no big rubs

[mike_mc]

I've spent 20+ hours scouting a large tamarack marsh and have found very few rubs and no big rubs. I thought deer liked to rub tamaracks? I did find 2 sheds from smaller 2.5 year old bucks about 50 yards apart,(one old, one fresh). Tracks don't seem to be easy to find and when you do they're not very well defined. The hunting pressure doesn't seem to bad in the tamaracks. I will shine the nearby crop fields during the summer and maybe use a game cam, which should give me an idea what's out there, but would like your thoughts how much of an indicator rubs are to big bucks.

[PLB]

I wouldn't get to hung up on rubs imo... I would try to find the exact bed a mature buck is using and you may find a rub or two there or in his staging area. Look for big tracks also. Where I hunt down in SW WI, there aren't sh%$ for rubs. The majority of the rubs are made by immature bucks. A mature buck may make a few in his core area to mark his territory. Big bucks are very secretive and they know the game Also don't get so caught up on RUT! Find his travel patterns, feeding and bedding areas and Whack him early in the season when you can somewhat keep tabs on him

[mike_mc]

My thinking was since this place is so big and difficult to figure out I would focus on rut funnels for this year. I have other spots where I have setups over beds, smaller patches of cover.