Oh, I miss seeing the bears that usually roam through the yard. American Black Bears (Ursus americanus). Their population has dropped drastically the past few years due to mange, a type of serious skin disease caused by parasitic mites.
The yard seemed to be a highway for them. They typically chose marking trees or marking poles along one of their favorite paths to leave their scent, while rubbing, clawing and biting the tree or pole. No matter their age or sex, but most often mature males do the marking, during mating season.