A deer rubs his antlers on a small tree to mark his territory right? How complicated can that be? Well, here are some things that will shed new light on what rubs actually mean.

By Bernie Barringer

Outdoor writers like myself are always looking for new ideas and new things to write about. We are always analyzing what we see and trying to learn more from each nugget of bucks sign, mostly in the hopes that we can learn something which we can pass along to our readers in order to educate them and help them hunt more effectively. That’s all good.

The bad side of the coin is that we also tend to overthink and overanalyze things from time to time. In our zeal to learn more that we can write about, we sometimes read way too much into what we are seeing. I think that is true with much of what has been written in the outdoor magazines about rubs in the past 20-30 years. There are even books about how finding rubs lined up in one direction can lead you to your next big buck. Well, let’s just say that’s a stretch.

The advent of GPS collars that track the movement and activities of bucks 24/7 has added to our knowledge of deer behavior, but it has also turned some long-held beliefs into rubbish. Some of those beliefs are related to how deer make and use rubs. Here are three myths that we can put to rest.

Rubs are Territorial Markers

If bucks were patrolling a territory, making rubs to mark the edges of their range, the GPS tracking data would bear that out, but it does not. There is no evidence whatsoever that bucks even have a territory they try to protect in any way. They do have home ranges—areas where they spend the majority of their time—but they show no evidence that they try to protect that home range from other deer in any way.

That’s not to say that rubs are not forms of communication; however, because they are. When the bucks rub trees they deposit scent on them, which communicates to the other deer in the area the statement that, “I was here.” But really, not much more than that. It’s a way for deer to get to know each other better and have a feel for who is using the same areas they are using.

Velvet Shedding Rubs

Some deer authorities have surmised that different rubs at different times of the year and on different sizes of trees can be filed into certain categories, such as Velvet Shedding rubs, Signpost Rubs, even Rutting Rubs.

Possibly the most misunderstood is the belief that bucks use rubs to remove the velvet from their antlers. First, it’s important to understand that when the velvet dries, it will fall off whether they rub it on something or not. Secondly, if a buck is inclined to remove it, it wouldn’t make much sense for him to use the trunk of a small tree to remove it. Some bucks don’t seem to care much unless the velvet is hanging down impairing their vision, while others seem to aggressively work at tearing it off.

A friend once watched a full velvet whitetail walk by just out of range on September 5. He sat in a ground blind and watched that deer walk right up to a leafy bush and stick his antlers right into the brush. The buck twisted and turned the antlers in the brush, then slashed at it from side to side a few times, completely removing every trace of bloody velvet within 60 seconds.

Bucks may remove some of the velvet from their antlers by rubbing on tree trunks, but that’s not the preferred method.

Only Big Bucks Rub Big Trees

This has an element of fact in it because larger bucks do tend to rub larger trees than smaller bucks at time. But that’s about all there is to it. Biologists have theorized that one of the reasons bucks rub trees is to exercise their neck muscles for the battles that will occur during the rut. It stands to reason that a buck would choose a tree that has some flex too it so it “fights back” so to speak. Larger, stronger bucks would naturally choose thicker trees to create the exercise needed. Certainly, a tree that is really shredded was rubbed by a big buck because small bucks simply do not have the antler size and physical power to really tear up a tree the size of your wrist.

I have personally witnessed small and large bucks rub trees of any size. I have even seen them rub fenceposts and power poles that had no give at all to them. Some of these have been called signpost rubs. They can be rubbed by the biggest buck in the area one minute and then a spike the next. 

Signpost rubs are rubs that get used from year to year and are often on big trees. It seems like every deer that comes along, no matter the size, can resist giving it a stroke or two. These don’t seem to be chosen for any specific reason other than the fact that they are in a spot where a lot of deer go by. And that in itself has some value to the hunter.

So don’t read too much into what you see in a rub. In fact, if you really want to learn a lot about who is using a particular rub, put a game camera on it. Seeing is believing.

May bear hunters are interested in shooting a big mature bruin, but more and more bear hunting enthusiasts are looking to add a color phase bear to their collection.

By Bernie Barringer

Black bears are one of our most sought after big game animals in North America because they offer so many different opportunities and styles of hunting. Bears rarely harm humans, but the fact that the bear is a predator which could really mess you up adds the appeal and the adrenaline value of hunting them. One of the most fascinating things about black bears in North America is the phenomenon that they are not all black in color. Black bears come in a variety of colors that are loosely grouped into four major categories:

Blonde bears are characterized by yellow to a very light brown color and may have darker colored legs and head.

Cinnamons are a brownish-red color showing a distinct reddish tint characteristic of the spice after which it is named. In some areas these bears are called red bears.

Brown, normally called chocolate to distinguish them from Alaskan brown bears, can range from fairly light brown to a deeper, chocolate brown color. Dark chocolates are the most common color other than black.

Bears with jet black fur are the most common and have the unmistakable pure black fur with often a shiny black sheen. Blacks commonly have a white blaze on their chest in some locales, while bears of other colors rarely do.

There are other colors that show up in tiny geographic areas such as the Kermode Bear and the Glacier bear, but for the common man who would like to collect a bear of several colors, these four color phases—black, brown, cinnamon and blonde–represent the opportunities available to us.

A growing number of people are showing an interest in shooting a bear of a color other than black and I am one of them. I am aware of a very small number of people who have harvested one of each of the four major color phases. I have taken three of the four color phases and I am up for the challenge of taking the hardest of them all, the blonde phase black bear. I arrowed the cinnamon bear on a hunt with Thunder Mountain Outfitters in Saskatchewan during the spring of 2014. I have been working on getting the blonde for three years now. I would have bagged them all, but for the commitment I have made to myself to shoot one of each with a bow.

Why would anyone want to go to the trouble to shoot one bear of each color phase? Well, why do we have Pope & Young and Boone & Crockett record books? By our very nature, hunters are collectors; we like to add things to our collections and keep track of things like size, color and other characteristics. There are plenty of benchmarks to strive towards. Some people really want to get 500-pound bear, some want to get a B&C bear, some want one with a nice blaze on the chest and some want a bear of a different color. It’s a part of who we are as hunter-gatherers and collectors. And it’s an important part of why bear hunters love bear hunting. Deer hunters, for example, have little to go on by comparison. We measure antlers by the inch and in some areas deer are weighed and recorded. That’s pretty boring when compared to the benchmarks bear hunters have.

Interestingly, the vast majority of black bears of a color other than black are found west of the Mississippi river. There are tiny populations of brown bears in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, for example, but nothing like the numbers of color bears of the west. It’s estimated that about 5% of the bears in Minnesota are brown with the majority found in the northwestern corner of the state. Western Ontario contains a small number of brown colored bears as well.

Farther south, Arkansas and Oklahoma produce a little higher percentage of brown bears and even the occasional cinnamon. This is in keeping with the general trends that the farther west and south you go in North America, the greater the instance of color bears and the lighter the colors. This is a mystery but maybe someday a DNA study will be done and shed some light on this puzzle, but in the meantime, most of us are happy to have the variety and the challenge these western color bears offer.

So let’s take a look at the four major colors and divide them up geographically. If you are on a quest for a bear of one of these colors, this should help you narrow your search.

Blacks, of course, are found across the eastern US and Canada. Rather than explain where they are common, it’s easier to explain where they are uncommon. Across the western US they run about 50 percent and in some states less. Black bears are less common in Canada in the Rocky Mountains in Alberta and British Columbia where increasing numbers of browns cinnamons and the occasional blonde may be found. States such as New Mexico, California, Colorado, Utah and Arizona have fewer blacks than other colors. In Washington and Oregon, they run about 50% with other colors.

Black bears run at least 40-50% across the northern territories of Canada, and then become scarce in Alaska where once again most of the bears are black. The Northwest Territories has fewer black bears than the Yukon, showing a trend towards color that reverses itself as it gets closer to Alaska and the west coast of British Columbia. The coastal areas and islands of Canada have bear populations consisting of nearly 100% black bears except for the pockets of Kermodes and Glacier bears found in BC and Alaska.

Brown bears are the second most common color phase. I mentioned western Ontario and Northwest Minnesota, which is the eastern end of the range where brown bears are common enough to mention. As you go west across Manitoba, browns become more common, with chocolate, cinnamon and blonde bears showing up in good numbers in the Duck Mountain and Riding Mountain regions of western Manitoba.

Saskatchewan has good numbers of browns, especially the chocolates across the province. As you go west, browns are still common in Alberta and British Columbia, but the colors tend to be lighter, with some of the dark chocolates, but also more cases of browns a little lighter in color than what we would consider chocolate.

Brown bears are common across the Rocky Mountain states of the US, particularly more common in the northern rockies such as Montana, and in the Cascade Mountains of Washington and Oregon. There are plenty of chocolates, but also browns that trend a little lighter in color. These areas also show decent numbers of bears that are lighter in color on their back and shoulders, but fade to a deep chocolate in the legs and sometimes the head.

Cinnamon bears or “red” bears as they are called in some locales may be hard to distinguish from browns except for the red tint to their fur. This color is very easy to recognize in the sunlight but can look like a medium brown on overcast days while looking at them from a distance. Cinnamons are found throughout the western US and Canada but are not as common as browns. Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming boats the most cinnamons in the USA, and they range in good numbers from the far western part of Manitoba to the rockies in British Columbia.

Cinnamons are more common in populations in the southern Rocky Mountains. Areas with savannahs and open mountain slopes tend to have more cinnamons than the higher alpine regions.

Blondes are the least common of the colors. The occasional blonde will show up in Manitoba but the farther west you go, the more blondes you will have. In no area are they abundant. Because they are such a novelty, larger specimens tend to be rare no matter where you go. A blonde bear of any size is desirable to many hunters so a smaller percentage of them reach large size except in remote areas where there is little to no hunting pressure.

The highest number of blondes in a population are found in the desert southwest with New Mexico and Arizona leading the way. Colorado and California are good options too. Following those options would be Idaho and Montana. Alberta is the Canadian province with the most blondes, although the areas with numbers of blondes tend to be spottier than the best parts of the States. If you would be considering a trip to any Canadian province with a blonde bear high on your priority list, make sure you ask to see recent trail camera photos if the hunt is a baited hunt. One advantage of hunting Alberta is the two-bear limit. This allows you to shoot a nice representative bear if the opportunity presents itself, then hold out for the color of your choice.

I have found that many Canadian outfitters like to say they have 30% color bears. That’s a number that’s thrown out in most of the four western provinces. But without a doubt, some areas produce more browns, blondes and cinnamons than others, so you must do your homework and due diligence so you are not duped into going to a place that is less than the best for what you want in a color phase bear.

The Confusing Genetics of Bear Coloration

Why do black bears occur in a variety of colors? I have asked this question of several biologists and all of them offer the same basic answer: We don’t really know. Some theories have been put forth, some of which seem plausible.

The predominant theory has to do with the geographic range of the bears. In the western states, bears tend to spend more time in the open, feeding in clearings and on open hillsides. Having a black coat in the open sunshine may not only be uncomfortably warm, but might also make the bear more visible. The black coats on bears that live in thick forested areas can be an advantage. This adaption to the environment would stand to reason, and the geographic location of most color phase bears would seem to support the theory. But there are many areas where blacks and other colors are mixed in thick forested areas.

If these colors were actually an adaptation to their environment, it would stand to reason that the colors inferior for the particular environment would have been eliminated long, long ago. But you can go to many places and find the light yellow blondes and jet black bears living and feeding side by side.

Bears of differing colors can occur in the same litter. I once saw a black bear sow with two blonde cubs. I’ve also seen a brown bear with a black cub and a cinnamon cub. I have a black sow bear on my property this year with four cubs, three of which are brown and one is black. Sows commonly breed with more than one boar. Could these cubs be from the same father or could she have bred with males of two different colors? Like the answer given by the biologists, we really do not know for sure.

The Grand Slam of Color Phase Bears

There’s a grand slam of turkeys and a grand slam of sheep; why not a grand slam for predator hunters. There are four species of bears in North America, black bears, polar bears, brown bears and grizzly bears. That’s one grand slam available to bear hunters, but finding a place in the budget for these hunts is out of the question for most of us. A grand slam of all four major color phases of black bears is more attainable for the average hunter. Shooting a blonde, black, cinnamon and a chocolate is a goal only a handful of hunters have reached, but it’s within reach for the working man’s budget. It’s time we bear hunters have an organization that keeps track of grand slams for bear hunters and I am compiling a list of people who are interested in being involved. If you have taken all four species or all four colors, or have an interest in doing so, contact me at berniebarringer@gmail.com.

Color Phase Bear Percentages by State/Province

State/Province                                    Percent*         Available Colors       

Arkansas                                  20                    Brown, Cinnamon

Arizona                                    60-70+                        Brown, Cinnamon, Blonde

California                                  70-80+                        Brown, Blonde, Cinnamon

Colorado                                  60-70+                        Brown, Blonde, Cinnamon

Idaho                                       30-40               Brown, Blonde

Michigan                                  5-                     Brown

Minnesota                                5+                    Brown

Montana                                   30-40               Brown, Blonde, Cinnamon

New Mexico                            60-70+                        Brown, Blonde, Black Mixed

Oregon                                     40-50+                        Brown, Cinnamon, Blonde

Utah                                         60-70+                        Brown, Blonde, Cinnamon

Washington                              40-50+                        Brown, Cinnamon, Blonde

Wisconsin                                 5-                     Brown

Wyoming                                  40+                  Brown, Blonde, Black Mixed

Alberta                                     25-30+                        Brown, Cinnamon, Blonde

British Columbia                       20-25               Brown, Blonde, Cinnamon

Manitoba                                  25-30+                        Brown, Cinnamon, Blonde

Northwest Territories                25-30-             Brown, Blonde, Black Mixed

Ontario                                     5-                     Brown, Cinnamon, Blonde (Mostly in Western)

Saskatchewan                          25-30+                        Brown, Blonde, Black Mixed

Yukon                                      25-30+                        Brown, Blonde, Black Mixed

*Percentages are estimates and vary depending upon specific area. All other states and provinces not listed less than 1-percent.

Don’t wait until the last minute. You can increase your chances of shooting a nice buck this fall by doing some preliminary work in the summer.

By Bernie Barringer

If you’re sitting here reading this deer hunting magazine in the summer, I’d say it’s safe to assume you’re a pretty serious deer hunter.  Like most deer hunters, I think about whitetails year ‘round, but most of my preparation and scouting activity is done just before the season opens. Most years I hunt from opening day right through the final bell. However, these days I find myself involved in deer hunting tasks year ‘round, especially in the summer.

I like fishing as much as the next guy, probably way more than most, but I believe it’s really important to take a few days to concentrate on hunting chores during the summer months. I have found that there are a few specific things I can do during the dog days of summer that will significantly up my odds of shooting a buck in the fall.

Preseason work has been paying off big for me. I have gone into each hunting season feeling much more prepared and confident that ever before and my success, especially in the early season, but really all season long, has proved the value of this preseason work. I encourage you to take some time to do these five tasks and I think you will agree that they are well worth it.

Trim shooting lanes

Saplings and brush grows up around your treestands every year. If you wait till the last minute to trim it, you may alert the deer to your presence. They know their woods intimately, and some fresh cut trees lying around right before the season opens might put a mature buck on edge.

In the summer, you don’t have to worry about drops of sweat on the ground and you can pile the trimmings in a way that will move the deer past your stand. Using a pile of brush to gently guide movements only works if it has been done well ahead of time. Some of these subtle brush piles can make the difference between having a deer move past your stand out of range versus have the buck you want standing right in your shooting lane.

This guiding doesn’t have to be a big operation. Even a couple limbs can cause the deer to alter their movement by walking around them rather than pushing through. On private land with permission, you can even hinge-cut a tree and drop it across a trail to block it.

Improve bedding areas

My friend and Iowa big buck nut Jon Tharp taught me this one, although he says it didn’t originate with him. During the winter, Jon does his hinge cutting to improve the amount of sunlight getting to the forest floor, but in the summer, he actually creates deer beds. That’s right, individual beds where he wants the deer to lie down.

Bucks do not like to lay on sticks and stones, so you can make a nice bed with a rake by clearing out a small area. Bucks like to put their back against some kind of structure just like a big bass would, so deer beds are best made with some kind of cover next to it. A downed log or deadfall tree is great; a small brushpile works as well.

Bucks will bed down where they feel secure and you can create a feeling of security for them that will keep them from wandering over to the neighbors by making a group of individual beds that allow them to see what’s in front of them and have a barricade behind them. By doing several at differing angles, you allow the buck to use the one he prefers in various wind directions.

Plant a throw-and-grow brassica food plot

You don’t have to be a farmer to plant a food plot. There are a couple simple tactics that work very well with little effort. You can till up a small clearing in the woods and rake in some brassica seeds. Plants like turnips, kale, forage rape, sugar beets and radishes all work really well.  The best time to do this is early August right before a rain. Deer do not pay much attention to these plants as they grow throughout the late summer into early fall so they have time to become established. But once cold weather arrives, the deer pound them. These plants become more palatable after a hard frost turns the starches in them to sugar. The deer are piling into them during the early archery season. Perfect timing. Strike right away because they get cleaned up quickly.

Another easy plot can be created if you have a treestand on the edge of a crop field. By raking these seeds right between the rows of corn or soybeans in front of your treestand, you’ve created a mini food plot of your own. OF course, if you don’t own the land, you’ll need permission, but most farmers will allow this. The might look at you a little funny until they see the results, but it can’t hurt to ask.

When the corn or beans are harvested, the brassicas are sitting there ready for the hungry deer. With the right planting timetable, these little secret spots are often at their peak in perfect timing for the October archery seasons.

Keep those scouting cameras working

Far too many hunters wait until just before hunting season to put out their scouting cameras. I have a half-dozen cameras working all summer. I have them on mineral sites and in bedding areas. Not only is it fun to watch the bucks’ antlers grow and the fawns rapid daily maturing, but you can learn a lot about the deers’ preferred travel corridors. This is important information that will help you pattern the deer later on.

In the summer, you can be a little more aggressive about moving about in areas the deer are using. While you would never consider violating a buck bedding area during the fall, you can safely check a camera in there every couple weeks during the summer. Spray down with Scent Killer to reduce your intrusion and check the cameras no more than twice a month. Check just prior to a rain whenever possible.

Additionally, cameras help keep tabs on which bucks are in the area. By taking an inventory of them, you can make a “hit list” or at least have a feel for the property’s potential. Without a knowledge of what bucks are living in the area, you might decide to hold out for a 140 class buck or better when there aren’t any.  Possibly the best way to get an inventory of the deer is with a pile of corn near their normal feeding area. You’ll get a picture of most every deer in the area within a week or so. Check your local regulations before doing so.

Spend time behind a spotting scope

By the end of July, bucks have their headgear nearly fully grown. At this time, they may be more visible during daylight than any other time of the year. They readily feed on soybeans and alfalfa during the last couple hours of daylight. Find a high point where you can mount a spotting scope to your truck’s window and watch their evening movements into the fields. This will help you keep track of the bucks and where they like to enter the field in the prevailing conditions. Take not of the wind direction and where the bucks enter the fields during these conditions. This info will help you choose stand locations.

Bachelor groups of bucks are together at this time and nothing makes your heart beat faster than seeing a bunch of nice bucks together in a field you will be hunting in just a few weeks.

So don’t spend all your time lying by the pool or fishing in the summer. You could be missing out on some enjoyable work that could pay off in a big way when the season rolls around. Consider trying a couple of these tactics and just see if it doesn’t improve your hunting come fall.

BONUS: Improvements on Public Land

Most of these tips are aimed at people who hunt private land. It might surprise you to find that you can use all five of these strategies on public hunting land in many states. Until a few years ago it never occurred to me to improve deer habitat on the public land I hunt, until one day when I was scouting I came across a half-acre of nice green plants. Seems someone had planted a small food plot of forage rape in a natural clearing right front of their treestand. Certain that this was illegal on state land, I called up the game warden and was told that there is no law against it in Minnesota.

From that point I realized that there are many things I could do to improve even the public hunting properties I hunt. I have improved the bedding areas, created deer beds, inventoried the deer, altered travel patterns by blocking and improving trails and even scattered seeds of plants deer find desirable.

Of course by helping yourself, you are helping everyone else that hunts that land. And there is the possibility that you may arrive to hunt and find someone else taking advantage of your hard work, but I have found that more often than not, most other hunters do not even notice the improvements I have made and I now know some things that most hunters don’t, such as where the bucks are bedding and how they are travelling through the property. I have a better inventory of the bucks that live on the property and their feeding and bedding patterns.

For sure, check your state laws before you do anything. Each state is different in their laws, and many public lands are county or federal, which brings even more possible liberties or restrictions into the mix. And there are normally workarounds you can use. For example if it’s not legal to cut brush to direct deer traffic, you can pile dead branches you gathered from the area. Be creative!