A buddy and I walked pretty far in behind a closed gate today looking for deer. On one of the roads we stumbled upon this:



At first I thought it may have been a bear but when we looked closer at it the claw marks were deep and made with surgical precision. like razor blades had been drug down the tree trunk. On the opposite side of the tree there were claw marks where I'm thinking the animal used one claw to hold on while it ravaged the tree with the other. I'm thinking it was a cougar. What do you guys say?

Bear

They'll do that to eat the inner bark.

Bears kill a LOT of trees that way.

it was fresh though. there was still a bunch of shavings from the tree that were on the ground. Shouldn't bears be hibernating right now?

The weather in Western Wa. is generally mild enough that bears can be active all winter.

Especially in the lowlands.

If you look up close you can always find some hair left on a scrape whether its claws or antlers doin the damage.

Bear.

I'm still thinking cat because the claw marks look as though razor blades were drug deep into the tree in a downward motion.

Just remember that black bear have short, hooked claws and can easily climb trees.

Hmm... Looks like some of those marks were made from an upward motion...

Could be just the picture though... Looks like a bear markin' his territory.

a lot of folks on another forum I posted that pic on are saying those could be marks from the eye guards of a masher blacktail buck. Over the past few weeks I've seen numerous rubs in different units and all have been on smaller saplings no bigger than 3-4 inches around, aside from the elk rubs I've seen. In any case I'll be putting a game cam or two in that area this year.

Definitely a bear. We had one come in camp and did that right next to a trailer one night. You could see some tooth marks crossways on the trunk.
Great picture to see. Thanks

God Damn 2MANY ..... there you go again! You're killing me me here!

Do ya' think it might have been a blacktail?

(Reach around marks . . .) OMFG! 2Many=2much!

problem is that rub is in 460 which closes on Saturday. I can't take any days off work this week either. Might head up after work Thursday though and sit just inside the timber in view of that rub for a few hours. Maybe spray some estrus scent around the tree and see what comes walking down the road.

RICH G?????

What?

Rich G would have this matter solved if he would weigh in......

Rich G already had this mystery solved before the picture was even posted.

He's going to give the official findings any day now...

and who is rich g?

Go here, Drew:

http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/692872/1.html

Have fun!

Fish on...

Todd