He is wet on lower body but the long hair is gone exposing the slightly brown underfur on his rump, sides and legs, and he has sort of a Mohawk step down in hair length about the middle of his back. Unusual to be rubbed so badly this early.

thanks for sharing!

Thanks for that, I was never quite sure what rubbed meant. The only bear I have seen in the wild was 40 yds from the truck in the dark.

The time I hunted bears in Alberta, I had a couple come in with bare skin showing. it was very obvious of the rubbing. This is more subtle. Cool pics for sure.

That doesn't look right at all. I haven't seen one rubbed so "uniformly" around the rump and tail, yet have a nice mohawk. He looks healthy, so mange would be ruled out. Maybe he just had a major itch Flinch

Looks like a southeast alaska bear to me.

I had the same thought, particularly about maybe having an itch! (or a pain that kept him rolling around during hibernation to try to get comfortable). The worst rubbed bear I ever saw had a broken wrist that had never healed, and evidently he tossed and turned all winter due to pain during hibernation and had rubbed bald spots by the time he came out on the snow in spring. He was big, but not much for hair. A friend killed him when he saw that the bear was injured and grouchy.

Big Sky: Coastal B.C.

The nice, even rub is the preferred pattern for a trophy.

Guess your internet name should have tipped me off. Feeling kind'a dumb. I did figure that is was either S.E. Alaska or B.C. they just look different there. From what I've read there is some kind of parasite that causes a lot of that hair damage. Looks like rubbing but is actually parasite damage which would explain why some bears appear to come out the den rubbed.

Hadn't heard of the parasite but as you say, it explains some things.

I helped skin a grizzly once that had little patches or tufts cut from the fur by mice while he had hibernated. That's what I was told, and it sure looked like that. Either a mouse or a mini-elf with scissors. Golf and tennis ball size patches of fur cut neatly about half to 3/4 way down to the hide.

However that bear lost his hair one thing is for sure. He is one UGLY bear!