Bear " Baby Sitting Tree "

A few weeks back I located an area that had seventeen piles of  bear scat in it. This find really caught my interest. Why would there be so much  bear scat in one spot. Further investigation showed an abundance of skunk cabbage which had been eaten by the bears. I left it that, the bears found  safe haven and just stayed in this general area because it provided food, water and safety. 

The more I thought about it the more questions I had. A return trip provided the answer. A big ole' elm tree sat directly in the middle of the scat piles. Not sure how this was missed the first time! I guess the excitement of locating all the scat piles kept me focused looking  down at the ground.

Once I looked at the tree, there was no doubt this was a bear " baby sitting tree" What a find !! The wear marks on the tree trunk were very obvious. 

A closer look revealed small claw marks.

This is a tree the sow would leave her cubs while out foraging or just sleeping next to the tree trunk.

This sow has four yearlings and most likely are on there own now. Next March I'll put a camera trap watching this tree in hopes the sow uses it for her cubs of the year.

Jim