chewed up trees

[Bingo]

  I've been the woods most of my life and saw something today I've never seen before. I found two small trees (2-3 inchs round) chewed from the base to about 15 feet off the ground. They were both coarse bark trees, maybe cherry.  The bark was chewed or gnawed off the whole way around down to the wood. It looked like a small chisel had done it.
   The best I can figure it must have been a squirrel. My thought is they are rodents and need to keep their teeth trimed. If there is not enough nuts to gnaw on they may choose to gnaw on a tree. But what kind of tree and am I off coarse with this. Like I said, I've never seen this before.

[hillbill]

i also noticed something like that recently on a deer hunt. one or two small trees with what looked like the bark completely nibbled off. these nibblings were fairly close to the ground.as it was near a creek my first thought was maybe a small lost beaver.but it didnt really look like beaver sign and wasnt really in a place id expect them too go.i didnt really have time to investigate but found it to be something ive never really seen anything exactly like before.ive seen rabbits dureing long periods of snow cover gnaw bark off small trees but never the entire tree.

[trotterlg]

Got any Porcupines around your place?

[Bingo]

I have never seen a porcupine but I know we have a few. I have had coon dogs come back with quils in their face. But why small trees and so far off the ground. Also, what kind of tree and why?

[bilmac]

My bet, it's a porky. When you talk about those guys it's best not to ask why, you'll drive yourself crazy. Last Refuge I worked on we had an old elm tree, a survivor of the homesteaders, left all by itself way out in the middle of the prairie. One day I went by and the tree had been girdled. There was snow on the ground so there was no doubt it was a porky, but why did he think it was necessary to go a couple of miles away from any other tree and kill that pore ol elm tree.

[hillbill]

im in MO so what i saw was not the work of a porky.but heck 25 yrs ago we didnt have armodillas here either and now they are thick here.

[trotterlg]

They eat some of the bark and look for bugs that are under it.  They are very distructive little guys.  Their long Guard Hairs bring a very good price at market.  Larry