BUCK RUBS 101
Nearly every whitetail buck in the woods begins rubbing on the sides of various small trees throughout the fall as their sexual hormone testosterone increases. Because of this behavior, antler rubs are the absolute best indicator that a buck or several bucks are frequenting a particular area. Bow hunters who are seeking an opportunity at a big buck, should spend the majority of their time trying to locate concentrations of rubs. Here's a few additional rub basics to consider. Rubs on smaller trees can be made by all sizes of bucks, but rubs on bigger trees - the size of your wrist or larger are always made by larger more mature bucks.
Also, the side of the tree that is rubbed can give away a lot of clues. Especially if you find a series of rubbed trees in a line, what hunters often refer to as a "rub line". Consider this, a line of rubbed trees heading towards a feeding area are probably used by that buck or group of bucks in the evening. Find a line of rubs leading away from a known food source and you've located the morning exist route an excellent place to hunt at dawn. That is why it is best to start your search for rubs and rub lines from a food source. This will eventually key you in on which trails and rubs the local bucks are using to and from this source at various times of the day, AND tip you in on how to effectively hunt this area. Finding rubs, and more specifically rub lines, is the key to buck hunting success throughout most of the bow hunting season.