what is this, rub or something else????

[maddowg1192000]

we were out walking cedars up by LOW this weekend and came across this:

It looks alot like a rub but is 7ft tall. In the same areas there were about 15 smaller trees that looked the same but only up to about 4 or 5 ft.

We found these in 2 different areas of the cedars and both areas looked the same.

What do you think it is?

[Spearing Machine]

Possible moose rub?? I know they will frequent the LOW area still.

[Solaris79]

+1

[reinhard1]

i have seen that but only one time where i hunt [northern MN]. i have also seen the Moose that made that. haven't seen it since then. it's an awesome find. good luck.

[BobT]

That looks like a cedar tree. If so it could very easily be caused by deer putting their front paws against it to reach the leaves. I've seem this a lot in small cedar patches. Also, if you look at it you can see that it is rubbed right to the ground. Not likely with antler rubs but possible from hooves as they try to reach higher and higher.

[maddowg1192000]

those are the 2 things we thought when we saw them but why would they choose to eat cedar with all the fields around there

[walleyeking19]

Sasquatch loves cedar trees.

[ozzie]

It could be Moose or possibly a wayward Elk??? I am just guessing what would have enough length to reach that far up the tree....cool find and i am pretty sure I would be hunting that area hard just to possibly see what comes to the rub!!

[nofishfisherman]

Was there a bunch of cedar bark laying on the ground at the base of the tree?

Would a moose rub it perfectly all the way flush to the ground? Seems like it would not rub the bottom foot or two of the tree.

It almost looks like it was striped off and maybe eaten. That would explain how it was cleaned off so neatly all the way to the ground.

Could also be a combination of a moose rub and then something came by and pulled off loose pieces of bark stripping it to the ground.

[student]

Scratching post for a kitty kat?

[Big-Al]

Moose or elk would be possible but I would guess bear. They will use the bark to line their dens.

[Spike76]

Looks like the Elk rubs I've seen in Idaho. Where I hunt by Cambridge, there is a rub on a highline pole.

[charliepete]

Are you sure the rub on the highline pole isn't really a bear? They love to munch and scartch the creosote poles.

[gixxer01]

Porcupine. We've got alot of cedars that look the same way. Haven't seen it that far up before, but they use it as scratching post much like a cat would. First time I saw it was on a 12" round cedar. I spent the rifle season chasing down a mythical giant!

[The Grebe]

The trunk itself doesn't seem to be marked up at all and if a hard antlered animal was the culprit, there would be marks and gouges....which makes it look like it was peeled. I seen bird do this on smaller trees and shrubs, I suppose they peel the bark for nesting material....I never seen em do it on something that large though? Maybe a large bird with a draw knife?

[pureinsanity]

I vote human pulling bark off for holiday decor or tinder for a fire.

[harvey lee]

Pure, that is a sure telltale debarking of the northern 15# fox squirrel.

[pooly_31]

i would vote for porcupine as well but there are a few elk in the area. a very large 6x6 was hanging around warroad for a year before venturing east along the lakeshore. wouldn't rule out that possibility. was this closer to baudette? how far from the lake?