Who here hunts rub lines? Updated with pics on pg 3
06-07-2008, 09:05 PM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,558
RE: Who here hunts rub lines?
ORIGINAL: GMMAT
How do you know which buck is making a particular rub line?
How do you know there aren't multiple bucks working a rub line?
How do you know a particular buckhasn't worked a particular rub line, only once?
Dow do you determine one buck's rub line from another's?
Thanks
How do you know which buck is making a particular rub line?
How do you know there aren't multiple bucks working a rub line?
How do you know a particular buckhasn't worked a particular rub line, only once?
Dow do you determine one buck's rub line from another's?
Thanks
These are the same questions I had for years. Questions that got me interested in trying to figure these rub lines out. Your not looking for your average rubs that you want to hunt. Your looking for the giant rubs. The ones that make you stop in the woods and say " wow, look at that". You'll quickly tell the difference between a rub line and rubs in a staging area. If you find a ton of rubs on smaller trees to saplings about 30 -40 yrds from a major food source like a corn field, you have found yourself a staging area. If you find a series of big rubs from a feeding area and it leads to a buck primary bedding area then you have found one that you want to hunt.
There is such thing as a "community rub" that a lot of bucks will use. I've yet to find one. To tell if the buck has hit it more than once that is where your in-season scouting comes in. This is the hardest part in my book and probably where I've lost in the game. You have to check these rubs every couple days to see if they are fresh. This is where you will get burned. This is where I use the camera instead of walking the rub line. You've got to figure this out fast becauseonce he starts looking for does he will abandon his rub line.
As far as more than one buck using the same rub line, well, my theory is if the dominant buck is making these rubs no other buck will dare to touch them. If he is challenging that buck then he will make some close to the dominants buck or he will go ahead and touch up the existing rubs and leave his scent.
Let me know if this makes any sense to you guys.
06-07-2008, 09:20 PM
#12
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location:
Posts: 21,043
RE: Who here hunts rub lines?
I've ony have access to about 80-100 acres for the last 3 seasons. I've been over every inch of this land. I see rub lines....but never pay much attention to them. No. 1....I don't KNOW who's making them. No. 2.....they're so random....I don't feel it prudent to spend a lot of time on them. No. 3.....I thought I was gonna hunt a buck over a scrape, once....only to see 4 different juvenile bucks use the scrape the same mroning....and the only decent aged buck walk right past it without so much as a pause (athough he probably scent checked it).
If I found a telephone pole sized tree with a rub on it.....I might change my outlook. I hunt rural NC with an overpopulation of deer, though. I'm not holding my breath.
If I found a telephone pole sized tree with a rub on it.....I might change my outlook. I hunt rural NC with an overpopulation of deer, though. I'm not holding my breath.
06-07-2008, 09:27 PM
#13
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Minnesota
Posts: 9,445
RE: Who here hunts rub lines?
ORIGINAL: 2 Lunger
GMMAT,
These are the same questions I had for years. Questions that got me interested in trying to figure these rub lines out. Your not looking for your average rubs that you want to hunt. Your looking for the giant rubs. The ones that make you stop in the woods and say " wow, look at that". You'll quickly tell the difference between a rub line and rubs in a staging area. If you find a ton of rubs on smaller trees to saplings about 30 -40 yrds from a major food source like a corn field, you have found yourself a staging area. If you find a series of big rubs from a feeding area and it leads to a buck primary bedding area then you have found one that you want to hunt.
There is such thing as a "community rub" that a lot of bucks will use. I've yet to find one. To tell if the buck has hit it more than once that is where your in-season scouting comes in. This is the hardest part in my book and probably where I've lost in the game. You have to check these rubs every couple days to see if they are fresh. This is where you will get burned. This is where I use the camera instead of walking the rub line. You've got to figure this out fast becauseonce he starts looking for does he will abandon his rub line.
As far as more than one buck using the same rub line, well, my theory is if the dominant buck is making these rubs no other buck will dare to touch them. If he is challenging that buck then he will make some close to the dominants buck or he will go ahead and touch up the existing rubs and leave his scent.
Let me know if this makes any sense to you guys.
ORIGINAL: GMMAT
How do you know which buck is making a particular rub line?
How do you know there aren't multiple bucks working a rub line?
How do you know a particular buckhasn't worked a particular rub line, only once?
Dow do you determine one buck's rub line from another's?
Thanks
How do you know which buck is making a particular rub line?
How do you know there aren't multiple bucks working a rub line?
How do you know a particular buckhasn't worked a particular rub line, only once?
Dow do you determine one buck's rub line from another's?
Thanks
These are the same questions I had for years. Questions that got me interested in trying to figure these rub lines out. Your not looking for your average rubs that you want to hunt. Your looking for the giant rubs. The ones that make you stop in the woods and say " wow, look at that". You'll quickly tell the difference between a rub line and rubs in a staging area. If you find a ton of rubs on smaller trees to saplings about 30 -40 yrds from a major food source like a corn field, you have found yourself a staging area. If you find a series of big rubs from a feeding area and it leads to a buck primary bedding area then you have found one that you want to hunt.
There is such thing as a "community rub" that a lot of bucks will use. I've yet to find one. To tell if the buck has hit it more than once that is where your in-season scouting comes in. This is the hardest part in my book and probably where I've lost in the game. You have to check these rubs every couple days to see if they are fresh. This is where you will get burned. This is where I use the camera instead of walking the rub line. You've got to figure this out fast becauseonce he starts looking for does he will abandon his rub line.
As far as more than one buck using the same rub line, well, my theory is if the dominant buck is making these rubs no other buck will dare to touch them. If he is challenging that buck then he will make some close to the dominants buck or he will go ahead and touch up the existing rubs and leave his scent.
Let me know if this makes any sense to you guys.
06-07-2008, 09:41 PM
#14
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location:
Posts: 21,043
RE: Who here hunts rub lines?
Don't get me wrong, 2......I'm not saying anything other than I'm just not familiar with the tactic.Unless I knew the answer to the questions I asked, previously.....I couldn't see spending the time hutning rub lines.
Glad it's woring for you! Good luck this fall.
Glad it's woring for you! Good luck this fall.
06-07-2008, 10:01 PM
#15
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Kansas
Posts: 6,598
RE: Who here hunts rub lines?
There is usually a different set of rub lines to and from a bucks bedding area. If the pattern of rubs faces where you think the buck is bedding that is usually his evening route to the fields. Of course a pattern of rubs facing the feed fields would indicate his route back to the bedding area in the mornings. I like to hunt the morning rub lines late in oct. Bucks will start to stay out longer and you can catch him going home. If you hunt them to early you can give away your ambush position pretty easily. I quit hunting them until late oct simply for the fact that I have witnessed multiple bucks returning back to thier bedding areas under the cover of darkness. You can hear them comming from what seems like a mile away only to watch a vague image go thru your set up. On these occassions I always felt like the buck new I was there reguardless of the wind. The still of the dark morning and his keen night vision is hard to fool. I find them in Aug. and hunt them late Oct.
06-07-2008, 10:02 PM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Pingree Grove, IL
Posts: 1,204
RE: Who here hunts rub lines?
ORIGINAL: 2 Lunger
GMMAT,
These are the same questions I had for years. Questions that got me interested in trying to figure these rub lines out. Your not looking for your average rubs that you want to hunt. Your looking for the giant rubs. The ones that make you stop in the woods and say " wow, look at that". You'll quickly tell the difference between a rub line and rubs in a staging area. If you find a ton of rubs on smaller trees to saplings about 30 -40 yrds from a major food source like a corn field, you have found yourself a staging area. If you find a series of big rubs from a feeding area and it leads to a buck primary bedding area then you have found one that you want to hunt.
There is such thing as a "community rub" that a lot of bucks will use. I've yet to find one. To tell if the buck has hit it more than once that is where your in-season scouting comes in. This is the hardest part in my book and probably where I've lost in the game. You have to check these rubs every couple days to see if they are fresh. This is where you will get burned. This is where I use the camera instead of walking the rub line. You've got to figure this out fast becauseonce he starts looking for does he will abandon his rub line.
As far as more than one buck using the same rub line, well, my theory is if the dominant buck is making these rubs no other buck will dare to touch them. If he is challenging that buck then he will make some close to the dominants buck or he will go ahead and touch up the existing rubs and leave his scent.
Let me know if this makes any sense to you guys.
ORIGINAL: GMMAT
How do you know which buck is making a particular rub line?
How do you know there aren't multiple bucks working a rub line?
How do you know a particular buckhasn't worked a particular rub line, only once?
Dow do you determine one buck's rub line from another's?
Thanks
How do you know which buck is making a particular rub line?
How do you know there aren't multiple bucks working a rub line?
How do you know a particular buckhasn't worked a particular rub line, only once?
Dow do you determine one buck's rub line from another's?
Thanks
These are the same questions I had for years. Questions that got me interested in trying to figure these rub lines out. Your not looking for your average rubs that you want to hunt. Your looking for the giant rubs. The ones that make you stop in the woods and say " wow, look at that". You'll quickly tell the difference between a rub line and rubs in a staging area. If you find a ton of rubs on smaller trees to saplings about 30 -40 yrds from a major food source like a corn field, you have found yourself a staging area. If you find a series of big rubs from a feeding area and it leads to a buck primary bedding area then you have found one that you want to hunt.
There is such thing as a "community rub" that a lot of bucks will use. I've yet to find one. To tell if the buck has hit it more than once that is where your in-season scouting comes in. This is the hardest part in my book and probably where I've lost in the game. You have to check these rubs every couple days to see if they are fresh. This is where you will get burned. This is where I use the camera instead of walking the rub line. You've got to figure this out fast becauseonce he starts looking for does he will abandon his rub line.
As far as more than one buck using the same rub line, well, my theory is if the dominant buck is making these rubs no other buck will dare to touch them. If he is challenging that buck then he will make some close to the dominants buck or he will go ahead and touch up the existing rubs and leave his scent.
Let me know if this makes any sense to you guys.
06-07-2008, 10:09 PM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,558
RE: Who here hunts rub lines?
ORIGINAL: GMMAT
I've ony have access to about 80-100 acres for the last 3 seasons. I've been over every inch of this land. I see rub lines....but never pay much attention to them. No. 1....I don't KNOW who's making them. No. 2.....they're so random....I don't feel it prudent to spend a lot of time on them. No. 3.....I thought I was gonna hunt a buck over a scrape, once....only to see 4 different juvenile bucks use the scrape the same mroning....and the only decent aged buck walk right past it without so much as a pause (athough he probably scent checked it).
If I found a telephone pole sized tree with a rub on it.....I might change my outlook. I hunt rural NC with an overpopulation of deer, though. I'm not holding my breath.
I've ony have access to about 80-100 acres for the last 3 seasons. I've been over every inch of this land. I see rub lines....but never pay much attention to them. No. 1....I don't KNOW who's making them. No. 2.....they're so random....I don't feel it prudent to spend a lot of time on them. No. 3.....I thought I was gonna hunt a buck over a scrape, once....only to see 4 different juvenile bucks use the scrape the same mroning....and the only decent aged buck walk right past it without so much as a pause (athough he probably scent checked it).
If I found a telephone pole sized tree with a rub on it.....I might change my outlook. I hunt rural NC with an overpopulation of deer, though. I'm not holding my breath.
This may have a lot to do with it.
06-09-2008, 05:52 AM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Illinois
Posts: 1,704
RE: Who here hunts rub lines?
The Miller book is an awesome read. Tons of great info in there. I have hunted rublines in the past, but haven't had too much success. I found an awesome one in a hardwood bottom that crosses a creek on the way to a corn field. I will be keep an eye on that location early in the season to see if it appears again. If it doesn, maybe I'll have some luck on it this year.
06-09-2008, 07:59 AM
#20
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Phoenixville, PA USA
Posts: 5,541
RE: Who here hunts rub lines?
I've always thought there was some merit to hunting rub lines, but I've never been able to put the pieces together to do it correctly. That is a very novel approach to follow the line back to the bed and put the camera in. Good job. I have a rub line from last year that I am paying particular attention to this year and may try some of the tactics you mentioned.
What is the name of the Greg Miller book? I may have to give it a look.
Thanks for the info. Very informative post and congrats on putting it all together.
What is the name of the Greg Miller book? I may have to give it a look.
Thanks for the info. Very informative post and congrats on putting it all together.