A buck tears into a cedar tree trunk, leaving shavings of bark all around its already scarred base. Another whitetail rips up the ground, sending leaves, sticks, and dirt flying from the community scrape. Both are laying down obvious deer sign that’d fire up even the most even-keeled deer hunters.
According to the National Deer Association, one mature buck can make upward of 1,200 rubs in a single year. They make and revisit many scrapes throughout the year as well. Furthermore, the NDA says that, during the two weeks prior to the peak rut, bucks can make or visit five to 10 scrapes per hour. And, of course, scraping activity greatly intensifies during the 15 to 20 days leading up to the breeding season.
Translation? Deer lay down a lot of clues, but not all of these are worth hanging stands around. Some rubs and scrapes are useless to deer hunters. Read on to learn what rut sign deer hunters should avoid, and what sign they should focus on, while in the deer woods.
Deer Sign That Can Be Deceiving
Random Aggressive Scrape Displays
In the fall, whitetail bucks can be relatively aggressive animals. Testosterone levels ramp up, aggression elevates, and fights break out. The dynamics of the situation routinely lead to random aggressive scrape displays. Bucks encounter rivals, or even subordinate deer, and make scrapes in a sudden display of strength. These impromptu scrapes have no communication value — unlike community scrapes. They’re one-time occurrences that will never be purposely revisited by that buck, or any other deer.
Scrapes Without a Licking Branch
Scrapes have multiple parts, more specifically the scrape on the ground and the overhanging licking branch. The licking branch is just as important as the scrape beneath it. Deer chew, lick, nuzzle, and smell the licking branch. Therefore, scrapes without a licking branch aren’t repeatedly visited and re-used by the local deer herd. A scrape without a licking branch is a one-time deal. Like the random aggressive scrape display, any scrape without a licking branch should be ignored by hunters.
Most Field-Edge Scrapes
Field-edge scrapes can and do see repeated use by the local deer herd. Once established, bucks and does alike use these for communication purposes. However, unless they are located on field edges close to bedding areas, the odds of daytime use are very low. Therefore, hunters have very limited, if any, opportunities to see bucks using these during legal shooting light. They are valuable for taking nighttime inventory of the local deer herd via trail cameras.
Scrapes That Have Gone Cold
Some scrapes are used year-round, or at least, for many months on end. These are often referred to as community scrapes. Generally, these remain active and don’t see complete abandonment. In contrast, when once-active scrapes go cold, they’re of little to no use for hunting purposes. The exception? During the peak of the rut when bucks and estrus does are locked down and not moving quite as much. Of course, when scrapes heat up again, it signals the peak-rut action is over.
Velvet-Stripping Rubs
Certain rubs are useless to deer hunters as well. During the antler-growing phase, bucks don’t make rubs. However, once antler growth is complete, bucks shed the velvet wrapping that once helped the rack to grow. After the antler calcification process finishes, the velvet strips off. Most deer don’t like velvet hanging from their headgear, and it sends them into a frenzy to remove all of that hanging material from their crowns. Bucks make rubs to speed up this process. Of course, these rubs indicate where a buck had been — once. They don’t offer much for scouting or hunting.
Random Frustration Rub Creations
Bucks rub trees for numerous reasons, including stripping velvet, strengthening neck muscles, taking out frustration, showing dominance, and more. Oftentimes, these displays lead to many random rub creations that will never be touched again by that buck, or any other deer. Regardless of the reason, a random, one-time-use rub does nothing for deer hunters.
Rubs That Occur Before the Shift
Bucks make rubs from the time they shed velvet until antlers are cast. Sure, the peak rubbing period is the late pre-rut through the peak rut. It’s also important to understand that bucks often have different summer and rut ranges. Rubs they made stripping their velvet are of no scouting value if they shifted to a different part of their home range soon after creating this deer sign.
Common Threads Between “Useless” Rubs and Scrapes
Sign that’s created randomly and never revisited isn’t very useful to deer hunters. Sign that’s only revisited under the cover of darkness is helpful only for monitoring deer with trail cameras.
While you can use the random rubs and scrapes to confirm bucks were once in the area, deer hunters are better off focusing on the sign that can help predict buck movement.
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Focus on the Rubs and Scrapes That Truly Matter
Some whitetail rubs and scrapes hold much greater value to hunters. Signpost buck sign, including rubs and scrapes, is used and revisited throughout the year. These see regular action from bucks and does alike, and therefore, can be targeted.
Heavier concentrations of rubs sometimes form rough rub lines. These illustrate the trails and routes bucks often take between important endpoints within their core areas, such as bedding areas and food sources. By knowing these routes, hunters can more effectively position treestands and hunting blinds and intercept bucks as they travel these paths.
Similarly, signpost rubs are used year after year. Usually these are highly desirable trees for rubbing and they are in just the right location. Bucks love them and continue using those spots to rub their antlers. Hunters can use that info.
Read Next: Deer Hunters Should Be Making Mock Scrapes Right Now. Here’s How to Do It
Likewise, signpost scrapes that pop up in the same spots each year have similar value. Hunters can hang cameras to take inventory, or in some instances, even hunt over these scrapes. When located closer to bedding areas and staging areas, these become even more attractive.
All said, it’s the top 1 percent of rubs and scrapes that hunters should focus on. Sure, use all sign to confirm potential whitetail presence. But for tactical maneuvers, focus on the rut sign that really matters.
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