Deer signDale vs. Ol' Notch, Episode 2

Does a Big Rub Mean a Big Buck?

I couldn't find a study showing that a big rub means a big buck. In Maine, 103 rubbed trees averaged less than an inch across, and the closest study I found, 9 big rubs on camera in South Carolina, had one rub worked by at least 13 different bucks. Bucks rub with their forehead too, which leaves scent on the tree.

Aired Oct 19, 20264 research cards, each with its limits 3 min read
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Still from Dale vs. Ol' Notch, Episode 2
1.7 cm
Average width of 103 rubbed trees in Maine, under an inch
Benner & Bowyer 1988
109
Rubs measured under UV light in a Georgia forest
DeRose-Broeckert et al. 2025
13+
Different bucks on camera at one big traditional rub
Woods 1994

01What the research found

RECEIPT
The study

Maine: how thick are rubbed trees?

WhereHayfield edges near Unity, Waldo County, MaineSample103 rubbed trees and shrubsWhenMarch and April 1986
What they did

Measured the trees and shrubs deer had rubbed, and compared them with the trees nearby.

What they found
  • Rubbed trees averaged 1.7 cm across at chest height, about 0.67 inch. The range was under 0.1 cm to 8.5 cm.
  • Measured at the rub itself, the average was 2.3 cm, about 0.91 inch. Still under an inch.
  • The trees nearby that deer could have rubbed averaged 6.8 cm.
Limits
  • One site and one season, surveyed after the rut.
  • The study can't tell which buck, or what age of buck, made a rub.
  • The 103 includes shrubs.
Source. Benner, J.M. and R.T. Bowyer. 1988. "Selection of Trees for Rubs by White-Tailed Deer in Maine." Journal of Mammalogy 69(3): 624-627. originalwisdom.com →
RECEIPT
The study

Georgia: the forehead is a scent organ

WhereUniversity of GeorgiaSample19 deer: 4 adult males and 4 adult females from a captive herd, plus 11 wild deer
What they did

Studied the forehead glands of captive and wild deer.

What they found
  • "Most of the rubbing motions are made with the basal medial portions of the antler beams and with the forehead itself."
  • The authors concluded the forehead is a scent organ used to mark antler rubs during the rut.
Limits
  • A tiny sample, mostly captive deer.
  • The paper doesn't say where the herd or the wild deer were.
  • Marking the rub is the authors' conclusion. The scent wasn't chemically identified on rubs.
Source. Atkeson, T.D. and R.L. Marchinton. 1982. "Forehead Glands in White-Tailed Deer." Journal of Mammalogy 63(4): 613-617. originalwisdom.com →
RECEIPT
The study

Georgia: rubs glow under UV light

WhereWhitehall Forest, Athens-Clarke County, GeorgiaSample146 signposts: 109 rubs and 37 scrapesWhenFall 2024
What they did

Shined UV lights (365 and 395 nm) on rubs and scrapes and measured the glow with a spectrometer.

What they found
  • Rubs and scrapes stood out clearly against the background around them.
  • The researchers say the glow "would be visible to deer based on previously described deer visual capabilities."
Limits
  • The study didn't test whether deer actually use the glow.
  • What causes the glow is unknown.
  • One site, one season.
Source. DeRose-Broeckert, Hammond, Castleberry and D'Angelo. 2025. "White-tailed Deer Signpost Photoluminescence." Ecology and Evolution 15(12): e72618. researchgate.net →
RECEIPT
The study

Big rub, big buck? The closest study I found

WhereSouth CarolinaSample9 traditional rubs, 9 trail camerasWhenTwo years, reported in a 1994 dissertation
What they did

Watched traditional rubs with cameras. A traditional rub was a tree rubbed three years in a row and at least three inches across.

What they found
  • Mature bucks were more likely to work a traditional rub than yearling bucks.
  • One traditional rub had at least 13 different bucks on camera.
  • Some deer biologists, including Karl Miller and John Ozoga, say mature bucks tend to rub bigger trees. Miller adds, "that's not always the case." They cite no data.
  • I couldn't find a study that measures rub size against buck size.
Limits
  • Secondhand. I couldn't open the dissertation itself, only magazine reports on it.
  • Nine rubs on one study area.
  • It shows which bucks used big rubs, not that a big rub means a big buck.
Source. Woods, G. 1994. "Studies on Traditional Rubs and the Human Dimensions Associated with Quality Deer Management." PhD dissertation, Clemson University. As reported by C.J. Winand in Bowhunter (Dec 7, 2020) and Buckmasters (Winter 2008), and by John Ozoga in Deer & Deer Hunting (Nov 29, 2017). Karl Miller quoted by Bowhunters United, Oct 22, 2019. John Ozoga, "The Science of Buck Rubs," Deer & Deer Hunting. open.clemson.edu → bowhunter.com → buckmasters.com → bowhuntersunited.com → deeranddeerhunting.com →

02My read

MY READMy tactic, not a study result

One rub doesn't tell me much. A cluster of fresh rubs between bedding and food is where I start looking for a stand.

That's how I hunt it. None of these studies tested it.

03Field notes

  1. Don't judge a buck by the size of one rub. No study I found ties rub size to buck size.
  2. Look for a cluster of fresh rubs between bedding and food, not a single rub.
  3. Check your own state's season dates and legal hours with your state wildlife agency.

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