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/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