I do not enjoy idleness during the winter. But there is a time and a place for everything. I think post-season is the time to go out, list in hand, and explore a few extra hunting grounds. During winter, I dedicate time to check via e-scouting sites while enjoying my chair and some coffee.

In this sense, deer rubs are one of my preferred indications to look and hunt for. They may appear unexpected, which may be true in some cases. But, if you understand when and why a deer is producing a rub, you will recognize the best chance to hunt that region.

So, by analyzing and taking advantage of deer robs, you must understand the following:

Deer Rubs During the Early Season

We know bucks follow more predictable patterns the early-season hunting. For example, going bed-to-feed and vice-versa is a common deer habit. Bucks like to remain close to their beds' safety. Typically, they only leave that security in the first or last minutes of legal light.

Identify the following rubs in the postseason to help you catch up to that October giant.

• Cluster Rubs: Follow the deer sign into dense cover. Finding many rubs in a location is like striking gold! Certainly, a place like this is almost a buck’s inner bedroom. The bed will not be far away. Thus, take a few moments to confirm.
• Signpost Rubs: Usually, Bucks who dominate the roost will leave their imprint on robust trees outside their primary territory. Frequently, signpost rubs appear on the same tree year after year. However, be cautious when analyzing these rubs: a rub should appear aggressive. If not, it might be a communal rub.
• Community Rubs: We can see these rubs in social meeting spaces. Thus, you may mistake them for signpost rubs. Normally, they seem to be significantly smoother.

Evergreens are the preferred tree for the communal rub, with cedars being a popular species. Even little bucks will brush up against huge evergreens.

Deer Rubs During the Pre-Rut

Pre-rut begins in the middle of October and lasts until the first few days of November. Rubs made during this period will fall into one of the following categories:

• Staging Rubs: Staging rubs, like cluster rubs, will have an “explosive” grouping. What’s the difference? These rubs relate directly to food! Frequently, they will be around bedding. Instead, you will find clusters outside thick covers.

Use leftover white or recently favored red oak acorns for pre-rut staging zones. Add some berry variety, and you can get a honey hole.

• Entry and Exit Rubs: During the pre-rut, the bucks begin cruising. So, smell checking for bedding is part of a buck’s daily ritual. During this time of year, rubs appear at the intersection of entry and exit trails leading into the bedding. Identify them during your post-season reconnaissance. Then, keep an eye out for their growth during the hunting season.

Deer Rubs During the Rut

The rub’s occurrence during the rut is self-explanatory. The whitetail deer season is in full swing. Most hunting methods center upon the lengthy chases that occur. The following rubs share these characteristics:

• Rub lines: The most huntable type of rub is bun lines. Certainly, they will most reoccur until anything changes about the land where they started. These rubs typically start to open up around the conclusion of the pre-rut. It is almost as if the Bucks took the time to pave the way for their future back-and-forth antics.
• Patterned Rubs: During the rut, bucks may be unpredictable. Evidence implies that many home-body bucks migrate to nearby places, although it is not always the case.

In 2019, I patterned a buck based on its rubs. During a post-season scouting trip, I came across its signs. He created its rubs on 5-inch-diameter solitary laurel trees. 

I finally encountered the deer on November 14th, 75 yards from his favored bedding. A doe was evading a button buck, following a track that ran through his bed. The deer I was searching for was in the constant chase. So, he moved inside bow range while distracted pursuing the doe.

But, to my disgust, my tree stands creaked when I turned to shoot the animal. The deer unnoticed the sound, but the stand creaked again, startling him. Before I could blink, the 140-inch deer bolted the scene.

Despite my disappointment, I had the assurance that my scouting efforts were successful and that he had remained in the same area.

Size-Wise

Size does matter, or doesn’t it? Small rubs can also have meaning. Perhaps the buck is timid! Is that tiny sapling ripped to shreds?

Avoid dismissing little touches too quickly since a giant may be releasing pent-up stress! Thus, increase your proof. Is there a big track or a big bed nearby? If so, maybe your monster likes tiny trees.

Chronology

After spending days gathering information, sketch out the stages at which different rubs arise. Examine the look of the rubs, then prepare your hunt appropriately. A valuable piece of advice is to always determine whether the rub shavings are on top of or beneath fallen leaves. This information provides you with a general timeframe for the event.

Finally, you can make informed guesses about when they will occur. The information rubs can provide is highly valuable. However, only hunters who analyze it can take advantage of it. Anyone can read about it. Indeed, reading is a good point to start. Still, it will never replace on-the-ground experience.

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