The scat question is a good one. Just two or three weeks ago I came across three seperate scat droppings, all about twenty yards apart. The third was made where he turned to see who was coming. They eat so much, I wouldn't doubt if they dropped their calling card all day long.

Jim,

I was thinking 3 maybe 4 times a day in the fall, but just guessing.

Depends too on what they're eating. Like people, bears get bunged up with some foods and with others like berries will dump it more frequently.
Marking trees is common around food sources so they'll do that whenever an area has regular opportunities for feeding like berry patches, fish runs or baited sites. For example, when I set up a new baitsite, the bears mark it almost immediately until I quit baiting that site. Next fall when I start to re-bait that stand, they'll mark it again. One thing to notice is that they usually mark soft barked trees like balsam, young whitepine and aspen (poplar) far more often than any other species. I believe marking an area is strictly a territorial issue.
Bears usually like to bed near current feeding areas. You can find them sacked out on a knoll anytime of day overlooking a bait or food source or in a cool swampy area where theres also a source of water. They're most active early morning and just before dark but like moose and deer, are up and down steadily while they go from feeding to resting 24 hours a day.

thanks sawbill.

In all the areas where I spotted tree markings this year they were near places the bears had been breaking branches getting to acorns. I did not find any berries until the end of season. Next year I plan to get out and scout much better and earlier than I did this year.

Take the time to look at the markings a bit closer. You'll soon start to recognize small differences. Claw marks from cubs climbing a tree are short in length, maybe 1 inch while adults markings will be much longer, often over 3 or 4 inches long. I've photos of them up to 8 inches in length.
Recognizing these differences will give you a better idea of what is likely to be hanging around the area.