Went out in the backyard to shoot a few shots, and noticed that big gaping holes have been eaten in my targets! I shoot every day or so, and the last time I shot, they weren't there. I've been shooting in this backyard for 20 years, and never had my targets eaten before. I've always had squirrels living in my backyard, but they haven't bothered anything before, also occasional visiting raccoons, skunks, possum, moles, chickens, etc. Maybe something new turned up. Anyway, here they are. Any ideas as to what could be eating them?
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s175/mcdavid1944/070E62DD-FBB9-4D37-8E26-FFCB5A298FFF_zpshl9kjq6r.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s175/mcdavid1944/77A8C995-ABF6-493C-BD13-9B4578058112_zps8sdzkr0u.jpg)
A friend of mine has a cabin in the mountains, and a rat, or some rats, ate the nose off of his elk mount in the cabin. :dunno:
Some D Con solved that problem for him.
Haha my German short hair took a big bite out of mine this week. I'm thinking of getting some nasty tasting spray of some type to keep her and the other critters off of it
A wood pecker drilled mine and made a nesthole in it.
Set up a trail cam!
I've had woodpeckers attack mine several times and build nests
Looks like some kind of boring insect in the pic!
Bisch
My guess is the Woodpecker.
:dunno:
looks like a woodpecker.
squirrels are my culprit..
squirrels are my culprit..
Spray it with ammonia and it will stop the chewing. Well it worked for my australian shepard
Agree that looks like woodpeckers. Squirrels chew on mine.
Woodpeckers are one thing I didn't think of, and we do have woodpeckers around here.
Looks like squirrels to me, I had the same damage on one of mine caused by squirrels.
Woodpeckers won't peck on anything unless there is a bug or bug larva to go after.
Can't trust memory at my age, but hornets or wasps were found to be decimating some 3d targets and I thought it was reported here---possibly some years back...again, memory ain't what it was...and my memory ain't t hat good anymore either! :rolleyes: :knothead:
I've had chipmunks burrow into a few of my 3D targets then the Carolina wrens move in in the spring but they don't chew like yours is.
Woodpecker
I've watched the woodpeckers getting ants and other bugs out of my targets.
Blew the pictures up. Its not rodent tooth marks and a wood pecker would leave the shavings laying around. I'm thinking a bug or maybe even snails or slugs. ? Mine was eaten up buy my boarder collie x ausie mix. Looks like they went for the dark areas.
Mix up some cayenne pepper & garlic in a spray bottle with water and leave it out in the sun a couple days before spraying it.... besides your target smelling like a Pizza, no critters will touch it...... works good for aphids on roses, and tomatoes too....
QuoteOriginally posted by Kirkll:
Mix up some cayenne pepper & garlic in a spray bottle with water and leave it out in the sun a couple days before spraying it.... besides your target smelling like a Pizza, no critters will touch it...... works good for aphids on roses, and tomatoes too....
Actually, that sounds like a good plan. Couldn't hurt, anyway. Can't use any rat poison in the backyard because my border collie would probably eat it. If she eats the cayenne and garlic, well that's her problem.
I've actually had grasshoppers do a number on mine before. The spray trick might work for that too. Good luck!!
Steve