Something tore up a phone pole and cedar tree in my yard

[Breakaway500]

Looked out this morning to see limbs down under a cedar tree in my front yard. Further inspection revealed something heavy left print impressions and also scratched up a phone pole.
I'm thinking a bear. It's in a blind spot for my cameras so no footage.
There were two birds nests in the tree..now gone. I guess black bears like eggs!
I had better be careful letting the dog out for a midnight wizz..

 

[kamloops67]

Not a linesman doing work on the pole ?

 

[Bald1]

Those don’t look like bear tracks. It’s clearly a Bigfoot.
Or maybe just a linesman as mentioned

 

[ladder13]

If a lineman caused that he needs to go back to pole climbing school.

Former lineman, splicer for AT&T in my youth.

 

[Breakaway500]

I doubt it was a linesman especially when they all use bucket trucks around here,and I would have heard that kind of activity as it's only 50 feet from my house.That pole is on my property by at least 100 feet. Plus he stole the birds nests? Hungry dude!

 

[jkmo]

Yogi was hungry

 

[chief38]

SASQUATCH!!! I heard he was in Town.

 

[SMSgt]

I've seen trees in the woods clawed just like that pole. I'm going with bear also.

 

[Alk8944]

It sure wasn't the neighbors cat!

 

[llowry61]

Whatever it was weighed a good bit based on those tracks unless it is really swampy there.

I wouldn't leave any picnic baskets around.......

 

[Skeet 028]

Plus he stole the birds nests? Hungry dude!

Yogi climbed the tree...BooBoo caught the nests for takeout Breakfast Tacos from Taco Johns

 

[twodog max]

My bet is on bear. I can show you many similarly marked poles just like that or much more damaged. For whatever reason males like treated wood poles to mark their territory and resinous trees like cedar.
Other bears use these markers as a means of knowing who is in the area. These sites can be high traffic locations for other bears.
I my working days as a wildlife biologist I trapped female bears for collaring purposes. These marked places were always excellent places to catch bears.
This is the bear rutting season so marking is used a lot right now.

 

[Chuck24]

My bet is on bear. I can show you many similarly marked poles just like that or much more damaged. For whatever reason males like treated wood poles to mark their territory and resinous trees like cedar.
Other bears use these markers as a means of knowing who is in the area. These sites can be high traffic locations for other bears.
I my working days as a wildlife biologist I trapped female bears for collaring purposes. These marked places were always excellent places to catch bears.
This is the bear rutting season so marking is used a lot right now.

So it was a tree-mail

 

[2152hq]

If a Lineman climbed the pole to do some work, it seems as though there would be fresh spur marks up and down the pole.

Not just the slash marks in one area on the pole,,,unless he/she was a very frustrated & angry LinePerson and took it out on that pole for some reason..

 

[mike4sigs]

Looks like you need to put a trail camera up.