I know this isn’t a deer rub so what does it?
I found these on other same size/type of trees.
Beetles of some kind?
It starts at snow level and goes about 5 foot up.
Any ideas?
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Sure deer aren’t eating the bark?
Looks like rabbits, was there snow piled or drifted up on these trees during the winter? That would explain how a rabbit chewed it up that high. I have seen beaver cut trees as high as 6′. Ended up being cut by them in the winter standing on a snow drift.
Rabbits, porcupine, most likely rabbits.
Believe it or not, I’ve seen squirrels do this. But usually there is a pile of “bark chips” at the bottom. I don’t see any in the picture.
Deer eating the bark? I suppose it could be but it’s almost to clean. The bark is completely off all around it. Dunno?
Rabbits? Too high on the tree. The snow was only about 2 foot up at 1 time so no way could they reach up 5 foot.
Anything’s possible and I never saw it happening so it’s a mystery to me.
I have never see it before so was wondering if there were any “bug-ologists” out there who would say oh yeah, it’s “so and so bug”. And what kind of bug it “outside” in the winter? It happened when it was really cold.
Never thought about tree rats. No bark at the bottom. Whatever it was, they cleaned it all up!
No Porkies down here…can’t be them.
Armadillos???
That’s almost certainly porcupines.
Where are you located? The porcupine range extends down the Mississippi River valley and all the way into Iowa. There aren’t as common down there, but southeast MN is still within the porcupine range.
Grouse
Around the Rochester area.
Lived here 50 odd years and have never seen a Porky in this area.
Nope, this wasn’t done by a porcupine. That 1 one I can rule out.
My tendencies are leaning towards rabbit but at 5 foot off the ground and the snow was 2 foot max…I’m taking a bigger gun along next time cuz that’s 1 dam big bunny !
Dang. Sure hope I don’t end up eating my own words.
Just googled Porcupine tree stripping and I’ll be…it sure looks like what I see. I suppose squirrels have the same curved teeth too.
I can’t imagine what a mess that would be if the dog finds one. Good grief I’ll be pulling quills for days.
I just can’t imagine what a porky would be doing around here and I certainly hope they don’t breed if they are here.
If you are in SE Minn you shouldnt have to worry about porcupines.
If you are in SE Minn you shouldnt have to worry about porcupines.
I’ll let you and Grouse debate that one.
I agree but on the flip side, I’ve never seen trees stripped like this and I’ve had the property for almost 30 years.
I just saw his post. I never heard of them here and the range map shows a definite line far north of us and I have never seen one dead on the road anyplace south but if an IDO brother saw one here I believe it. Next this you know we’ll have possums in Ifalls.
I’ve got dozens of trees like that on my farm in east central MN, so I was just commenting based on the appearance of the bark. It looks exactly like what the porcupines do to trees up there. But to see one is rare. I’ve seen exactly 3 in all my years of hunting in northern MN. I occasionally get trail cam pics of them at mineral licks.
My father had a pointer that tangled with a porcupine while grouse hunting near Wabasha in the 1970s, so I know they are down there. Luckily, King got a quill or 10 in his nose and backed off without getting any in his mouth.
The DNR’s map is a little non-specific, but Rochester is certainly right on the edge of porcupine territory.
They probably won’t come back, but if you had a trail cam, it’d be interesting to set it up nearby.
I sure wasn’t a scratcher!
I see similar things on trees that size where I deer hunt and its not very far from you Haley. I think its a bug infestation on those certain tree/shrubs. The mountain I hunt has quite a bit of this going on. I think the bugs kill the tree/shrub and winter’s frost loosens the bark up and it falls off or crumbles away. Cottontails down this way prefer sumac and raspberries. Porkies prefer pine, at least up at the cabin they do.
For god sakes guys,, a rabbit?? a drift 5 feet tall inside the woods when the rest of your snow is the exact same level. I feel dumber for having read this..
snowshoe hare standing on back legs can reach up a long way
A Pooka! Named Harvey.
For god sakes guys,, a rabbit?? a drift 5 feet tall inside the woods when the rest of your snow is the exact same level. I feel dumber for having read this..
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