Antler stripping vs territory marking

I’ve noticed with reds that you often see two types of antler rubbing - little saplings that are debarked, and then bigger mature trees with deep scrapes in them.
Is one of these stripping, and the other territorial marking, meaning one done in January/February, the other March/April? Or is it simply a matter of finding the right tree?
The particular area I hunted last had heaps of saplings the thickness of a digit debarked, and it was Waitangi Day, this got me wondering if this was where they strip, and therefore whether they’d still be here come the roar.

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I think the stags use the smaller stuff to strip velvet and the larger trees more to mark territory and strengthen neck muscle for the coming rut. The smaller scrub/saplings would be more effective in taking the velvet off. On the trail cams we quite often see stags in wallows gouging clumps of dirt as well, nothing is really safe from them around this time of year.

I think the larger trees help to polish after the velvet has been stripped

Nar mate it was Waitangi Day it was the ghost of Hōne Heke practicing to chop another pole;)

Nice look rifle @tanqueray

All the stags I've seen stripping have been on smaller trees with lots branches low down, think they can get the velvet off in the tricky areas easier.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sideshow

Nar mate it was Waitangi Day it was the ghost of Hōne Heke practicing to chop another pole;)

Nice look rifle @tanqueray

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Thanks. It's actually for sale...

The big stags will snap little twigs like that, a couple of places I’ve seen stripping 2 half meters high from big body reds. Only need to watch the farmed stags in a bush block just smashing branches to bits. Stags move around a lot from the stripping of velvet stage too the holding up hinds roar stage.