Buck rub in mid February?

[j-bird]

well I posted this in several places so I thought I would post here as well. Anyone ever see a buck rub in mid February? I was out over the weekend looking for sheds in a willow area where I tend to find them and saw this. it looked really fresh and all I can think is that a buck is trying to intentionally knock off an antler. No sheds found, but I still have a buck in the area for sure. I even think I know which buck it is, but I really want a shed to confirm. I intend to revist this spot every weekend and hopefully can get to the shed before the other critters do.

 

[gwm]

I've read that bucks will rub until they knock their antlers off. It just becomes very infrequent in the winter months.

 

[Bill]

I've never seen it but it wouldn't surprise me for one with an aggressive personality to do it.

Either your brown dog was with you or a deer was laying 10 yards behind the rub.

 

[j-bird]

I've never seen it but it wouldn't surprise me for one with an aggressive personality to do it.

Either your brown dog was with you or a deer was laying 10 yards behind the rub.

Everybody has commented on that - it's my dog.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I don't remember ever finding a " freshy " in February. But that's a good find. Let us know if you find sheds around there. Be cool to see what made the rub ??

 

[phil@thesidehill]

i've found quite a few sheds with fresh bark shavings in the burs and beading. I found one shed back in 2012 on January 25th as i was doing some scouting of a staging area. I found a what looked like a really fresh rubline and started following it. After going about 35 yds and 3 rubs later i spotted a nice shed laying about 15 yds ahead of me. when i picked it up the gnarly base had all sorts of bark shreds in it. I'm pretty sure that it was shed from the buck who had made those rubs.

 

[j-bird]

I think this is the buck that made it.

He isn't a monster but I had a few encounters with him in this area and I think the thicket nearby is one of his hiding spots (not my property). He has a bit of an attitude as well. He caught me once - I was looking at a rub and was not paying attention and sort of shook the branch.....he didn't like that. I heard him grunting then and he didn't see me in the switchgrass. I could have killed him, but I felt he needed at least another year. I will go back every weekend and see if I can find a shed. If it's this deer I am pretty tickled he is still alive and still using part of my property. I have never really had a chance to build a history with a buck and maybe, just maybe I will have the chance with this one. Most bucks I kill wander in from other properties - just a fact of life in my area.