Each morning I’ve been waking up to more and more tree damage. I’ve been extremely busy, so no time to buy and set a live trap, but this coming week I will be free. However the current pace of which the damage is taking place is becoming alarming. This monster already girdled one chinese plum and now he’s coming for my pear trees and the two remaining plums. I think it’s either a beaver or a woodchuck. Any insight on how I can catch this creature and attempt to heal my trees would be much appreciated. Seems like the damage is coming at night.
by barelypsychoactive
27 Comments
Y’all have porcupine? They will strip bark like that here..black bears will also do it to eat the underside..I think it’s called cadmium layer that they eat
Beaver?
Time to invest in a game trail camera. You can sometimes catch one on clearance between hunting seasons for cheap at sporting goods stores.
That tree is doomed. Wrap hard plastic around any you have left and get ready to camp out with a rifle. Maybe put a motion sensor light on the area to alert you. Then build a fence around your orchard. Or atleast chicken wire around each individual tree. Sorry such a shame to loose a big healthy looking fruit tree like that
Put little fences around the other trees so they can’t get near the trunks. The one tree might not live, unfortunately.
Voles will eat the bark at the base and kill the tree. Look around for round holes in the ground
Bait traps are the best advice right now and short of fence wire around the healthy trees
Wrap the trunks of your other trees with chicken wire as a temporary barrier.
Hard to catch an animal that you can’t identify. You need to borrow a trail camera or cameras and set them up on multiple trees. Figure out what you have and then come back.
It’s either that or sit out and wait for it with a rifle.
Deer?
Try to protect the tree with a dark cloth wrapping around the entire part missing bark else this tree will be dead (don’t leave anything without bark exposed)
That’s porcupine.
Wrap in foil usually when bark is gone all the way around it dies
Well, I guess it’s time to brush up on my hunting and fencing skills! #homesteadingrealtalk
Sorry for your trees. $100.00 game came would identify it.
Of course stopping it is the goal. I stayed up all night once in order to take out a packrat. It was in the cabin we lived in at the time. I remember when I shot it, just the small pop off a pump up crossman pistol, and my wife woke up from a sound sleep, said, “did you get it ?”, I said, “Yep”, she said, “good” and went right back to sleep 😂
fence them, rabbits most likely
Time for some t posts and fencing!
Step 1. Get a Trail camera and set it up. It will tell you the type of animal and when it is coming by.
Step 2. Surround the tree with chicken wire to keep it safe.
Step 3. Once you know when it’s coming by, get a firearm, poison, etc. and kill that sucka.
My German Shepherd does this to my trees & firewood. Drives me nuts. Had to wrap all my tree trunks in hardware cloth. They are all missing chunks of bark & some injuries are 4” deep.
In February we had a horrible ice/wind storm that damaged my 4 major trees. Limbs 20” in diameter snapped off of 80’ trees. Red pine, elm & maple limbs came down. Missed all major structures (thank goodness).
My German Shepherd was in heaven. So much new wood to chew!!
that tree will die… it’s been girdled
Wrap them in bailing wire and chicken wire
Shoot said animal
boyfriends parents lost a peach tree because the deer really liked to rub its antlers on it, and it killed the tree. the deer left the other fruit trees alone but quite liked the peach tree for whatever reason.
Woah! Who is the culprit? Any ideas? I’ve seen this on a wild apple tree before. Bear?
These answers are hilarious. This is not a bear, a deer, a rabbit, vole or a dog… Come on. It’s either a porcupine, woodchuck or beaver.
Those black underground perforated drain tubes. Cut one long ways and it will fit around the base of your trees and protect them.
We have used crazy carpets wrapped around trunks for beavers, they work well.
Pine tar the rest of the trees as a deterrent, don’t use anything else or you will hurt the trees,melt the tar just enough to brush a layer on the babies, and pray to your favorite deity,the other trees I think that are too far gone