Blacktail rub

[PNWheckle]

Last year I came across some rub in a new area and was almost sure it was a bull elk. Being it was the last day of the season for deer I never did find the culprit. I finally had the chance to go back out there this week and found some fresh rub from this year but no elk sign just deer. After setting up a trail camera I am hoping to go back in a few weeks and see a nice grey ghost on my SD card.

What nice blacktail rubs have you found and did you have success harvesting him?

The picture with the rifle is from last year, the rub was on a hill so it is higher than most.

The picture with two trees is from a few days ago on level ground with the top of the rub at about 5 and a half feet

[Southpole]

Here's one I found last year. That's about a 8ish/9ish diameter alder. Absolutely no elk in this area, just blacktail swamp deer.

[PNWheckle]

That's a thick tree! Would love to see that guy on camera or even better on the ground!

[Southpole]

That's a thick tree! Would love to see that guy on camera or even better on the ground!

Shortly after I had discovered that, there was a guy that had shot a super nice 4 by 4 blackie just up the hill about a mile. I'm thinking it was the deer that might have done that.

[Griiz]

I harvested this guy near his rubs. I have yet to find a blacktail that rubbed as many trees as he or tore them up as bad and it has been 20 years. His bases are covered in 3/4-1 inch stickers. He broke off another drop tine and point. I shot him at 20 feet and he fell dead at my feet as he didn't realize where I was.

[Watimberghost]

Wow Griiz, that's a giant buck! Love big mature blacktails!

[fishnfur]

That's a hell of a buck.  Blackies with drop tines make me drool!

If I'm questioning what made the rub, I can usually find some hair stuck to the tree, sometimes even if the rub is several months old.  I've never found hair in a rub after a long winter though.  My expectation is that if the rub extends much above my belly button, it's often an elk.  I sometimes find that both deer and elk will rub the same tree and can isolate hairs from both animals. 

[AKBowman]

I've found a ton of big blacktail rubs but never killed one near or at a rub. I've hunted rub lines and seen big bucks on or very near rubs just never killed a buck near one.

This one is THE BIGGEST or close to biggest BT rub that I have found.

[Turner89]

That's a good one AK.

[fishngamereaper]

Some nice rubs. For the OP your first pic looks like a true rub, your second looks like a bark eater did it. But hard to tell for sure just looking at a pic. I've had guys show me big rubs before that aren't rubs at all.

[PNWheckle]

Thats a nice buck Griiz! Never have I saw a drop tine like that. Also still waiting to get my first double throat patch!.

@fishngamereaper you could be right about the bark eater, never thought of that.

You have any luck with early archery yet @AKbowman? This is my first year trying archery and iv'e been stumped so far, never hunted so early

[AKBowman]

No I don't ever hunt early Archery BT. I love hunting the rut too much! Next 3 weeks are some of my favorite weeks of the year