Is this black bear sign?

[Poser]

I’ve been scouting 2 bears in their summer patterns. The one in question is hanging out pretty high for a bear, with a fair amount of sign between 10,600 and 11,200. He seems to be quite the excavator with lots of overturned rocks and poop in and around scree slopes in the area.

Anyway, came across 2 of these sites out in the alpine. Appears to have been excavated. Not sure what else would do this besides a bear, but I’ve never seen digging on this scale out on the alpine tundra. Thoughts?

 

[manitou1]

Do you have grizzly there?

 

[Poser]

Do you have grizzly there?

SW Colorado: 0 chance it’s a grizzly (though, some people will passionately claim otherwise). The last grizzly was killed in the San Juans in 1979.

 

[Bighunt531]

SW Colorado: 0 chance it’s a grizzly (though, some people will passionately claim otherwise). The last grizzly was killed in the San Juans in 1979.

Great book about it called ghost grizzlies

 

[Nickofthewoods]

My guess is either black bear or badger digging for rodents. The only other animal I could see excavating an area that high in Colorado would be humans at a mining claim which that obviously does not look like based on your photos. If this was farther north perhaps a grizzly or wolverine could be added to the likely suspect list?

 

[Bugger]

My guess is either black bear or badger digging for rodents. The only other animal I could see excavating an area that high in Colorado would be humans at a mining claim which that obviously does not look like based on your photos. If this was farther north perhaps a grizzly or wolverine could be added to the likely suspect list?

Good call on the badger guess, googled badger damage and some similar pictures turned up. Bears turn over rocks all the time but I’ve never seen a completely bare spot like that above treeline.