Old rub lines

[fishlips]

Just wondering how people read old rub lines. I was scouting a point that jets out into some cattails. There are a lot of old rubs leading out the point, but they are all from last season. How would you interpret this? Is this an area that a buck would use seasonally? It seems like a great spot and the deer won't be bothered by hunters until mid November due to the rules on the property. It has the look of being a great spot, but like I mentioned, I did not find any fresh sign, just a lot of old sign. Thoughts?

[magicman54494]

Hunt it!!!!!!

[ Post made via Android ]

[Stanley]

Set up on it and hunt it. If you don't see anything move closer to heavy cover and set up again. My guess, you'll knock one down.

[dan]

Its either a yearly travel wrought or a staging area next to an annual bedding area that has not yet been rubbed, or its a bi-annual bedding area that is not in use now. Or its a bedding area that just don't have a deer this year. Or maybe a bedding area that right now is holding an older buck that knows better than to mark up his staging area.
I have several points by me that only get rubbed when a certain food source is in the area, which in some cases is at a certain time each year, or every other year. In those cases I spot check and when the rubs open up I hunt. But sometimes it don't hurt to give it a sit with no fresh rubs... I have also learned long ago that if those rubs are actually along a bucks rut cruising trail, many bucks will use that trail every year during rut regardless of whether or not rubs are fresh.

[Singing Bridge]

dude, not sure how you rate, but getting a response right off the top from Dan / Stan and the Magicman...

I tip my hat!

I see your situation with the old rubs a lot, and hunters really have a tendency to get hung up on singular sign. In other words, if the fresh rub(s) are there wonderful, but in your situation what if they are not? Getting hung up on singular sign is when guys are traipsing around the woods, buck travel corridors, hiking trails and hunting access routes looking for rubs and/or scrapes. But they totally forget to pay attention to the oversized track that they walked right by while they were looking at a rub or scrape from last season. I couldn't care less about fresh rubs if I'm standing on a buck travel route and I'm kneeling down looking at an oversized track utilizing the travel corridor. I can assure you that the track would not escape Dan / Stan and the Magicman either (I really like saying that! lol).

When I find old rubs like you did, I do not push the bedding area further... but rather I move the opposite direction looking for big tracks. Along the run, along a nearby transition line or funnel, on an access trail if one exists nearby- or a dirt road, or a creek crossing or a fence crossing... and I can determine without too much difficulty if a buck I'm interested in is using the travel route that goes past those old rubs. Here's a link to Dan's most excellent buck track article:

viewtopic.php?f=159&t=1327

I'll even go one step further and when searching for tracks in the above listed areas, I'll examine the deer droppings in those same spots. If I find an average pellet length of 3/4" or longer that is all the sign I'll need to push the bedding area and hunt it. A lot of guys don't pay much attention to it, but I nearly always find a target buck nearby when I find droppings that large (3 yr. old or older).

The most recent real-life example I can give you was last Wednesday... I bumped a Michigan 4 yr old out of his bed by accident that I was hunting nearby in several prescouted bedding areas. The bed was heavily used with big fresh tracks and a lot of deer hair in it. His bedding advantage from that spot was clearly obvious (a 4 yr old on Michigan public is like a Grandaddy buck). There were two rubs from last year right in the bed (when I believe he was a 3 yr. old). But nowhere to be found was a single fresh rub from this season. His primary entrances and exits from the bed did not have a single rub or scrape anywhere that I could find.

But they all contained oversized tracks and droppings... hope that helps a little.

[BGHUNTER]

You guys are awesome.

[fishlips]

Thanks guys. Sounds like I am overthinking the set-up and that I should get in there and hunt it and see what happens.

For sets ups like this, do you normally set up on the point? The point is maybe 10 yards wide at it's widest point and is a mix of white cedars and poplars. It drops off into cattails and redbrush. I did not have time (or shoes) to jump in and find the bed, but I have a feeling there is one out there. So first sit, would you guys get out on the point and set up, or would you likely set up where the point first starts to go out into the cattails?

[Singing Bridge]

For sets ups like this, do you normally set up on the point? The point is maybe 10 yards wide at it's widest point and is a mix of white cedars and poplars. It drops off into cattails and redbrush. I did not have time (or shoes) to jump in and find the bed, but I have a feeling there is one out there. So first sit, would you guys get out on the point and set up, or would you likely set up where the point first starts to go out into the cattails?

With no topo's / aerials and a better description of the spot, giving reasonable advice is difficult at best. Make your call based on your knowledge of the area, topos and aerials, weather and wind direction, etc. on where the buck is bedded and make your play. Are there other beds that feed the point? Is the point very short with nothing but cattails behind it? Make your play and set up based on these factors and other obvious considerations.

[fishlips]

Sorry, forgot that I had this marked up already.



The red line shows the rub line that goes out the point. The blue line shows the faint trail that I was able to follow at the transition line. I did not have as much time as I had hoped for to scout this out. Basically to the east is more white cedar forest. To the west is more marshy area with low brush and redbrush mixed in. I can approach from the east, but am unsure of how far to push it to get in there.

Thanks a bunch for the advice you have already given.

[dan]

If you walked that point recently I would give it a rest for a while... As far as "where to hunt" I would not doubt it if there is some bedding going on right on the tip of that point, I would probably hunt it right where it meets the main woods until I had a chance to really scout it good after the season is over.

[Stanley]

I have never been one much for hunting a dead end point. If the buck is bedding on that point I seriously doubt if he will head into the open (East) in the daylight. This makes me think to the west where there is more cover is where he would head during daylight. I agree with Dan hunting more towards the main woods is a better option than trying to get to the point and be on the opposite side of his travel route.

[MOBIGBUCKS]

Hunt it!! You'll pick up some good knowledge anyway. Good luck!