Aging deer by rubs...

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dan
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Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby dan » Mon Jan 02, 2012 2:03 am

I think most of us have determined that aging deer on the hoof is very difficult thru sitings or photo's. But I still think there could be other ways to determine approximate age by tracks, rubs, and other sign...
Out scouting yesterday, I was taking a lot of pictures for seminars, and articles and got some great examples of differing rub heights... Take a look at the picture recently posted be Autumn Ninja in the aging thread, and compare it to the picture I took yesterday of two rubs on two trees side by side...

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Looking at those pictures it becomes immediately obvious that an older buck will rub a tree higher.
I used to set trail cams up on rubs and had some pictures to back age vs height, but don't have those any more after a computer crash. Does anybody have buck rubbing trail cam photo's we can look at?

I can remember what made me start thinking about rub height as an age indicator. It was many years ago, I was probably about 17 or 18 and went hunting and saw a large diameter tree ripped up near my selected spot and thought a big buck must have done that... The tree was about 7 or 8 inch diameter...
Later that evening when a 1 y/o buck came out and started ripping up the tree I thought, What the heck?
Kind of went against the whole diameter theory we all read about all the time... I really started looking at rubs a lot closer after that point and found its pretty easy to determine 1 y/o, and 2 y/o rubs, and I think it could fairly accurately be done with 3 y/o's... When I look through the woods there are 4 distinct differences in rub heights. (MEASURED AT APPROXIMATELY THE CENTER)

Below my knee is likely a 1 1/2 y/o buck.
Between my knee and waist likely 2 1/2
Waist high 3 1/2
belly or higher 4 or older...

Like I said, I am sure there is some room for error, but I do think its more accurate than looking at a picture...


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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby Zap » Mon Jan 02, 2012 2:08 am

How do you determine height.

Top of rub/middle of rub?
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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby Zap » Mon Jan 02, 2012 2:11 am

Image

Took pic yesterday.

Top of bow is 36".
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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby dan » Mon Jan 02, 2012 2:20 am

Here is a rub that I found interesting while scouting/hunting yesterday... This is a rubline that goes thru some open timber rum a bedding area that I have seen three different bucks use. There were different height rubs along this rubline. I found a few trees where both bucks rubbed, but usually it was on the same side of the tree. This one had a rub on each side at a different height...

Image

Image

Waist high one side...
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Between knee and waste other side... ( looks lower, but thats an illusion cause I am standing farther from the tree and the camera is higher up)
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Whats interesting is all the rubs along the line were at either one, or the other height...
Image
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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby dan » Mon Jan 02, 2012 2:22 am

Zap wrote:How do you determine height.

Top of rub/middle of rub?


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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby adrenalin » Mon Jan 02, 2012 2:48 am

Found these 2 yesterday. So do you think 2 different bucks made them being different heights?

Image

These 2 are from the same buck I assume, within 5 feet of his bed 2 year old probably.

Image
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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby Spysar » Mon Jan 02, 2012 2:51 am

Keep in mind that in Autumn Ninjas pic, that the smaller buck is on lower ground, making him look even smaller.

And, lot's of the rubs I have observed, are rubbed by way more than one buck. They are like scent posts.
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.
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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby Spysar » Mon Jan 02, 2012 2:55 am

[bbvideo=425,350]http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b48/Spysar/?action=view&current=lethimgrow.mp4[/bbvideo]
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.
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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby Schultzy » Mon Jan 02, 2012 3:07 am

This buck Is from a honey hole my brother hunts. Originally we both thought this buck was a 3.5 year old at the time but I'm pretty sure we were wrong and that It was a big 2.5 Instead. Were fairly confident he shot this same buck In 2010 as a 3.5 then. There's a video from the Cuddeback that took this picture as he's rubbing this tree but It's not very good. The video Is below the picture.
Image

[bbvideo=425,350]http://s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff319/scsmilkman/Jasons%202010%20Lee%20buck/?action=view&current=leeeastrubs09033.mp4[/bbvideo]

The picture below Is the buck he shot In 2010. He looks Identical on hoof In trail cam pics compared to 2009 but Instead allot more Inches.
Image
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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby dan » Mon Jan 02, 2012 3:12 am

Spysar wrote:Keep in mind that in Autumn Ninjas pic, that the smaller buck is on lower ground, making him look even smaller.

And, lot's of the rubs I have observed, are rubbed by way more than one buck. They are like scent posts.


Looks like equal ground to me?

But I do agree with your second statement.
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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby dan » Mon Jan 02, 2012 3:16 am

adrenalin wrote:Found these 2 yesterday. So do you think 2 different bucks made them being different heights?

Image

These 2 are from the same buck I assume, within 5 feet of his bed 2 year old probably.

Image


I think it was two different bucks... I have noticed that some buck beds always produce 1 or two year old bucks, or should I say "rarely" produce mature bucks... Especially where there are high populations. I think it might have to do with amount of bedding and pecking order.
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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby Spysar » Mon Jan 02, 2012 3:17 am

dan wrote:
Spysar wrote:Keep in mind that in Autumn Ninjas pic, that the smaller buck is on lower ground, making him look even smaller.

And, lot's of the rubs I have observed, are rubbed by way more than one buck. They are like scent posts.


Looks like equal ground to me?

But I do agree with your second statement.


No, they're on a slope. You can see the big bucks rear hoves, slowly going down hill and you see the legs on the smaller deer. Definatly a downhill slope.
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.
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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby dan » Mon Jan 02, 2012 3:18 am

Cool video Shcultzy... It would be cool to capture that and then have someone stand next to the rub.
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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby dan » Mon Jan 02, 2012 3:20 am

These pictures are from rubs next to the bed of the mature buck I shot in October... I guess him to be 5 years old, based on his size last year.

Image
Image
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Re: Aging deer by rubs...

Unread postby Spysar » Mon Jan 02, 2012 3:21 am

adrenalin wrote:Found these 2 yesterday. So do you think 2 different bucks made them being different heights?

Image

These 2 are from the same buck I assume, within 5 feet of his bed 2 year old probably.

Image


I would think it's the same buck. He was probably standing down low with his head down, and made his way up the cluster and held his head a little higher. But who knows, it's a guess at best.
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.


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