I was walking a new property with a " lease manager" and we came across a very fresh rub. is this possible january 27 ? or is this "Lease theater" please sign the contract??????? did he carve tree up with machete?

The vast majority of the time there will be multiple rubs in an area that creates a "rub line". I would also think it would be easy to tell the difference between a natural and man-made rub.

At this time in the season the bucks may start rubbing again in efforts to help facilitate their shedding process.

I was walking my property a couple weekends ago and found some fresher looking rubs and i am the only person on the property.

I found a nice fresh rub on our place last weekend as well (E TX)

I regularly find fresh rubs late in the season.

Have fresh rubs on our place as well.

Sure, you can see fresh rubs this time of the year because a doe is in heat..when the last doe comes in heat they will quit rubbing and shed their horns. Look for this every year ..I always do. The bucks rubbing surprised me years ago.. as the doe fawns born later will come in and the bucks are chasing them. Not unusual for sure. Some of the bucks around my place loose their horns as late as March 15...while some loose their horns in December.....usually young ones...but not always. Then later on is shed hunting time which I really enjoy doing. Have ya found a shed where you have walked many times then all of a sudden find a shed or part of a shed? This happens when the deer, usually does, get stressed during the year, for whatever reason, and begins to chew on sheds to satisfy the craving of calcium. That is also when you might find a shed in November and December thinking it may be this years early shed. I always thought that maybe rats or some other animal may have drug the shed up from the brush, never thinking it could have been a deer until my trail camera caught a doe with the shed in her mouth. surprised me..lol I just thought some of you hunters would be interested in that little story.

i never seen a deer chew on a shed but in dry years ive pulled several sheds and assorted bones outta some poor cows throat
im in gonzales county but my pastures are stretched into dewitt and karnes
ive found several old bucks dead over the years around water in late december early january that have shed their antlers nothing but a bloody pedicle on their heads

don't' get on a lease because you see a rub, or don't see a rub.

there are areas on my lease that you can sit in one spot and count over 50 rubs, and other areas that you see practically none.

now if you start finding 200" sheds laying around on your walk, maybe get skeptical...

Heck, I was rubbing on a tree just yesterday.

I need to look more

I saw a buck chasing a doe yesterday morning. Then he stopped about 40 yards away and wore out a mesquite sapling.

I watched a young 8 point saturday morning rubbing the snot out of a yaupon.

Early born doe fawns or those doe fawns that are large enough body weight wise to breed now. Not uncommon to see fresh rubs and scrapes even later after this is some areas.