For city and woodland travels, it helps to be able to read the signs. In some cases, your ability to read territorial markers may also be just as important.
A couple weeks back, I wrote about signs left behind by animals you have shot. These signs enable you or a tracking dog to recover the animal. This week I will be focusing on the signs left behind by bucks. The visual markers left by most animals give you the information needed to hunt them. By paying close attention to these sign posts, hunters can stack the cards in their favor.
Deer leave behind three distinctive visual markers that announce their presence and ownership of territory. These visual markers called rubs, scrapes, and licking branches are also accompanied by scent. In the human world, our eyes play the dominant role in perception. While in the world of the white tail, the sense of smell is king. They use their eyes and noses to interpret the signs left behind by other deer. Humans, on the other hand, are only able to gather half of the information left behind.
Rubs are vertical signposts left by bucks. They are most commonly found on small trees and saplings, but are also found on fence post and occasionally on telephone poles. Bucks make their rubs by using the bony prominences on the bases of their antlers. They gouge and tear away at the sign post in an up-and-down motion. Eventually, a bare spot will be left behind as the bark is removed from the tree. Along with the visual sign left behind, glands on the buck’s forehead also leave behind his personal scent. Rubs may be used by several deer allowing everyone in the neighborhood to know who is present. Besides announcing the presence of bucks in your area, rubs can offer the hunter some help.
You can somewhat determine the size of the animal that left the rub. While small trees can be rubbed by big deer, small deer typically only rub on smaller trees. The sight of a large rubbed tree with marks left behind reaching three feet and above gets me excited. This is almost always the rub of a large deer. The side of the tree that is rubbed can help you determine which direction the animal may be approaching. Rubs typically are found leading to or from feeding areas. By knowing where the deer bed and feed, you can make the judgment as to whether they were made in the morning or evening. Sometimes a long string of rubs can be seen meandering through the woods. They are called rub lines. If the rubbed side of the tree directs you to the bedding area, it is likely a morning line. If it leads to the food source, it is likely an evening line. By paying attention to where the rubs come from and go to, you can set up to intercept a buck on this known travel route.
Scrapes are used by bucks and does, and are used for a few different reasons. They are made by pawing away the fallen leaves, and creating a bare depression. The buck or doe then urinates into it. Each deer has an individual scent that other deer recognize. Much like the rub, scrapes may be used by several different deer. Bucks typically make the scrapes to mark territory, while does use them to announce how close they are to their cycle. In the early days of October, I like to sit relatively close to scrapes. The bucks are still establishing them and are likely to vist them directly. The closer you get to November, the more likely it is for the buck to scent check the scrape from up to 80 yards downwind of it. This is when I like to back off at least 50 yards from the scrape. This enables you to intercept the buck on his scent-checking rounds.
I also like to make what are called mock scrapes. This is done by using a stick to clear out the leaves. I do this under a low-lying branch approximately five feet off the ground. The bucks and does will rub their heads, and lick this branch depositing scent from their forehead and preorbital glands. This is what is called a licking branch. In the early season, I hang a scent dropper above the mock scrape about six feet above the ground, and I will fill it with dominant buck scent. As we get closer to November, I like to add hot doe scent. The dropper only drips scent during daylight hours, which conditions the bucks to check for does or intruders while you are able to shoot. Inter-digital and tarsal gland scents are also useful when trying to get deer to approach a mock scrape. The most common reason to create a mock scrape is to attract the deer closer to your shooting position.
Another method used is to use these droppers on a hot scrape made by a buck. This surely will cause the deer to visit the scrape more often. He will believe and intruder has entered his territory, and will seek to personally remove him. Hunting rubs and scrape lines can be the most effective method used in locating dominate bucks.
Good wishes and use these signs to bag a bruiser.