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Small Cabin Forum / Nature / Who dun it??
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WILL1E
Moderator
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 08:47
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So what critter do you supposed did this? Never seen any tree damage like this since i've owned the place. I know we have pileated woodpeckers, but this seems a bit agressive for them.




Steve_S
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 08:51
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No woodpecker that's for sure. No scat or tracks around ? Certainly no Beaver...

WILL1E
Moderator
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 09:30
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Don't recall any. It's weird to that they did it at least one other spot higher up on the tree to. Tree must taste good to keep working on the same one. I should've put a game camera on it to see if they came back.

darz5150
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 09:59
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Could be a dear or bear.

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 10:42
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We get lots of deer rubs but they arent that high nor as shedded. I vote Black Bear.

WILL1E
Moderator
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 11:05
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Seriously...black bear would do that?

darz5150
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 11:09
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You bet ya. They mark the boundaries of their territory. My neighbor found one about 8 feet off the ground. He is 6 feet tall and could barely reach it. 😲

travellerw
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 11:46
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Do you have any Moose? Looks like a Moose rub to me.

WILL1E
Moderator
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 14:00
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Quoting: travellerw
Do you have any Moose?

I fricken wish!!! I would be the happiest guy ever to have one of those bad boys roaming around!

I did get a black bear on camera last year, so it's quite possible he's still roaming around.

jhp
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 14:16
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100% (IMO) black bear.

Black bear would definitely do this - I know some guys have problems with them chewing and scratching the posts on elevated deer stands, even if they're treated wood.

Bears are just kind of derpy like a big dog and will chew and wreck on whatever.

Steve_S
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 15:30
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Actually I hadn't thought of bears but hell yeah, we have browns & blacks up here and they do that ! I had a black female here for a couple of years till she cubbed and departed, used to knock over small trees and gnaw on some BUT there was always evidence of scat & trail prints. Bear Scat is awfully easy to figure out.

They are all prepping to hibernate, that means they are less pleasant than normal and ore likely to get nasty if bothered in any way. IF it's bear, be cautious and aware of your surroundings.

I've got bear, moose, deer wild turkey (way too many) partridges and all sorts of critter in between... Hunting Heaven ! All outside in my yard more or less. Property goes up for sale Next Spring once I am done the detailing work, disposal of excess everything already underway. I guess I'll post an advert here first just in case someone wants something like what I built. Joe & Jane Public would not understand much of it but fellow cabineers do.

Brettny
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 16:11
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Location might help a bit. I have got a moose on game cam in the Adirondacks of NY.

snobdds
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 16:27
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I have moose, deer, and elk all do this my trees.

They are trying to get the velvet off the antlers.

ICC
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 17:13
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The local elk do that here

Shadyacres
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 17:53
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well tree looks rotten like ready to fall over so i could see a woodpecker doing that ?

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 20:12 - Edited by: gcrank1
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Woodpecker with claws! Scary

Shadyacres
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 20:35
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gcrank1 , I can take some pictures of rotten trees with woodpecker damage. Rotten wood peels apart like that. Don’t see any claw marks. But you must know it all.

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2021 22:31 - Edited by: gcrank1
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Hey Shady, we have lots of woodpeckers here, from the little Downy to the big Pileated. Lots of rotten wood too. I just cant see a woodpecker doing that, ours have roughed some rotten wood but they always leave some holes and I dont recall that kind of shredding.
Deer rubs and scrapes are common, we've been seeing fresh ones on about every walk for the last 3 weeks. That one looks a bit higher up than our whitetail deer tend to do but without something to judge height by it can be deceiving. A young buck? Wouldnt expect a young one to be up that high. A bigger older buck that just had an itch?
We dont have but the odd sighting of black bear down here but I have seen claw shedding like that up in northern WI where Will is at. I think sometimes they just want to rip something up, like some people.

FishHog
Member
# Posted: 23 Nov 2021 06:33
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Being as dead as that little tree is a bear or moose would have pushed it over

I say woodpecker as well.
I don’t know everything but I’m a hunter and look for that type of sign all the time. Deer and moose don’t usually touch dead trees for rubs and like I said a bear would have broken that tree off

It just looks frayed like something with claws scratched it but I think it’s just the rotten wood fibres holding together in parts

Shadyacres
Member
# Posted: 23 Nov 2021 07:07
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FishHog - good , another guy on here who knows what happens to dead trees.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 23 Nov 2021 07:58
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Bear marking his "turf". Usually deer or elk would just mess up the bark, this is too high up for that and well beyond the bark. The bear stand on hind legs, leans into tree and drags his claws down it. He/she probably has a hibernation den somewhere close by too.

WILL1E
Moderator
# Posted: 23 Nov 2021 08:49
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I am located in northeast Wisconsin.

The shredded spot is about 4' up and the broken off top is about 6' up.

I know there is a blackbear in the area...at least as of last Nov. because i have him on camera.

I would agree, way to aggressive for whitetail deer. They typically only do the bark around here and it would be down lower like at the 1-2' level.

I've seen woodpecker damage on the property and it's usually bored holes, not shredding. I'll have to get a camera in the area and see if he comes back.

I know i've also got a raccoon in the area, haven't seen any porkies yet.

FishHog
Member
# Posted: 24 Nov 2021 08:55
Reply 


When you go back give that tree a push and see how easily it breaks off then you will know there was no way a large animal did that without pushing it over

If it wasn’t such a dead rotten tree it could be a large animal but this isn’t

And pull some of that rotten wood off of it and see how it shreds up like that with just your fingers

Nate R
Member
# Posted: 24 Nov 2021 19:40
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I vote black bear as well. There's more in the area than there used to be.

EvilRoy
Member
# Posted: 4 Dec 2021 20:38
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Don't see any claw marks in the trunk, looks like deer rub.

WILL1E
Moderator
# Posted: 5 Dec 2021 08:03
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Well I’m up here and the try is sturdy, not a push over rotten thing. The tree is also pretty thick so I have a hard time imaging anything being able to bend that tree over.

There ain’t. I way it’s a deer rub with that rub closest to the ground being around 5-6’ up.

Got a be a climbing critter of some sorts.

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 5 Dec 2021 08:39
Reply 


We have some low to the ground deer rubs here, not as common as higher up, but they put their head down and go at it. Maybe like scratchin an itch, ya do whatcha gotta do?

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