Author Topic: What varmint could this be?  (Read 3685 times)

Triloba Tracker

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What varmint could this be?
« on: September 28, 2019, 09:47:41 AM »
Some kind of critter is messing around in my orchard.

It seems to be active at night though not exclusively, possibly.
It is digging shallow trenches along what I believe are old tree roots from trees I’ve cut down in years past.

My guesses are: (in order of likelihood)
Possum
Armadillo
Groundhog
Raccoon

Any ideas?

Pokeweed

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2019, 08:09:59 AM »
I doubt it is armadillo. They smell a grub and dig a fairly precise hole to it. I also think a possum is the most likely culprit. D

Triloba Tracker

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2019, 10:12:39 AM »
excellent info - thanks!!
Makes sense.
Now to figure out how to discourage it.
It's not harming my trees (yet) but it makes a mess and is stirring up weed seed that will inevitably sprout next spring.

Pokeweed

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2019, 07:49:23 AM »
I think I saw panther urine for sale a while back. That might scare a bunch of smaller animals away. D

Triloba Tracker

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2019, 12:40:54 PM »
I think I saw panther urine for sale a while back. That might scare a bunch of smaller animals away. D

yeah i've seen various potions for scare purposes but i'm skeptical...i feel like in the past i'd read a lot of naysayers

will2358

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2019, 07:52:30 PM »
I have chipmunks that make holes in my yard. It could also be field mice.
My name is Cindy

Sandiegojane

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2019, 04:43:00 AM »
Look into voles

Guanabanus

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #7 on: November 08, 2019, 09:43:01 AM »
Raccoons do dig for earthworms.
Har

Triloba Tracker

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #8 on: November 08, 2019, 10:54:56 AM »
Raccoons do dig for earthworms.

Thanks! yeah, it's something big - it's clear from the amount of disturbance.
I have trapped a couple 'possums overnight but it's hard to know if they were coming there anyway or if they were just drawn by the bait :)

I released them in the morning.

vall

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2019, 02:07:41 PM »
Raccoons do dig for earthworms.

Thanks! yeah, it's something big - it's clear from the amount of disturbance.
I have trapped a couple 'possums overnight but it's hard to know if they were coming there anyway or if they were just drawn by the bait :)

I released them in the morning.

Possums will absolutely dig for grubs and they make a huge mess of it. I have to protect my vegetable garden till the roots are strong enough to deter diggers.
- Val

Citradia

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2020, 08:14:43 PM »
How long are the trenches? Do you have a pic? How deep and wide?  Skunks will dig too.

Triloba Tracker

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2020, 08:23:07 PM »
How long are the trenches? Do you have a pic? How deep and wide?  Skunks will dig too.

Sorry - I don’t have any pictures. They were a few feet long and maybe only 3-4 inches deep.

kumin

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2020, 08:28:55 PM »
Groundhogs are diurnal herbivores, skunks dig extensively for grubs. I believe skunks are fairly precise in their digging.
« Last Edit: January 04, 2020, 08:43:22 PM by kumin »

Milkjug

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #13 on: March 21, 2020, 08:31:04 AM »
Buy a game camera and find out for sure.  They are pretty cheap on amazon or go the hunting section of a sporting goods store.

giorgosgr

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #14 on: March 21, 2020, 12:11:04 PM »
From my experience here in Greece (these animals are also in your area i think) mostly foxes do that dig up pretty much anything, also once a badger caused problems digging up newly planted trees

W.

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #15 on: April 09, 2020, 02:01:42 AM »
This reply is several months after the original post but since I have experience with all the animals on Triloba Tracker's suspect list and suggested by others, I thought I would chime in.

The likeliest candidates are possums or armadillos. Both will make a mess of the ground until they find whatever invertebrate life they are after. If you have a fully and securely fenced-in yard, then it is a possum as they can climb anywhere.

Groundhogs only dig for their burrows; they are herbivores. Supposedly, they will eat blackberries. I am not sure whether they will eat the plant, fruit, or both, but I have resident groundhogs in my yard which I have observed on multiple occasions passing by my blackberries without so much as a glance at them. Perhaps they simply like the many native wildflowers in my yard better.

Raccoons are too lazy to dig, particularly urban/residential area raccoons. Yes, they can dig when they are in the "wild." They will go after trash, pet food, fruit, bird seed, and many other things before they will work for their food by digging.

Voles only dig very tiny holes as access to their burrows. They eat grass and wildflowers; I have never had a problem with them attacking trees or any food plants. Again, while I have many voles, I also have many wildflowers for them to eat.

Field mice are a similar story to voles.

Chipmunks are diurnal. They make a mess but, like squirrels, dig holes rather than trenches. I cannot stand chipmunks or squirrels. Those two animals, along with raccoons, are the only animals I consider to be pests due to their destructiveness, but that is as much to do with their gnawing as their digging.

Foxes will dig if they are after prey, like a vole or mouse, or are digging their den but otherwise will not dig. They are rarer than they used to be in the southeastern United States; they have been displaced by coyotes. If you have foxes in your area, they will probably prey on the squirrels and chipmunks. I have watched foxes hunt squirrels so masterfully that those foxes never had any need to dig for their dinner.

There are no badgers in Middle Tennessee. Like where I live, Middle Tennessee is too far south and east to be in their range. If we had badgers, they would probably make a mess of the place with their digging, but it would likely be in the form of big tunnels.

I hope this helps anyone who is dealing with digging animals.

Triloba Tracker

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #16 on: April 09, 2020, 10:18:53 AM »
Very helpful, Dubya......thank you

Triloba Tracker

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #17 on: June 16, 2020, 12:10:47 PM »
https://youtu.be/W5-xkYioYng

About 40 seconds into the vid, I show some of the damage of these varmints....

NateTheGreat

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #18 on: June 17, 2020, 12:03:21 AM »
Maybe feral pigs?

Triloba Tracker

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #19 on: June 17, 2020, 09:24:46 AM »
Maybe feral pigs?

Boy, I hope not  That would be a first for my neighborhood surely

NateTheGreat

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #20 on: June 17, 2020, 10:20:07 AM »
I thought of it when you said in your video that they come through every few weeks and do the damage in one night. I think there'd be some hoofprints though.

Triloba Tracker

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Re: What varmint could this be?
« Reply #21 on: June 17, 2020, 02:31:08 PM »
I thought of it when you said in your video that they come through every few weeks and do the damage in one night. I think there'd be some hoofprints though.
It's all good.
yeah, i don't think we have them around here.
No, there are no discernible footprints of any kind. I need to just buy a stupid camera :)  Not that I know what I can do about it other than try to trap them. But if it's possums, there are an endless supply. That'd be a losing battle.