I like seeing rubs. Especially if I see old ones and newer ones.
It tells me a bull was there, undisturbed, took the time to rake a tree, and probably more than one tree.
He is comfortable there.
I would consider it a great place to \'cold call\' and have
Elk tend to use the same rutting grounds year to year, so if I\'m searching out some new country and find an area littered with rubs its usually a good indication of where to start. Once I\'m familiar with the area, I don\'t really focus on them too much unless I\'m finding rubs that are clearly fresh and new - I\'m more so cruising for vocal bulls at that point. That being said, if the elk are silent, setting up your cold calling routines in an area with a bunch of fresh rubs certainly isn\'t a bad idea.
Edit: cnelk and I must have posted at the same time! Sry to be redundant mentioning the cold calling setup - but yes, we are definitely in agreement on that point!
My plans wouldn\'t change because rubs along with tracks and droppings are part of what I\'m looking for. They act as another piece of the location puzzle. So are they practical.....I would say yes. As we all have probably experienced though, it doesn\'t mean the elk are in the immediate area. I really like fresh rubs, especially when old ones are present.
Consider this situation. You are scouting a canyon and check out a bedding area. It has a dozen or more fresh rubs plus numerous old faint ones. On your map you have a spring nearby. Once you check it out you see there are a couple well used trains leading into it. There are fresh rubs along the trails. The spring is muddy and has a lot of fresh sign around it. The area has the distinct smell of elk.
What can you learn from looking over the rubs? Well we know it is the bulls that rub. So the spring, trails and the bedding area are used by a bull(s). Though we may not be precise in our estimate, we can get an approximate size of the bull(s). With some research you can determine if you are dealing with a lone bull that is staying in the area or if it is a bachelor group or if it is a herd bull with cows and satellites. You can do your own CSI thing or set out a camera to check things out. As a tree stand hunter I would do both and almost surely have a stand up real soon. Much of what convinced me to set up in that area were those rubs. The fresh and the old rubs were important. The old rubs helped convince me that the area gets recurring use, and it will be worth my time waiting there.
I hope this helps.
I found a finger ridge with 20+ fresh rubs last year and a very fresh bed(urine still wet) last year. It overlooks a grassy bench that was also full of beds. I plan on sneaking in upwind at least a couple times this year just to check it. The bull bed would be tough to stalk to but I can get close enough to glass and set up for calling or ambush. Without the rubs it might not be on my \"to do\" list
