"Low" rubs?

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peteinvermont
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"Low" rubs?

Unread postby peteinvermont » Fri Sep 28, 2018 2:02 am

I found an area last fall with some very nice tracks among other sign that made me think a heavy buck was spending his time nearby. However, the rubs I found were very low on the tree. Based on track size, I thought it was worth checking anyway, and threw a cam up a safe distance from where I thought the buck was bedding. This video was from last fall, and I don't think there's a lot to read into or analyze. I just thought it was interesting how the buck seemed like he was actually trying to rub low on these skinny trees. Its dark and grainy, so you might want to go full screen, or step into the shade if you're on a phone - but if you watch close, you'll see him really get down low.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIhkkA2OCUc


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street28ss
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby street28ss » Fri Sep 28, 2018 2:19 am

Nice looking buck :L: . That is somewhat interesting. Did you find other rubs close by that were higher up?
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ScottSpitzley
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby ScottSpitzley » Fri Sep 28, 2018 2:23 am

Low rubs don't necessarily dictate the size of the buck. I have seen the same thing happen as well, mature bucks rubbing at various heights of the tree. It's more or less the high rubs that give me the guess that it was a Mature buck that did that.
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby Lockdown » Fri Sep 28, 2018 2:48 am

I didn’t watch the video... poor reception.

Magic man and I talked about big bucks rubbing low on small trees a year or two ago. We concluded they must like the rigidity of rubbing lower. Big trees don’t move back and forth while they rub... little saplings do. I want to say he saw evidence of this while tracking.
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby Lockdown » Fri Sep 28, 2018 2:52 am

Another thing to keep in mind is their rack. I was after a nice 10 last year whose main beams almost touched. No way he’s getting a 3” tree between his main beams. I saw a few rubs in that size range but they were very low. Knee height to center. In my mind due to his beams that nearly touch, he has to lower his head if he wants a tree that size between his tines. I did see a big track by one of the rubs. I think it was him :think:
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milkweed-militia
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby milkweed-militia » Fri Sep 28, 2018 2:59 am

Lockdown wrote:Another thing to keep in mind is their rack. I was after a nice 10 last year whose main beams almost touched. No way he’s getting a 3” tree between his main beams. In my mind that means he has to lower his head if he wants the tree between his tines.

I know they also rub with the outside of their rack too.


Good points and great logic.

I went to an area where I had a trail camera last season to find a rub on about a 4" diameter tree that was up close to my chest. I was beyond pumped to see a rub that high. I got home to review the pictures and found the shooter 8 point that I killed last year in front of the camera and a spike behind him making the rub that got me so fired up. :doh: The 8 point stayed in front of the camera long enough for me to almost have a sequence of the spike making the rub.
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ScottSpitzley
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby ScottSpitzley » Fri Sep 28, 2018 3:02 am

All bucks have different personalities. I have seen trees shredded by spike horns, I have seen mature bucks barely rub the tree at all at all heights. I just get tickled seeing a tree rubbed at waist high, assuming it's a mature buck...but not always the case.
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby RidgeGhost » Fri Sep 28, 2018 3:16 am

That's a cool video. Also, on a small sapling like that, he may not want to have his face all up in the branches at normal rubbing height. So maybe he just rubbed lower to get to the main trunk of it.
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby peteinvermont » Fri Sep 28, 2018 3:19 am

street28ss wrote:Nice looking buck :L: . That is somewhat interesting. Did you find other rubs close by that were higher up?


Nope. There are other rubs there, but they're all fairly low on the trees, and all the trees are less than 1" in diameter. I stayed interested because the tracks are the track of a 200lb deer.
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby peteinvermont » Fri Sep 28, 2018 3:22 am

Lockdown wrote:I didn’t watch the video... poor reception.

Magic man and I talked about big bucks rubbing low on small trees a year or two ago. We concluded they must like the rigidity of rubbing lower. Big trees don’t move back and forth while they rub... little saplings do. I want to say he saw evidence of this while tracking.


Thats a good point, and I've come up on trees bucks rubbed while I was on their track too, but they were all higher. It does make sense that the tree's "spine" is stiffer lower on it, because its such a thin sapling - but at the same time, there are trees in that spot that are more your "typical" tree to rub. There's a brown ash that seemed like the obvious one, he just hasn't touched it.

Again, I don't think there's a ton to be gained by this, since 1 piece of the puzzle doesn't tell us everything. I just thought it was interesting.
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby peteinvermont » Fri Sep 28, 2018 3:26 am

The elevation at this spot is about 2700ft, so there isn't the typical variety of trees to pick from. He's just under the line where almost all the trees are spruces and firs, but he's rubbing right before a tiny opening in the canopy where there was an old logging camp with some apple trees. I'm not sure if thats relevant or not.
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby Ashreve93 » Fri Sep 28, 2018 7:42 am

If hes making a rub there, check for a track. You pretty much know for a fact where he stepped, that should make finding a track easy (if the ground is soft enough).
It's not the destination, it's the journey getting there!
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby peteinvermont » Fri Sep 28, 2018 8:05 am

Ashreve93 wrote:If hes making a rub there, check for a track. You pretty much know for a fact where he stepped, that should make finding a track easy (if the ground is soft enough).



Yeah, I can see his tracks - thats why I was still interested in the area, despite seeing the types of rubs I might typically pay no attention to. I knew he was big, even though if a person ONLY looked at the rubs, they might ignore him.
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ScottSpitzley
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby ScottSpitzley » Fri Sep 28, 2018 8:12 am

peteinvermont wrote:
Ashreve93 wrote:If hes making a rub there, check for a track. You pretty much know for a fact where he stepped, that should make finding a track easy (if the ground is soft enough).



Yeah, I can see his tracks - thats why I was still interested in the area, despite seeing the types of rubs I might typically pay no attention to. I knew he was big, even though if a person ONLY looked at the rubs, they might ignore him.


And that is what separates the "Men from the boys". I check for tracks non stop walking trails, even if there is no sign. If there is sign of anything, scrapes, rubs(regardless of how big/small rub is), tracks should always be looked for. You can learn a lot from doing that.
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Re: "Low" rubs?

Unread postby bowfreak8 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 2:16 am

I don't think low rubs mean that a small buck made it but I do think High rubs tend to be mostly mature bucks.


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