What did this? picture added

[justyhntr]

We were up scouting for possible spring bear areas yesterday , and came across this scrape . Pretty fresh , was very sticky from pit .
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[justyhntr]

trying to post picture a different way

[treefarmer]

I've seen elk rub trees like that this time of the year.  They get right up to the base of their antlers       Might of been a bear but doesn't look like their normal peal and it's to far off the ground for them.       Just my opinion

[REHJWA]

Could be elk bite

[The scout]

I would say elk, only because it's pretty high off the ground and appears to be rubbed up and down. doesn't look super fresh to me, maybe a month old trying to shed if there are no elk in the area then definitely a squatch

[crowinghen]

Bottom of this thing  was 28 inches or so from the ground .

[bobcat]

I would agree that it's elk.

[benhuntin]

Porcupine


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[yum tag soup]

Definitely elk or porcupine

[nwwanderer]

Bark was not consumed, I see it hanging below the scrape, not a porcupine.  Elk new growth is pretty fragile, they pretty much protect it at this time.  They might scratch it with a hind leg but gently.  I am betting a goofy bear, they can not seem to leave anything alone.

[Humptulips]

Definitely elk. It's not right shape for porky or bear and the inner bark is not eaten which is what they are after. Probably done when shedding just before losing horns.

[JimmyHoffa]

the fibers on the branches below look like they're the result of rubbing, not scratching/cutting.

[Firedogg]

Porcupine. They don't eat the bark, they go after that yummy stuff between it and the wood. If it were an elk you would think there would be a scrape or two on the branches too.

[ghosthunter]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LomXWfMnhtk

[ghosthunter]

I think it is. A rub.

Porkys leave teeth marks across the tree, not up and down.

[Firedogg]

They sure do go up and down...


Do a google search "porcupine tree damage" and you will see pictures that look just like what the OP put up.

[The scout]

the main reason I would say it isn't porcupine is you can see the bark shredded going up and down, usually when a porcupine is done the edges are pretty clean or shredded on bottom and how would they do it that far off the ground?

[crowinghen]

I think we'll put a camera in the area maybe we'll see what did it.

[bearpaw]

the main reason I would say it isn't porcupine is you can see the bark shredded going up and down, usually when a porcupine is done the edges are pretty clean or shredded on bottom and how would they do it that far off the ground?

Porcupine climb, in fact I think they may spend more time in trees than on the ground, I see a lot of damage in the tops of trees.

I'm not positive what did the damage in the OP, but probably elk like Humptulips mentioned.

[Squidward]

Looks to me, more like a bear, and the sap wasn't ready to eat so he left the tree alone. If it was a bull, it looks like it would have hit the limbs on the side of the tree.

[trackemup]

No doubt that its an elk.  Probably a spike.  They like to use the tips of their antlers to rub just like that.  Firedog, the picture you posted is bear.  Don't always trust what you find on youtube.

[billythekidrock]

They sure do go up and down...


Do a google search "porcupine tree damage" and you will see pictures that look just like what the OP put up.

This is not porky damage. This is bear damage.

[billythekidrock]

trying to post picture a different way

I have seen pics like this where the elk were eating the bark but I am not sure if that is the case here or not. Certainly not bear or porky.

[Firedogg]

They sure do go up and down...


Do a google search "porcupine tree damage" and you will see pictures that look just like what the OP put up.

This is not porky damage. This is bear damage.

The picture I posted of the up and down damage is from a porcupine.

[DOUBLELUNG]

Barking by deer, elk or moose.  They scrape upward with their incisors to clear the outer bark, if the sap is running in the cambium they will scrape the inner bark down to sapwood and consume it.  Looks to me like the cambium didn't meet this one's standards.

[trackemup]

Firedog,

Sorry to correct you but that is not porcupine damage.  Classic bear.  They scrape up and down with their front teeth to scrape the cambium off.  Porcupine eat the bark.  I'm sure if you had a picture of the bottom of the tree there would be strips of bark on the ground.

[KILLA]

My money is on an elk. Look closely and I bet you find the hair in the sap.

[Kittman]

Nothing but a Bear did that.

[Old Man Yager]

Any hair on it? If an elk runs a tree that much there should be some hair on it somewhere

[crowinghen]

There was no hair in it .

[fishnfur]

I had elk rubbing alder well into February this year. This tree in question, absent elk hair - I'm also thinking bear:

https://www.google.com/search?q=bear+bark+stripping&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4u7qkkKDMAhUJyGMKHZPUDiUQsAQIIw

[KFhunter]

They sure do go up and down...


Do a google search "porcupine tree damage" and you will see pictures that look just like what the OP put up.

People attribute wrong information to photo's all the time on google "it must be true, I seen it on the internet"

For example the photo you used above, it's not a porcupine.  They do not drag their teeth down the tree for 12 inches or so, that's silly.

[KFhunter]

trying to post picture a different way

This is a bear peel,  not every tree they try is successfully peeled in long ribbons.  The bear sampled this tree and moved on.  It wasn't a good easy peeler.

[xdog]

Clearly a Man Bear Pig, if you look closely you can see the obvious and typical tusk markings and the sticky haze of nut fog spray.  👍🏻

[hunter399]

Bear for sure ,they do it in spring when really hungry,he will come back to lick sap,most of the time its all around the tree and it dies,thats why we have spring season.

[crowinghen]

We'll be heading to that area tomorrow to see if anything is going on.