# Who is guarding your wood?



## DougA (Feb 17, 2015)

Thought I would finally post a photo I took today of the guardian of our wood pile.  He wandered by last summer and has decided to make the wood pile his home. Protected from wind & snow and I guess it helps that my wife feeds him four meals a day.

I finally put a skid on top of the pile with some straw and pine shavings so he wouldn't be quite so cold the last week.  He has a buddy that made his home in the pile too. Peter Peacock and Paula Possum.

I keep all my extra dry wood right by the house, so now I have to bring the wood by tractor from the shed so I don't disturb them.  I'm such a softie.


----------



## Poindexter (Feb 18, 2015)

I was thinking I might install a trail cam...  That's cool.


----------



## Roundgunner (Feb 18, 2015)

Coolest thing I had in mine was a snake,


----------



## D8Chumley (Feb 18, 2015)

My dogs start barking like crazy if they even hear a fart outside. FedEx guy won't come up the driveway, UPS and mailman both have dog treats in their trucks when they come up to the house. Better than Slomin Shield


----------



## English BoB (Feb 18, 2015)

Thats cool dude, beats my mouse - but then I dont feed him.

Bob


----------



## woodsmaster (Feb 18, 2015)

The peacock is cool. The opossum not so much. It will eat melons and stuff out of your garden if you have one, and probably a bunch of babies in the spring.


----------



## woodsmaster (Feb 18, 2015)

My chickens like to roost in the tree above my wood pile.


----------



## Knots (Feb 18, 2015)

Some sort of weasel and plenty of garter snakes.  Oh yeah - and this:


----------



## bobdog2o02 (Feb 18, 2015)

Knots said:


> Some sort of weasel and plenty of garter snakes.  Oh yeah - and this:
> 
> View attachment 154003



Mantids are cool, we have tons of them around my house.  And a bonus they eat stink bugs.


----------



## bobdog2o02 (Feb 18, 2015)

D8Chumley said:


> My dogs start barking like crazy if they even hear a fart outside. FedEx guy won't come up the driveway, UPS and mailman both have dog treats in their trucks when they come up to the house. Better than Slomin Shield




I have two 100+ LB American bulldogs that have free roam of the house.  The pizza guy calls before he gets here, all the deliveries come to the garage door on the lower level of our house.


----------



## bobdog2o02 (Feb 18, 2015)

DougA said:


> Thought I would finally post a photo I took today of the guardian of our wood pile.  He wandered by last summer and has decided to make the wood pile his home. Protected from wind & snow and I guess it helps that my wife feeds him four meals a day.
> 
> I finally put a skid on top of the pile with some straw and pine shavings so he wouldn't be quite so cold the last week.  He has a buddy that made his home in the pile too. Peter Peacock and Paula Possum.
> 
> ...




Unless that's a domesticated neutered opossum it should die.  They are one of the most common carriers of rabies.  Once you've seen a child go through the rabies injection routine you wont have any ferral cats, ground hogs, raccoons, or opossums hanging out anymore.


EDIT:  After 10 min of googling i found that opposums are rarely rabies carriers due to a low body temp.  Sooooo, maybe let him live, but their teeth still creep the hell out of me.  The other critters still die.


----------



## BrotherBart (Feb 18, 2015)

Michelle The Wood Pile Panther.


----------



## rudysmallfry (Feb 18, 2015)

I don't want to meet the creature who guards my pile. I keep finding rather large snake skins in my pile.


----------



## Wildo (Feb 18, 2015)

Mine is guarded by a large skunk... Sorry no pics, If you want pics for proof you are welcome to come take some, he/she is napping halfway down the third row according to my nose.


----------



## DougA (Feb 18, 2015)

I get snake skins quite a lot.  Rarely have seen a snake in the wood though.  They are welcome to eat all the little critters they find - especially stink bugs.  OMG stink bugs are disgusting.


----------



## TreePapa (Feb 18, 2015)

The fiercest thing that has been guarding my woodpile recently is this lizard. Bigger than most of the local lizards and he's got teeth and wasn't afraid to show them. Found him when I was cleaning out where (one of) the woodpiles had been, getting ready to put down homemade "pallets" to keep the wood off the concrete. I shoveled him up (w/o touching or hurting him) and relocated him.

Other than lizards (usually smaller than this guy), just the usual mix of feral cats and the occasional black widow (those I kill).


----------



## 1kzwoman (Feb 18, 2015)

Peacock and guinne hens are excellent alarms. Neither like unknown people. For myself I have a 85# Austrailian Shepard


----------



## FishKiller (Feb 18, 2015)

in the winter time its feral cats that sleep in the wood pile, that's as close to the house as my 140 lbs mountain dog lets them get.  come summer though... i won't mess with the wood pile.  last time i tried cleaning out around it i found a rattle snake. i was done. like it was said before, my dogs will go ballistic if they hear so much as fart within a quarter mile.


----------



## brenndatomu (Feb 18, 2015)

DougA said:


> Thought I would finally post a photo I took today of the guardian of our wood pile.





DougA said:


> Peter Peacock and Paula Possum.


Well now, there's something you don't see everyday!
For me it's only been a skunk and a couple grounhawgz that met an unfortunate demise...


----------



## Dix (Feb 18, 2015)

I guard my wood piles. Except when I deal with the neighbors semi feral cats, who sometimes hunker down in my tarp covered stacks.

I love the smell of cat piss in the morning when I'm bringing in firewood, it smells like victory


----------



## brenndatomu (Feb 18, 2015)

Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:


> I love the smell of cat piss in the morning when I'm bringing in firewood, it smells like victory


 I prefer the smell of mouse piss...


----------



## DougA (Feb 18, 2015)

Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:


> I love the smell of cat piss in the morning


----------



## Gboutdoors (Feb 19, 2015)

This little guy was watching my stacks for me a few years back.


And this little guy was watching him and my chickens!


Which one do you think did not last the winter


----------



## mass_burner (Feb 19, 2015)

I have a squirrel that gnaws  on a golf ball on top of my oak stack. I've knocked the ball off a few times, but it's always back there on top. Weird.


----------



## Paulywalnut (Feb 19, 2015)

mass_burner said:


> I have a squirrel that gnaws  on a golf ball on top of my oak stack. I've knocked the ball off a few times, but it's always back there on top. Weird.


Probably has a set of little clubs in his nest.


----------



## Trktrd (Feb 19, 2015)

I'm waaaay out in the woods of Arkansas. One of the local natives offered to guard my woodpiles in exchange for table scraps.


----------



## Paulywalnut (Feb 19, 2015)

Trktrd said:


> I'm waaaay out in the woods of Arkansas. One of the local natives offered to guard my woodpiles in exchange for table scraps.
> View attachment 154075


I think I've seen him on TV


----------



## Mag Craft (Feb 19, 2015)

I have a bunch of rabbits that take refuge under the stacks.    The neighbors dogs started coming over and digging into the wood pile and knocking down a few stacks.    I had to put an end to that BS.


----------



## BoiledOver (Feb 19, 2015)

Got a few of these that keep an eye on everything out here.


----------



## blades (Feb 20, 2015)

Cool a picture of my exwife and my lawer.


----------



## ironpony (Feb 20, 2015)

Guardian of the wood. He keeps some in the house too. you can take it from him if you like. that is his favorite split, hickory.


----------



## chazcarr (Feb 20, 2015)

Here is my girl, getting old but still a good guard.  Her ears shoot up if anything gets close.  She will only bark on command though.


----------



## Clarkbug (Feb 20, 2015)

Snow.  Snow is guarding my wood pile.  So well I can barely even find it, so no one else will either....


----------



## eclecticcottage (Feb 20, 2015)

ironpony said:


> Guardian of the wood. He keeps some in the house too. you can take it from him if you like. that is his favorite split, hickory.
> 
> View attachment 154130



OMG.  I want him!  I love Rotties.  My #1 favorite breed hands down.



Clarkbug said:


> Snow.  Snow is guarding my wood pile.  So well I can barely even find it, so no one else will either....



Lol.  Yeah.  This.

No wild critters aside from mice and probably some shrews "guard" the stacks.  We had a red squirrel for a while, thankfully that left, it was starting to get pretty comfortable with the place and coming up to the house.

I'm jealous of those with (non-venomous) snakes.  I haven't even seen a garter here.  I'd LOVE a racer or two to take up residence around the place to take on the little furry critters.


----------



## Mag Craft (Feb 20, 2015)

eclecticcottage said:


> OMG.  I want him!  I love Rotties.  My #1 favorite breed hands down.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I have a few rattlers that show up every year around here.   I kill them.   The bull snakes I leave alone.   I also have seen some horned toads.    They are pretty cool.


----------



## BobUrban (Feb 21, 2015)

If my ole man Heeler/houla/husky mix can't do it I get help from one of my wrestlers I coach.


----------



## D8Chumley (Feb 21, 2015)

Our boxers- dad, mom and son (L-R). Awesome dogs


----------



## tigger (Feb 21, 2015)

I found this guy coiled up on top of my stacks last summer.....


----------



## husky345 vermont resolute (Feb 22, 2015)

I have squirrels and chipmunks in my pile


----------



## BlackGreyhounds (Feb 22, 2015)

Vermin stand no chance against Popoki!


----------



## Mag Craft (Feb 22, 2015)

Looks like something has caught his attention.


----------



## BlackGreyhounds (Feb 22, 2015)

Mag Craft said:


> Looks like something has caught his attention.


Yep!


----------



## brenndatomu (Feb 22, 2015)

BlackGreyhounds said:


> Vermin stand no chance against Popoki!


That looks just like a cat we had that disappeared about two years ago, looks like he lives in PA now...we called 'im Stan 
Him and his brother Boz liked to hang out on the roof of the house...strange cats...


----------



## WES999 (Feb 22, 2015)

Here is Minna Shepard/Husky mix. She would probably lick you if you came into the yard.

The next question is,  *Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?*


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Feb 22, 2015)

Don't have a dog, but I've been teaching my frog to attack on command,,, problem is he hates the cold so my firewood may remain unguarded during the winter months..


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Feb 22, 2015)

mass_burner said:


> I have a squirrel that gnaws  on a golf ball on top of my oak stack. I've knocked the ball off a few times, but it's always back there on top. Weird.


That reminds me of the squirrel nest I found in my stacks a few years ago. While taking the splits out of there I found inside the nest litter and the little round hollow bedroom he (she?) made I found a little pink stuffed bunny toy._To be clear, it was not just part of the nesting material, but inside the hollowed out nest area where the squirrel slept._ I removed the nest and put the bunny on the nearby splitting block, and we went off wood cutting for the day. When we came back a few hours later the squirrel had carted off the little bunny somewhere. Probably took it to his new nest location.


----------



## gyrfalcon (Feb 22, 2015)

bobdog2o02 said:


> Unless that's a domesticated neutered opossum it should die.  They are one of the most common carriers of rabies.  Once you've seen a child go through the rabies injection routine you wont have any ferral cats, ground hogs, raccoons, or opossums hanging out anymore.
> 
> 
> EDIT:  After 10 min of googling i found that opposums are rarely rabies carriers due to a low body temp.  Sooooo, maybe let him live, but their teeth still creep the hell out of me.  The other critters still die.


Thanks for checking yourself and correcting this. 

You're right about racoons, sometimes groundhogs but not often, and skunks and foxes, which you didn't mention.  Rabies is primarily carried by coons these days, but the others sometimes get it from them.  Opossums are entirely harmless little critters, but like racoons, they can carry ugly spore-borne diseases in their scat, so watch out for that.

Most important, because of the racoon/skunk rabies problem, don't leave food bowls outside.  When I was a kid, we used to leave even steak bones and the like just outside in a lighted area where we could watch through the windows at night the critters come and chew on them or carry them away.  It's totally not safe to do that anymore, sadly.

Rabies shots are bad, being attacked by an insane rabies-ridden raccoon or fox is worse, and coming down with rabies is unspeakably awful, and 100 percent fatal.


----------



## Oldman47 (Feb 22, 2015)

WES999 said:


> Here is Minna Shepard/Husky mix. She would probably lick you if you came into the yard.
> 
> The next question is,  *Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?*
> 
> View attachment 154298


Isn't that your job?


----------



## Roundgunner (Feb 23, 2015)

I try to get free help when I can









My watch cat does things a little different too. His name is Mr. Biggs, he favors 45s


----------



## Mag Craft (Feb 23, 2015)

Does Mr Biggs have trouble cocking the hammer on those wheel guns.   I mean after all no thumbs.


----------



## English BoB (Feb 26, 2015)

TreePapa said:


> The fiercest thing that has been guarding my woodpile recently is this lizard. Bigger than most of the local lizards and he's got teeth and wasn't afraid to show them. Found him when I was cleaning out where (one of) the woodpiles had been, getting ready to put down homemade "pallets" to keep the wood off the concrete. I shoveled him up (w/o touching or hurting him) and relocated him.
> 
> Other than lizards (usually smaller than this guy), just the usual mix of feral cats and the occasional black widow (those I kill).



Thats your insurance agent checking if you burn wood for primary heat.

bob


----------



## FishKiller (Feb 26, 2015)

feral cats are officially off the list of wood pile guardians! all they do is make a mess of my trash and run away if you look at them funny...  if only i could get pictures to post, i got some good ones.  my 45 lbs springer will climb all the way to the top of the pile, while my "mountain dog" just lays on the ground.  where is the logic in that?.  and although a 45 pound dog isn't much of a threat up there. one might not see the 120 pounds of teeth laying on the ground under her.


----------



## FishKiller (Feb 26, 2015)

there are my girls... glad i could figure out how to post something.


----------



## billb3 (Feb 26, 2015)

Except for a couple of empty acorns once, I've never found signs of anything living or hanging out in my stacks.


----------



## Roundgunner (Feb 26, 2015)

I had this guy hanging out for a while too.


----------



## johneh (Feb 26, 2015)

FishKiller said:


> there are my girls... glad i could figure out how to post something


I'm glad the pup grow into her feet


----------



## drz1050 (Feb 26, 2015)

All sorts of tracks in the snow out by my woodpile now.. mostly rabbit and fox. Have been trying to get a good photo of one lately, but those guys are elusive. Have only even seen the fox once.


----------



## blacktail (Feb 27, 2015)

I've got blacktail deer, owls, and my neighbor's golden retriever on duty. The golden keeps squirrels out of my racks out front, but I sometimes get him on my trail cams in the woods out back.


----------



## TMonter (Feb 27, 2015)

DougA said:


> Thought I would finally post a photo I took today of the guardian of our wood pile.  He wandered by last summer and has decided to make the wood pile his home. Protected from wind & snow and I guess it helps that my wife feeds him four meals a day.
> 
> I finally put a skid on top of the pile with some straw and pine shavings so he wouldn't be quite so cold the last week.  He has a buddy that made his home in the pile too. Peter Peacock and Paula Possum.
> 
> ...



If times get hard, dinner.


----------



## DaveH (Apr 6, 2015)

Unfortunately he's not afraid of skunks


----------

