Cougar Scratching Post???

[SW Blacktail]

Howdy, new to site, been watching for a while though.  I've had tunnel vision for bowhunting blacktails for over 20 years and haven't taken much time to figure out bear or cougar.  Though that is about to change hopefully.  I've seen a lot of bears the last few years around my house bordered by a lot private land, farms, & timber company land.  This past winter while scouting for deer I ran across  3-4 cedar trees on the edge of a swamp that I initially assumed were scuffed up by bears.  I'm 6'5" and with my arms stretched over my head I couldn't reach the top of the scuff marks.  They aren't tore up with obvious deep individual claw marks like I've seen other trees in the past.  I had bear cubs climb a tree and screw around with my game cam this summer elsewhere and these marks look nothing like that.  Any ideas??  Cougar maybe??  Something definetly is working these trees over.  Do cougars use scratching posts like house cats??

[bow4elk]

Coon trees usually have piles of stinky dung at the base or on the limbs...nasty stuff!

[billythekidrock]

Were the claw marks on the bark or is the bark removed?

[heavy hauler]

i have a ton of coons around my place eating dog and cat food.alot of the trees have claw marks also.    who knows   maybe you do have some cougars marking there territory.hopefully you get some pics

[fishseeker]

Porkypines will sit in a tree and chew on bark. Will leave claw marks. Most times I see the in trees they are up 4-6 feet sitting on a branch scraping away.  Will shead a tree like a bear!

[rasbo]

Ive never seen bear girdling on a cedar tree,ya got me wondering.Porcupines maybe

[bow4elk]

I've seen a few cedars like this too.  It's only cedars that are scratched.  I've never been able to figure it out because on the trees I've seen, there are not discernable claw marks.  It's more of an even sluffing off of the bark, but not natural peeling.  I'd love to know the answer to this as well. 

[bucklucky]

Ive wondered the same thing about those cedar trees. My vote is coon going up and down all the time. I kinda wondered if it was a cat but there is one right by my buddies house that looks just like that and he has alot of coon there. Coon seem to really like cedars. I would say thou like houndhunter said there is usually coon crap on the base of the tree and branches, but not always. If its not a den tree there probably wont be poo. I dunno. I have seen cat scratching posts in Idaho, dang thins acratching on road signs and have them about half wore through. I should have gotten pics but didnt. And it wasnt bucks rubbing either. Good question man!

[fishseeker]

Don't think thats a Porkypine. All I have seen in trees where sitting on a branch and working the bark above the branch. All were 5" to 10" trees