Fresh sign is the difference between an active pattern and a dead end. Tracks with crisp edges, moist soil, or clear toe separation usually indicate recent movement. Old tracks have rounded edges, leaf litter inside them, and soft detail. In dry conditions, even fresh tracks can look faded, so compare several prints before deciding.
Rubs tell a similar story. Fresh rubs show bright wood, curled shavings, and no weathering. Old rubs darken quickly and collect debris. Scrapes are freshest when the soil is wet, the licking branch is damp, and new droppings appear nearby. Dry, leaf-covered scrapes are usually inactive.
Use a combination of sign types. A fresh track line with a recent scrape and a warm bed tells you deer moved through very recently. On public land, that blend of sign is the green light to set up quickly and hunt before pressure resets the area.
On public land, the details that seem small add up fast. Mark the conditions you saw, how deer reacted, and how other hunters used the area. Those notes let you build a repeatable plan instead of relying on luck. If a spot produced but access was marginal, adjust your route next time. The goal is to learn faster than the pressure changes, and to stack small improvements over the season. That mindset keeps you ahead of the average hunter and in sync with how deer adapt.