Hunting BT Rub Lines

[klikboom]

I've seen a few bucks this year on HuntWa saying they were near rub lines. This is the first year I've hunted a true rub line. I didn't get to see any big bucks while i was on the line, but I did see and passed on a forky and spike in nearby timber. I went back up yesterday and rubbed some doe estrus gel onto a few of the trees and set up my cam so hopefully I'll see if it really is a bruiser buck or just a really aggressive little forky. Are you counting points by reading the scrapes?

Can I get some rub line hunting techniques from the collective? When you have a rub area (likely a mating area) are you setting up cams in this location all year? Do they change spots every year? Have you kicked any of the big bucks from beds around the rubbing area? I may go back to the rub line for late buck, if not then I'll store this info for next year. One of the rub areas I'm in looks like an annual tradition the alders are all tore up from past years.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

I'd be there for late buck for sure!

[Turner89]

I set up cameras on rubs sometimes. I have some pictures of bucks rubbing them, but never did get a big one in action.

[klikboom]

How close to the rubs are are you hunting? You stand hunt right turner? 

[BOWHUNTER45]

Unfortunately those rub lines are red hot right now ..After the season closes  but you may still get lucky in the late season if he has not moved on  I just checked my late archery honey hole and it is at a higher elevation and the last couple days have shown more and more activity...I am hoping late season is going to be very good and I hope we get some snow 

[Turner89]

How close to the rubs are are you hunting? You stand hunt right turner?

Yea, I hunt out of a stand depending on the weather. I will usually set it up back in the timber on the edge of a clearcut. I don't set up on the trails, but I am within a 100yds of where I think they will be coming into the cut. I want to be able to see as much of the clearcut I can.......They seam to always come in from somewhere I don't expect.  I rifle hunt out of the stand, so I don't need to be within bow range.   I will be using it with my bow during late bow though this year. I have a spot I'm going to try along the river, so I'll have to be a lot closer to the trail.
 

[SeaRun1]

I was able to arrow my buck from right in the middle of a set of rubs.  We had lots of traffic on the cams and they did frequent them all the way up to my kill. 

SR1

[AKBowman]

You can check my posts about my Blacktail season so far this year. I hunt a lot of rub lines or at least in the area of rubs depending on the season. I think the best time for hunting rub lines is definitely last week or maybe even last 10 days of October depending on the year. This year the whole last week was really good. Pre rut the bucks want to be the last one to leave their scent on the rubs and the ladies are not ready to roll yet so the bucks are making sure they have their areas dialed in for when the does are ready.

My experience is once the does start going into estrus the rubs are left alone for a bit as the bucks are locked down with does. I try to then hunt areas where i know does frequent. Most often this seems to be the down hill timbered side of clear cuts if there's lots of good ferns. I try to find areas that have multiple different stages of growth i.e. Reprod and older timber and set up on or near the edge/confluence of these areas or at either end of a bench on the timbered slope. Of course lots of times you will find rubs in these areas as well but the bucks are not wanting to leave a doe to go rub a tree.

To answer one of your questions regarding being scented while hunting rub lines. I hunted all day on Halloween and around 2pm the wind shifted and blew my scent into the bedding area which the rub line surrounds. Seconds later loud crashing as a big bodied deer vacated the other side. I hunted the rest of the day but knew it was game over.

On the 26th I was again hunting all day from the same stand and around 4:45 I let out a few for bleats (around 4 in a row) and had the nice 3 point with eye guards come from the bedding area about 75 yards away and come straight to the rub which was 25 yards in front of me to investigate. After not seeing the doe after 10 minutes he turned and went straight back into the thick bedding area. The surrounding area is big timber. Wind is always a big deal when you are hunting rubs but a much bigger deal if you are hunting rubs that are in or close to a bedding area.

If you can find a bedding area and then a rub line a few hundred yards from each other with a good travel corridor between the two well now your talking!