Buck rubbing is a common behavior where male deer rub their antlers and foreheads against trees or saplings. This activity is a routine part of a buck’s yearly cycle, serving various purposes beyond marking territory. Observing these signs offers insights into deer movement and behavior patterns within a given area.
Understanding Rubbing Behavior
When a buck creates a rub, it uses its antlers to scrape and twist against a tree trunk, often involving the base of the antlers and forehead. This action removes bark, leaving visible evidence. Bucks often target small-diameter trees or saplings, though they may also use larger trees. The visual result is scraped or shredded bark, sometimes with broken branches or sap, indicating the intensity of the interaction.
Reasons for Rubbing
Bucks engage in rubbing for several biological and behavioral reasons. A primary motivation in late summer is to shed the velvet, a soft, vascular tissue that covers and nourishes their growing antlers. As antlers harden, the velvet dries and becomes itchy, prompting bucks to rub it off against vegetation. This physical act also strengthens their neck muscles, important for the upcoming breeding season.
Rubbing also serves as a form of scent communication. Bucks possess specialized forehead and preorbital glands that secrete scent onto the rub, leaving a unique chemical signature. This scent communicates information about the buck’s identity, status, age, and readiness to breed to other deer.
Seasonal Timing of Rubbing
The timing of buck rubbing activity is influenced by several factors, including antler development, hormonal changes, and geographical location. Rubbing begins in late August or early September as bucks shed their velvet. Mature bucks may start shedding velvet and thus rubbing slightly earlier than younger bucks.
As the breeding season, or rut, approaches, rubbing activity intensifies, peaking from late September through October and continuing into November or early December. Rising testosterone levels during this pre-rut and rut period drive increased rubbing behavior, establishing dominance and attracting does. In northern climates, with their shorter breeding seasons, bucks may begin rubbing earlier compared to those in southern regions.
What Rubs Reveal
Observing buck rubs provides valuable information about deer presence and behavior. The size of the tree a buck rubs often correlates with the buck’s size; larger rubs on bigger trees indicate more mature bucks. The freshness of a rub, indicated by bright, exposed wood and bark shavings at the base, suggests recent activity. A concentration of rubs, sometimes forming a “rub line,” indicates frequently used travel corridors between bedding and feeding areas, or a buck’s core territory. The side of the tree that is rubbed also offers clues about the buck’s direction of travel along a path.