Page 2C September 18, 2019 .
, orter
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
I*
Athside from tracks, two of Most of the deer rubs I have
the most visible signs found are made on saplings.
at indicate the pres- However, rubs have been found
nce of deer are rubs on trees measuring well more
and scrapes. Whenever hunters
find them they face the quan-
dary of having to decide whether
or not they should spend their
valuable hunting time sitting in a
tree stand overlooking a scrape or
rub in hopes of bagging a trophy
buck. Recently
published research
on the white-tailed
deer's use of scrapes
and rubs may help
you decide what
todo.
However, before
we dive into that
subject, let's take a
look at what consti-
tutes a scrape and
a rub. TERRY W.
White-tailed deer
bucks use scrapes and rubs to
advertise their presence to other
deer. Rubs are made on the trunks
of varying sized trees. Although
bucks rub a number of different
kinds of trees, locally red cedar is
one of the trees most commonly
rubbed.
Bucks make rubs by rubbing
their antlers against the trunk of
a tree. This activity scrapes away
the bark from the spot rubbed.
Although a buck might at first
rub a tree in an attempt to rid
his antlers of velvet, thereafter he
leaves behind a message written
in chemicals known as phero-
mones that tell other whitetails he
is roaming this neck of the woods.
While does rub their foreheads
against small trees, as well as
actually smell and lick rubs made
by bucks, their rubbing does not
leave a mark that could be mis-
construed as a buck rub.
than a foot in diameter. As a rule,
young bucks rub small trees. Such
is not the case with mature bucks
as they rub the trunks of both
large and slight trees.
Back in the day, it was popularly
believed that each rub was made
by a single buck. Nowa-
days we know this is not
true. Many bucks can leave
rubs in the same wooded
area. Although mature
bucks are known to leave
50 percent more rubs than
young bucks.
Researchers have leamed
a single mature buck might
make up to 1,200 rubs per
year. This amounts to a
JOHNSON buckmaking 10-15 rubs
per day during the time of
the year they are engaged in this
activity. It is not uncommon to
find anywhere from 400 to 3,000
rubs per square mile.
Scrapes are made on the ground
typically beneath an overhang-
ing branch. Such scrapes are
sometimes referred to as primary
rubs. A rub found well away
from a tree is called a secondary
rub. Bucks create secondary rubs
in spots where they find does
have urinated.
Scrapes are made by bucks
pawing away the vegetation down
to the bare ground. They range
in size anywhere from the size of
a flattened basketball to the size
of the bed of a short bed pickup
truck. Additionally, a buck will
hook the branches shrouding
the scrape and even crush the
leaves growing at the tip of the
branch. As a general rule, larger
bucks will hook branches higher
9
) .
I
White-tailed deer bucks use scrapes and rubs to advertise their presence to other deer. One mature buck
may make up to 1,200 rubs per year. (Photo/Terry Johnson) .
from the ground than younger
bucks. The buck leaves a trail of
chemicals on the foliage growing
on the branch as well as on bare
soil.
Interestingly both mature and
young bucks sometimes use the
same scrape. Bucks make it a
habit to visit a scrape whenever
they happen by.
A series of scrapes found along
a deer trail is called a scrape
line. Along such a line, scrapes are
often spaced anywhere from 60
to 100 yards apart. A mature buck
often makes 85 percent more
scrapes than a young buck. In a
white-tailed deer study conducted
in New York, biologists found that
during the two weeks immediate-
ly prior to the peak of the breed-
ing season mature bucks averaged
making 6-12 scrapes per hour. are good indicators of whether or
Knowing when deer are active not adult bucks are roaming your
around scrapes can be helpful hunting lands. The very best deer '"
in deciding when you should hunters know that while an un- !:
focus your hunting around
scrapes. With that in mind, I
should mention deer researchers
have discovered bucks most often
visit scrapes after the sun goes
down. Perhaps this helps explain
why in past years you have spent
many a long hour sitting in a
tree stand awaiting the arrival of
a buck only to go home without
seeing a deer.
As for rubs, ifyou like to hunt
near them; do so early in the sea-
son. This is because most rubbing
activity wanes significantly as the
season goes on.
The bottom line is the presence
or absence of rubs and scrapes
derstanding of scrapes and rubs is
important, there is no substitute "
for spending a lot of time scout-
ing yo hunting 1 figur "-Z
ur ands to e :
out the movement patterns and -.:
habitats being used by whitetails :-.i
throughout the entire season. ~.=
Terry Johnson is retired Program i:
Manager of the Georgia Nongame-
Endangered Wildlife Program. ,
He has written the informative
column 'Monroe Outdoors'for the :
Reporter for many years. His book,
Journey to Discovery" is avail- i
able at The Reporter. Email him at
tjwoodduck@bellsouth.net. : ,
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
The Mary Persons varsity
girls cross country team
placed eighth out of 17
teams at the Greyhound
Invitational at Jones County
High School in Gray on
Saturday.
The Lady Dogs finished
with 187 points as the home
Lady Greyhounds easily
captured the varsity girls
title with 64 points. Pike
County came in a distant
second with 119 points
followed by Heritage in
third place with 124 points.
Katherine Earwood of
Evans was the varsity girls
individual champion with a
Caldwell Teterinary Hospital, LLC
951
Butler Caldwell, DVM
Hwy 41 South Forsyth, GA 31029
478-994-8228
www.caldwellvet.coln
Preventative Medicine including
vaccines, flea,tick and heartworm medications.
Comprehensive medical management,
including diabetes and heart disease
Surgery. Boarding
Veterlna~/~lle~e
Car + Home =
See me for Car and ltome Insurance and save.
$tateFarm
LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR, STATE FARM IS THERE.
Providing Insurance and Financial Services
'4
cross
time of 18 minutes, 31 sec-
onds, beating her teammate
Madison Kennedy, who
placed second with a time
of 19 minutes, 7 seconds, by
about 36 seconds.
Maradeth Leverett posted
MP'S top individual time
of 21 minutes, 13 seconds
to place fifth overall out
of 124 total girls varsity
runners. Other MP varsity
girls runners who recorded
counting times included:
Sarah Boyer, who placed
13th with a time of 22
minutes, 29 seconds, Genna
Hallman, who placed 61st
with a time of 26 minutes,
21 seconds, Stormie Martin,
who placed 63rd with a time
of 26 minutes, 22 seconds,
and Madelyn Causey, who
placed 64th with a time of
26 minutes, 30 seconds.
One other MP varsity girls
runner, Skyler Sandefur,
competed on Saturday but
did not record a counting
time. San&fur placed 79th
with a time of 27 minutes,
28 seconds.
Other varsity girls squads
who competed in Gray
on Saturday in order from
highest to lowest finish
included: Vidalia, Evans,
Northside (Columbus),
Locust Grove, ACE,
Spalding, Warner Robins,
Woodland (Stockbridge),
John Milledge, Social Circle,
Central (Macon), Howard
and Putnam County.
Meanwhile, MP'S Laura
Martin took first place out
of 26 total runners in the
IV girls individual race in
Gray on Saturday with a
winning time of 25 minutes,
22 seconds, besting second-
place Sanae Hitchcock of
Northside (Columbus), who
posted a time of 25 minutes,
39 seconds, by 13 seconds.
Three other MP IV girls
runners competed on
Saturday. Emma Barksdale
placed seventh with a time
of 28 minutes, 21 seconds,
Courtney Allen placed 15th
with a time of 32 minutes,
20 seconds, and Britney Al-
len placed 18th with a time
of 32 minutes, 44 seconds.
Also, the Monroe County
Middle School girls cross
country team placed third
out of 12 teams at the Grey-
hound Invitational in Gray
on Saturday.
Monroe County posted
a team score of 73 as West
Laurens took the C-Team
girls team title with 48
points. Greenbrier finished
one point ahead of Monroe
County in second place with
72 points. Oak Hill's Jas-
mine Williams captured the
C-Team girls individual title
with a time of 13 minutes, 7
seconds, narrowly topping
second-place Wommack
109DP IRoM
apply and rnana
account online
www.lffc.com
MP junior Sarah Boyer placed 13th overall out of 124 var-,:
sity girls runners at the Greyhound Invitational on Satur-
day. (Photo/Will Davis) : :
Camryn of Gray Station,
who finished with a time of
13 minutes, 9 seconds, by
about two seconds.
Jessica Goodwin recorded
Monroe County's top time
of 13 minutes, 40 seconds to
place third overall out of 154
C-Team girls runners. Mon-
roe County's other counting
with a time of 15 minutes,
42 seconds, Ave Hill, who
placed
49th with a time of
16 minutes, 8 seconds, Kai- -.:
tlynn Whitten, who placed :::"
82nd with a time of 17 min- =
utes, 32 seconds, Carson
Brown, who placed 88th
with a time of 17 minutes,
53 seconds, and Amelia "
times were recorded by:Jones, who placed 118th "
Alanna Wood, who placed with a time of 19 minutes,
fourth with a time of 13 35 seconds.
minutes, 52 seconds, Ella Other C-Team girls
Hoover, who placed 13th squads who competed in "
with a time of 14 min- Gray on Saturday in order
utes, 30 seconds, Kadence from highest to lowest finish
Brown, who placed 26th included: Oak Hill, Evans, :
with a time of 15 minutes, 9
seconds, and Amelia Stone,
who placed 33rd with a time
of 15 minutes, 27 seconds.
Other Monroe County
C-Team girls runners who
competed on Saturday but
failed to record counting
times induded: Mary Alice
Marks, who placed 39th
Gray Station, Locust Grove, ,*
ACE, East Laurens, John
Milledge, Henderson and
Clifton Ridge. ':
MP'S girls varsity, IV and "
C-Team squads will next
compete at the Rock Ranch
Invitational in Yatesville at
5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. ":
26. =
