Rub line distance

[street28ss]

So Ive hunted this place a few years but I'm trying to get a better understanding of what these bucks are doing.

Every year there are rubs and sometimes scrapes in the same area on the edge of a clear cut and thick timber and brush. I've been getting night time pics of quite a few decent bucks in the summer in this area. I'm pretty sure I'm getting them between feeding and bedding. It's always right around 4am or so. I'm wondering what people see as far as what kind of distance a rub line might? Do they point you in the direction of bedding usually? If I'm getting these pics at 4am, I'm guessing those bedding areas for the bucks are still a couple hundred yds away. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

[jman22]

Typically if all the rubs face the food source they were made in the morning as the buck heads back to bed. If they are facing suspected bedding, they were made at night when the buck leaves his bed and heads to food.

All those transition rubs and scrapes you are seeing could very well be from the bucks walking perpendicular to all the doe trails as they scent check them.

I'll also note that very seldom does a good rub line actually follow a straight line. It takes some work to decipher them oftentimes.

[Boogieman1]

For me I pay more attention to them in post season scouting than I do for where I place my stand. I also look for them to open up during the season to let me know big daddy is home. But whether they go 200 yards or 2 miles it don't matter to me. The important thing to remember is all things begin at point A! The farther u get away from that the more your odds drop off. Lots of potential lefts and right turns 200 yards away down the tubes

[street28ss]

For me I pay more attention to them in post season scouting than I do for where I place my stand. I also look for them to open up during the season to let me know big daddy is home. But whether they go 200 yards or 2 miles it don't matter to me. The important thing to remember is all things begin at point A! The farther u get away from that the more your odds drop off. Lots of potential lefts and right turns 200 yards away down the tubes

That's kind of my thoughts on the situation which is why I'm trying to understand their travel route. I'm guessing their pattern is going to change pretty significantly in the next 2 months so I'm trying to pin point the bedding.

[Evanszach7]

For me I pay more attention to them in post season scouting than I do for where I place my stand. I also look for them to open up during the season to let me know big daddy is home. But whether they go 200 yards or 2 miles it don't matter to me. The important thing to remember is all things begin at point A! The farther u get away from that the more your odds drop off. Lots of potential lefts and right turns 200 yards away down the tubes

That's kind of my thoughts on the situation which is why I'm trying to understand their travel route. I'm guessing their pattern is going to change pretty significantly in the next 2 months so I'm trying to pin point the bedding.

Boogie is spot on. And, they’re travel route will most likely change but if you’ve got a spot with historical rubs you might be in the game for pre-rut or rut.

If they’re really spread out a topo and ariel for transition lines should get you in the right direction. Also keep in mind the really mature guys might not rub within a couple hundred yards of their beds.

Use that trail cam intel to figure out wind based bedding and a determination of how far the beds probably are away. If you’re getting a lot of different bucks at that spot you’re probably where some core areas overlap or just outside of a prime doe bedding area for that time of year.

[street28ss]

For me I pay more attention to them in post season scouting than I do for where I place my stand. I also look for them to open up during the season to let me know big daddy is home. But whether they go 200 yards or 2 miles it don't matter to me. The important thing to remember is all things begin at point A! The farther u get away from that the more your odds drop off. Lots of potential lefts and right turns 200 yards away down the tubes

That's kind of my thoughts on the situation which is why I'm trying to understand their travel route. I'm guessing their pattern is going to change pretty significantly in the next 2 months so I'm trying to pin point the bedding.

Boogie is spot on. And, they’re travel route will most likely change but if you’ve got a spot with historical rubs you might be in the game for pre-rut or rut.

If they’re really spread out a topo and ariel for transition lines should get you in the right direction. Also keep in mind the really mature guys might not rub within a couple hundred yards of their beds.

Use that trail cam intel to figure out wind based bedding and a determination of how far the beds probably are away. If you’re getting a lot of different bucks at that spot you’re probably where some core areas overlap or just outside of a prime doe bedding area for that time of year.

To your point about overlapped core areas, I don't think this is the case. Historically I have not seen many beds within 100 yd radius or so of these rubs. And the pics I'm getting are mostly bachelor groups. At this point I'm not sure if there is any big mature bucks in the area, still looking. But there are some nice shooters(for me) that I have pics of.