In the next issue, we'll make a similar analysis of whitetail scrapes. Very few buck rubs are made by deer removing antler velvet, a process that's normally completed within 24 hours. Instead, most rubs are made by relatively few dominant bucks to signal their readiness to breed and to proclaim their control over a given area. Rubs are intended to be eye-catching. But they're also anointed with the maker's distinctive scent.
All whitetails possess specialized forehead skin glands that become increasingly active in autumn.
And tests indicate that mature, socially high-ranking bucks exude greater amounts of the glandular secretion than do younger males or females. The chemical signals exchanged at a rub tend to suppress the aggressiveness and sex drive of young males. However, those same signals stimulate females and help synchronize breeding cycles. As a result, the presence of older bucks and their signposts helps maintain social order in a given area. When they're in the mood, whitetail bucks will rub just about anything, including fence posts and powerline poles.