Old Rubs = Buck Beds

[Singing Bridge]

I think it may be time to clarify something- we have a lot of posts as of late that state "there are no rubs in the bed or near it." Often times this is actually the case, but...

I had it pointed out to me that a lot of guys think the rubs have to be from this last fall, highly visible and noticeable... or they believe that there are no rubs worth noting near the bed... or that the bed is dead... or only doe's bed there now. Nothing could be further from the truth.

If I am scouting toward a spot that I anticipate will hold buck bedding, and on arrival I find a big bed- probably with some hair in it and maybe even some big droppings nearby... and I note an old rub or two in or near the bed that had to have been made a couple of years ago or maybe three... am I thinking that this is a buck bed that is active and worth hunting? Is the Pope Catholic?

I know that I have to remember that there are new Beasts arriving on site all the time and that what I take for granted may be new material and unknown to others.

Here is an example from my scout earlier today... it was a good day as I spent time in 5 different buck beds. Two beds had an average size rub either in them or close by. One bed had no rubs of any kind anywhere near the bed, none from last fall and none that were "old" from two or more years ago. And 2 of the beds had some very large, but at least a couple of years old rubs, in them or near them. These last two beds were big, with big tracks, big droppings and fresh deer hair in them. This is what I found within ten feet of one them:









Here is the bed itself, under a white cedar. It has been used a lot...



I'd like to get other Beast views on old rubs and bedding- whether they believe they are meaningless or potentially have merit-

[purebowhunting]

Was faced with this situation tonight on a property I scouted. Found the below lone bed under some cedars on the edge of a transition between cedar and red brush. Outside the bed, very few rubs from last year but many two and three year old rubs along some adjacent overgrown apple trees. Unfortunately the deer didn't winter here and look to have just moved back into the area so scat and tracks were few and far between. I'll probably shine the area this summer and if something decent is in the area I'll setup for sure at least once.

[dan]

Bridge... Great post. I see the same thing.

[PK_]

I actually prefer to find old rubs as you mentioned, as long as there is more evidence of recent activity. This lets me know the area has been used for several years (at least) and is still active. Meaning the same buck is using it from year to year and/or it is being taken over if that deer is no longer around. If all I find is fresh sign, unless it is like a TON of fresh sign and the spot has all the right ingredients I am left wondering if it is indeed 'primary' or even worth hunting.

But old rubs without any other sign do not get my attention. I hunt very low deer density areas and all the bedding is not used consistently. Only the very best bedding is consistent.

[Edcyclopedia]

I have found a few beds with old rubs in it from years past and figured the buck is gone then last year it hit me maybe he has matured and doesn't rub like he used to...
It's always worthy of a sit though especially if it's a new area and the mystic that situation makes you feel!!!

This was the situation this year and I scored a decent buck and had another twice the size in front of me a few days later while I was trying to fill my Doe tag.
If I had my bow he would have been a chip shot @ 15-yards!!!

Moral of the story; spend many hours analyzing deer data and at some point it will come together (called experience / better odds / more luck)...

[Stanley]

Just a short thought. Bucks bed/eat/drink/sleep year around. They rub for a couple of months out of the year. Bucks will rub where they are and in between where they are and where they go. The majority of most rubs are random and made in the dark. A rub with out a bed is not any where near as valuable as a bed with rubs.

[JJWI]

I checked a known mature buck bedding area today. There are trees rubbed are waist high, and on huge trees. BUT the closest these rubs are to the bed is 250 yards.

[john1984]

I like reading posts like this. It can give an average hunter some confidence when he sees these signs in the swamp from now on. I have seen places like these, haven't experimented enough, not even close .

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Swampbuck]

Are there any patterns to rubbing that has been noticed as it relates to bedding? Obvioulsy each buck is different but any generalities that are seen somewhat regularly, like

-marking the edge of thier staging area
-by finding large rubs does it tell you the buck is probably bedding within 250 yds of there. Or some given distance
-does the buck tend rub a particular side of a tree when leaving/entering his bedding area

Basically do any of you notice patterns that you can you use from those rubs to get an idea of his bedding

[headgear]

The only thing I like finding more than big rubs is rubs of many ages. They tell can tell you a story, nothing better than finding a new rub, an old rub, and a few very old rubs, you know you just found a great bedding area. Past scouting has also allowed me to watch a buck age even if I never lay any eyes on him. First year I found a bedding/staging area I found a ton of rubs, the next year not as many rubs but they were more impressive. The 3rd year very few rubs but they were much higher on the tree than previous years. Either another hunter or the winter got that buck because the area was filled with smaller rubs last season.

[Singing Bridge]

Are there any patterns to rubbing that has been noticed as it relates to bedding? Obvioulsy each buck is different but any generalities that are seen somewhat regularly, like

-marking the edge of thier staging area
-by finding large rubs does it tell you the buck is probably bedding within 250 yds of there. Or some given distance
-does the buck tend rub a particular side of a tree when leaving/entering his bedding area

Basically do any of you notice patterns that you can you use from those rubs to get an idea of his bedding

Patterns to rubbing and bedding are very hard to decipher with older bucks. The two year olds give themselves away quite a bit though. With older bucks, it is not uncommon for me to find no rubs in their beds but "one or two" within the first several hundred yards of travel away from the bed, especially if the run hits a transition in cover. When I find one of these rubs I am able to relate it and the travel pattern of the buck directly back to the bedding area, but most hunters do not realize what they are looking at. Also, just finding a big rub does not mean you are near buck bedding... but when I am near it, I can piece it together from the big rub itself. Hope that makes sense...

[dan]

There is nothing better than a rub tree right in the bed... Near by rubs its hard to be positive. But like bridge said, young bucks sometimes mark the heck out of the area making it move obvious.

[hunter_mike]

Are there any patterns to rubbing that has been noticed as it relates to bedding? Obvioulsy each buck is different but any generalities that are seen somewhat regularly, like

-marking the edge of thier staging area
-by finding large rubs does it tell you the buck is probably bedding within 250 yds of there. Or some given distance
-does the buck tend rub a particular side of a tree when leaving/entering his bedding area

Basically do any of you notice patterns that you can you use from those rubs to get an idea of his bedding

Not with big buck bedding, but I have noticed, and confirmed with another beast member that little bucks will give away the best rut-time doe bedding areas by marking up every little tree where the does are hanging out I am assuming at the time of year when they are hot to trot. And i'm finding old rubs there too so its happening there every year. I am going to key in on a couple of those spots during rut next fall since I have not found the mature buck bedding and I believe it is on nearby private property.

[Singing Bridge]

With some fellow Beasts struggling with buck bedding, I wanted to reiterate a point that I have made a time or two. I always recommend, when scouting, that we not get hung up on "singular" sign. By that I mean concentrating so heavily on whether or not there are old or new rubs in or near a buck bed that we overlook other obvious clues. I try to include the other sign that was present when I post about buck beds... tracks, droppings, scrapes, deer hair, etc.

If old or new buck rubs are not readily apparent, look closely at other sign. Big buck beds are noticeably larger than an average sized bed most of the time- they are clearly much larger than the average bed. I often find droppings nearby with an average pellet length of 3/4" or longer in or near big buck bedding. Pellets this long routinely lead me to buck bedding all by themselves. Sift through what you believe to be a bed to look for deer hair, something I always do. If you are uncertain whether or not you are looking at a bed, scrape the debris on top of it to the side and sift through it- also look at the bare ground... this will often reveal deer hair. Even in the middle of the winter, with a foot or more of snow on the ground and no obvious bedding near a tree that looks like it should be a buck bed, I have scraped away the snow and the debris on top of the bed and found deer hair.

In my view, the most important sign itself outside of a visual of the buck, is an exceptionally large track... and I never hear anyone comment on looking for a big track in a bed. Sometimes the track is plain to see in the bed, and I have posted a video of me finding a big track right in an obvious buck bed. If you cannot readily see an oversized track, carefully scrape away the debris on top of the bed and you will often find a big track underneath. It goes without saying that the runs near the bed should be examined for big tracks / droppings / hair.

Never get caught up in searching for "singular" buck sign only... it is important to see the forest from the trees.

Bridge

[KLEMZ]

Big buck beds are noticeably larger than an average sized bed most of the time

I agree. Also, I have noticed that big buck beds do not have brush encroaching on the beds. The bed imprints are big, yes, and they are also roomy around the laying area. The beds are almost always located in a general area of thick cover, but the actual beds don't have brush hanging tight over the bed. I believe it is because their antlers in velvet are prone to injury from the brush. Also, the majority of the time, in the terrain I am hunting, there are multiple laying areas in the big buck bedding zone. This means there is not one well worn (down to dirt) bed, rather 3 or 4 moderately used beds, (within a 10-15 yard diameter area, each bed with its own unique piece of back drop cover, each facing a different direction). This took me a while to figure out. And can make it trickier to find the beds. Although there are sometimes unique terrain situations that have only one bed.

I also agree that a big track associated with the bed is hugely important to find. I trust that more than rubs in the bed to help determine what caliber buck(s) is using the area.