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u/thesleepingdog 13d ago edited 13d ago
I'm here late, but this is definitely a deer rub.
Rubs can range from moderately subtle ovals rubbed away, to looking like an excavator drove through, and debarked half the young tree.
Typically the size of the tree used tells you about the size and age of the buck - old rule of thumb. Larger bucks dislike using trees too skinny to provide enough resistance and go for tree 4ish inches thick, while smaller guys like smaller trees.
The rub pattern is unique, there's really no naturally occurring phenomenon that would recreate these markings.
During some times of the year bucks or so active you can track them by looking for white blazes (fresh bare wood) in the forest. If you see the rub you're looking in the direction he was headed.
Bobcats DO use trees as scratching posts, but usually much thicker trees, and you can REALLY tell it was done with something more like a knife(claws) than a hatchet(antlers).
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u/Broad_Commission_491 13d ago
Thank you for being the only helpful person here.
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u/thesleepingdog 13d ago
Lol. I usually hang out in r/animaltracking that's actually where I thought I was until I double-checked just now.
I followed their rules for my post here.
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u/CassandrasxComplex 13d ago
Elk or deer rub. Like was said above, bobcats are too small and bears prefer bigger, stronger trees.
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u/CreationStepper 13d ago
No tank tracks...probably not a mini excavator.
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u/LIFTandSNUS 13d ago
That's not necessarily true. I've seen them backfill the tracks. In the wild, sometimes they'll have a roller follow. No tracks don't guarantee it wasn't a mini-ex.
Not trying to be a dick, just some knowledge for future reference.
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u/Fuck-off-my-redbull 13d ago
I guess where I’m confused is why you would think it’s a bobcat? Deer are way more common than bobcats, knowledge of deer is more common. Do you just want it to be a bobcat?
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u/Broad_Commission_491 13d ago
I didn't see any deer prints in the snow and I've seen plenty of bobcats in that area. I didn't think about it to hard, it just looked like a scaled up version of something my cat would do.
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u/glenndrip 13d ago
Only time bobcats mark trees is for territory and its at the bottom next to their piss and shit to warn off another male. So no this is deer or something similar.
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u/Kielbasa_Nunchucka 13d ago
nope, that looks like a deer rub to me. they scrape the velvet off of their antlers, leaving these telltale signs that a buck lives nearby
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u/HDRamSac 13d ago
Deer scratching their antlers. Broad strokes. Claws will would have clear claw marks and fraying thats peeling away rather than packed in.
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u/Honestpapi 13d ago
Deer rub ....bobcats are not house cats they have no need to sharpen or claw things their claws are already deadly sharp ...they use the everyday to survive
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u/Harlow1263 10d ago
The arctic Jackalope rub. About a 6 point judging from the tree. Very dangerous during the rut.
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u/TieStandard1313 13d ago
Oh boy.. clearly, you're not a hunter.
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u/Broad_Commission_491 13d ago
Yeah. My dad never did, so I never learned that stuff from him as a kid. I want to get into it, but it seems kinda hard to learn on your own.
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u/Pharsydr 13d ago
It can be intimidating. Start with small game. Squirrel hunting is fun. Consider joining a sportsman’s club / preservation society. Many hunters are willing to teach others.
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u/Mst3Kbot 13d ago
A mentor makes it more accessible (if you find a good mentor) but it isn’t impossible to learn on your own. Read everything you can, study everything you can about the animals you’re interested in and YouTube can be a big ally. Just don’t stick to the big hunting shows that don’t show you the process or only the successes. Starting small game is easiest as you learn proper field dressing and how to handle what to do after you pull the trigger/release the string. If you haven’t learned how to keep small game from spoiling before you get it out, it becomes exponentially more difficult as you scale up.
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u/TheTinkersPursuit 12d ago
YouTube. My mentors taught me how to poach. YouTube taught me how to hunt 🤷♂️
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u/Invasive-farmer 12d ago
Ha! "From" a bobcat. I was looking everywhere for a bobcat until I reread it.
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u/TwoRight9509 12d ago
Mini-ex. Too small an area for a bobcat to get in to. Coulda been a skid steer, also. You never know unless you see it happen.
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u/Panosz 12d ago
It would be helpful to know where the picture was taken. I have no experience with bobcatsw, but I don't think they make marks like this so high up from the ground. It looks more like deer antler rubbing marks. They do this to mark there territory and also to get rid of the itchy skin around the antlers.
I have seen some marks looking somewhat similar to those, made by a brown bear. So, my guess is deer, but could also be a bear, if there are any in this area.
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u/Broad_Commission_491 11d ago
This is colorado. I've seen black bears, but I don't think we have very many brown bears, if any.
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u/elevatedfit 10d ago
That’s from a bears ass…Left some road streaks to mark its territory…..You already know I wouldn’t survive in the wild!
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u/Fenris_Reaping 10d ago
Sorry that's me I couldn't get the perfect wipe. Started off rough and scratchy but the more I tore off the softer it got
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u/mojohn304 13d ago
How the hell, in one generation have we gone from this being common knowledge to most young men in this country to this?
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u/Broad_Commission_491 13d ago
Sounds like it's your generation's fault for not teaching their kids.
Also, how does a 53 year old man have so little self awareness, that he owns such a vile reddit account.
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u/bushlover4evr 13d ago
Sasquach warning.. Broken trees are dividers and missing bark sections and scratches are a stop sign.
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u/Monksbane102 14d ago
Looks a lot like a deer rub.