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Rut report

I am seeing a lot of scrapes in SW TN but not very many rubs. Most of the pictures are of single bucks, but I did have a couple of pictures of two bucks together about 5 days ago.
 
I've only found one rub and no scrapes as of Sunday. Still getting pics of young bucks and does grouped up, hoping cold front changes patterns.
 
Hamilton County
11:30 ET
Mowing the backyard and had two bucks I'm guessing 2.5 yr old dogging a doe back and forth, in and out of the woods. Didn't care at all I was 60-70 yards away and the only thing that got their attention was my old Labrador waddled over the check them out. It didn't stop them cause they just moved to the other side of the wood lot and continued on trying to pin the doe down.
 
BSK, yesterday I was able to get in the woods for the first time this year and really do some scouting. One thing I noticed was there were many scrapes on top of the ridges with no locking branch or tree anywhere around. The other scrapes I found were around small beech trees that had been destroyed. I have never seen so many rub/scrapes. Usually its just a rub or just a scrape. Is there anything to this or just something that happens? Anyone else is definitely welcome to chime in with their experiences.
 
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BSK said:
I'm amazed at the lack of rubs this year. Normally, rubbing peaks in a good acorn year. But not this year.
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I have a ton of scrapes a couple of rubs.I have pics of a few nice bucks and a few small bucks working the scrapes.I think i have seen 4 rubs.At first i thought it might be a button buck all scrapes and no rubs.But the camera shows different.
 
Tanelson43 said:
BSK, yesterday I was able to get in the woods for the first time this year and really do some scouting. One thing I noticed was there were many scrapes on top of the ridges with no locking branch or tree anywhere around. The other scrapes I found were around small beech trees that had been destroyed. I have never seen so many rub/scrapes. Usually its just a rub or just a scrape. Is there anything to this or just something that happens? Anyone else is definitely welcome to chime in with their experiences.
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Normally, rubbing and scraping peak in a good acorn year (and both are often concentrated along ridge-lines that hold good oaks). The theory is, bucks have better nutrition and more energy to burn, hence more sign-making. I'm definitely seeing the scrapes, especially in the last two weeks. However, the rubs are few and far between. Don't know why.
 
BSK said:
Normally, rubbing and scraping peak in a good acorn year (and both are often concentrated along ridge-lines that hold good oaks). The theory is, bucks have better nutrition and more energy to burn, hence more sign-making. I'm definitely seeing the scrapes, especially in the last two weeks. However, the rubs are few and far between. Don't know why.
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That would make sense, this area was loaded with acorns. I put some cameras out do hopefully I will get some pictures of the bucks using the area. I also have noticed in the areas I hunt there is a certain elevation where the acorns stop. We had a late freeze and I am guessing the higher altitude were effected by it.
 
I spent most of the day Sunday scouting and walked several miles in these ridges here. Rubs are average at best for this time of year and scrapes are even fewer than what I would have expected. Its puzzling the lack of sign as we have as many Acorns as we have likely ever had here. This makes 3 yrs in a row of a great Mast crop, which is also unusual to be that lucky. Just 'Deer' sign is everywhere and heavier than I ever remember in my area, with our deer population being as high as its ever been in modern history here. Young bucks are already pestering the does daily with a marked increase in older buck activity as well but so far mostly at night. I think this cold front moving in tonight could be the trigger to get these older bucks on their feet more in daylight hours? Im planning to start my 3 week stint in the morning!
 
deerhunter10 said:
Not many rubs below average for sure. But way above average on scrapes. Started seeing a lot of scrapes real early this year and still seeing them. Maury county.
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Are they boundary or primary scrapes? Where are you finding them? In cover, on the edge of cover?
 
I just saw a big mature doe standing next to the road and looked back behind her in the edge of the woods was a big mature buck standing there watching her. This was right on the Hickman/Williamson County line.
 
Why do rubs matter any more?

Back when I was just starting to deer hunt in the 80s, finding a good rub line was everything to locating a good buck. Now with trail cameras, they let me know what's in the area and available to kill
 
Hunt literally on the Lincoln County/ Moore County line. Just depends what side of the fence you hunt. Noticed a couple of scrapes, one very large, and many nice size cedars worked over pretty good. Making a educated guess things ought to be wide open around 16-18 November.
 
THE DUKE said:
Camera's are just a tool for what's in the area. You can't base your property off of 1 camera with a 25yd range pointing in one direction.
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That's why I have 13 running on scrapes and food plots, to let me know who is there and what the patterns are. Will they let me know where a buck will be on a given day at a given time? Absolutely not. But they will let me know what the general pattern is.
 
Bullet40 said:
Any one seeing activity in Humphrey county work has had me very busy and have not been able to spend the time in the woods as I normally would
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Bullet40, all my reports are from Humphreys County (west-central). Tons of scrapes, which bucks are visiting regularly, but few rubs. Lots of yearling and 2 1/2 year-old bucks pester-chasing does (does are running scared). A few mature bucks cruising food plots at night.
 

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