Can you tell how big a buck is by a rub? Ex: An 8 inch diameter tree rub, means a certain size buck.

[mdhager115]

Can you tell how big a buck is by a rub? Ex: An 8 inch diameter tree rub, means a certain size buck.

[Chris Carpenter]

yeah the bigger the tree the bigger the buck if you find one on a 8 inch tree you've got yourself a monster.you can also tell which way the deer came from because the side of fthe tree it was on is the way he came from.scratches inside the rub indcate "stickers" in other words a big buck

[Del in KS]

Recently I placed a trailcam by a 4 inch diameter tree that had a fresh rub on it. Then dumped a bushel of apples to sweeten the deal. In 2 nights I got pics of 3 ten point bucks and 2 8 pointers. Killed one of the tens 2 days later with my bow when he came in to a grunt call. I would say the bigger the rub the more likely the bigger the deer. Nothing is certain 'cause more than one deer will hit the same rub especially if it's a big one. No doubt there are also many small rubs that are not touched again. Click on my name and you can see some of those bucks in my pic file.

[MB915]

The book says that the big rubs are made by mature bucks, but last time I checked, deer dont know how to read. So they do not always follow the book persay. Sometimes a small agressive buck will make a big rub, and a big buck will thrash a small tree, so you cant ever be 100% certain.

[buckhunter]

No. Big bucks rub both big and small trees and small bucks also rub big and small trees. All you know for sure on an 8in tree is the spread is greater than 8 inches.

[peter]

yes, but sometimesit doesn't work

[beagleboy]

It is not an exact science, but bigger bucks usually leave bigger rubs. There are three thing you should look for. First is tree diameter, bigger tree is a good CLUE of a bigger buck. Second is rub height, rubs that start low to the ground and go about 3-4' up the tree means a big buck made the rub. Lastly, look for tine mark on surround brush. When buck really get to trashing they don't pay attention to what they're all hitting so you can usually spot marks on surround brush from a buck's tines. This will give you the best idea of a buck's size.

[CPT BRAD]

Beagleboy is all over it. Big bucks will often start rubbing earlier and more aggressivly, so if you see a rubline that is every 100 yards or so with scrapes chances are you've to a big one. Go get ya a trail cam and check him out, that's the only way you'll get an accurate guess. short of that like BB said look at the brush around the tree and the the height little bucks rub lower big buck rub higher.

[Beekeeper]

Bucks will rub all sizes of trees. The other posts are correct, if you find a big tree, and it is rubbed up high you know you have a good buck. But, the same deer may rub saplings the sixe of your finger.

[dukerjj]

that taller the rub also means the bigger the buck and if there are scratches inside the rub that means stickers

[kolbster]

most of the time the bigger the tree the bigger the buck.

[rjbedrock]

For the most part, big bucks rub big trees, but big bucks rub little trees too.

[kjflorian]

I would say normally if you have a rub on a tree that size, you would have yourself a shooter. However, I have seen smaller bucks, say a buck with longer spikes work over a tree that size. Check the rub for tine marks, at least that gives you an idea it's a little bit bigger deer. Set up trail cams to confirm.

[buck hunter 17]

Shoot it so you can find out what size it is.

[jbird]

Good answer beagleboy. I go by height of the rub mostly, but say a rub's 3-4' up a tree w/ a diameter of 6" or better, then my pulse starts acting up