# Rubs



## slowroller (Jun 30, 2009)

When will bucks start rubbing off the velvet? Or have they already started?


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

saw one getting after a sapling last night but ive also seen velvet on opening day depends on the deer depends on the weather.


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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

On a trail cam 2 weeks ago one tine was bleeding, I am not sure if it was the velvet starting to come off or a injury. His friends have shown no sign of the velvet coming off. I would think it is due at any time.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

I would say there are certainly some that have already shed. At my place, it seems most of them shed the first week or so of Sept.


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

M.Magis said:


> I would say there are certainly some that have already shed. At my place, it seems most of them shed the first week or so of Sept.


That's pretty much what I see. I always find my 1st rubs of the year on the Saturday after Labor Day. I guess I don't look earlier so that may be part of it. One thing I do notice is that the early rubs tend to dry up and by opening day they look like year old rubs. I'm going to put a camera out this weekend. I will add I have noticed some does where their coats were starting to change.


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## F1504X4 (Mar 23, 2008)

Saw this one this evening. Not a piece of velvet left on his rack. 


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## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

The buck I'm seeing on my cam has no velvet at all, but haven't seen any rubs either.


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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

The photos from this weeks trail cam were the smaller bucks have lost all velvet the larger bucks still had velvet but could see some signs that is was coming off as well, but still covered 99%.


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## Homey (Apr 20, 2004)

Well, something is rubbing.


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## TrophyNinja (Jul 21, 2013)

I had 2 bucks cross the road in front of my truck about a week ago. Velvet was gone already on both of them.

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## Erieangler51 (Sep 24, 2012)

Seen 4 monster bucks feeding in a soybean field about 3/4 of a mile from my house in hartville Tuesday night. Not 1 speck of velvet left on them. Seeing quite a few more bucks and 90% of them don't have velvet left. Seen very few the past 2 weeks with velvet


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

I went out for a few hours to look around this weekend. As usual we saw a few small rubs in an area we always see early rubs. One we saw them we backed out of the area. We don't hunt it until mid or late Oct.
We did notice some scum bag stole one of our ladder stands.


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

crappiedude said:


> I went out for a few hours to look around this weekend. As usual we saw a few small rubs in an area we always see early rubs. One we saw them we backed out of the area. We don't hunt it until mid or late Oct.
> We did notice some scum bag stole one of our ladder stands.


I haven't found any rubs yet but I haven't checked over the last week.

this on public or private? I have a trespassers and looters will be shot sign up now.

I apologize in advance to anyone who intends to trespass on my property. I will be abiding by the sign after I got approached by 2 trespassers while I was out on my property shooting my 9mm's this summer. They appeared to be trying to sneak up on my girlfriend and I as they were peaking around a fence post moving up the drive. I told them the police were on their way and they bolted. Obviously it was the threat of the law and not the rifle and hand guns pointed their direction that scared them off but since then I always go armed.


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

treytd32 said:


> ...this on public or private? I have a trespassers and looters will be shot sign up now....


It's private property. We've hunted there since 1976 and every 5 or 6 years a stand comes up missing. The bad part is that since my hunting partner and I age it's just becoming harder to replace some of these stands. My partner and I both have heart issues and hauling stand a 1/2 or 3/4 miles back by hand isn't an option anymore. With the crops still in we will only use quad to bring a deer out.
We'll probably just replace the ladder stand with a ground (brush) blind.

About those rubs...the early rubs will show up in this area for about 2 weeks in early Sept. Then it seems all rubbing activity stops for 2 or 3 weeks. In early Oct the pre rut/rut rubbing seems to start up. The early rubbing seems to start around Labor Day.


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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

Road Kill last week in Hancock County, still in velvet


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## Mylife614 (Apr 3, 2013)

nice buck on cam yesterday out of velvet 


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## FAB (May 26, 2013)

I have always kind of thought the rubbing process that starts before the rut is actually a strengthening process for the bucks. They are like fighters getting ready for the match. They start out with the skinny little neck of a summer buck and by rut they develop into brutes. I think the velvet just dries up as the blood flow stops to it and it naturally falls away or is pulled away by brush etc. I have never found any shed velvet near the rubs. When those bucks are pushing and rubbing against small trees they are in essence pumping iron, building muscle and getting ready for combat. You find fresh residue from rubbing at the base of the antlers on deer killed late in the year long after all velvet would have been lost. Just my thought, I may be wrong but that's what I think is happening.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

I always thought they did it to leave scent and mark their territories. Also out of frustration of the breeding season that is approaching.


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## FAB (May 26, 2013)

They probably do leave some scent from the orbital gland located just below the eye and since the rubs indicate they are there it may mark a territory and I sort of think it is in anticipation of the breeding season. Scrapes on the other hand do mark a definite territory and can be for more than one deer. The scrape is marked in three ways, the inter-digital gland between the hooves, The tarsal gland when urinating in the scrape and the "licking branch" overhead from the Orbital gland and from saliva.


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

I've read both.. rubbin on sticks from sexual tension sounds like a universal technique to me lol


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## FAB (May 26, 2013)

For sure on that.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

Most of the scent left from a buck when marking his territory is from the gland in the forehead.


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## AEFISHING (Apr 25, 2004)

My buddy had pics of a buck rubbing off his velvet right in front of his trail camera on a small tree. It was cool to see the start and finish.


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

found my first rubs earlier today near a water source on my property. not too much else water round before all these rains


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