My scouting observations today and a question...

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fauxfly
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My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby fauxfly » Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:06 pm

So as a recent graduate of the Dan Infalt school of scouting big buck beds, (graduated Feb. 6th) - I've started to notice the hundreds of acres of public marsh and swamps near my home. I spent the entire day in a cold and snowy tamarack swamp - I am no longer wondering why there isn't any hunter sign out here and why the buck sign is so heavy and the beds are pretty easy to see...cause its a total train wreck trying to get out to the edges of the swamp/woods and scout for beds!!

I found some really interesting bedding spots and have several new stand sites marked in the GPS - I'll be back in a month or so to verify the beds are actually being used and then stay out till season opens this fall. Very excited!!

Anyway - my question is about the multitude of rubs I saw - I walked several miles along all the edges and every 100 yards or so I's see a few rubs - some old from last season and some looked like they were only a month old. I kept walking - another mile or so and the same thing - literally hundreds of rubs along these transition lines - no exaggeration here - hundreds of rubs over the course of my walking - so can I assume a very large buck population then with all the rub sign there??

Very curious to what you guys think and what others have observed!


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Re: My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby Florida-East » Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:23 pm

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Re: My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby Hawthorne » Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:25 pm

Rubs are a good sign bucks are in the area. I've read on here before alot of rubs could mean alot of young bucks 3.5 or younger. The height of the rub is what I look at. If your seeing that many rubs I would say you have a some good swamp/Marsh ground. The trick is finding where they are spending their daylight hours has I believe most rubs are made at night.

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Re: My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby hunter_mike » Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:26 pm

Ive never seen anywhere like that. Sounds like a good place no doubt!

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Re: My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby Florida-East » Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:38 pm

I have one spot down here in florida where marsh meets swamp. It is just like you describe above, hundreds and hundreds of rubs, all ranging in size. The area I know well is just under 100 acres attached to several thousand acres. What I have seen in this situation is a LOT of deer, most of which I am guessing are 2.5yo & 3.5yo... BUT I know of 2 bucks that I have no idea how old they are, I just know they are much bigger and way more impressive than all the others... though i rarely, and i mean rarely see those two old guys, all use the same area where these rubs are. I have never witnessed which is responsible for the rubs, but i have pics of several of these bucks walking the same rub lines.
But I'm in florida... so things may be very different there than here... regardless I would figure that you have at least a few good sits this fall if you are able to get to it with the right winds

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Re: My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:42 pm

fauxfly wrote:So as a recent graduate of the Dan Infalt school of scouting big buck beds, (graduated Feb. 6th) - I've started to notice the hundreds of acres of public marsh and swamps near my home. I spent the entire day in a cold and snowy tamarack swamp - I am no longer wondering why there isn't any hunter sign out here and why the buck sign is so heavy and the beds are pretty easy to see...cause its a total train wreck trying to get out to the edges of the swamp/woods and scout for beds!!

:lol: :lol: I remember one of my favorite spots from 20 years ago. I would go for miles in there every year, but I never walked it. I "stumbled it". It seemed like I hardly ever took a normal step. I was just squeezing between the tag alders and stumbling around the whole time grabbing on for deer life. :D

fauxfly wrote:...Anyway - my question is about the multitude of rubs I saw - I walked several miles along all the edges and every 100 yards or so I's see a few rubs - some old from last season and some looked like they were only a month old. I kept walking - another mile or so and the same thing - literally hundreds of rubs along these transition lines - no exaggeration here - hundreds of rubs over the course of my walking - so can I assume a very large buck population then with all the rub sign there??

Very curious to what you guys think and what others have observed!

It sounds like you have several bucks around. It's probably pretty good hunting out there. I don't usually see many rubs along transitions around here unless I'm in a ways and on a soft transition due to pressure around here. Guys hunt all along the easy to get to transitions here.

You should be able to tell that there are multiple bucks by the tracks that you see and the way the trees are rubbed. Some may be rubbed smooth and some show shredding and gouging. You should also see indications of rack size (tine or beam length) by how long the rub is top to bottom as well as marks on near by trees or the lack thereof. Study the rubs and you should see different features that indicate different types of racks.

I have come across bucks that make hundreds of rubs in an area, but not very often and that many rubs by one buck are usually concentrated in a smaller area than that. Usually around bedding. The exception is in a big woods/wilderness setting and then you may find a rub line from one buck that goes for miles, but even then there are usually other bucks that will have made or be hitting some of those rubs in various places along the way.
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Re: My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby Florida-East » Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:45 pm

I took this 3.5yo this year from the place I described above... and he was walking with another buck that was nearly identical in late November
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...and before you judge my little buck... remember... Florida... so I don't want to hear it

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Re: My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby isitseasonyet? » Mon Feb 29, 2016 5:28 pm

Florida-East wrote:I took this 3.5yo this year from the place I described above... and he was walking with another buck that was nearly identical in late November
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...and before you judge my little buck... remember... Florida... so I don't want to hear it

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Heck that's a nice one! No one is gonna say a word! Good buck, and it sounds like a good area!

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Re: My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby dan » Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:14 pm

More rubs = more bucks...
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Re: My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Tue Mar 01, 2016 12:54 am

fauxfly wrote:So as a recent graduate of the Dan Infalt school of scouting big buck beds, (graduated Feb. 6th) - I've started to notice the hundreds of acres of public marsh and swamps near my home. I spent the entire day in a cold and snowy tamarack swamp - I am no longer wondering why there isn't any hunter sign out here and why the buck sign is so heavy and the beds are pretty easy to see...cause its a total train wreck trying to get out to the edges of the swamp/woods and scout for beds!!

I found some really interesting bedding spots and have several new stand sites marked in the GPS - I'll be back in a month or so to verify the beds are actually being used and then stay out till season opens this fall. Very excited!!

Anyway - my question is about the multitude of rubs I saw - I walked several miles along all the edges and every 100 yards or so I's see a few rubs - some old from last season and some looked like they were only a month old. I kept walking - another mile or so and the same thing - [glow=red]literally hundreds of rubs along these transition lines - no exaggeration here - hundreds of rubs over the course of my walking[/glow] - so can I assume a very large buck population then with all the rub sign there??

Very curious to what you guys think and what others have observed!


LOL... I know your not scouting in Maine.
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Re: My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby <DK> » Tue Mar 01, 2016 5:31 am

Well according to a Jeff Murray book, if you are concerned about age differences in buck population - Lots of Early Season Rubs mean older buck group. Pressured deer may not rub until late October. And Mass Crop Failure, bucks will rub substantially less. I would assume it is vise versa for a good year...
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Re: My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby Nocturnal » Tue Mar 01, 2016 5:41 am

Sounds like you have a variety of different bucks in the area.

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Re: My scouting observations today and a question...

Unread postby fauxfly » Tue Mar 01, 2016 6:27 am

Thanks guys...thats what I was hoping the concensus would be. I'm pretty happy about the prospects this fall - it'll be quite a treck to get back there however - almost a mile one way. I guess if that is the cost of admission, then I'm buying a ticket.

The really good news here is that I couldn't find any hunter sign much past about a 15 minute walk from the parking lot - all dry ground too - I kinda laugh now - couple years ago I thought I was really something being only a couple hundred yards from the truck... boy have my eyes been opened!!


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