Bear Marking Territory

Ah! That feels so good! Sure looks like it, but that isn’t what is happening here. Black bears, young, mature, female, male, all bears mark trees, utility poles and wooden sign posts along their paths of travel.

Most bears that do this marking are males during mating season. They do this marking by rubbing their scent on marking trees. Rubbing, rubbing, rubbing shoulders, neck, back and crown.

They’ll also claw and bite the marking tree (whether it is that wooden sign post, utility pole or actually a tree) often leaving great scars in the wood. Utility poles seem to be a favorite, employing this marking as a way to communicate, one bear to another.

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

One thought on “Bear Marking Territory”

  1. Wow! I’ll take a closer look at the utility poles when I get to the woods. I’ve never seen a bear there, but others have. Great photos Brenda! (As usual.) Really enjoying all your posts.

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