Recently some buddies and I stumbled across a nice tree scraping. We figured it was a nice buck so we put out a trail cam and some doe pee. I got one picture of what looks like it's back and I'm questioning it because of the color of its fur. You can see a little bit of the tree, but lately he's been tearing it up. I doubt it, but does anyone know of any indigenous species that might do this other than Whitetail? Its probably just something walking by. It was taken in South Carolina sort of near Myrtle Beach.

How high up on the tree? If what your camera captured is in the lower left of the pic it looks like it could be a badger. Just a guess. BTW I lived in Myrtle Beach long ago... late 70's early 80's.

Yeah the thing on the lower left corner is what was captured. I always try to put the camera up at least 4 ft at a slight downward angle. The scraping though starts probably a foot off the ground and the tallest part is probably about 3 to 4 feet at most. The camera is pretty close to the scraping because the flash sucks. I'm going to put the camera back out tonight at a different angle and heres a pic of nothing to compare to. It could be a Badger, but I didn't know they lived over here. Do they scratch trees? I wasn't alive in the 70's and early 80's lol, but a lot has changed since I've been here.

A bear? If its not a bear, its probably a deer.

They do climb trees! I don't believe there are any bears in Myrtle Beach.

Wow, that's a cool pic. My mom owns a Dachshund Hound if that's the case, lol. I don't think badgers or bears are native in my immediate area. I mentioned Myrtle Beach because I figured it would be more recognizable, but I closer to Bucksport. Although I don't see why a Badger could not survive here. Black Bears are hunted in other counties and have been spotted in my county. However, if it was a bear that picture would probably be entirely black. I'm guessing it's a Bobcat, Coyote (doubt it), Hog (doubt it), Possum, Raccoon, Stray Dog, or Fox by coincidence. I'm not necessarily saying that it's what scraped the tree. It's too small to be a deer, but too big to be a small rodent. The main reason I ask is because it's sort of different than other scrapings I've seen. I've also put out two molasses/peanut butter containers that I made and they've both gone missing. The trees I hung them on looked like they got raped from whatever it was trying to get them.

It could be a bobcat. I hope you can get a better picture! Good luck with your hunt for the unidentified tree scraper.

Bobcat tree scratch - a territorial marker placed throughout a bobcat's territory used to help defend its range

Cool thanks for the pic, I didn't even know that bobcats would do that. My friend saw one eat a squirrel in a stand not too far from there. So I don't know if I'm going back out there without my shotgun. I put the camera back out at a different angle. I hope I get a better pic too. Thanks for the help.

Wild Bore?