[Fairchild #17]

I found a line of cedar trees today in a thicket that were scratched up, but only 12-36" off the ground.
Nothing like a buck rub, and not chewed on like porkies or rabbits would do.
Has anyone ever seen definitive evidence of a bobcat scratch post like this? I did find two tootsie roll turds laying on top the pine needles in the vicinity.....and this is where I caught two cats on back to back nights two years ago.
It was getting late and I didn't have a camera, but I threw in a big ol dirthole quickly before I got out of there.

 

[Renny28]

Re: Bobcat Scratch Post

I've seen it before. Sign was on old stumps pulled years ago that got drug to the hedgerow and left to rot.

 

[bobcat]

Re: Bobcat Scratch Post

seen it a few times and usually on cedar, spruce or hemlock.

 

[Fairchild #17]

Re: Bobcat Scratch Post

 

[tundragriz]

Re: Bobcat Scratch Post

I've seen lion and bear territorial markings and you can see individual vertical claw marks, can actually tell how wide the paw is from the scratch marks. They're on smaller diameter trees too than what appears in your pic, they look like big trees. Could you see vertical claw marks? Any logging evidence, the marks look horizontal like skidded log marks.

 

[bobcat]

Re: Bobcat Scratch Post

uhh thats not like what i've seen but i've never seen it on cedars that big either. i have the same question as tundra.... can you see the claw marks in a line? i've seen coon den trees that had alot of bark knocked off from repeated climbing but they dont look quite like that either. trail cam time!

 

[baldy]

Re: Bobcat Scratch Post

most of the trees I've seen were ceder and tree was shredded.

 

[Fairchild #17]

Re: Bobcat Scratch Post

No logging going on, it's just a narrow strip of cedar/arbovitae that borders the farm land.
Strips of cedar are laying on the ground beneath the trees, and some vertical marks are present, but most of the marks are deep gouges.

 

[trappin4reds2010]

Re: Bobcat Scratch Post

Houses nearby? How close?

 

[Fairchild #17]

Re: Bobcat Scratch Post

Houses within 500 yards. No kids around though, and the marks are too random to be anything human anyways.
What are you thinking? There are barn cats running around.

 

[trappin4reds2010]

Re: Bobcat Scratch Post

I was thinking that when I was about 8-10 years old I was given my first hatchet, smallest, dullest hatchet you ever saw, and quite a few trees around the neighborhood ended up looking ALOT like that.. I didn't get that hatchet back for a couple years when my dad saw what I was up to.... lol

The marks being too random to be human also fits nicely with the mindset of a couple 10 year old boys with nothing to do and a new toy..

If that aint it, then I'm stumped. I've seen scratchings and such on tree but nothing that looked like that. Not since I was a kid anyway....

 

[338/378wm]

fairchild, i found 3 days ago what i know is a bobcat scratch. i am trapping up in susquehanna county, the farm we shot the 37lb tom on last year. in the same area we shot the cat i found a pine tree about 12 inches in diameter on the edge of an old brushy field surrounded by goldenrod an pickers. i saw a trail going into the pine tree. went in to check it out and found the side of the tree to be all scratched up. from about 30 inches up all the way down the tree had vertical scratches. dried sap and healed over scars shoed this tree has been scratched for years. good news is there are fresh scratches. bedded 2 traps at the base of the tree this thursday. thursday night and friday night the weather was real bad and nothing moved. today when i checked in the fresh snow i found fresh cat tracks on the farm. real nice tom tracks. he didnt go by any of my sets last night but he is headed that way. hopefully within a few days he will go by some of my sets and i will have pics to post. i took pics of the scratch post and will post them for you soon.