hoytusa10

I really want to give them a try this year but I have no idea about going about this...I know scouting them and wind direction but do you set up within bow distance of the rubs...this may sound kind of amatuer but I don't want to screw it up...I know of some big rublines but I just don't know how to go about this...thanks....all your help is appreciated!

trophyhuntr

you rifle or bow hunting?

buckeye

I think he already answered your question.

Should have asked him about hunting fence lines.

hoytusa10

o its definitely bowhunting

skeeter 7MM

Hoyt, when I hunt rublines I have always had the best success first off determining where his bedroom and soup kitchen is (basically his routine from bed to food - basic scouting stuff). Then I will try and locate either a landmass or funnel that he uses that leads to his rublines, as setting up on a rubline itself can cause a whole bag of brown stuff(especially with a bow) being he can come at from different directions. Basically a travel route that takes him to his trashing room is what needs to be found and most bucks take the road less travelled(running parrellel to the heavy game trail) but use funnels, draws, ridges to feel safe as long as possible often intersecting with the heavy trail. Once you locate a spot that funnels him towards the rubline you can then assess wind direction, approach, etc. Hunting a rubline like anything requires everything to go your way, wind, the deer travelling that route, coming from the same bedding area and so on. I usually try to setup on the bedside, as this will give you the highest % odds of seeing him during daylight hours.

Basically lots of scouting and then pick the best spot that will offer concealment, wind favour and shooting lanes.

Best of Luck!

hoytusa10

wow...thanks skeeter! that probably has helped me out more than all these books i've been reading about rublines...including greg miller's book...(maybe i'm just a bit slow) but ne wayz i appreciate it!!

hoytusa10

so wait...lemme get this straight...rublines aren't actually strict trails that they use....well i mean it is a trail...but they meander through the area...so rublines are just to show you that the buck is moving through this area give or take so many yards from the rubline/ rubs??

Rack-attack

mature bucks rarely stick to "strict" trails outside of their bedrooms.

Most rublines are used at night. As Skeeter stated the closer to the bed the better chance to catch him during the day.

Sometimes they are made in one night and never returned to.

A rubline alone is not a great start to a game plan. Other factors must also point to that area. terrain, food, beds, cover, doe populations should all be close by.

JagMagMan

I don't hunt rub lines. To me all that rub lines tell you is that there is a buck that has used this area, andhis usual direction of travel. Find his scrape line and you have really found something to hunt!

skeeter 7MM

Hoyt, like rack said mature deer rarely are routined by a trail or path they prefer to just roam. However when it comes to the bedding areas they become a little more predictable and thus why if you can get their that is where you want to be. I have been rarely successful harvesting a good buck directly over any scrap or rubline, but on the funnel area to these areas I have done quite well. View it as a good starting point for finding a better spot to set-up, much like a puzzle putting all the pieces in a pile it is hard to see the picture but start fitting them together at it becomes very clear. In pre-rut I have rattled out more bucks situated close to his bedroom and fall line to his activity areas than any other technique...but it was only because I knew where he lived, ate, traveled, rubbed and scraped.

Jag we'll have to agree to disagree as a scrape doesn't even bring my blood pressure up but a rubline in transition areas makes it jump to feverless pace. Though I think it depends on your area, as I see loads of scrapes that could only be done under darkness and while same can be said for some of the rubs it can and does point you in the direction he travels...where as a scrape is little less to the point.