Sky high? I dont think so , You gave the facts , and some things dont make a whole lot of sense.
And this is what I meen .
In one post you state that the whole body of the deer was off the ground, and it took a half hour to get it out of there ,This would be a min of 45" if the hinde quarters are on the ground. 60"+ if not. ( But in your reply to me you stated that a trail was down below the hill), so I am left to asume that the deer jumped off the trail , up the hill ,trying to make a rub (while streching)and some how angeld off to the left and got himself locked between the two trees?
FACT: 1. your avg. rub will be between 24"-34" from the ground
FACT:2 avg, neck length of a whitetail this size is 18"in the relaxed upright state (front of shoulder to top of eye.This alows me to measure the photos to a close degre of accuracey.(Though the neck is streched)+2"
The marks on this tree are 40+"
Also I wonder why you mentiond the deer coming down the hill(no one said anything about that>
Also pic. 5 shows inpact mark from the right brow tine aprx. 3" above the left ear
same pic shows left brow tine locked on tree shoot .
Right brow tine clearley showes strugle visable on the right side of shoot (same pic)
and yet no rub marks from the direction of the trail, but rather from an angeld slant, from top of hill that no one mentioned except you in you response to me and I cant understand why you brought it up!
Relaxed or streachd +22"MAX-This puts this deer well beyond any place he would like to put his horns . and making rubs 40"+ in trees
using this information and the info you yourself gave ,it is easy to dismiss any chance of this being any kinde of a rub.
A rub?Not plausable
Not possible
Just simple