Black Bears

[Tshokwane]

Credits to Chris Norcott.

This bear is making the best of a large rub tree on a winter afternoon. When I'm in the forest the trees tell me much of what I need to know about what bears are up to during the course of the year. Some of you may be familiar with bears "dancing" on rub trees as there are numerous videos circulating on the internet. It's very comical watching them when they find one of their favorite trees. So, why do they do this?

There are a number of theories such as scent marking, scratching, utilizing sap to help heal wounds and territory marking etc. I'm always on the lookout for these trees while I hike through the forest. If I find one there's a good chance I'll find a bear nearby. Several of the rub trees I keep an eye on have hair from different bears stuck to the bark which can be their course guard hair or the under coat which is thin and soft. In this image look to the right of the bears ear you'll notice the bark of the tree is almost gone. This is common when the bear bite and claw this area shredding the bark and exposing the sap which in this case is from an eastern white pine.

*This image is copyright of its original author

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