. But it is also a good sign of a place to start looking as the fall season nears and progresses. In some 40 +/- of hunting deer in the deep south I can recall only a hand full of times i have seen deer rubbing, and only 3 times that I have taken deer off of a "rub line". But I don't usually set up on them. Instead I use these as a tool to try to find the main trails. So like others have said, look for the trails ... if at all possible between food and bedding. Heavily used creek crossings are usually very good spots to watch. Hunt the edges. Good luck.

Bucks will rub the same trees year after year. I have gotten a lot of good pics by hanging a camera up over big rubs from the year before

I'll have to disagree with that.

It all depends on where the rubs are located. If it's down a busy trail most passing deer would use or along a fence row or field, then it's something that's not on the top of my list to hunt. These places are where rubs are usually made under the cover of darkness.

If you can find a cluster of rubs deeper in the woods off a feed source or thicker area, like a buck's bedding or core area, then your luck will be multi-factored because now you're in staging or bedding areas... places where bucks feel safer. These are the places where actually killing the buck that made the rubs is more of a reasonable probability.

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