# Something ate my tree stumps?!?



## Dr.Faustus (Jun 14, 2015)

I live in dutchess county new york. Over the past 5 years i've taken down about 6 trees on my property. Left all the tree stumps (cut very low) and would let them rot over time etc. I had really wanted them gone but just never got around to renting a stump grinder.
The other day i woke up and all the stumps were gone. They were all dug out and chunks of wood strewn about the lawn, like someone purposefully dug and removed them. Obviously nobody was in my yard doing tree stump removal overnight for free...

Any ideas what animal would have wanted to eat my tree stumps? We generally do not have bears (although one was seen many years ago and it made the paper) , and my entire backyard is fenced in with picket fence and the gates shut at night. no damage to fence at all.

It was really easy to just pick up some fill dirt, tamp it down, level it and no more stumps. That much wood was gone/shredded/ripped apart.

This is the most bizarre thing. My dog never even barked and hes extremely sensitive to goings on outside.


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## Babaganoosh (Jun 14, 2015)

Stump fairy?


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## Highbeam (Jun 14, 2015)

Were the old stumps full of ants?


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## billb3 (Jun 14, 2015)

or bees

any stories of bear(s) ripping up beehives locally ?


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## claydogg84 (Jun 14, 2015)

Strange.. On another note - We live extremely close, I'm in Salt Point.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jun 14, 2015)

as far as i know, there were no ants or bees in the stumps. i didnt observe any ants, and the bees i would have noticed when i mowed near them. On the other hand, there was something in there, these fat wormy looking things. I had assumed these were grubs. maybe something wanted to eat the grubs, but what would be strong enough to rip apart multiple tree stumps to get at a few grubs?


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## begreen (Jun 14, 2015)

How rotten were the stumps? If they were pretty soft, maybe a badger or woodchuck?


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## 1kzwoman (Jun 14, 2015)

Get a new dog!!
Sounds like a bear danced over your pocket fence. A hungry yearly perhaps.
Badger and skunk a close second/ third.( Grubs are high on omnivor dinner menu including human is some places)


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## Ashful (Jun 14, 2015)

I think you need to call the UFO conspiracy guys over at Discovery Channel.  This might be the biggest thing since crop circles.


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## moey (Jun 14, 2015)

I dont know but I have a huge stump in my yard feel free to send whatever it is my way. Ill even leave out some water in case it gets thirsty.


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## begreen (Jun 14, 2015)

Is this a new version of stump the chumps? Or perhaps chomps the stumps?


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## Dr.Faustus (Jun 14, 2015)

I'd think a bear would have broken my picket fence. not 100% sure unless it was a small bear. whatever it was worked really hard that night. I was and am mystified at what could have done it yet happy about it because now the stumps are gone. I guess it could be a woodchuck but could a wood chuck chuck that much wood?


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## gzecc (Jun 15, 2015)

All that activity and no foot prints?


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## Hogwildz (Jun 15, 2015)

Woodpeckers make short order of stumps around here. The hammer the hell out of them going for the insects inside.


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## 1kzwoman (Jun 15, 2015)

gzecc said:


> All that activity and no foot prints?


A Taz would leave no footprints do to whirlwind and strenght is unquestioned!!


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## Dr.Faustus (Jun 15, 2015)

there were no footprints amazingly. thats why im so "stumped". i guess i'll never know really. The tazmanian devil, a chupacabra and an irate tooth fairy are still on the suspect list. I can rule out a woodpecker as this incident happened at night. so its something nocturnal.


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## Ashful (Jun 16, 2015)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/20/et-tree-stump_n_6509706.html


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## Dr.Faustus (Jun 17, 2015)

hahahahah thats great. ET ate my tree stumps. At least now i know. I've kind of given up on this mystery. I had put a camera on the scene of the crime for a few nights after the fact, but nothing came back. I guess i'll just be grateful they disappeared without my effort. tree stump removal is a horrible horrible task. its even a nightmare if you just want to cut them a little below the surface and put dirt on top so nobody stubs a toe. 

The people who owned this home before me had cut all their tree stumps into chairs. I inherited that mess. It looked terrible. a bunch of randomly placed sappy chairs. i wonder if they ever sat on them. I cut them real low and planned on letting them rot away. mystery beast ate those too.


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## CTguy9230 (Jun 27, 2015)

skunks


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