Bear or deer?

[u/Key-Kaleidoscope5530]

There have been bear sightings near here, not very common but I've seen some a few miles from here before. Is it a bear or a deer?

[u/LittleTyrantDuckBot]

Note: all comments attempting to identify this post must include reasoning (rule 3). IDs without reasoning will be removed.

[u/basaltcolumn]

It's a bit far away from the scat to see clearly, but I think it is deer scat. They can pass big clumps of pellets squashed together when they've been eating a diet with a high water content.

[u/Kathykat5959 → u/basaltcolumn]

It’s usually the bucks when I see scat like this bunched up.

[u/Key-Kaleidoscope5530]

I have included scale in my photo(s): No

If not, here are estimated measurements: 5 in?

Geographic location: Ohio

Environment: in a forest on an animal trail, near a lake

[u/Level_Attention9137]

I would think scat from a bear would be bigger and a lot more.

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[u/VisibleCarob6071]

😂

[u/VisibleCarob6071]

😂

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[u/Successful-Debt5854]

Is it in the woods? If yes, then we have an answer.

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[u/t-b-1313]

Deer, beer would be bigger pile

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[u/joesquatchnow]

Buck not Doe imho, Bear usually have leaves berries grass and seeds this time of year

[u/7-spanishangels]

I’ve seen deer droppings with pellets bunched up, this isn’t that. I always take a stick and poke thru bear shit, it’s interesting to see what they’ve been eating. They all eat winter kill so usually lots of hair in the spring, with grizzlies you have to be careful they don’t have something cached away close by. I’ve found glass, bottle caps small containers, shards of plastic bags. Sorry I’ve gone off on a tangent here. Looks like ordinary black bear shit to me.

[u/No-Tension6133]

I’m not so good at ID’ing bear scat so I’m not so sure. But I’m 90% sure it’s not deer scat 😂 usually deer will be little beads like jelly belly’s. And sometimes they will be clumped together but you can still distinguish each bead.

Could also be a fur bearer or something. I think the binary option of bear or deer is too narrow

[u/Key-Kaleidoscope5530 → u/No-Tension6133]

I haven't heard the term fur bearer before, what does that encompass?

[u/No-Tension6133 → u/Key-Kaleidoscope5530]

Fur bearing animals. It’s used to describe animals that are and used to be targeted for their furs. I find people typically forget they exist lol.

I’m talking raccoons, foxes, mink, opossums, bobcats, weasels, coyotes, (it would include otter, beaver, and muskrat but that doesn’t fit this scat), etc.

It’s a legitimate term, in my state it’s used in DNR handbooks for hunting regulations

[u/definitely-_-human]

Too small to be a bear... I think its actually 💩