Who is guarding your wood?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
DougA

DougA

Minister of Fire
Dec 13, 2012
1,938
S. ON
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. ;em PP1.jpg PP2.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: gyrfalcon, Ashful, chazcarr and 4 others
I was thinking I might install a trail cam... That's cool.
 
Coolest thing I had in mine was a snake,
 
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
 
Thats cool dude, beats my mouse - but then I dont feed him.

Bob
 
  • Like
Reactions: gyrfalcon
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.
 
My chickens like to roost in the tree above my wood pile.
 
Some sort of weasel and plenty of garter snakes. Oh yeah - and this:

PrayingMantis3.jpg
 
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
Click to expand...


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.
 
  • Like
Reactions: D8Chumley
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.

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. ;emView attachment 153974 View attachment 153975
Click to expand...


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.
 
Michelle The Wood Pile Panther.

woodpile panther.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: chazcarr, ErikR, Dix and 3 others
I don't want to meet the creature who guards my pile. I keep finding rather large snake skins in my pile.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ashful
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.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Light in the Dark
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.
 
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).
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20150111_123238.jpg
    IMG_20150111_123238.jpg
    419.9 KB · Views: 327
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.
 
DougA said:
Thought I would finally post a photo I took today of the guardian of our wood pile.
Click to expand...

DougA said:
Peter Peacock and Paula Possum.
Click to expand...
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...;)
 
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 :mad:
 
This little guy was watching my stacks for me a few years back.
image.jpg
And this little guy was watching him and my chickens!
image.jpg
Which one do you think did not last the winter :eek:
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: blacktail, English BoB and Dix
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.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lumber-Jack, husky345 vermont resolute and Paulywalnut
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.
Click to expand...
Probably has a set of little clubs in his nest.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gyrfalcon
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
What would you do? (Sell or burn two cords of wood)
Replies
28
Views
2K
The Wood Shed
all night moe
A
M
Novelist asks: how long to cut 20 cords of wood?
Replies
24
Views
3K
The Wood Shed
MatthewMaryland
M
Hexa Fox
Pellet Stove vs Wood Stove?
Replies
30
Views
4K
The Pellet Mill - Pellet and Multifuel Stoves
skibumm100
S
Marconis
Think this wood will be ready for winter burning?
Replies
55
Views
6K
The Wood Shed
Marconis
Marconis
Eggyolkio
Pacific Energy Neo 2.5 free standing wood stove construction and parts questions.
Replies
3
Views
1K
Pacific Energy
Eggyolkio
Eggyolkio
Top Bottom
Back