Let\'s Talk Rubs...

[cohunter14]

I would love to hear some discussions on elk rubs. How are you able to age the rubs? What makes you convinced that it\'s actually an elk rub and not from mulies or elk eating the bark? What do multiple rubs in an area mean to you? What do you look for when it comes to rubs?

 

[cnelk]

Elk rub first, ~late Aug / early Sept. Deer lose their velvet about mid-Sept. but dont rut til November, so their rub activity is mostly later.

I look for how much pine sap has oozed out from the tree or as the elk rub pics below show, and how brittle the frayed bark is.
Then I look for amount of rubs, only on pine trees.

 

[cohunter14]

What about aspens Brad? I think your area doesn\'t have as many of those, but do you look at those at all? If so, how do they compare?

The area I hunt, I see way more rubs on aspen then pine, so just curious.

 

[iccyman001]

In the area I hunt, you can tell the difference between the elk and deer rubs....
Most are off sheer size or the tree that is being ripped up.

There are rare cases where deer shred up giant trees, but more often than not, you should be able to tell them apart.


For me, I am looking for fresh green inside the rub.
If it\'s dried out, I know the rub isn\'t fresh.

It\'s not alway recommended because of scent, but if you want to compare, take a knife out and shave a little bark next to the rub. The colors will be similar if it is fresh.

 

[Zpd307]

sap ooze is key. if its not present, its steaming. if it is present, check if it has crusted over. I chased a bull that had just rubbed. when I found the tree, there was no ooze. I have only seen rubs from bulls on pines. to decide if its a rub or bark chewing, look for the gouge marks from the tines.

 

[WW]

In one area I used to hunt, the elk really liked to rub on choke cherry. Lots of broken branches and it looked like a weed wacker had gone thru it. Often they would hit the same bush year after year.

 

[Zpd307]

you reminded me. Idaho was the first time that I saw bulls beat the snot out of sage bushes. I came across several annihilated bushes last season.

 

[F M]

This was a small tree but the elk rubbed it a long ways up. It was fresh, the sap had not started running yet.

 

[bowhunter]

That\'s a nice rub Francis. I have found a few like that with the tree snapped in half too.

 

[Jaquomo]

I don\'t get too interested in fresh rubs. Just means a bull was in the area. He might be five miles away by the time I get there.

I look for places where there are multiple rubs from different years. That tells me it\'s an area where rutting bulls come year after year.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

I don\'t get too interested in fresh rubs. Just means a bull was in the area. He might be five miles away by the time I get there.

I look for places where there are multiple rubs from different years. That tells me it\'s an area where rutting bulls come year after year.

+1 Jaquomo

Rut rubs where the sap hasn\'t had time to drip, fresh green debris on the ground, late September, and the stench of elk all around is the best rub to find.

 

[F M]

I guess I\'m a little different in the way I think. I don\'t hunt the rut so even if I find a fresh rub in the early season I am interested. Yes he could be miles away, or he could be a 100 yards away. When I find one I want to know why he was there. Is this a travel route, feeding area, bedding area? He was there for some reason. The one in the pic was in a area I had never hunted before so it at least let me know that elk used this area at least once in awhile. I looked around and figured out this was a travel area between a bedding spot and a feeding area. The next day I shot a bull just over the ridge in the back of the pic.

 

[Zpd307]

I guess I\'m a little different in the way I think. I don\'t hunt the rut so even if I find a fresh rub in the early season I am interested. Yes he could be miles away, or he could be a 100 yards away. When I find one I want to know why he was there. Is this a travel route, feeding area, bedding area? He was there for some reason. The one in the pic was in a area I had never hunted before so it at least let me know that elk used this area at least once in awhile. I looked around and figured out this was a travel area between a bedding spot and a feeding area. The next day I shot a bull just over the ridge in the back of the pic.

francis, I am on the same page as you. I have walked plenty of miles with no elk sign. rubs tell me that im into something.

 

[Swede]

It depends on where the rubs are at. Some fresh and old rubs together, in a concentrated area with beds, are typical bedding grounds. I don\'t get too excited, but if there is a good water hole nearby, it can be a productive place to hang a tree stand. A fresh line of rubs, going to a water hole, indicates a bull is coming and going from that water frequently. This is also likely to be another good to wait for a bull.