Deer sign primer: Interpreting rubs, scrapes, tracks & droppings will boost your chances at a big white-tailed buck

RUBS

A fresh rub is proof a testosterone-charged buck has been in the area. A carved-up tree trunk—its white, fleshy underlayer exposed by the grinding of a buck’s gnarly antler bases—is as easy to spot as flagging tape. A visual marker covered with scent from the buck’s forehead gland, a rub’s purpose is to mark his territory. These signposts are most frequently made near bedding areas and along travel corridors leading to feeding locations. Bucks prefer to sneak along habitat transition zones where two types of habitat converge, so start your search for rubs where forests meet fields, hardwoods meet cedars, or cedars meet wetlands, for example.

The size of a rub does not necessarily reveal the maturity of the buck that made it. While small bucks are only successful at rubbing small trees, huge bucks will also occasionally beat up on skinny saplings. If you find shredded bark on a tree that’s more than a few inches in diameter, however, it has definitely been worked over by a mature buck. You’ll know if the rub was freshly made if the exposed woody cambium is golden yellow; if it’s a faded grey, it’s from a previous year’s rut.

A rub line—three or more rubs in close proximity—indicates a buck regularly travels through the area. He will always rub the side of the tree he approaches from, telling you the direction he came from, and the direction he’s headed. He won’t necessarily make a fresh rub every time he passes through, but when he does it will typically be on a different tree each time. The rub lines offering the greatest opportunity for daytime action are found along the edge of a bedding area, part of a buck’s range where he feels safest. More on that later.