Buck rubbing already?

[DDT]

Can't figure this out. A fresh rub, I took this picture Saturday. Don't think I have ever seen any this early. (Not a trailcam pic, sorry.) Thick woods edge along clover plot. Fresh beds in clover, needs mowing but using tractor for other things.

[Doc]

It sure does look like a fresh antler rub, but I think that at this stage of antler growth, the antlers would be a bit too tender for rubbing. It will be interesting to see what others think. But one does have to wonder what else that could be. I don't even have a guess unless somebody is playing a trick on you with the back side of their hunting knife.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Now you know where to stick a camera, to verify.

[Steve D]

11 hours ago, DDT said:

A fresh rub, I took this picture Saturday

Blew it up and it looks more like a last years rub than a fresh one to me.

[cbyzerman]

That does not look fresh at all

[DDT]

There are a couple of old rubs nearby dried out and no shavings, the shavings were still with this one and pliable and moist. Have to pull the camera cards this weekend. I have 2 cameras in that section of woods.

[dbHunterNY]

i feel like it's from early spring. with rain and stuff they're still damp. idk. hard to believe a buck is hard antlered this soon.

[NFA-ADK]

Porcupine?  I don't think its a rub, look at the location and where the buck would need to be to get a rub on that side.  Just does not look right, too low.  Bucks don't typically bend down to rub a tree and the bottom is real low to the ground.  Animal looks like it has done this for years, look at the bottom R/S of picture, same mark on an older tree.  JMO.   Any porcupine in the area?  

[catskillkid]

My guess it is last year's rub also. I've never seen porcupines chew on striped maple before, however bucks love to rub on them.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

No way its a fresh rub in June. Not a Whitetail anyways.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Take a closer look, could be rabbit damage. If it was a rub, or if it was very fresh, there would be shavings on top of the leaves around it.

[nyslowhand]

I've seen rubs when bucks are in velvet. Never aggressive, just simply an "itching" rubs barely scaring the tree. Definitely not peeling back all the bark as shown by OP! Like Doc mentioned, their racks are growing, full of blood vessels and assuming nerves, so they're probably somewhat tender to be doing any typical rubbing.

[genesee_mohican]

You will start seeing fresh rubs in late September. Bucks antlers are covered in velvet now and growing rapidly until about Aug 10th when they begin to harden as days get shorter.  That's about the time when my thoughts become more consumed with the upcoming season once again.

[eagle rider]

I wish, by us velvet seems very much in tact still.  This pic was taken last week.  The buck was fresh, I had passed that corner 30 minutes earlier and he wasn't there.  So as of a week ago, no rubbing in Central Suffolk.

[stubby68]

Wood chick ripping off strips of bark to chew