Any ideas (bird feeder hooligan) ?

[Hardscrable]

Neighbor said yesterday that one of their bird feeders "disappeared" over night...totally gone as in nowhere on their property. It was 5 feet in the air hanging on a metal shepherds hook. We have a shepherds hook 6 feet outside our living room windows along the deck. One side has a bird feeder hanging & the other side has a suet feeder hanging from it. This morning the feeder is no longer hanging from the outside left hook but from the center where it branches out to the two sides. The chain for the suet holder is also hanging from the center rather than from the right hook. The actual suet holder is disconnected from the chain and lying on the deck (now empty ) 10 feet from the shepherds hook. Any idea as to critter responsible (other than Bigfoot playing mind games with us) ? Deer ? I don't believe a coon could climb the half inch square metal that it is made from. Large bird that could land on the top and pull feeders upward to move chain to center ? I am at a loss as to explanation.

 

[postell]

I would bet you have a Raccoon on the loose.
Raccoons are strong, agile, clever and natural born thieves. If they could learn how to put on a suit and tie a necktie, Wall Street would hire them in a second. I'm betting raccoons are your perpetrators.
Raccoons work at night. They climb trees, love suet and stealing is part of their method of operation.

 

[HamsterStyle]

That's why they wear a mask!!!!!

 

[dprimm]

I would bet you have a Raccoon on the loose.
Raccoons are strong, agile, clever and natural born thieves. If they could learn how to put on a suit and tie a necktie, Wall Street would hire them in a second. I'm betting raccoons are your perpetrators.
Raccoons work at night. They climb trees, love suet and stealing is part of their method of operation.

no, they would be elected to office.

 

[SAILORGOLF46]

Agree, the mask bandits hit our feeders often. They are only cute when in the neighbors yard.

 

[rotortech]

Use a game camera. It will be fun to catch them at it.

 

[Hardscrable]

Extremely familiar with coons. Been a farm/country boy my entire life. Raised a baby coon for a year once. Took him around on a dog leash. Ate snacks out of my pocket. 15 years ago watched a coon chased by my lab &pit bull climb a metal ladder ( absolutely vertical ) on the outside of a grain bin. At about 35 ft just propped himself over the rung, wedged himself against bin, & laid up there for hours. Was still there at dark but gone next morning. I just find it hard to believe a coon could climb this. By where the chain& cable are now, culprit had to be at very top and pull them upward. Not saying it is not possible but I am not yet convinced.

 

[oldpink]

Don't be surprised at all if climbing up to the hook, then pulling the feeder up by its chain is exactly the work of a raccoon.
As others have already mentioned, they're very clever critters.
They're also surprisingly strong and quick for their size.

 

[mike4sigs]

Raccoon!

I caught one with my trail cam Raiding our feeders ,One was on a shepherds hook and one was on a feeder using 1 inch tube ! It would climb them both part way and then knock the feeders off or just tip them over then eat off the ground ! For 3 weeks we have been talikng the feeders down and a cpl nights we didnt and the Feeders would be raided the next morning!

 

[jerrob]

Use a game camera. It will be fun to catch them at it.

............and grease that pole toward the top.

We have to pour ammonia into/on our large, rolling trash cans to keep those damn things at bay. They can climb a smooth sided recepticle, open the lid and climb inside. Try opening a trash can at 5 am and getting greeted by a frightened racoon, you can skip the coffee that morning.

 

[Zoub]

Wild birds unlimited, get the heavy duty pole that has an auger and a 4 point base as well. Then to the pole you add a coon proof collar. I can't stress just how robust and tough their products are and they work. You can easily hang three or 4 feeders, put suet holders on it and a tray feder on top of a single pole. Coons don't destroy your feeders and steal the food. You can also place food for coons and squirrels elsewhere if you want.

 

[johntheplinker]

Yeah, it was a coon. Across the drive I've got a couple feeders hanging from a chain between 2 trees. Outside the feeders I ran a chain through a 4' section of 1 1/2" pvc pipe to keep the coons and squirrels out of the feeders. Mr. Coon has learned that when he gets to the pipe to just turn over and shimmy along it upside down. Then he pulls the feeders up and off their hooks. They'd drag the suet feeders back into the woods and chow. Lost a few that way. Seed feeders would get rolled around until empty.
Now there is a disk on the end of the pipe nearest the feeders and haven't any problems, knock on wood.

 

[danielson]

Plus the coons have been very active lately. There were none dead on the road a couple weeks ago, then all the sudden, theres like 20 of them.

 

[johntheplinker]

Plus the coons have been very active lately. There were none dead on the road a couple weeks ago, then all the sudden, theres like 20 of them.

Plus I think they're experiencing a population boom. The last couple of years I'd see one every now and then along the roads, and very seldom one in the yard. Now over the last month or so seems like I see a fresh carcass on the roads daily and besides trying to keep them out of the bird feeders I see them regularly picking up the spilled seed.

 

[Leadeye]

They're trouble.

 

[jamesb]

I have three this year that showed up to hit our feeders. They unhooked an eyelet fastener to get a corn cob off one of the squirrel feeders. The fastener wasn't bent so they had to of pinched it open and took off the eyelet. Last year I caught 3 in one night. Wife's happy to feed them this year, so far they haven't caused any damage. Last year they broke the gazing ball and knocked over all the porch furniture.

 

[Bennettjh]

Coons are a royal PITA. Which is what I guess you have.